SB Nation - Talor Battle

Penn State Hoops: Lucky And Fresh

Run Up The Score — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:08:16 -0000

Via the PennStateHoops.com discussion forum, exclusive footage of Talor Battle's second half performance last night in Charlottesville:

Meanwhile, noted Big Ten and college basketball expert John Gasaway revisits a favorite topic of his (and ours):

DeChellis is virtually unrivalled in the field of achieving wins in spite of a silly and extraneous factor like how well your team scores points and prevents scoring. Behold:

Exceeding expectations to an extreme degree
Largest differences between per-possession performance and W-L
Conference games only: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-10, SEC, 2006-09

                      Mean   Actual
Penn St., 2008      3-15    7-11
Oregon St., 2009      3-15    7-11
Kentucky, 2008        8-8    12-4
Texas Tech, 2008      4-12     7-9
Villanova, 2006       11-5    14-2
Georgia, 2009         0-16    3-13
Missouri, 2006        2-14    5-11
Alabama, 2007         4-12    7-9
St. John’s, 2007      4-12    7-9
Penn St., 2009      7-11   10-8
Penn St., 2006      4-12   6-10

Clearly you don’t want to get in a close game if you’re playing against DeChellis. Only thing: Don’t call it luck. I now prefer the more precise term "degree of DeChellis," which, I suppose, comprises my own modest stab at coming up with something as succinct and accurate as UHB.

What's behind this PSU phenomenon? As Gasaway wrote late in the 08-09 season, "Penn State (Actual: 8-7; Predicted: 6-9) . The Nittany Lions popping up here is actually quite interesting. Last year Ed DeChellis' team posted the single most fortunate conference season out of the 219 complete league records in this particular vault. (PSU went 7-11 in the Big Ten in 2008, with a scoring margin that would more customarily give you a 3-15 record.) Meaning Penn State has been lucky now two years in a row. How can this be? Take it away Ken Pomeroy: 'When you have 340-some D-I teams, you would expect about a fourth of them to be lucky two years running.' The Nittany Lions are very much in the vanguard of that fourth. Either that or Talor Battle really is Robert Horry. You make the call."

Robert Horry? Maybe that explains the haircut.

Big Ten / ACC Challenge - can the B10 finally win the challenge?

GopherNation — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:22:32 -0000

We all know that the ACC has dominated this "challenge" going a perfect 10-0 through the challenge's 10 year history. The Big Ten is back to being a heavyweight this year. The question is, are they good enough to finally beat the ACC head-to-head? The strength and depth of each conference is put to the test and each and every year the ACC wins. It becomes harder and harder to come up with appropriate excuses as to why the Big Ten is still better/deeper despite being unable to win more than they lose in this "challenge".

The conventional wisdom (especially in the Midwest) is that the Big Ten is arguably the best conference in the country and could go as deep as getting seven or eight into the NCAA Tournament. But unfortunately that may not translate into a B10/ACC Challenge win. I'll breakdown the match-ups in slightly greater detail below but here is how I see things playing out.

ACC Locks

Duke over Wisconsin
Maryland over Indiana
Virginia Tech over Iowa

Big Ten Locks

Purdue over Wake Forest
Ohio State over Florida State (admittedly this is closer than a lock)
Penn State over Virginia (only because it is over)

The Rest

Michigan State @ North Carolina
Minnesota @ Miami
Northwestern @ NC State
Illinois @ Clemson
Boston College @ Michigan

The Penn State win was huge and makes this much more winable. The Big Ten still needs to snag three of the toss-up five and four of those are on the road so...

Here is a brief look at each match-up with some key tempo-free stats.

Penn State @ Virginia - We kick off the Challenge with Talor Battle vs. Sylven Landesberg. And Battle won the battle, will it be enough for the Big Ten to win the war? (that analogy was awesome) Let's not waste time on this game since it is over.

Wake Forest @ Purdue - Here is a lock for the Big Ten and this may be the biggest lock of the entire challenge. Purdue is at home and so far has been the best looking team in the conference. Wake is 4-1 but has four meaningless wins and then a loss to William & Mary (that is one loss, not two).

	Wake Forest	Purdue
KenPom Rank	90	7
Off Eff	1.034	1.101
Def Eff	0.914	0.792
TO%	21.1%	17.7%
Off Reb %	42.2%	32.6%
Def Reb %	69.3%	71.7%

Wake rebounds on the offensive end of the floor very well but they tend to turn the ball over a bit too much, while Purdue forces turnovers to the tune of 28.3% of their opponents possessions. Wake is lead by Al-Farouq Aminu who is averaging 18.8 ppg and 11.2 rpg, he should be fun to watch but Purue's balance and overall efficiency should carry the Boilermakers to the home win here.

Northwestern @ NC State - NU is coming of a big win over the overrated Notre Dame Irish and NC State really hasn't played anybody yet. They did beat Auburn but that isn't a terribly impressive win. After the loss of Kevin Coble the Wildcats have turned to a the combo of Michael Thompson and John Shurna who are averaging a combined 32.7 ppg (48% of NU's offense), 9.4 rpg and 6.2 apg.

	Northwestern	NC State
KenPom Rank	87	46
Off Eff	1.086	1.068
Def Eff	0.978	0.895
TO%	18.4%	22.0%
Off Reb %	29.2%	35.2%
Def Reb %	64.1%	67.2%

This is one of the more interesting match-ups. The Wolfpack should be favored but Northwestern is a unique team to defend and could pose some problems for NC State. Northwestern has been pretty bad rebounding the ball this year and NC State has had their turnover problems. Whichever team can minimize their problem area the most will win this game. I'm calling the road upset here for Northwestern. I think they force just enough turnovers and then shoot their way to a win here.

Maryland @ Indiana -A lock for the ACC. Indiana is just too young, inexperienced and unimpressive to beat a decent but not great Maryland team. The Terps are on a two-game losing streak and really have not beaten anybody significant in this short season but I just don't see a way that Indiana pulls this one out. The Terps have four players averaging double-figures, three of whom are seniors. On the flip side Indiana is led by three players averaging 12 points or more per game but they include two freshman and a sophomore.

	Maryland	Indiana
KenPom Rank	51	189
Off Eff	1.028	0.945
Def Eff	0.868	0.966
TO%	15.2%	22.6%
Off Reb %	29.4%	33.6%
Def Reb %	66.3%	65.9%

This one will be a turnover fest for the Hoosiers. Maryland forces turnovers and Indiana loves to give it up. Add that to the fact that IU already struggles to score and you see why I have Maryland winning.

Michigan State @ North Carolina - My initial reaction is that this is another ACC win. The Tar Heels are just not a great match-up for Michigan State and the Spartans are on the road. Neither team has lived up to their preseason hype but the rematch of last year's NCAA final is the marquee match-up nonetheless.

	Michigan St	North Carolina
KenPom Rank	45	75
Off Eff	1.123	1.075
Def Eff	0.933	0.930
TO%	19.9%	22.8%
Off Reb %	43.4%	43.3%
Def Reb %	69.9%	69.2%

UNC has a turnover issue and they are not scoring nearly as efficiently as we are used to seeing Roy Williams team score. But Michigan State doesn't force many turnovers so I really don't expect that to be an issues. All other efficiency stats are virtually even. Both teams hold opponents to about .93 points per possession, both teams score right around 1.1 ppp and both teams rebound at near identical percentages. Whichever teams boxes out and keeps the Michigan State is probably a more experienced team but UNC is home and until the Spartans actually beat the Tar Heals I'm going with UNC.

Virginia Tech @ Iowa - I don't know that I need to spend much time on this one, Iowa is pretty bad this year.

	Virginia Tech	Iowa
KenPom Rank	145	207
Off Eff	0.915	0.955
Def Eff	0.886	0.995
TO%	16.3%	23.0%
Off Reb %	38.4%	32.6%
Def Reb %	69.3%	73.9%

On the surface and looking at the numbers I just don't see how Iowa gets this one done. Virginia Tech is also not very good and they struggle offensively more than Iowa does but I'd be surprised if they were to fall to the Hawkeyes.

Illinois @ Clemson - This might be the game I'm most looking forward to. Both teams are balanced with good inside/outside threats. Illinois is led by Demetri McCamey on the perimeter and Mike Davis on the interior. McCamey is averaging 12.7 ppg and 6.0 apg while Davis is averaging a double-double with 11.8 ppg and 10.0 rpg. For Clemson they are led by their senior forward Trevor Booker who is averaging 13.9 ppg and 8.7 rpg, but he's not alone as Tanner Smith is chipping in 11.6 ppg from the perimeter. These guys may not exactly guard each other but their match-ups should be a lot of fun to watch (especially if you like the color orange).

	Illinois	Clemson
KenPom Rank	83	10
Off Eff	1.089	1.125
Def Eff	0.967	0.843
TO%	15.6%	21.0%
Off Reb %	35.1%	39.6%
Def Reb %	74.7%	68.6%

Clemson is more efficient on offense but Illinois takes better care of the ball and their defensive rebounding is better. I want to go with Illinois here but after their losses to Bradley and Utah last week they make it really difficult to make that leap. Clemson will likely get the home W here.

Minnesota @ Miami - This is a Gopher blog so I'm going with a Gopher win. Miami is 7-0 but they have not played anybody of even relative significance.

	Minnesota	Miami
KenPom Rank	8	31
Off Eff	1.018	1.042
Def Eff	0.753	0.842
TO%	18.3%	26.5%
Off Reb %	31.2%	43.7%
Def Reb %	71.0%	71.4%

I think the numbers will back me up here. The Gopher offense struggles but this game comes down to defense and turnovers. Miami turns the ball over at an alarming rate and the Gophers offense thrives when the ball is given to them as much as the Hurricanes have been giving it up this year.

Boston College @ Michigan - A couple weeks ago I would have felt this was a lock for Michigan, but the Wolverines have struggled lately and this is going to be another tough match-up for them.

	Boston College	Michigan
KenPom Rank	82	130
Off Eff	1.174	1.034
Def Eff	1.032	0.979
TO%	18.3%	13.8%
Off Reb %	43.4%	29.9%
Def Reb %	70.7%	61.0%

Boston College is pretty efficient offensively but not so much on the defensive end. Michigan has really struggled with rebounding on both ends. The numbers support a BC win but when the lights get bright and when playing at home I expect Manny Harris to lead Michigan to a big win for the Big Ten. He can't do it alone but I think he'll be the catalyst.

Duke @ Wisconsin - I have great respect for Bo Ryan but Duke is just plain too good. I don't need to spend much time on this one. Wisconsin is experienced and it is at the Kohl Center but Duke is just too good.

	Duke	Wisconsin
KenPom Rank	3	50
Off Eff	1.188	1.096
Def Eff	0.809	0.920
TO%	15.5%	18.3%
Off Reb %	41.3%	32.2%
Def Reb %	67.6%	74.8%

The number support a Duke win. They rebound better, they take care of the ball better, they are are more efficient on both ends and they shoot better. This would be a huge shock if the Badgers were to pull this one out.

Florida State @ Ohio State - This also appears to be a really good match-up. Ohio State has been great in the early part of the season largely because Evan Turner has been outstanding. He is leading the Big Ten in rebounds (12.8) and assists (6.7). And also throwing in a decent 19.8 ppg which is third best in the league. He'll be the man the Seminoles should be most concerned about but they can't lose Jon Diebler who is making nearly four three-pointers per game and averaging 15.7 ppg. Florida State is athletic and lead by their own big time forward, Chris Singleton. He is averaging 12.3 ppg and 8.1 rpg. FSU is also big in the middle with Solomon Alabi and Xavier Gibson measuring out at 7-1 and 6-11 respectively.

	Florida St	Ohio St
KenPom Rank	17	25
Off Eff	0.992	1.132
Def Eff	0.758	0.895
TO%	26.4%	15.5%
Off Reb %	40.0%	34.1%
Def Reb %	68.4%	72.4%

Looking at the numbers FSU is very good defensively. They hold teams to just .758 points per possession which is third best in the country. They also hold teams to a 37.8 eFG% and block 22.9% of their opponents shots; both of which are also third best in the nation. This team will defend and it will be interesting to see if Turner, Diebler and Lighty can find some offense in this game. The Achilles heal of FSU is their turnover rate. When you give up the ball on 26.4% of your possessions you will allow good teams to stay in the game regardless of how good you are on defense. Ohio State is very good offensively scoring 1.132 pnts per possession and recording an eFG% of 59.5 (6th best in the country). If FSU continues to turn the ball over then I think OSU's offense will roll. Rebounding should be an important stat, but I think the key will be the turnovers. OSU wins this game at home.

After all of that (and one game in the books) I am seeing a Big Ten win, finally.

Big Ten -6 (PSU, Pur, Minn, OSU, Mich, NU)

ACC - 5 (Mary, Duke, UNC, VTech, Clem)

The TDG Big Ten Basketball Preview

GopherNation — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:45:15 -0000

I have intentionally held off with a Big Ten basketball preview, waiting until we could see a few games and get a feeling for how teams are adjusting to the key gains and losses from a year ago. Gopher Nation has plenty to look forward to this season. As we all know everything is returning with some key additions added. An NCAA tournament bid and likely a win or two is expected. But what about the road before the NCAA Tournament. The long and difficult Big Ten season comes first and this team has a chance to really be a factor in the B10 title race. Let's take a brief look at each team in my expected order of finish.

1 - Purdue (NCAA) - Were it not for Purdue having injury issues a year ago they could very likely be defending a Big Ten title this year. Robbie Hummel was last year's preseason B10 POY and he should not be fully healthy to lead the rest of a very talented roster. The bulk of the talent lies in the junior class for the Boilermakers and this team is athletic and deep. Injuries and other uncontrollables aside, what may be the difference between a Big Ten title and a top 2 finish could come down to coaching. Matt Painter is an excellent coach but who knows if he'll be capable of steering his team accurately to win a Big Ten regular season title. Guys like Tom Izzo, Bo Ryan, Bruce Weber and Tubby Smith have the resume of winning multiple titles. I think after this year Matt Painter adds a Big Ten regular season title to his resume.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - E'Twaun Moore
SG - Chris Kramer
SF - Keaton Grant
PF - Robbie Hummel
C - JJ Dawson

2 - Michigan State (NCAA) - I know that Michigan State is the consensus title team and for very good reason. Tom Izzo is a great coach, his team is coming off a national runner-up season and he returns the vast majority of his roster. But my gut tells me they have a great season but one that ends the regular season looking up one spot in the B10 standings. It is really hard not to like Michigan State. They too are deep, very athletic, play great defense and as I mentioned they are very well coached. But I think the one key loss will be the loss that makes the difference. Goran Suton meant a lot to the Spartans a year ago and while this team still has very talented players like Kalin Lucas, Chris Allen and Durrell Summers (with guys like Raymar Morgan and Delvin Roe off the bench); Suton will be missed. Freshman Garrick Sherman may be very good but he's not the same thing. From year to year team's take on different personalities and even the loss of just one player can change the dynamic of a team. Michigan State will be great, they'll be extremely dangerous in the NCAA Tournament but I think they fall a game or two short of Purdue this year.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Kalin Lucas
G - Chris Allen
G - Durrel Summers
PF - Draymond Green
C - Garrick Sherman

3 - Ohio State (NCAA) - In this early season the Buckeyes have looked fairly strong. And leading their early season charge is the outstanding play of Evan Turner, who looks like the early favorite for Big Ten POY (very early, I know). Turner has notched a double-double in all four games averaging 21.7 ppg and 14.7 rpg. OSU has a lot of very nice pieces outside of Turner, which isn't surprising considering the recent string of very highly ranked recruiting classes in the Thad Matta era. OSU has some offensive weapons but they are lacking in a couple key areas. First of all they are not an overly deep team. Jon Diebler is a lights out shooter and Turner might be the best player in the conference but they can only carry them so far. Matta has been going with an eight man rotation so far this year with heavy minutes for the starting five. Secondly this team is not overly strong in the paint. Their perimeter is as good as anybody's in the conference but Kyle Madsen and Dallas Lauderdale will not strike fear into the hearts of the conference's coaches.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - William Buford
SG - Jon Diebler
SF - Evan Turner
PF - David Lighty
C - Kyle Madsen

4 - Minnesota (NCAA) - There was a time when my maroon goggles would have had me rank the Gophers one spot higher. The potential (probable?) losses of Royce White and Trevor Mbakwe greatly lessened my optimism. But then the impressive play of Rodney Williams to start the year has me thinking big things again, just not as grand as before. As we all know the Gophers are deep and defend very well. I think the improvement of the sophomores and the athleticism that Williams brings to the table makes this team dangerous. Over the course of a long season I don't think we have what it takes to finish in the top 2 but this team is good enough to beat anybody on their schedule.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Al Nolen
SG - Lawrence Westbrook
SF - Rodney Williams
PF - Damian Johnson
C - Ralph Sampson III

5 - Illinois (NCAA) - this might be the team I know the least about but I do know enough to know that this team is well balanced and has the roster make-up that is well suited for Bruce Weber. Demitri McCarney, Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale are known quantities around the Big Ten. These guys averaged a combined 33 points, 14.7 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game last year. They compliment each other well and this year they add a couple dynamic freshmen to the backcourt in DJ Richardson and Brandon Paul. In the early goings these kids have 11.3 and 16.7 respectively, although they have yet to play any team of substance. Overall this will be a very good team that will only get better as the season goes along.

Likely Starting lineup
G - Brandon Paul
G - DJ Richardson
G - Demitri McCamey
PF - Mike Davis
C - Mike Tisdale

6 - Michigan (NCAA) - Manny Harris is such a great player who can win a game on his own and probably has the best pro potential in the conference. A lot of people would put the Wolverines as high as third on their prediction list based mostly on the talent of Harris and DeShawn Sims. But I'm not 100% sold on the rest of the team. John Beilein is a great coach and in year three he should really have his guys and his system working well. But once again I'm not sold on the rest of the roster and in this year's Big Ten a guy like Manny Harris will win you a few but on the nights when teams slow him down Michigan will be rather vulnerable. Decent depth, great scoring and not great interior size. A sixth place finish may seem very low but the difference between the 4th through 7th place teams could really only be a couple games.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Darius Morris
G - Manny Harris
G - Laval Lucas-Perry
F - Zack Novak
F - DeShawn Sims

7 - Wisconsin (NCAA) - Rule #1 in Big Ten basketball, never underestimate Bo Ryan and the Badgers. This isn't a great Badger team but there is some talent here with Trevon Hughes, Jason Bohannon and even Jon Leuer is having a pretty good season thus far. It may be easy for Gopher fans to overlook Wisconsin since we did sweep them last year (that was fun to write), but this team is capable of not only beating the Gophers but finishing at least a few spots higher than this. Maybe this is wishful thinking or maybe I'm not sold that the talent is there, not even for Bo Ryan.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Trevon Hughes
SG - Jason Bohannon
SF - Tim Jarmusz
PF - Jon Leuer
C - Keaton Nankivil

8 - Penn State (NIT) - The Talor Battle show will be a lot of fun to watch in Happy Valley. Penn State is perfectly demonstrates why I wanted to wait a couple weeks before I started my B10 preview. I once would have put PSU a spot or two higher, but after losses to UNC-Wilmington, Tulane and a 2-pnt win over Davidson (Steph Curry is no longer there folks) I am thinking that 7th might be too high. This team will go as far as Taylor Battle will lead them but the development of freshman Tim Frazier at PG and how well their interior rebounds is what could be the difference between another NIT run and the NCAA Tournament. Their Big Dance resume is already in bad shape, they'll will have to finish a lot higher in the conference standings to avoid the NIT again.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Tim Frazier
SG - Talor Battle
SF - David Jackson
PF - Jeff Brooks
C - Andrew Jones

9 - Indiana (NIT) - Great recruiting class and I am a huge Tom Crean fan, but this year will be tough for a young Hoosier squad to make much noise in the Big Ten. The conference is the deepest and most talented that it has been in a very long time. Other years a hot, young team like Indiana could make a run into the top 5, but not this year. This will be the sheik team next year and this year you'll likely seen them stun a few top 4 teams along the way. But learning to play at the Big Ten level is not an easy adjustment no matter how talented you are. I wouldn't be completely shocked to see them finish higher, but not likely this year.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Verdell Jones III
G - Jeremiah Rivers
G - Maurice Creek
PF - Tom Pritchard
C - Christian Watford

10 - Northwestern - This may have been the year for the Wildcats to make the tournament, but the loss of Kevin Coble effectively ended that dream. This is a surprisingly talented NU roster and with the way they defend and execute their precision offense they should never be taken lightly. But with Coble out for the season they'll rely on Michael Thompson and John Shurna. There are a couple intriguing freshmen to go along with Thompson and Shurna

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Michael Thompson
SG - Jeremy Nash
SF - Drew Crawford
PF - John Shurna
C - Luka Mirkovic

11 - Iowa - The outlook for the Hawkeye season is so bleak that they cannot help but surpass expectations this year. Scoring has been the problem this year for Iowa. There will be games when they are hot from behind the arc and maybe they'll get a few conference wins. But for the most part you can expect a lot of losses for Iowa (that too was fun to type).

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Cully Payne
SG - Anthony Tucker
SF - Matt Gatens
PF - Jarryd Cole
C - Brennan Cougill

I know that people hate preseason polls and predictions but at the conference level this is a lot of fun. Everyone has much hope and optimism for the season, except Iowa fans. There are eight teams capable of making a run to the NCAA Tournament (although Penn State is already on life support). The Big Ten should be a blast to watch this year.

Since I'm taking a wild stab at the standings here is my best guess at some post season individual awards.

All Big Ten First Team

PG - Kalin Lucas
SG - Manny Harris
SF - Evan Turner
PF - Robbie Hummel
F - DeShawn Sims

All Big Ten Second Team

G - Taylor Battle
G - Demetri McCamey
F - Jon Diebler
F - Damian johnson
C - JJ Dawson

Big Ten All Freshman Team

G - Brandon Paul - Ill
G - D.J. Richardson - Ill
F - Rodney Williams - Minn
F - Christian Watford - Ind
F - Garrick Sherman - MSU

North Carolina Defeats Valiant Penn State, 80-69.

Run Up The Score — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:11:29 -0000

Oh, forget it. I don't even have the heart to write the fake "Tarheels Beat Nittany Lions" post. This game was a disaster, practically from the opening tip. UNC-Wilmington (1-2) -- a team that went 7-25 and had a RPI ranking of 273 one year ago -- never lost the lead after breaking a 7-7 tie early in the first half, although Penn State (2-1) whittled the deficit to two points with three minutes remaining. Chris Babb, Andrew Jones, and Tim Frazier combined to shoot 4-28 from the field. Babb was an unconscionably bad 2-10 on his three-point attempts. Despite those awful shooting performances, Cammeron Woodyard couldn't get more than four minutes of playing time -- two more than Andrew Ott received. Talor Battle scored 29 points, but was 8-23 from the field. However, he was uncharacteristically great from the foul line (11-12).

How bad was it? Penn State had nine steals and only five turnovers, and still lost by 11. It was obvious that Ed DeChellis was frantically searching for a winning combination, like an 80 year old man about to bet his Social Security check at the racetrack. Nothing worked. Perhaps Penn State was flat due to playing a game two nights ago and traveling to South Carolina. Maybe it was just one of those games where four guys were ice cold at the same time -- the only two players to hit more than half of their field goals were David Jackson (4-5) and Jeff Brooks (4-6). Except for the unusual amount of made free throws, Penn State looked like the DeChellis teams of 3-5 years ago. Next to no production from the post players, awful perimeter defense, and lots of bricks on the offensive end.

It'll be filed under the "Bad Loss" category come March, if this team turns out to be bubble-worthy again. The Charleston Classic, just like the other in-season tournaments Penn State has particpated in recently, is already an epic failure. This was Penn State's chance to add some quality wins (or hell, some quality competition) to its resume, against teams like Miami, Davidson, or South Carolina. Instead, it's Tulane tomorrow afternoon at 12:30 p.m. No rest for the frigid.

Penn State Basketball Preview - Part III

BSD — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:00:32 -0000

More photos » by Frank Franklin II - AP

8 months ago: Penn State's Talor Battle (12) drives past Notre Dame's Kyle McAlarney (23) during the second half of an NIT semifinal college basketball game Tuesday, March 31, 2009 in New York. Talor scored 17 points as Penn State won the game 67-59. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Browse more photos »

We took a hiatus from the basketball previews to focus on the football game against Ohio State last week. But the season opener is this Friday, so I have to wrap this up fast. Previously we discussed what Penn State has to replace, and what Penn State is returning. So today let's introduce you all to the new faces wearing the Blue and White this season.

35 - F - Billy Oliver - 6'8" 215 lbs

Oliver had hoped to make a contribution last year as a true freshman, but two concussions suffered in short succession during the preseason forced him to put on the redshirt and sit out the 2008-2009 season. Oliver took it as an opportunity to hit the weight room and the training table to bulk up his frame in order to compete right away when he came back. He was successful in adding 20 lbs of solid muscle over the past year.

Here's what the PSU website has to say about his playing style.

A terrific passer with three-point range and strong perimeter skills, the 6-8 forward has also displayed the anticipation and long arms to block shots and grab rebounds around the rim and will compete for playing time at the front line positions.

In high school Oliver lead his team to a 26-7 record his senior year while averaging 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 blocks per game. Oliver had a fight with the flu a few weeks ago, so he's just now getting back into the swing of things. In the exhibition game last Friday he played four minutes scoring three points and a rebound.

Penn State will be looking for Oliver to take some of the minutes vacated by Jamelle Cornley. Though Oliver has a long way to go to replace Cornley's heart and leadership, Penn State would be thrilled if he could contribute 10 minutes per game with five points, five rebounds, and a blocked shot or two.

11 - F - Bill Edwards - 6'6" 235 lbs

At 6'6" and 235 lbs, Edwards entered preseason camp as the most impressive physical specimen of the freshman class. As a senior, Edwards was named the 2009 Ohio Senior Player of the Year after averaging 17.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. He was also nominated as a McDonald's All American. Edwards saw considerable recruiting interest from teams like Wake Forest, Ohio State, Michigan State, and Xavier.

Edwards has a big body and a lot of versatility that make him a perfect swingman. He can put the ball on the floor and create a shot, or he can spot up and hit a left handed jumper. Obviously, it's too early to tell at this point, but he sounds a lot like Geary Claxton and Jamelle Cornley in his size and versatility.

DeChellis had high hopes for Edwards to step in with quality minutes right away in the frontcourt, but a partial tear of Edwards's MCL during a preseason practice session will force him to sit out until mid December. If he can get back into playing shape quickly we may see him, but without the benefit of the out of conference slate to gain some confidence and comfort with the system, it wouldn't surprise me if Ed decides to redshirt Edwards until next year.

21 - F - Sasa Borovnjak - 6'9" 235 lbs

Borovnjak is the latest in the series of the Ed DeChellis European player experiment/obsession. But unlike other European players in the past, Ed didn't have to fly to some small hamlet in battle-torn Serbia to find this kid. Sasa was already having a lot of success on American soil.

Borovnjak played high school ball for Veritas Christian in Fletcher, North Carolina. Veritas plays a national schedule against some of the stiffest competition in the country, and Sasa more than held his own as a star on the team. He's an exceptional low post player, and like most European big guys he doesn't mind dribbling and even shooting an occasional three point shot.

Ed's past European experiment players have been major disappointments. None of them could adjust to the physical style of American basketball and just get shoved around under the basket. But there is hope for Sasa because he's had a few years of high school basketball to adjust by now. His teammates called him "Sushi" when he first arrived in the States because he had never lifted a weight in his life. But his high school coach said he quickly took to the gym and morphed into a very physical player. I particularly like this quote from his coach.

I've been very blessed and had some great players. I had Donnell Mack who is at Memphis now and who was a prolific scorer in high school and a top fifty kid. And I had a 7-foot-2 kid, Catalin Baciuhere, who just finished up his freshman year at Clemson. He was a top fifty kid. But I'm telling you, Sasa scores better than either one of those guys. He can score on anybody, anywhere, anytime.

Sasa showed off that scoring ability last Friday when he recorded ten points to go with four rebounds, one block, and two steals in just 14 minutes of play. If Penn State can count on that level of production from him every night they will have gone a long way toward replacing Jamelle Cornley.

23 - G- Tim Frazier - 6'1" 160 lbs

You may remember me from such movies as...

All the reports on Frazier from preseason observations are the same. He's incredibly quick. Some say he's faster than Stanley Pringle. But DeChellis has been stressing that he doesn't know how to control that speed yet.

Tim is trying to go fast, and I think his speed will benefit him if he slows down some and then goes fast. He hasn't figured out that he can gear down and then when everybody is in his mode then he can go to the next level because he has a whole other gear. You can't always throw a fastball. You can throw an off-speed pitch and that is what we are trying to get him to understand. It doesn't always have to be 100 miles an hour. Go 80 and then go 100 and then you seem to go faster. The change of speeds is something he is going to have to figure out.

This is a typical adjustment for freshmen. They're used to high school where they can just blow past everyone. Try to do that in the Big Ten and more often than not you will dribble the ball off your knee or foot. So expect to see a few rookie mistakes, but you should also see flashes of amazing athletic ability like the video above.

Look for Frazier to play a lot of minutes this year. In the exhibition game he played 19 minutes and finished with four points (on a not-so-impressive 1-for-6 shooting) and five assists. His contribution will be critical in order to keep Battle's minutes down. Even if Frazier can just bring the ball up the court and get the offense started it will be a huge weight off of Battle allowing him to focus more on scoring and getting his teammates involved.

3 - G - Jermaine Marshall - 6'4" 190 lbs

Penn State is hoping they found a diamond in the rough with Marshall. A knee injury in his junior year of high school forced him to miss his senior year and fly under the radar, though he was seeing some minor interest from Temple and St. Joe's. ESPN graded him extremely high when they evaluated him as a 16 and 17 year-old before his injury.

Marshall's high school coach describes him as a highly versatile player. In high school he played all five positions on the floor, which also shows he's an unselfish player willing to do whatever was needed to win. His coach also raves about his vision on the floor and ability to anticipate things before they happen. He's very good at creating shots for himself and his teammates.

Here's what you won...

Due to his high school knee injury, Marshall hasn't played a lot of competitive basketball in recent years. So he may need some extra time to adjust to the college game. In the exhibition game last week he scored three points on his only shot, but only saw six minutes of play which suggests to me that Ed may have plans to redshirt him. The other factor at play here is that Penn State has just one scholarship player coming in next year in Taran Buie. Ed may want to space the scholarships out some so he doesn't have four one year and just one the next.

So those are the new faces. Before the opener on Friday I'm still going to try to get out one more preview post. In that edition we'll put it all together, look at the schedule, and I'll give you my prediction for where I see this team going this season.

Linking Laconically can't help being a contrarian

KJ@theonlycolors — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:34:46 -0000

[Warning: I'm apparently unable to write anything remotely positive about football links any more. Skip down for (relatively) happier basketball links.]

Burnt Like a Couch on Grand River: The Michigan State Secondary - The Rivalry, Esq.
Brilliant commenter: "A perfect storm of defensive incompetence of an ongoing nature and offensive brilliance of a highly-surprising nature."
Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio to ask Big Ten about dubious calls | freep.com | Detroit Free Press
I don't understand the focus on the TD play, rather than the overturned fumble on the previous play, which was the clearly egregious officiating decision.
Mark Dantonio clamps down on information, access at MSU | detnews.com | The Detroit News
Isn't this something you do for Michigan week, not for Western Michigan week?
Bill Cubit: To challenge Michigan State, Broncos first must 'fix ourselves' | Western Michigan Broncos - - MLive.com
Apparently, Western is the MAC version of us.
There's hope at U-M, MSU: Basketball season starts soon! | detnews.com | The Detroit News
Wait a minute. Since when does U-M get to be in this headline?
MSU's Raymar Morgan might miss season opener | freep.com | Detroit Free Press
Also, Roe will not play in the second exhibition game. Optimistic (read: irrational) spin: Better to get injury issues out of the way early.
The Hunt: No. 38, Gonzaga - The Dagger - NCAAB - Yahoo! Sports
These guys come to town in less than two weeks.
Discounts on Entertainment, Shows, Events, Tours, Attractions & More | Travelzoo
Get your discounted tickets to see the Spartans in Atlantic City at the end of the month.
Good start for Purdue | jconline.com | Journal and Courier
Boilermakers force 32 TOs but get out-rebounded in first exhibition game. (HT: Hammer and Rails)
IU unveils new look as 'a Big Ten team' " Evansville Courier & Press
Good. Maybe they won't screw up all our scatterplots this year. (HT: Gasaway)
Basketball Prospectus | Articles | Use This All-American Team Instead
Mr. Gasaway's All-American picks: Cole Aldrich and four non-AP All-Americans.

Bonus nonlaconical basketball prediction related to that last link: One of Mr. Gasaway's All-American picks is Evan Turner. Implicit in that selection is that Turner will outperform Kalin Lucas, who is both the defending and preseason Big Ten Player of the Year, this season. Given that (1) I just recently took some issue with Gasawayian comments regarding Lucas and (2) I was picking Kalin Lucas to be Big Ten Player of the Year way before it was cool to pick Kalin Lucas to be Big Ten Player of the Year, it may come as some surprise that I agree with the Turner pick.

Last season, Lucas and Turner basically finished in a dead heat for the conference player-of-the-year honor. Lucas likely got the edge with most voters due to MSU's team success. This year, I see several reasons that Turner may move a notch higher than Lucas on the prodcutivity scale:

David Lighty will be back to ease Turner's defensive responsbilities.
Turner's been practicing at point guard over the offseason, which may help cut down on his turnovers (and boost his assists).
Turner shot 44.0% on 3-pointers last season but only took 25 shots from beyond the arc. If he can maintain a percentage near/above 40% and take a few more 3-pointers, that would boost his scoring numbers significantly.

Lucas, meanwhile, could see a reduction in his scoring numbers:

With Travis Walton gone, he'll need to expend more energy on the defensive end of the court.
Walton's departure also means there will be more scoring options on the floor with Lucas, as Chris Allen, Durrell Summers, and Korie Lucious (and hopefully Delvon Roe and Raymar Morgan) see increased playing time. That should result in less need for Lucas to manufacture scoring opportunities late in the shot clock. (Upside could be more assists, particularly in conference play.)

Plus it's no fun if you just go along with the official party line, right? On that note, I'd make one change to the official preseason All-Big Ten team. Lucas, Turner, Manny Harris, and Robbie Hummel are locks. But I'd go with JaJuan Johnson over Talor Battle (still all juniors!).

Battle certainly had some spectacular moments last season--the most spectacular occurring in East Lansing--but his conference shooting numbers were pretty mediocre (.444/.300/.688) and he may have an even harder time getting off good shots this year following the graduations of Jamelle Cornley and Stanley Pringle.

Johnson, meanwhile, was pretty clearly the most effective big man in the league last season, averaging 13.4 points (on 53.8% FG shooting), 5.6 points, and 2.1 rebounds per game in conference play. With a healthy Robbie Hummel around to prevent defenses from collapsing on Johnson, he could be even more productive this season.

Battle gets a slot on my second team, with Demetri McCamey, Raymar Morgan, Kevin Coble, and DeShawn Sims.

More previewy stuff tomorrow.

The Seven Illini games you cannot afford to miss this year

Joe Kutsunis — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:29:05 -0000

Single game tickets went on sale yesterday, so if you have not secured your access to these games in some way, your time might be running out. Several home games are already close to sell out. This Fighting Illini basketball looks to be fairly back loaded with the biggest tests pre-conference being Clemson, Vandy and Gonzaga. So it looks like plenty of opportunity to stack up some early wins and get close to that magical number 20 as thee season wears on. This season is going to have some great home games, and two great semi neutral court games, this team is still on its way up, so please, go out and buy some tickets. I will not tolerate and an empty Assembly hall this year. So without further ado

      7. Gonzaga, January 2nd in Chicago. I don't know about you, but I love the annual game in the UC. Aside from the fact that it is always nationally televised and its good exposure for Chicago area recruits, it also features top tier competition, and this year is no exception. Currently, Gonzaga is unranked in the preseason poll, but anyone who loves College Basketball knows it doesn't take long for these guys to get fat on their conference schedule and leap into the rankings. I also have it on good authority that this Gonzaga will be very deep, so no matter how you look at it this is going to be a fun game between two nationally prominent teams. If you miss this in person, you will regret it, at the very least you have got to watch it on TV. On January 2nd, its not like you will be missing any Illini football over it.
     6. Missouri: December 23rd in St. Louis. The literal polar opposite of the football rivalry, a win this year would make a solid decade of Illini dominance over the Missouri Tigers. Two years ago, when the Illini were awful, they beat Mizzou by 1 point. Last year when Missouri was very good, (~~sweet 16~~ Elite 8 good) the Illini beat them by 16. This year the Illini are ranked higher and have some great new talent. Its tempting at this point to just predict the final margin, but A) I'm too superstitious for that and B) I think Rock M Nation would be very displeased with it. Regardless, it has been a very nice early Christmas present the past few years and has become a can't miss feel good game for every fan.

     5. Penn State, January 12th in Champaign. There is not much I necessarily need to say about this game, other than than the fact that Talor Battle made me cry last year. It was the most painful ending to a game since the previous year's loss at home to Indiana. (I don't want to talk about it.) The previous game was a defensive struggle where neither team could score. With the influx of speed and shooting at G this year for the Illini, I predict a much different tempo for this years game.

     4. Purdue, January 19th in Champaign. Last year this was the game that put the Illini back on the map of college basketball. An early unexpected win over a conference favorite really did a lot to legitimize the Illini that had previously been fat off of non-con wins. The regular season sweep which came over a then #13 Purdue assured the Illini a trip to the dance. This year Purdue will be second only MSU in terms of hype and ranking. What gives the Illini hope, the fact that Bruce Weber has always seemed to eventually get the better of his former protege Matt Painter. This is a big one.

     3. Ohio State, February 14th in Champaign. Yes, I know its Valentine's day, but I still say no excuses. I am risking the health of my relationship to take my fiance to a basketball on Valentines day, why aren't you willing to do the same? Just do what I did and explain that this is the last opportunity to see former team mates Evan Turner and Demetri McCamey go at it head to head in person. Tell her that the #16 preseason ranking alone should be reason enough to go to this game. Its a pretty simple formula, the game is at noon, plenty of time to buy her chocolates, take her to a movie and a nice dinner at Alexanders and all that other Valentines stuff. Come on guys, priorities.

      2. Indiana, January 30 in Champaign. Illinois and Indiana. Enough said.

       1. Michigan State, February 6, in Champaign. #2 in the preseason poll, coming off of a national title game appearance and a ballsy Big Ten Championship, Michigan State is the game to see this season. Its 8pm and will almost surely be a nationally televised, so if the game happens to be a sell out before you try and get your hands on some tickets, it will be no problem to catch at home or at your favorite bar. Do not forget how close the Illini were to beating this powerhouse last year both home and away. Any dreams of taking the Big Ten Championship go through this team, so yeah, its kind of a big deal.

All that and I didn't even mention Wisconsin, Vanderbilt or Minnesota. Or even a possible revenge game from Northwestern. Good god this is going to be a fun season to watch.

Penn State Basketball Preview - Part II

BSD — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:56:42 -0000

Earlier this week we talked about what Penn State has to replace this year. We'll get into the new faces Ed DeChellis will ask to fill those minutes. But first, let's talk about what Penn State has coming back this year.

22 - Andrew Jones III (6-10, 245)

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
2008 - Andrew Jones III	38	25.8	2.3	4.0	57.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.6	2.2	69.4	2.2	3.6	5.8	0.4	1.1	0.5	0.3	2.4	6.2

The evolution of Andrew Jones was a fun thing to watch last year. He started out with a rather insignificant stat line for a starter only managing five or six points and three or four rebounds per game. But by the time the NIT came around he was a dominating force on the hardwood. During the tournament he averaged 10 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Here is what I had to say after the Indiana game.

Andrew Jones has become a really solid player. He had a couple of boneheaded turnovers, but for the most part when he gets the ball in the low post good things happen. He finished the night 4-for-4 from the field, and get this: over his last eight games Jones has shot 21-of-27 (77%) from the field. He has shown a nice mid-range jumper to go along with the baby hook he's developing. And when an outside shooter pops open he's good at getting them the ball. I'm starting to think he may turn into a significant scoring threat next season when he gets some of Cornley's touches.

Penn State will look to Jones and his 6'10" 245 lb frame to provide a big presence in the paint this year.

15 - David "D.J." Jackson (6-7, 210)

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
2008 - David Jackson	38	20.8	1.5	3.5	42.9	0.2	1.0	20.5	1.3	1.6	79.0	1.3	1.8	3.1	0.6	1.1	0.5	0.2	1.9	4.5

He was expected to be a major contributor last season, but David Jackson suffered through one of the most horrendous sophomore slumps this blogger has ever seen. Here is just one example of a review of one of his performances.

I hate to keep harping on the kid, but David Jackson is a complete liability. He only saw six minutes of play last night to close out the first half. He was completely ineffective against covering his man through the screen and Michigan State went on a 15-2 run during that stretch to close out the half. He had one scoring chance where he was standing all alone under the basket, and he traveled. Like I said, I really hate to talk down on college kids, but he shouldn't see the floor until garbage time for the rest of the season. And he better hit the gym and training table hard this summer. He looks scrawny against his competition and needs to put on 25 or 30 pounds.

That was after the Michigan game. I'm usually not one to rag on kids like that, but there was no other way to describe Jackson's performance. Every time he got the ball it ended in disaster. Passes were going right through his hands. He would get the ball all alone under the basket and travel. He looked completely lost on defense. He was nothing short of a liability to the team, and Ed eventually had no choice but to remove him from the starting lineup.

But, this story has a happy ending. Something clicked and Jackson managed to score in double figures in four of his last seven games of the season. I'm hoping he put on a few pounds in the weight room this summer and he can ride that momentum from the end of the season into this fall.

25 - Jeff Brooks (6-8, 200)

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
2008 - Jeff Brooks	37	16.2	1.3	3.6	36.6	0.3	1.1	25.6	0.4	0.8	50.0	1.1	2.0	3.1	0.8	0.8	0.3	0.3	1.6	3.3

Jeff Brooks has been an enigma his first two years at Penn State. He came from Kentucky full of athleticism and promise, but he has yet to live up to the hype. As a freshman he looked completely lost on the floor. As a sophomore, he didn't look lost, but he didn't play with confidence or control. He would often pull down an impressive rebound on the defensive end only to dribble down the court and bounce it off his foot out of bounds. If he can put it all together and average seven or eight points and six or seven rebounds it will be a tremendous improvement.

10 - Chris Babb (6-5, 215)

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
2008 - Chris Babb	32	10.1	0.9	2.6	33.7	0.7	2.0	34.9	0.4	0.7	61.9	0.4	0.7	1.1	0.5	0.5	0.3	0.1	0.3	2.8

Babb was one of two true freshmen to see the court in 2008-2009. He's a tenacious defender with a pretty jump shot. Ed played him sparingly in the early part of the season and it was readily apparent he was only a freshman. His minutes diminished significantly during the thick of the Big Ten season, but toward the end an ankle injury to Stanley Pringle and the fatigue of the Big Ten season wearing on Talor Battle forced Ed to put him on the court. By the end of the year he was providing solid minutes and scored double digits against George Mason and Rhode Island in the NIT. This year Babb will most likely be starting in the backcourt along with Talor Battle.

24 - Cammeron Woodyard (6-5, 210)

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
2008 - Cammeron Woodyard	24	6.7	0.8	1.7	43.9	0.5	1.1	44.4	0.2	0.3	66.7	0.2	0.7	0.9	0.3	0.4	0.2	0.0	0.3	2.2

One thing Cammeron Woodyard did not lack when he stepped foot on the floor as a true freshman was confidence. He proved early on he was not timid about putting up a shot from anywhere on the court. Unfortunately, this can often come across as being a player who "doesn't play in the system". As the season wore on, Woodyard's minutes dwindled and dwindled to the point he didn't even see the court during the NIT.

This year I think Ed will experiment with Woodyard by plugging his big body in the two, three, and maybe even the four position. The hope will be to create a mismatch somewhere with his size against smaller guards and swingmen. The hope will be for him to be a solid player off the bench averaging maybe eight minutes, four points, and two or three rebounds per game.

54 - Andrew Ott (6-10, 240)

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
2008 - Andrew Ott	25	7.0	0.5	1.0	48.0	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.4	0.9	50.0	0.6	1.0	1.6	0.1	0.4	0.2	0.4	1.0	1.4

When Ott joined the floor after sitting out the first month of the season due to transfer rules, the hope was that he could just provide five or ten solid minutes per night to give Andrew Jones a break in the middle. I don't think Ed really expected him to do a lot of scoring. If he could just play good defense and pull down some rebounds everyone would have been thrilled with that.

But Ott was somewhat of a disappointment. As expected, he wasn't really a scoring threat. But his defense wasn't much to speak of either. He was a big man who didn't pull down rebounds, and wasn't blocking many shots. And so his minutes dwindled as the season progressed.

This year Penn State will hope he has improved over the summer. Ott will be counted on to provide a solid five or ten minutes per game to give Andrew Jones and occasional rest.

#12 - Talor Battle (6-0, 170)

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
2008 - Talor Battle	38	37.4	5.2	13.0	40.2	2.4	7.1	33.9	3.9	5.5	70.0	0.9	4.4	5.3	5.0	2.4	1.2	0.1	2.1	16.7

You may remember Talor Battle from such movies as...

Talor Battle Scores the Game Winning Basket PSU Bests Illinois (via pickletoon)

I don't have to tell you how good Talor Battle is. You already know that. And you probably already know that he is the unquestioned leader of this team. He will be asked to mentor the younger players while running the offense to get the ball in the hands of guys that can score.

The question for Talor Battle will be how well he can hold up. Last year he started off on a tear and he peaked during the amazing upset of Michigan State in East Lansing when he scored 29 points. After that it was obvious the wear and tear of playing 40 minutes per game through the tough Big Ten schedule was starting to get to him. He lost some of his zip. The jump shots stopped falling, and he struggled to score. This year, Penn State will need some of the new faces to reduce his minutes. If Ed doesn't feel comfortable in any of his freshman guards by the time conference play starts, it's going to be a long season for Talor Battle.

Your obligatory Big 10 conference primer

SFBE.NF — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:19:53 -0000

Is this the year when the Big 10, a conference that is poked fun at for being a boring, the tops in the land? It could certainly happen with two Final Four contenders, and about a half dozen more looking for inclusion into the field of 65. Michigan State will dominate the headlines, but Purdue may be the most intriguing team. Remember that recruiting class of 2007? Well now they're juniors and probably realize it's about time they live up to some of the hype. No pressure here kids.

Ohio State has the league's biggest playmaker in Evan Turner, who uses this year to audition for next year's NBA Draft. As in the previous three seasons, Thad Matta doesn't have a highly touted freshman center to build around. This team is going to run and look to outscore its opponents, but I guess that's the sport's operative goal right?

People are also talking about Northwestern. Is it worth the chatter? That remains to be seen but you have to at least respect Kevin Coble & Company. The Wildcats will rely on the deep ball to stay in games.

Tourney teams (in order of conference finish)

Michigan State
Purdue
Ohio State
Michigan
Illinois
Minnesota

All Conference Team

Kalin Lucas, Michigan State
Raymar Morgan, Michigan State
Evan Turner, Ohio State
Robbie Hummel, Purdue
Manny Harris, Michigan

Most overrated - Northwestern (if that's possible)

Most underrated - Purdue's Junior class finally putting "getting it," Evan Turner's scoring ability

Notable non-conference match-ups:

11/19 - Ohio State vs. North Carolina
12/1 - Michigan State @ North Carolina
12/19 - Michigan @ Kansas
12/22 - Texas @ Michigan State
1/1 - West Virginia @ Purdue

Five story lines to keep tabs on:

Michigan. A surprise team last season, the Sims-Harris duo could be one of the best inside outside threats.
Talor Battle. He literally may carry the Nittany Lions on his back. The diminutive guard has a flair for the dramatics.
Northwestern. How mind-boggling is it to say that the Wildcats are being overhyped on whether or not they can just make the NCAA Tournament?
Wisconsin. Bo Ryan is pretty good at doing something with nothing. This year might be the ultimate test.
Raymar Morgan. Battling mononucleosis last season, he underperformed. If he plays to his potential then the Spartans are going to be scary.

The Bruce Weber Emotional Report Card

Joe Kutsunis — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:15:18 -0000

Oh basketball season, you cant come fast enough.

You know the University of Illinois has always been on the forefront of progressive education, and has never been afraid to try new ways to educate and encourage its students. It is in that spirit that I would like to introduce a new way to grade out the way the basketball team performs from game to game. It is the Bruce Weber Emotional report card

The concept is fairly simple we take some aspect of the game and give it a grade and a corresponding Bruce Weber emotion.

For instance, landing a commitment from Mr Illinois Brandon Paul makes Bruce Weber feel:

An emotion we can only interpret as pleased and celebratory.

The last second basket made by Talor Battle to beat the Illini last season makes Bruce Weber feel:

An emotion we can only interpret as excruciating disappointment.

See? Its just that easy. I believe that this will perhaps better explain the performance of the Illini better than arbitrary numerical or alphabetical grading alone.