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CHAMPAIGN – Perceptions based on experience are not easily changed. So the idea that the Big Ten may be returning to the center ring in the basketball circus will take some getting used to.
You know. It's the "highly physical, defense-oriented, low-scoring" Big Ten. That perception has grown since the peak years of the 1980s. That glorious decade ended with Michigan and Illinois in the NCAA semifinal game after Indiana won the Big Ten. Five conference teams went 15-4 in the playoffs in 1989 after the league posted an impressive 12-5 mark in Indiana's title run two years before.
ESPN's Steve Lavin, who makes a study of these matters, called it a "golden era" of coaches, pointing to such veterans as Lou Henson at Illinois, Bob Knight at Indiana, Gene Keady at Purdue, Tom Davis at Iowa, Jud Heathcote at Michigan State and Gary Williams at Ohio State.
"I joined the Purdue staff in 1988," Lavin said, "and the next three years were a defining period in my life. The conference had great coaches, and I received a crash course in college basketball. Now it is coming full circle. We have returned to that point with established coaches in 2009. In my opinion, the Big Ten has separated itself from the other conferences and is No. 1 again."
Really? That's still hard to grasp. Critics were aghast as recently as last March when the stodgy old conference drew seven spots in the NCAA field, and even more so when Michigan State waded through Kansas, Louisville and Connecticut to reach the final game against champion North Carolina.
On the upswing
Understand, now, the Big Ten hasn't been entirely destitute for the last 20 years. Call it overachievement if you like, but the conference went 13-5 in 1992 (Michigan's wins were later voided). Michigan State reached the Final Four in 1999, won it all in 2000 and has consistently carried the conference pennant. Runner-up finishes went to Indiana in 2002, Illinois in 2005, Ohio State in 2007 and Michigan State in 2009.
But followers of the ACC and Big East will point to the even-year inconsistencies borne out by the Big Ten's awful showings in 2004 and 2006 (three NCAA wins each year) and 2008 (five wins by four teams). The only worse Big Ten showings in modern times came in 1995-96-97, when the league combined for six NCAA victories in three seasons.
OK, what has changed? What makes us think 2010 will be different?
To begin with, Big East powerhouses sustained heavy losses, North Carolina waved goodbye to its top four scorers, Duke is undersized and the SEC is striving to rebound from what ESPN's Pat Forde calls "the worst season in 30 years." Out West, with early departures reducing the Pac-10, there's no title contender west of the Rockies. As a result, no conference can match the Big Ten's depth of experience. Eighteen of 23 who received all-conference mention are back, as are 19 of the top 24 scorers.
The lineups are junior-laden, which brings us back to the recruiting class of 2007. They're college juniors now and form the backbone of the Big Ten. Understand, now, these weren't exactly the nation's best when they enrolled. But with the exception of Ohio State's Kosta Koufos, they've remained in school. Meanwhile, of Rivals.com's top 11 superstars that February, only Duke's Kyle Singler retains amateur status.
None of the current Big Ten juniors were ranked in Rivals' top 30. They were "next best" at the time, but they're leaders now. For the record, Rivals listed Michigan State's Chris Allen No. 31, Kalin Lucas No. 36 and Durrell Summers No. 54, and ranked Purdue's E'Twaun Moore No. 34, JaJuan Johnson No. 41, Robbie Hummel No. 70 and Scott Martin No. 71 (he transferred to Notre Dame).
Rank and file
Recruiting is not an exact science. You might even say Lady Luck plays a part. Purdue coach Matt Painter reminded this week that four of his top six players were not offered by another Big Ten school.
"Hummel made All-Big Ten as a freshman, but when he enrolled his dad (Glenn) was just hopeful that he could help out and maybe get 10 or 15 minutes as a backup."
Hummel noted last month that Illinois recruited him but did not offer him.
Painter added: "Keaton Grant was overlooked in Florida (at Kissimmee). Johnson only weighed about 185 pounds, and Chris Kramer wasn't heavily recruited."
Nor did anyone imagine that Evan Turner, a slender jump shooter at Westchester St. Joseph, might develop into a penetrating, 6-foot-7 point guard at Ohio State.
So the landscape has changed. Six Big Ten programs are already demanding Top 25 recognition, and Penn State's Nittany Lions would like to remind everyone that Talor Battle is back after leading an NIT title run that included wins against Florida, Notre Dame and Baylor.
So it is time, as the Illini meet their second exhibition foe (Quincy) at 4 p.m. Sunday, to recognize that Illinois is once again associated with a quality operation, that the Big Ten is big time again.
Oh, by the way, Kentucky transfer Alex Legion is the UI's highest-ranked prep (No. 45) from 2007, with Demetri McCamey next at No. 63 and Californian Quinton Watkins (gone before he started) at No. 88. Big regulars Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis didn't make the top 100.
And Winston Churchill's words keep ringing and ringing: "When conditions change, I alter my thinking. What do you do?"
Loren Tate writes for The News-Gazette. He can be reached at ltate@news-gazette.com.
Nice article. One correction though -- the Illinois/Michigan game in 1989 was the semi-final, not the final.
Posted by on November 5, 2009 at 6:23 PM | Suggest Removal
um he said it was a semifinal game.
Posted by on November 6, 2009 at 12:37 AM | Suggest Removal
Hey svillini, give LT some credit. He did correctly write "semi-final". Read the 2nd paragraph again.
Posted by walker on November 6, 2009 at 8:45 AM | Suggest Removal
Nice article, Loren, but the quote at the end is a little incorrect. It was actually from the famous British economist John Maynard Keynes. The exact quote is: "When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?"
You can't help but feel a resurgence in Big Ten hoops, though. The coaching talent is really superior, and the players are starting to follow. I hope we can put together a sustained run.
Posted by on November 6, 2009 at 9:35 AM | Suggest Removal
Duke is undersized?
the starting lineup this year will
6 ft 5 in
6 ft 4 in
6 ft 8 in
6 ft 10 in
7 ft 0 in
Duke lacks athleticism, lots of it, but that team is hardly undersized.
Posted by optimator on November 6, 2009 at 10:46 AM | Suggest Removal
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