Thursday
#8 Indiana vs. #9 Ohio State
#7 Purdue vs. #10 Minnesota
#6 Northwestern vs. #11 Penn State
The tournament opener features the league’s two most dysfunctional teams. The Hoosiers showed promise early on, but then melted in February as coach Mike Davis continually questioned their effort. The Buckeyes, with an influx of new talent, never developed that virtue called chemistry and spent the season just sort of bumping along. But they do have capable big men in 7-foot Velimir Radinovic and 6-9 Terence Dials, and Indiana’s interior defense has been just awful all season. That again does the Hoosiers in as Ohio State escapes with a win.
The Boilermakers have lost three straight, their last victory coming on Feb. 21 in Minnesota. But they keep their season alive by again defeating the Golden Gophers.
The Wildcats and Nittany Lions split their two regular-season games and both have benches that are tissue thin. But Northwestern has the estimable senior Jitim Young, and Penn State has a pair of freshman guards. That’s the difference as the Wildcats advance.
Friday
#9 Ohio State vs. #1 Illinois
#4 Iowa vs. #5 Michigan
#7 Purdue vs. #2 Wisconsin
#6 Northwestern vs. #3 Mich. State
There is little drama as the Illini remember their Sunday scare in Columbus, play a complete game and easily defeat the Buckeyes. But then comes a meeting of two teams still nursing hopes for an NCAA tournament bid. The Hawkeyes are driven by guards Pierre Pierce and Jeff Horner, but they have little underneath after center Jared Reiner went down with an injury and his backup, Sean Sonderleiten, left the team for personal reasons. Daniel Horton and Dion Harris, the Wolverines’ guards, are young and streaky, but they have an improving, future star in 6-11 center Courtney Sims. They are also long and active down low, and it is their play on the blocks that gives them a victory over Iowa.
On the last day of February, the Badgers not only routed the Boilermakers in Madison, they also managed the rare feat of taking away the heart and will of a Gene Keady-coached team. They won’t do that again, but they are too well-rounded for Purdue and move on with a double-digit win.
The Spartans are the only team among the top four seeds that the Wildcats did not defeat this season, and that streak continues here. Michigan State’s active bodies disrupt the cuts the Cats depend on to get open and, in a low-scoring game, the Spartans advance to meet their nemesis.
Saturday
#1 Illinois vs. #5 Michigan
#2 Wisconsin vs. #3 Michigan State
Deron Williams has been the Illini’s cool hand all season and, in the last month, Dee Brown’s game has reached a similar maturity. That puts them far ahead of their counterparts on the Wolverines, who are still given to the follies and errors of youth, and that is one difference. The other is the Illini’s defense, which bedevils a Michigan team that has been given to turnovers throughout the season.
The Badgers have not lost to the Spartans since Bo Ryan took over as their coach, and in this semifinal they run that winning streak to five. They are consistent on offense and defense, commit few turnovers and fouls and, in point guard Devin Harris, are led by the league’s most valuable player. With center Paul Davis and guard Chris Hill, the Spartans have a pair of performers to counter Harris. But they depend heavily on outside shooting, which comes and goes, and they don’t rebound or defend well enough to survive when their touch abandons them. Even more significantly, they haven’t shown the toughness a team needs to win a close game against a quality opponent. There is a softness about this Spartans team, but there is none of that with the Badgers.
Sunday
#1 Illinois vs. #2 Wisconsin
In the last two tournaments, the Badgers were the No. 1 seed and were bounced in their first game. But here they come all the way back and defeat the Illini, avenging their Feb. 18 loss in Champaign. The difference is not made by Williams, Brown and Harris, the stars of this show. It is provided by Badgers forwards Mike Wilkinson and Zach Morley, role players who outperform their Illini counterparts both inside and with their outside shooting.
Big Ten men’s tournament
See microfilm for complete graphic.
