Illinois is ranked No. 1 in the nation, but no other Big Ten basketball team is in the top 10.
The Big Ten season opens Wednesday night with five games, including Michigan State at Penn State and Michigan at Iowa, and some questions will be answered in the next two months:
Can any team stop defending champion Illinois? Can Iowa maintain its winning pace? Will Michigan State’s seniors finally come together and win their first championship since 2001? Will Mike Davis resurrect Indiana–or get fired at the end of the season?
A team-by-team look at the league:
1. Illinois (14-0): The Fighting Illini are led by perhaps the country’s best backcourt trio. Together, guards Luther Head, Deron Williams and Dee Brown are averaging 44.1 points a game. They also combine for a 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio and 50 percent shooting from the field.
2. Michigan State (8-2): The Spartans have depth, experience and six players scoring in double figures. But they’ve yet to prove they can win big games, having lost their last 11 matchups against ranked opponents.
3. Iowa (12-1): One of the most surprising teams in the nation, the Hawkeyes have beaten then-No. 12 Louisville and then-No. 15 Texas. Their only loss was to North Carolina, now ranked third nationally.
4. Wisconsin (9-2): The Badgers dropped out of the Top 25 three weeks ago after losing at unranked Marquette. But Alando Tucker, who missed all but four games last season because of a foot injury, has given the Badgers a huge boost after they lost Devin Harris to the NBA.
5. Northwestern (7-5): The Wildcats have been on a tear, winning six of their last seven games. Duke transfer Mike Thompson is second on the team in scoring (11.0) and first in rebounding (6.2).
6. Ohio State (11-2): The Buckeyes have yet to play a ranked team, and their losses came against Creighton and Clemson. They’re shooting well from the field (49.3 percent) and three-point range (41 percent).
7. Indiana (5-6): The Hoosiers lost six straight in December before winning their last three, and coach Mike Davis is on the hot seat after the school’s first losing non-conference record in 35 years.
8. Michigan (8-5): The Wolverines might get Daniel Horton (sprained knee) back for Wednesday’s game at Iowa but Graham Brown (hernia) is out for a while, and Lester Abram (shoulder) is out for the year.
9. Minnesota (9-3): The Golden Gophers have won seven straight but have played only one ranked opponent–a loss to No. 19 Alabama.
10. Purdue (4-6): Sadly for coach Gene Keady, his final season here probably won’t be a good one. His team scores 63.8 points, third fewest in the league, and gives up 67.3, second worst in the league.
11. Penn State (6-7): The Nittany Lions do not take care of the ball, averaging 16.2 turnovers. They’ve lost to Illinois State, Buffalo and Valparaiso.
–KRT
