Toyminator's 2003-2004 Big Ten Conference Preview

Last season in the Big Ten, Wisconsin won the regular season title, Illinois won the conference tournament, and Michigan State made it to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. All in all, you're typical Big Ten season. A number of excellent basketball teams, but not necessarily one that stands above the rest. Look for a similar thing to happen again this season with one small difference: all three of these teams will most likely be even better! Leading the way should be the Spartans, who return a number of quality guards along with the best big man in the conference, and welcome one of the most exciting freshman in the country in Shannon Brown. They may be the league's best shot at a national title this season. However, don't count out Wisconsin and Illinois. Both teams lost one valuable senior, but return so much talent that they can easily make up the difference. Look for a fierce fight between this trio at the top of the conference, along with near the top of the polls.

The rest of the league is quite strong as well. In fact, the conference should be able to match last season's total of eight postseason bids, especially now that a strong Michigan team is eligible for postseason play. This will create quite an interesting race in the middle of the conference as most of the teams are relatively close talent-wise. The team that may be in the best position is Ohio State. After an injury riddled season, the Buckeyes made a late run in the conference tournament and almost landed in the NCAA Tournament again. With the addition of a trio of impact newcomers, they shouldn't have to worry about winning the conference tournament this season because they will be much improved. Indiana and Purdue will drop down a notch, but will still be very competitive teams. Look out for Iowa, which may end up being the league's most improved team and make a surprise run at the NCAA Tournament. Yes, this league will be interesting to watch and should be one of the toughest conferences in the country this season.

ON THE RISE: Michigan
Coach Amaker has proven he is a top notch recruiter and knows how to reel in some big fish. However, his coaching ability is still TBD. Well, if last season was any indication of his potential, then he'll be just fine. And so will the Wolverines! With a truckload of talented sophomores and freshmen, this program should be in the top half of the league for years to come. Now if the curse of Ed Martin is finally broken, then this team could start looking forward to March again!

IN DECLINE: Indiana
Don't worry Hoosier fans...this only pertains to this season! Heaven knows Coach Davis has already gathered the top recruiting class in the country for 2004 and they'll be right back near the top of the conference for years to come. However, this season looks to be quite a struggle. Sure, they still have a solid backcourt in Wright & Strickland, but their frontcourt is pretty weak and very thin. There's no Jared Jeffries or Jeff Newton's on this team to carry the load inside. They'll still win their fair share of games this season, but it may not be enough to make it to the NCAA Tournament.

1. MICHIGAN ST.

Strengths: Very good shooting team. Good rebounding team. Solid team defense. Very physical & athletic. Good depth.
Weakness: Poor PG play - poor ball handling & distribution. Struggle offensively at times.
Outlook: The Spartans have some of the top players in the country in Davis, Hill and newcomer Shannon Brown, so you know they will be good this season. However, the difference between a conference title and a national title will be the play at PG. Someone, preferably Brown, needs to make that position his own and run this team effectively.

2. WISCONSIN

Strengths: Good shooting team, especially at the FT line. Limit their turnovers. Still play great defense!
Weakness: Need more inside scoring/rebounding. Questionable bench.
Outlook: Well, Coach Ryan has won me over! I was skeptical at first, but he's proven over the past two seasons that he gets the maximum out of his players and they just keep winning. No reason to doubt them this season either, especially now that he's got a real center to work with!

3. ILLINOIS

Strengths: Excellent shooting team. Explosive backcourt. Good ball handling & distribution. Strong team defense.
Weakness: Question mark at center. Inexperienced with the loss of Cook.
Outlook: The loss of Coach Self will sting for a bit, but he left so much talent that there's no reason to believe the Illini will fall very far. Besides looking forward to a solid season, I'm also looking forward to watching this team play...they will be fun!

4. OHIO ST.

Strengths: Big frontcourt - good rebounding team. Strong team defense. Talented newcomers. Good depth.
Weakness: Questionable PG play - poor ball handling & distribution. Need to improve outside shooting.
Outlook: The Buckeyes faltered some last season, but look for them to rebound with the return of Dials inside and three impact newcomers in Stockman, Sullinger & Harris. OSU won't match their football team's success but they will return to the Big Dance!

5. MICHIGAN

Strengths: Quick, athletic team. Decent team defense. Good 3-pt & FT shooting team.
Weakness: Commit too many turnovers. Must improve rebounding. Very inexperienced.
Outlook: Michigan made some great strides last season, despite lingering questions about its program. Another excellent recruiting class will bolster an already solid group of sophomores and make this team quite competitive, even moreso now that they are eligible to play in the postseason this year.

6. IOWA

Strengths: Solid backcourt. Good rebounding team. Decent team defense. Good FT shooting team. Lots of depth & experience.
Weakness: Commit way too many turnovers. Terrible 3-pt shooting team.
Outlook: For once, the Hawkeyes overachieved last season! They were a decent team who should get better with the return of high scoring guard Pierre Pierce. In addition, their lineup is quite versatile, which should allow them to matchup better against the different styles of play in the conference. Definitely a sleeper pick!

7. INDIANA

Strengths: Solid team defense, especially on the perimeter. Excellent backcourt - good ball handling & distribution. Good FT shooting team.
Weakness: Inept frontcourt - struggle to score & rebound. Little depth.
Outlook: The Hoosiers have one of the best young backcourts in the country. Unfortunately, their frontcourt is pretty weak, unless George Leach suddenly learns an offensive move or two! Thus, look for this squad to be on the bubble at best this season. However, fear not Hoosier fans...you will have plenty to cheer for next season!

8. PURDUE

Strengths: Solid team defense - force many turnovers. Balanced offense. Good FT shooting team. Good depth.
Weakness: Poor rebounding team. Inconsistent PG play. Too many turnovers.
Outlook: On paper, the Boilermakers never look very impressive. Yet they always play tough ball and usually end up in the Big Dance. That could happen again this season, but without Deane's scoring ability they may have to settle for the NIT.

9. MINNESOTA

Strengths: Decent backcourt. Good 3-pt shooting team.
Weakness: Weak frontcourt - little inside scoring & rebounding. Must improve defensively. Too many turnovers.
Outlook: The Gophors were a huge disappointment last season. Don't look for much improvement this season, especially since injuries to Hargrow and Bauer could really stretch this team thin. On a positive note, getting Humphries was a coup that will pay big dividends down the road.

10. NORTHWESTERN

Strengths: Young, talented backcourt. Very disciplined team.
Weakness: Limited offensively. Poor shooting & rebounding team. Inexperienced frontcourt.
Outlook: The Wildcats have a number of talented youngsters who should develop into quality players in the future. Unfortunately, the future isn't now! This team is decent, but it's tough to move up when you're in such a strong conference!

11. PENN ST.

Strengths: Big, strong frontcourt. Good FT shooting team.
Weakness: Weak backcourt - poor ball handling & distribution. Terrible team defense. Poor shooting & rebounding team. Team is rather slow of foot!
Outlook: New coach Ed DeChellis won't be the envy of anyone this season. This program is a wreck! Anyone predicting this team other than here needs to seek counseling...quickly!

You are visitor number since 10/17/03

Last updated on 10/20/03 by toyminator@prodigy.net