Marlen Garcia, Reid Hanley, Neil Milbert, John Mullin and Skip Myslenski collectively saw almost every Big Ten basketball game this season. They reflect on the season by picking the best in eight categories:
Player of the year
Garcia: Illinois’ Luther Head. Too bad we can’t declare a tie between Head and Dee Brown. Head set the tone for Illinois to repeat as Big Ten champ with his steady play into February. The senior is one of the most improved players in the country.
Hanley: Brown can change a game with his offense and defense. He’s the one player the Illini can’t do without.
Milbert: Brown. Let’s call on Purdue coach Gene Keady as our expert witness. Here’s what Keady thinks: “He’s a great little guard. He’s good enough to be MVP of the nation.”
Mullin: Forward Carl Landry, Purdue. He averaged 18.2 points and 7.1 rebounds for a team that had little else. In a pickup game, he’s the first choice.
Myslenski: Brown. He’s the peskiest of the Illini and their Energizer bunny. Most importantly, he’s their most improved after two seasons of erratic play. He hit 48.2 percent of his three-point attempts (82 of 170) after making just 37 percent (37 of 100) a year ago.
Coach of the year
Garcia: Illinois’ Bruce Weber. Illini fans believe he should have won last year when he lost out to Northwestern’s Bill Carmody. He had an unbeaten season heading into the regular-season finale and a finely tuned offense built on unselfish play and sound fundamentals.
Hanley: No contest, Weber by a mile. He has brought together a unique, talented group and molded it into a nearly perfect unit.
Milbert: Weber. Everybody knew the Illini would be good, but nobody expected they’d be 29-1 and ranked No. 1 in the nation.
Mullin: Dan Monson, Minnesota. He lost a top player from his 2004 team, then turned around a doormat program into a team few in the Big Ten wanted to play.
Myslenski: Weber. The record and the championship are nice. But his most impressive accomplishment was keeping the Illini grounded as their winning streak grew and they were transformed into movie stars.
Freshman of the year
Garcia: Indiana’s D.J. White. He averaged 14.7 points in conference play and led the league in blocked shots at 2.3 per game.
Hanley: White. The 6-foot-9-inch center will make Indiana a threat as long as he stays in school.
Milbert: White. No other freshman has comparable numbers. His .583 shooting percentage is third best in the conference, and he blocked 57 shots in 27 games.
Mullin: White. He’s the best of a group of young talents who turned a season around and reversed coach Mike Davis’ fortunes.
Myslenski: White. One of the Hoosiers’ three impressive newcomers, he gave just a glimpse of his bright future.
Comeback of the year
Garcia: Minnesota is a world away from its 3-13 Big Ten finish (12-18 overall) a year ago. Behind junior-college transfer Vincent Grier, the Golden Gophers tied Indiana for fourth place in the Big Ten at 10-6 and are 20-9 overall.
Hanley: Indiana. The Hoosiers lost six straight in December during an insane part of their schedule that featured three Top 10 teams. Since then the Hoosiers have gone 13-6 and have a shot at the NCAA tournament.
Milbert: Wisconsin. The Badgers trailed Michigan State by eight points with less than two minutes to play in their Jan. 16 game in the Kohl Center but rallied to win 62-59.
Mullin: Northwestern 75, Iowa 74 in overtime. The Wildcats were down 12 with 3 minutes 27 seconds remaining, but they caught the 24th-ranked Hawkeyes, then won on walk-on Michael Jenkins’ three-pointer as overtime expired.
Myslenski: Mike Davis and Indiana. When the Hoosiers lost six straight in December, their record fell to 2-6, and many wondered if Davis would survive the season. But they closed the season by winning four of their last five to give themselves a shot at the NCAA tournament.
Best game of the year
Garcia: How often does a Michigan State opponent shoot 68.2 percent in the second half at the Breslin Center? That’s what Illinois did Feb. 1 in its 81-68 pounding of the Spartans.
Hanley: Illinois’ ending the Badgers’ home-court winning streak 75-65. It’s an Illini year, and the victory in Madison was an indication of what could be accomplished.
Milbert: The last game of the regular season was the best game because of what was at stake. Ohio State prevented top-ranked Illinois from going undefeated in 30 regular-season games by rallying from an 11-point deficit early in the second half to win 65-64 on Matt Sylvester’s three-point shot with 5.3 seconds to play.
Mullin: Illinois 73, Iowa 68 in overtime. The Hawkeyes were down by 13 in the second half at Champaign but outscored the Illini 7-1 in the final 1:06 before Head saved the victory in overtime.
Myslenski: Illinois at Michigan State. The Illini controlled this one from the start and were never truly threatened, which is why this game gets the nod over more competitive games. The Spartans had this matchup circled in red and, by dominating it, the Illini answered all questions and proved themselves as good as their ranking.
Upset of the year
Garcia: A no-brainer. Ohio State’s 65-64 upset of top-ranked Illinois on Sunday made the greatest impact nationally, denying Illinois an undefeated regular season. The Buckeyes trailed until the final seconds, when Sylvester made perhaps the biggest play of the regular season by burying a three-pointer.
Hanley: Ohio State’s victory to end Illinois’ hopes for perfection. It was the perfect storm–cold Illinois shooting and no Buckeyes turnovers that led to Illini baskets.
Milbert: The best game produced the biggest upset, and the key to the Ohio State upset was the defensive number the Buckeyes did on Illinois’ three All-Big Ten guards. Collectively, Brown, Head and Williams hit only 7 of 27 shots from the field.
Mullin: The Buckeyes held the Illini scoreless for the final 3:23.
Myslenski: Ohio State over Illinois: No explanation needed.
Biggest disappointment
Garcia: Pierre Pierce, Daniel Horton and Boo Wade need to address grave behavioral issues. Iowa’s Pierce, dismissed from the team, faces three felonies in connection with an alleged assault of his former girlfriend. Michigan’s Horton pleaded guilty to a domestic violence misdemeanor and was suspended by Michigan coach Tommy Amaker. Wisconsin’s Wade was sentenced to 18 months’ probation for breaking terms of a plea agreement on charges related to a fight with his ex-girlfriend. He left his team in January.
Hanley: Purdue sending out coach Gene Keady with a 20-loss season and a 3-13 conference record. Sure, the 25-year veteran had a hand in it, but he deserved better. Injuries didn’t help.
Milbert: Seeing Purdue finish 7-20 overall and 3-13 in the Big Ten. After a quarter-century of accomplishment in West Lafayette, Keady deserved a happier ending.
Mullin: Teams losing top stars, particularly players like Pierce and Horton, because of off-the-court conduct.
Myslenski: Iowa. The Hawkeyes opened the year in Maui with victories over Texas and Louisville and entered the Big Ten season a glittering 12-1. But they stumbled again in conference play, finishing 7-9 and in seventh place.
Biggest surprise
Garcia: Former Ohio State coach Jim O’Brien departed a program in turmoil last summer over accusations that he committed NCAA violations. Former Xavier coach Thad Matta took over a group the school declared ineligible for the NCAA and NIT tournaments, but his Buckeyes (19-11, 8-8) showed they are tourney-worthy with their upset of the Illini.
Hanley: Minnesota rebounding with a tie for fourth place in the conference at 10-6. Monson’s chair was more than a little warm, but a 20-9 record and a possible NCAA berth should cool things.
Milbert: The Sporting News and Street and Smith’s both picked Minnesota to finish 10th in the Big Ten, but it wound up tied with Indiana for fourth.
Mullin: Minnesota, after losing Kris Humphries and his 21.7-point average to the NBA.
Myslenski: Illinois. Everyone knew the Illini were going to be good this season. But in this age of endless hype and leveling parity, it’s a surprise for any group to keep its collective head on straight and win 29 in a row.
