Penn State

Big Ten Tournament: Predictions & Preview

Paul Elkins — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:14:02 -0500

With four clear-cut big-dancers, the Big Ten oozes front-end quality. But with lower-seeded teams providing late season scares to perennial powers – see Michigan State barely escaping Penn State in East Lansing last week - look for some drama to unfold this Thursday thru Sunday in Indianapolis.

Round 1

#8 Michigan vs. #9 Iowa: Coming off a spanking from Michigan State, look for the Wolverines to bounce back and rally around their two stars, Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims. Too much talent for the Hawkeyes, as Michigan triumphs.

PICK: Michigan.

#7 Northwestern vs. #10 Indiana: After falling in overtime to a team that had not won in 11 games, look for the Wildcats to avenge their recent road loss to Indiana, and win their 20^th game of the season for the first time in school history.

PICK: Northwestern.

#6 Minnesota vs. #11 Penn State: After losing by 2 at Michigan State and by 4 to Purdue in the same week, Penn State is ripe for a big game to fall their way. Look for Chris Babb, who scored 16 against Michigan State and 17 against Purdue, to combine with Talor Battle to spearhead the upset of the Gophers.

PICK: Penn State

Round 2

#8 Michigan vs. #1 Ohio State: Unanimous Big Ten Player of the Year Evan Turner and company will be too much to handle for Michigan.

PICK: Ohio State.

#4 Wisconsin vs. #5 Illinois: Wisconsin avenged their only home loss of the season with a convincing win last weekend in Champaign. Look for Wisconsin’s stingy defense and combination of veteran leadership dismantle the Illini, who appear ready to implode on their own.

PICK: Wisconsin.

#2 Purdue vs. #7 Northwestern: The Wildcats are fighting for their tournament lives, and have a good opportunity for an upset in a second-round game with Robbie-Hummel-less Purdue. Look for the ‘Cats, who have already beaten Purdue once, to rally behind senior Jeremy Nash for the win.

PICK: Northwestern.

#3 Michigan State vs. #11 Penn State: The Spartans got a scare from Penn State last week – you can bet they will be ready for the Nittany Lions this time around. Look for Kalin Lucas to point the way to victory for Izzo’s crew.

PICK: Michigan State.

Semi-Finals

#1 Ohio State vs. #4 Wisconsin: Look for Turner to help the Buckeyes avenge a thrashing the Badgers applied to them when they were without their then-injured star. Look for Jon Diebler, William Buford, and David Lighty to pull their weight in the Buckeyes victory.

PICK: Ohio State.

#7 Northwestern vs. #3 Michigan State: The Wildcats luck runs out as the Spartans frontline proves too deep and tough to overcome.

PICK: Michigan State

Finals

#1 Ohio State vs. #3 Michigan State: While the Spartans don’t have one player who matches up with Turner (who does), look for them to come together at the right time in typical Michigan State fashion. Izzo’s tactics – publicly criticizing his captain Lucas in the middle of the season – always have a purpose, and his latest move – benching guard Chris Allen for undisclosed reasons – will likely spur the team forward. Look for the Spartans to beat the only team they failed to in the regular season, and build momentum heading into the Big Dance.

PICK: Michigan State.

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the Big Ten Tournament?

Paul's Predictions:

Round 1, Thu Round 2, Fri Round 3, Sat Round 4, Sun

	#1 Ohio State

	VS	#1 Ohio State
#8 Michigan
VS	#8 Michigan
#9 Iowa
		VS	#1 Ohio State

	#4 Wisconsin

	VS	#4 Wisconsin

	#5 Illinois

			CHAMPION!	#3 Michigan State

	#2 Purdue

	VS	#7 Northwestern
#7 Northwestern
VS	#7 Northwestern
#10 Indiana
		VS	#3 Michigan State

	#3 Michigan State

	VS	#3 Michigan State
#6 Minnesota
VS	#11 Penn State
#11 Penn State

Poll: Who Will Win the Big Ten Tournament?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:14:18 -0500

College Hoops Thursday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 23:35:48 -0500

Obviously college basketball will be overshadowed by the BCS Championship Game (I like Texas) but there are some important conference battles to check in on during commercial breaks. Michigan visits Happy Valley to take on the Nittany Lions and it's a shame that a game featuring Manny Harris and Talor Battle will be pushed to the backburner. Both have the ability to fill it up and Harris enjoys the help of a capable frontcourt presence in DeShawn Sims. The key for both teams: what will they get from their "supporting casts"? The team that receives more help from its role players will pick up the Big Ten victory.

There are also solid games in the Atlantic 10, CAA, NEC and Sun Belt on Thursday, including first-place George Mason taking on CAA contender Northeastern and Xavier visiting a dangerous La Salle squad. Rodney Green is one of the best guards in America that isn't the subject of constant media attention, averaging just a shade under nineteen points per game for the Explorers. Both teams are deep and have versatile players, which should make for an entertaining ballgame. So while most of your focus is on the final college football game of the season try not to completely ignore college hoops.

TV GAMES

6p FSS Western Kentucky at South Alabama
7p TCN George Mason at Northeastern
7p ESPN2 Michigan at Penn State
7p CBS-College Xavier at La Salle
8p FCS Oakland at Oral Roberts

OTHER GAMES

7p Vermont at Maine
7:30p Robert Morris at Long Island
8:05p Middle Tennessee at Arkansas St
8:05p South Dakota St at UMKC
9:05p Weber St at Northern Colorado
10:05p Long Beach St at Cal-State Fullerton

ONE PREDICTION

Penn State over Michigan: The Wolverines are 0-3 in true road games this season and their offense is rather reliant upon their success from behind the arc. That can be the recipe for falling behind the proverbial 8-ball on the road if those shots aren't falling. Look for this game to be played in the mid-high 60s with the Nittany Lions pulling out the close victory.

College Hoops Monday Recap: Yarou Out For the Year?

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:07:24 -0500

According to numerous outlets including FOX Sports' Jeff Goodman this is indeed the case, with the highly touted freshman forward out of Benin by way of Montrose Christian missing the remainder of the season with an undisclosed medical issue. Yarou played in the first two games of the season but was sent home from the Wildcats' trip to Puerto Rico due to a viral infection. This would be a significant loss for Jay Wright's team and the frontcourt rotation becomes thinner.

Antonio Peña, who played well in Puerto Rico, will be looked to for more production and the same goes for the likes of Taylor King, Isaiah Armwood and Maurice Sutton. But Coach Wright also has a number of bodies in the backcourt, which affords him the luxury of being able to go small if necessary. Losing Yarou is a blow to the Wildcats' chances but the injury is coming early in the season, allowing them the time to tinker with their rotation before they hit Big East play.

Three Key Happenings

1. Penn State gets a win for the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions nearly blew it but they were able to ultimately escape Virginia with a 69-66 win, putting the Big Ten up 1-0 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Talor Battle scored twenty-eight points in the second half and with four minutes remaining the Lions held a 55-43 edge. But Cavaliers closed strong, getting to within 67-66 with just under six seconds remaining. Battle's two foul shots provided the final margin but not before some anxiety on the visiting bench. Sylven Landesburg led the Cavaliers with eighteen but this was nearly a case of "here we go again" for the Big Ten. Talor Battle made sure that wasn't the case.

2. Two good stories to keep an eye on: Army and Stony Brook. Yes Monday was a light night on the schedule, so we may as well take a look at some schools that don't normally end up on the highlight shows. The Black Knights and Seawolves each have 5-1 records and while Steve Pikiell's team was expected to be a factor in America East not much was expected of Army. The school fired head coach Jim Crews just weeks before the start of practice, hiring Zach Spiker from Cornell.

What has ensued is a story that hasn't even scratched the surface, and a team that returned essentially every key contributor outside of Jarell Brown has played good basketball. Cleveland Richard and Ella Ellis led the way in their 64-58 win over Bryant and while a win over the Bulldogs isn't particularly impressive the Black Knights could have used the coaching change as a crutch. They haven't. With players such as Muhammad El-Amin, Bryan Dougher and Tommy Brenton Stony Brook will likely have more staying power but both have played well to start the season.

3. St. Mary's begins their three-game road swing with a comeback. The Gaels didn't get off to the best of starts at San Jose State, going into the locker room down 45-33 at the half. Whatever message Randy Bennett delivered to his team during the intermission clearly worked, as the Gaels outscored the Spartans 45-26 in the second stanza on their way to the 78-71 victory. Mickey McConnell led SMC with nineteen points while Omar Samhan added a double-double with twelve points and thirteen boards. With their next two games being at Utah State and at Oregon this was a game that St. Mary's needed to get given how tough it can be to win in either of those arenas. The win won't do much for their profile but it's a lot better than having to deal with the damage that a loss could have done.

Top Three Games

1. Navy 65, Quinnipiac 62 Chris Harris led the Midshipmen with thirty-one points, including a half-court shot that banked in at the buzzer to give Navy the win in Annapolis. James Feldeine led the Bobcats with 24 points, scoring eighteen in the second half.

2. Penn State 69, Virginia 66 See above.

3. Hofstra 84, Fairfield 80 A shootout in Hempstead with Charles Jenkins scoring thirty-eight for the winners while three Stags scored at least 22 points (Derek Needham, fresh off of being named MAAC Rookie of the Week, led Fairfield with 26).

Three Notable Performances

1. G Charles Jenkins (Hofstra) Jenkins went off on Fairfield, making twelve of his seventeen shots on his way to a 38-point effort.

2. G Chris Harris (Navy) Scoring thirty-one points is one thing. But when you bank in the game-winner from half court you deserve mention.

3. G Talor Battle (Penn State) Battle scored twenty-eight of his 32 points in the second half and the Nittany Lions needed every one of those points in their 69-66 win over Virginia.

Thoughts? Additions? Feel free to add them below.

College Basketball Lines & Predictions: Monday

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:33:14 -0500

Betting odds are a great guide to college basketball entertainment. Unlike fans, who often ride the wave of media predictions, betting lines tend to be a bit more focused and can give you an objective picture of how teams matchup (though lines too can get caught up in the wave of human emotion).

I'll discuss my daily predictions after the lines.. these are posted solely for fun, as I do not bet on games myself, nor do I suggest anybody else does either (it's not easy). If you agree or disagree with my picks, have thoughts on the day's lines, or have upsets or picks to announce, post them below.

November 30th: College Basketball Lines & Predictions

- listed are the day's 9 most popular/intriguing games. I only predict games from this pool due to fan interest.

7:00

Canisius
at Eastern Michigan

Favorite

EMU by 4.5

Over/Under

7:00

Fairfield
at Hofstra

Favorite

Hofstra by 7.5

Over/Under

7:00

Penn St.
at Virginia

Favorite

Virginia by 5.5

Over/Under

7:00

St. Joseph's
at Rider

Favorite

Pickem

Over/Under

7:00

Florida International
at Bowling Green

Favorite

Bowling Green by 10.5

Over/Under

10:00

St. Mary's
at San Jose St.

Favorite

Saint Mary's by 5.5

Over/Under

Favorite

Over/Under

Favorite

Over/Under

Favorite

Over/Under

- Lines as of 11:00 am (from BETUS) - Check out the day's other odds as the day progresses, including odds from other betting sites.

College Hoops Monday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:04:38 -0500

Monday's a quiet day on the schedule with many sports fans paying attention to the Patriots/Saints game in New Orleans. But there's also the first game of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge with Penn State visiting Virginia in what should be an even contest. Two of the better players in college basketball who aren't talked about often, PSU's Talor Battle and Virginia's Sylven Landesburg, will face off in Charlottesville with the Big Ten needing a good start in this event. The midwestern conference has never won this challenge and many think that this is the year in which they get the job done, so expect the opener to set the tone for the entire event.

As for other games on the schedule, three ranked teams will play on Monday night including #19 Georgetown hosting Mount St. Mary's. One of the more intriguing games on the slate is Saint Joseph's making the short trek from Philadelphia to Lawrenceville to take on Rider in front of the Broncs' Zoo. Freshman guard Carl Jones has been compared by some within the St. Joe's program to Stephen Curry; if that's accurate he could have a good night in what's considered to be a "shooter's gym". The winner will pick up a good victory for both their individual and conference profile at this point in the season.

TV GAMES

7p ESPN2 Penn State @ Virginia
7p ESPN360 UNC Asheville @ #5 Kentucky
7p ESPN360 Colgate @ #9 Syracuse
7:30p MASN Mount St. Mary's @ #19 Georgetown

OTHER GAMES

7p Saint Joseph's @ Rider
7p Canisius @ Eastern Michigan
8p Oakland @ Memphis
10p Saint Mary's @ San Jose St.

ONE PREDICTION

Virginia over Penn State: Why pick the Cavaliers in the opener of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge? They're the home team and they've got a number of options in Tony Bennett's new offensive system. Landesburg can get his numbers regardless of the system but it's been a good thing for the complimentary players, including Mike Scott and Mustapha Farrakhan. That will be the difference in Charlottesville.

Poll: What Team is Off To the Worst Start?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:31:19 -0500

Big Ten Basketball Preview: 2009-10

CHN — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:36:59 -0500

With six teams in CHN's preseason Top 25, and 3 more teams with NCAA Tournament hopes, no league has more depth than the Big Ten. And an improving Indiana into the mix, and this should be quite a season for Big Ten fans.

Conference Rank: 1st

10 year average: 4th

Big Ten Page

All-BIG TEN Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Kalin Lucas	Michigan St	Jr
G	Manny Harris	Michigan	Jr
G	Talor Battle	Penn St	Jr
G/F	Evan Turner	Ohio St	Jr
F	Robbie Hummel	Purdue	Jr
Second Team
G	William Buford	Ohio St	So
G	Trevon Hughes	Wisconsin	Jr
F	Kevin Coble	Northwestern	Sr
F	Mike Davis	Illinois	Jr
C	JaJuan Johnson	Purdue	Sr

Player of the Year - Kalin Lucas Freshman of the Year - Maurice Creek (Indiana)
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
CHN All-Americans Kalin Lucas (1st Team) Evan Turner (1st) Manny Harris (3rd) Talor Battle Robbie Hummel JaJuan Johnson All-Freshman Team Maurice Creek (3rd)		Points: Evan Turner 17.3 Rebounds: Mike Davis 8.1 Assists: Talor Battle 5.0 Team: Michigan State 72.0

Big Ten Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

3	Michigan State	Big Ten	1	NCAA
10	Purdue	Big Ten	2	NCAA
13	Ohio State	Big Ten	3	NCAA
14	Michigan	Big Ten	4	NCAA
18	Minnesota	Big Ten	5	NCAA
21	Illinois	Big Ten	6	NCAA
36	Wisconsin	Big Ten	7	NCAA
54	Penn State	Big Ten	8	NIT
71	Northwestern	Big Ten	9	NIT
109	Indiana	Big Ten	10	CBI/CIT
123	Iowa	Big Ten	11	CBI/CIT

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the Big Ten?

Other Big Ten Content

Other

Big Ten 5-Year Ranking

Big Ten Top 25 Players

Big Ten: Fantasy Stats Preview

College Basketball Preview - 348 Team Ranking - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

Big Ten Basketball: Top 25 Players

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:33:46 -0500

Ranking players is more art then science. How do you compare the potential of freshmen with seniors who have already peaked? How much does physical talent come into play versus intangibles and experience? How big a role do numbers play?

In some situations, the bigger challenge is deciding what position to list a player. College basketball is filled with combo guards, wings who can play from the 2 to 4, centers who are really power forwards, and so on.

All of these questions make lists like this fun and debatable.. if you disagree with CHN's rankings, post what you think below.

BIG TEN

PG
1. Kalin Lucas - Michigan State
2. Talor Battle - Penn State
3. Demetri McCamey - Illinois
4. Lewis Jackson - Purdue
5. Michael Thompson - Northwestern

SG
1. Evan Turner - Ohio State
2. Manny Harris - Michigan
3. Trevon Hughes - Wisconsin
4. E'Twaun Moore - Purdue
5. William Buford - Ohio State

- The SG position is particularly deep in the Big Ten. Iowa's Matt Gatens, MSU's Chris Allen & Durrell Summers, are also quality players. The Big Ten's crop of freshmen guards is rather weak this year. Indiana's Maurice Creek might be the best in the league.

SF
1. Kevin Coble - Northwestern
2. Raymar Morgan - Michigan State
3. David Lighty - Ohio State
4. Jon Leuer - Wisconsin
5. Royce White - Minnesota

PF
1. DeShawn Sims - Michigan
2. Robbie Hummel - Purdue
3. Mike Davis - Illinois
4. Delvon Roe - Michigan State
5. Derek Elston - Indiana

C
1. JaJuan Johnson - Purdue
2. Mike Tisdale - Illinois
3. Andrew Jones - Penn State
4. Ralph Sampson III - Minnesota
5. Tom Pritchard - Indiana

- You don't see too many future NBA stars here, but there's a lot of depth. Minnesota's White was recently suspended, but I'm leaving him on the list, until his future is decided. The center position is filled with a lot of workman-like players, but nothing terribly exciting beyond Johnson and the improving Tisdale.

-- SEC Top 25 Players

-- Pac-10 Top 25 Players

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

Big Ten Basketball: 5-Year Ranking

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:14:09 -0500

BIG TEN 5-YEAR STANDINGS

CHN's annual 5-year ranking answers a simple question is in a simple manner: Who has been the best team in the Big Ten over the last five years?

Teams get points for league wins, making the postseason (NIT or NCAA) and winning games in the Big Dance. NIT wins are meaningless here, as are non-conference wins. Also, league tournaments wins are not taken into account. (An original trial-scoring system included points for conference tourney wins. But the flukish nature of these tourney's did more harm than hurt: ie, 2008 Georgia, 2006 Syracuse, and 2004 Maryland ended up getting too much credit despite the reality that they were mediocre to sub-par teams.)

100 total points is set up to be the equivalent of batting .300 in baseball.. anything above and beyond is all-world stuff. 50 points is mediocre and you only start to get bad below 40 points.

Pos.	Was	Team	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	Wins	Gms.	Points

1	2	Michigan St	13	8	8	12	15	56	84	67	Win %
			Final Four	1st Round	2nd Round	Sweet 16	Finals			33	Post Pts.
										100

2	1	Wisconsin	11	9	13	16	10	59	84	70	Win %
			Elite 8	1st Round	2nd Round	Sweet 16	2nd Round			24	Post Pts.
										94

3	4	Ohio State	8	12	15	10	10	55	84	65	Win %
			X	2nd Round	Finals	NIT	1st Round			18	Post Pts.
										83

4	3	Illinois	15	11	9	5	11	51	84	61	Win %
			Finals	2nd Round	1st Round	X	1st Round			19	Post Pts.
										80

5	5	Indiana	10	9	10	14	1	44	84	52	Win %
			NIT	2nd Round	2nd Round	1st Round	X			11	Post Pts.
										63

6	7	Purdue	3	3	9	15	11	41	84	49	Win %
			X	X	2nd Round	2nd Round	Sweet 16			14	Post Pts.
										63

7	6	Iowa	7	11	9	6	5	38	84	45	Win %
			1st Round	1st Round	X	X	X			4	Post Pts.
										49

8	9	Minnesota	10	5	3	8	9	35	84	42	Win %
			1st Round	NIT	X	NIT	1st Round			6	Post Pts.
										48

9	8	Michigan	4	8	8	5	9	34	84	40	Win %
			X	NIT	NIT	X	2nd Round			8	Post Pts.
										48

10	11	Penn State	1	6	2	7	10	26	84	31	Win %
			X	NIT	X	X	NIT			2	Post Pts.
										33

11	10	N'Western	6	6	2	1	8	23	84	27	Win %
			X	X	X	X	NIT			1	Post Pts.
										28

-Ties are broken by favoring conference winning %

Big Ten Thoughts

- Michigan St retakes the top spot after an impressive Final Four run.

- Wisconsin is the only other team besides MSU to make 5 straight NCAA Tourneys.

- Purdue and Iowa are heading in opposite directions.

- Penn State moves up from the cellar after a surprise 10-win season.

Postseason Points

NIT = 1

NCAA 1st Round = 2

NCAA 2nd Round = 4

Sweet = 6

Elite 8 = 8

Final Four = 10

Final = 11

Champs = 12

Other 5-Year Rankings

ACC

Big 12

Big East

Pac-10

SEC

.. All