Michigan State didn’t win four straight Big Ten titles from 1997-98 through 2000-2001 or capture the 2000 NCAA championship with brilliant three-point marksmanship. Tom Izzo’s Spartans dominated with intense defense and bruising inside play.
Similarly, a large part of Illinois’ recent success–the Illini have shared the last two Big Ten crowns and reached the NCAA’s Elite Eight in 2001–was the physical intimidation provided by such players as Marcus Griffin, Sergio McClain, Robert Archibald and Lucas Johnson.
But after Saturday’s disappointing 74-66 loss at Indiana, Illini coach Bill Self said the league’s rough-and-tumble reputation is on the wane. Self said he believes officials are adhering too strictly to the conference’s emphasis on reducing physical play and illegal contact.
During the game, Illinois’ two most effective inside players–senior Brian Cook and freshman James Augustine–got into early foul trouble and eventually fouled out. Indiana made 24-of-33 free throws.
Self said Monday he thinks “since Christmas there has been an emphasis to tighten things up.” On Saturday he was more emphatic.
“The Big Ten is no longer a rough league,” Self said. “I understand the emphasis, and players and coaches have to adjust. But we’ve had games where there have been zero blocked shots, both teams commit less than 10 turnovers and both teams shoot more than 30 free throws in a non-aggressive game. Officials are calling it much closer than they have in recent years.”
Are they? During Monday’s Big Ten teleconference, opinion was, not surprisingly, divided. Izzo, whose Spartans lost their third straight Big Ten game, 77-69 at Minnesota Saturday–a contest in which there were a whopping 57 fouls called–said he basically agrees with Self. So does Ohio State coach Jim O’Brien, whose Buckeyes are off to a 1-3 start in league play.
Purdue’s Gene Keady, whose Boilermakers are tied with Iowa for second place at 3-0, said he hasn’t seen any difference in the way games are officiated, but added, “it’s hard for me to say because we’ve shot a lot of free throws.”
In its 72-60 victory over Michigan State on Jan. 14, Purdue was 31-of-35 from the line. Coach Bill Carmody of 0-4 Northwestern said he thinks physical play has increased greatly over last year.
On Saturday there were 46 fouls called in the Indiana-Illinois game, 48 in the Michigan-Northwestern and Purdue-Penn State games, but only 26 in the Wisconsin-Ohio State game. O’Brien said how closely referees follow the league’s mandate, especially on “defensive involvement in the post,” varies from crew to crew.
“All you have to do is look at our [Jan. 15] game at Michigan (a 61-50 OSU loss),” O’Brien said, “when everything was called and I don’t think it was any small coincidence that [associate Big Ten commissioner and supervisor of officials] Rich Falk was in the building.
“I had a conversation with Rich the day of the game about hand-checking and teams that play a physical style. The problem we have is a lot of officials are interpreting what the conference wants and what the NCAA rules want and so we have our game against Michigan in which everything gets called, every little bump, every touch and then we play against Wisconsin and nothing gets called. All we’re looking for is a little consistency.”
Izzo agrees partly with Keady’s view that play is as physical as in the past and partly with Self’s complaint that there are more incidental fouls being called. Izzo said he thinks there have been more “quick whistles” since Indiana coach Mike Davis ran onto the court to protest a call in the Kentucky game and received a one-game suspension.
“The hand-checking calls you saw both ways in the Minnesota game made it no fun to play,” Izzo said. “What made the Big Ten so impressive is that [the officials] used to talk guys through things. Now I think officials are being threatened to call every little thing.”
That’s fine with Davis, who said he hopes officials continue to call games closely “because our guys get pushed around a lot. If they’re calling physical play in the post more, we’re in great shape. A foul is a foul, whether you’re home or on the road. I want them to call it close because that’s the way I taught my guys to play. Hopefully, they’ll call it that way from here on out.”
Self said he’s willing to adjust, but wonders whether the crackdown on physical play will end up backfiring on the league in the long run.
“The Big Ten, the two years I’ve been in it, has given the appearance of being a very tough, physical league–almost to a fault,” Self said. “But of late I do think the Big Ten is making more calls I would consider `touch’ calls. To be a physical league you have to be able to think you can play. It’s almost like you can’t touch somebody anymore.
“This league has had six teams in the Final Four the last four years? So something this league is doing has helped it in the postseason. I have to believe it has to do with the way the game is called in the NCAA tournament being similar to the way it was called during the Big Ten season.”
