Big Ten teams gear up for long grind
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By Steve Batterson | Monday, December 31, 2007 |
Already roughed up in home losses to teams such as Tennessee State, Central Michigan, Louisiana-Monroe, Rider and Brown, Big Ten basketball teams find themselves preparing for the grind.
Conference teams tip off the Big Ten’s first 18-game schedule in 11 years Wednesday, and the increase from 16 to 18 conference games will change the landscape of the Big Ten race.
“In the end, it’s going to paint a clearer picture of how everybody really stacks up,’’ Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “From that standpoint, I like it. It’s not going to be as much about who you play or who you don’t play. Instead, our champion will be decided on the court.’’
Coaches find that appealing.
“At the end of the day, it’s fair,’’ Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson said. “I’d like to see them lock in natural rivals — Michigan and Michigan State should play twice, and Indiana and Purdue should play twice, that type of thing — but I do see this as a way to crown a truer champion.’’
Izzo’s Spartans and Sampson’s Hoosiers have upheld preseason expectations that ranked them as the favorites to duel for the Big Ten title in 2008.
Michigan State enters conference play with a 12-1 record that includes a 3-1 mark against ranked teams, while Indiana takes the court at Iowa on Wednesday night with an 11-1 record.
Even for teams that have struggled, the start of conference play provides new hope and a fresh start.
“Everything that has happened so far has been to get us ready for the Big Ten,’’ Illinois center Shaun Pruitt said. “Wins, losses, they matter, but preparing for January, February and March is what matters the most.’’
Iowa junior J.R. Angle said the Hawkeyes upperclassmen are doing what they can to prepare the team’s newcomers for what lies ahead.
“The Big Ten, it’s a grind, and going in with a win helps,’’ Angle said. “The new guys are going to be tested because the intensity, it’s entirely different, and the games just keep coming.’’
That will be the case this season with two additional conference games on the schedule, but Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan isn’t complaining. He has lobbied for a full double round-robin schedule for several years.
“The only thing I can think of that would be better than 18 games is 20, but I’ll take the 18,’’ Ryan said. “It’s a step in the right direction.’’
After a weekend win at Texas, Ryan’s 10-2 Badgers are among potential contenders. Wisconsin also plays two-time defending champion Ohio State and Michigan State once this season, a potential difference-maker.
“You won’t see as much of that happening, though, and that’s a good thing,’’ Ryan said. “If I had my druthers, we’d play them all. The fans would like that, and it would make scheduling a lot easier.’’
The difficulty of securing opponents and the rising cost of guarantee games — dollars paid to attract an opponent to make a one-time visit to an opponent’s home court — were among the reasons Big Ten coaches voted to support a switch to 18 games.
There is some risk involved.
Big Ten coaches made the move at a time when it appeared other conferences would follow, but only Pac-10 and Big Ten teams will play an 18-game conference schedule this year.
“The change is going to impact everybody’s RPI. The schedule strength rating should be better, but with one more tough road game and another tough opponent, we all will likely have some more losses, too,’’ Illinois coach Bruce Weber said.
“It’s going to be interesting to see how the NCAA selection committee looks at it. We all have taken away two nonconference games, most likely at home, to make this happen. If the ACC, Big 12 and Big East had jumped to 18 games, it would have created a more even landscape. We’ll find out in March if going to 18 was a good thing.’’
Izzo has concerns about that as well.
“We’ve pretty much taken two automatic wins off of the schedule,’’ Izzo said. “Will the selection committee view a 17- or 18-win Big Ten team the same way it viewed a 20-win team in the past? We don’t know, but I think in the end it still comes down to winning games and winning as many as you can.’’
Northwestern coach Bill Carmody was opposed to the expansion.
He said for programs attempting to play their way out of the second division of the Big Ten standings, he said the challenge has become more difficult.
“It adds a road game to the schedule, and even when you look at our top teams from a year ago, nobody won much on the road,’’ Carmody said. “It may put more people in the seats, but I don’t think it’s worth it. I don’t think we gained that much by going to an 18-game conference schedule.’’
Steve Batterson can be contacted at (563) 383-2290 or sbatterson@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.
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