THE DAILY ILLINIBig Ten Preview GuideTuesday, January 20, 2015

BIG TEN HOOPS GUIDE

THE DAILY ILLINIBig Ten Preview GuideTuesday, January 20, 2015

Tuesday, January 20, 2015 The Daily Illini | www.DailyIllini.com2

DATE GAME LOCATION TIME/RESULT

11/07/14 VS. QUINCY (EXHIBITION) STATE FARM CENTER W (91-62)

11/14/14 VS. GEORGIA SOUTHERN STATE FARM CENTER W (80-71)

11/16/14 VS. COPPIN STATE STATE FARM CENTER W (114-56)

11/21/14 VS. AUSTIN PEAY STATE FARM CENTER W (107-66)

11/24/14 VS. BROWN STATE FARM CENTER W (89-68)

LAS VEGAS INVITATIONAL

11/27/14 VS. INDIANA STATE LAS VEGAS, NEV. W (88-62)

11/28/14 VS. BAYLOR LAS VEGAS, NEV. W (62-54)

12/02/14 AT MIAMI MIAMI, FLA. L (70-61)

12/06/14 VS. AMERICAN STATE FARM CENTER W (70-55)

12/09/14 VS. VILLANOVA NEW YORK, N.Y. L (73-59)

12/13/14 VS. OREGON CHICAGO, ILL. L (77-70)

12/17/14 VS. HAMPTON STATE FARM CENTER W (73-55)

12/20/14 VS. MISSOURI ST. LOUIS, MO. W (62-59)

12/27/14 VS. KENNESAW STATE STATE FARM CENTER W (93-45)

12/30/14 AT MICHIGAN * ANN ARBOR, MICH. L (73-65)

01/03/15 AT OHIO STATE * COLUMBUS, OHIO L (77-61)

01/07/15 VS. MARYLAND * STATE FARM CENTER W (64-57)

01/11/15 AT NEBRASKA * LINCOLN, NEB. L (53-43)

01/14/15 AT NORTHWESTERN * EVANSTON, ILL. W (72-67)

01/18/15 VS. INDIANA * STATE FARM CENTER L (80-74)

01/21/15 VS. PURDUE * STATE FARM CENTER 8:00 P.M. CT

01/24/15 AT MINNESOTA * MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. 1:15 P.M. CT

01/31/15 VS. PENN STATE * STATE FARM CENTER 12:00 P.M. CT

02/03/15 VS. RUTGERS * STATE FARM CENTER 8:30 P.M. CT

02/07/15 AT MICHIGAN STATE * EAST LANSING, MICH. 11:00 A.M. CT

02/12/15 VS. MICHIGAN * STATE FARM CENTER 8:00 P.M. CT

02/15/15 AT WISCONSIN * MADISON, WIS. 12:00 P.M. CT

02/22/15 VS. MICHIGAN STATE * STATE FARM CENTER 6:30 P.M. CT

02/25/15 AT IOWA * IOWA CITY, IOWA 8:00 P.M. CT

02/28/15 VS. NORTHWESTERN * STATE FARM CENTER 6:00 P.M. CT

03/04/15 VS. NEBRASKA * STATE FARM CENTER 9:00 P.M. CT

03/07/15 AT PURDUE * WEST LAFAYETTE, IND. 3:30 P.M. CT

03/11/15 BIG TEN TOURNAMENT BEGINS CHICAGO, ILL. TBA

03/17/15 NCAA TOURNAMENT BEGINS DAYTON, OHIO TBA

2014-15 SCHEDULEPointsRayvonte Rice 17.2Malcolm Hill 13.6Kendrick Nunn 10.4

ReboundsRayvonte Rice 6.9Nnanna Egwu 5.5

AssistsAhmad Starks 3Jaylon Tate 2.9

BlocksNnanna Egwu 1.7Maverick Morgan 0.5

StealsRayvonte Rice 1.8Kendrick Nunn 1.3

Shooting percentageRayvonte Rice 51.5%Mike LaTulip 50%

BIG TEN STANDINGS CONFERENCE OVERALL Maryland 5-1 17-2Wisconsin 4-1 16-2Indiana 4-1 14-4Iowa 4-1 13-5Michigan 4-2 11-7Michigan State 3-2 12-6Purdue 3-2 11-7Ohio State 3-3 14-5Nebraska 2-3 10-7Illinois 2-4 12-7Rutgers 2-4 10-9Northwestern 1-4 10-8Minnesota 1-5 12-7Penn State 0-5 12-6

STATS

BRENTON TSE THE DAILY ILLINIIllinois' Malcolm Hill attempts a dunk after drawing a foul during the game against Maryland at State Farm Center on Jan. 7. Nunn is one of the Illini’s top scorers.

The Daily Illini | www.DailyIllini.com Tuesday, January 20, 20153

BY SEAN NEUMANNSTAFF WRITER

Bringing his players out to his fam-ily swimming pool on a summer day, John Groce knew one of the Illinois bas-ketball team’s biggest problems was its consistency.

The Illini head coach experienced a lack of it in his two previous years in Cham-paign, falling flat in conference play both years after a pair of strong starts. It was an issue the Illini were working to avoid since dipping their feet in the water.

“I made them take their shoes off and put all 10 toes in the water,” Groce remem-bered. “I said, ‘I’m not interested in seven or eight or nine digits. I want all 10 of them in the water.’”

Groce’s message was simple: His Illini players should know exactly what’s expect-ed of them on and off the court.

And with 11 of 15 players returning to the team this season, Groce’s expecta-tions are higher than ever for the Illini — especially when it comes to closing out the season.

Illinois has gone 15-21 in Big Ten play under Groce, failing to make the NCAA Tournament last year after a 1-10 stretch in conference play sank the team. And Illi-nois was far from pleased in settling for a second-round NIT Tournament exit.

“You’re certainly grateful for the oppor-tunity to be in postseason play last year, but all of us would have rather been in the other postseason tournament,” Groce said. “When you miss that by the hair of your chinny-chin-chin, you feel that.”

The Illini went 24-3 in nonconference play during Groce’s first two seasons, but still managed to lose 28 games in those sea-sons as a result of a losing record in Big Ten play — what Groce hopes to avoid this year as conference play picks up.

“There comes a time when winter will ask, ‘What did you do last summer?’ ” Groce said.

Winter won’t ask the Illini players how many toes they put into the Groce fam-ily pool that summer day, but to Groce, it will remember the effort they put in dur-ing practice.

Groce’s wake-and-grind mentality is hoped to have bled over into his Illinois players, with the program trying to end the season with a winning conference record for the first time in since 2010-11. Ahmad Starks reflected his coach’s workhorse per-sonality and said he made more than 13,000

shots this summer, preparing for the 2014-15 season.

But Illinois already had its share of ups and downs early on in Big Ten play.

Just a few days after starting the conference schedule 0-2 with a heart-breaking overtime loss to a struggling Michigan team and another first-half lead slipping away at No. 20 Ohio State, Illinois bounced back with a 64-57 upset over No. 11 Mary-land. Most impressively, the Illini did so without leading scorer Rayvonte Rice, who is sidelined with a broken hand.

Rice said it’s important to stress the “10 Toes In” motto to make sure each player is reminded of the level of competi-tiveness to come with every day. And in the leading scorer’s absence, it’s important for Illinois’ depth to come into play, already

sitting on a 2-4 conference record with 12 games remaining.

While Groce, who’s in an all-important third year as the team’s head coach, tries

to push the Illini into the NCAA Tournament after missing the dance last season, his players’ consistency remains the key to their success.

The record-break-ing offense Illini fans saw at the beginning of the season has hid away behind a 38.2 field goal percentage, which is elevated after averaging 96.2 points per game following the first five tune-up games against nonconference opponents.

Starks has experienced one of the big-gest offensive drop-offs for Illinois, start-ing the season with three straight double-digit efforts and then not reaching that

mark until a 13-point performance against Missouri on Dec. 20 and then struggling for nearly another month later until a 10-point game against Northwestern.

“We understand the point behind (‘10 Toes In’),” Starks said. “We have to be in from the start of the season all the way through the end. No matter what you do, there’s going to be ups and downs, so we have to be all in from start to finish.”

And with all the ups and downs Illinois has experienced already this season — los-ing captain Tracy Abrams, Rice’s broken hand, a Las Vegas Invitational Tournament title, a buzzer-beater victory over rival Missouri — the Illini are looking to build on the good and forget the bad.

“My mindset is very much about growth,” Groce said. “Our goal was always to play our best late in the year. We want to be better than we were yesterday, but not as good as tomorrow.”

Sean can be reached at spneuma2 @dailyillini.com and on Twitter @Neumannthehuman.

Groce focuses on conference consistencyDespite ups and downs, Illini seek to grow from the good in conference play so far

BRENTON TSE THE DAILY ILLINIIllinois' head coach John Groce stresses a “10 Toes In” mentality to his players — they are expected to remain competitive all the time.

“We want to be better than we

were yesterday, but not as good as

tomorrow.”JOHN GROCE

MEN’S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH

BY ALEX ROUXBASKETBALL COLUMNIST

“When things don’t go your way, how are you going to stand up to it?”

Flanked by reporters, Illinois senior center Nnanna Egwu posed the question a day after star teammate Rayvonte Rice broke his hand in practice. Egwu and his teammates had just

found out that the injury would sideline senior Rice for roughly 4-6 weeks.

The next evening, Egwu was the anchor of a defensive performance that helped dismantle then-No. 11 Maryland, as the Illini won 64-57 in their first game without Rice in the lineup. Following the win, Egwu said that he and his teammates drew inspiration from

the way Rice handled misfortune, and Egwu answered his own rhetorical question as he and his teammates stood up to the challenge on the court.

But what happens when the reality of losing your leading scorer, rebounder and 3-point shooter begins to set in? Four days after the Maryland win, the Illini traveled to Nebraska, where they played like a team was missing its senior leader.

Illinois shot 27 percent from the field and

It’s ‘sink or swim’ without RiceIllini look to other players to replace star’s contributions

FOLAKE OSIBODU THE DAILY ILLINIIllinois’ Rayvonte Rice broke his hand in practice on Jan. 5. The senior guard, who is projected to be out of play for 4-6 weeks, is currently ranked No. 3 on ESPN’s Player Efficency Rating system.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015 The Daily Illini | www.DailyIllini.com4

But what happens when the reality of losing your leading scorer, rebound-er and 3-point shooter begins to set in?

The Daily Illini | www.DailyIllini.com Tuesday, January 20, 2015 5

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six of 29 from 3-point range, looking anemic offensively all night long. Rice, a plus-defender, would have likely guarded Nebraska’s Terran Petteway. Instead, Petteway scored 18 points as Rice watched helpless on the sideline, and the Huskers won, 53-43.

“It’s hard to see your team struggle, but I just help out any way that I can,” Rice said. His contributions are now limited to off the court, and he acts like another assistant coach on the bench, offering encouragement and advice to his teammates.

To understand how big of a blow losing Rice was to Illinois, a quick look at the numbers helps one comprehend the 6-foot-4 senior’s contributions to his team. When Rice went down, he was averaging 17.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

He was also ranked No. 6 in the entire country in ESPN’s Player Effi ciency Rating system. His 15 games played is still enough to qualify for the ranking, and he’s actually moved up to No. 3 in the country during his period of inactivity. Rice now trails only Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky and Duke’s Jahlil Okafor — two Naismith Award candidates — in terms of effi ciency.

Rice was the player the Illini deferred to — for better or worse — when the team needed to score. He was the hero against Missouri, hitting a game-winning, buzzer-beating 3-pointer to beat the Tigers. He was also the subject of some criticism in an overtime loss to Michigan, when he badly missed a three (and a wide-open Malcolm Hill) that would have won the game for Illinois in regulation.

But no matter how the team performs in Rice’s absence, it’s hard to argue with his

numbers.Rice’s mammoth amount of production on

both ends of the fl oor is a lot to replace over an extended period of time. But Illinois head coach John Groce won’t make excuses, even if he was dealt a bad hand. He stressed a “next man up” mentality to his team, and it’s become a sink or swim situation for an Illini squad

that is desperately trying to reach the NCAA tournament for the second time in Groce’s three years in charge.

“Not one guy can replace Ray,” Groce said. “It’s got to be a collective effort.”

The majority of that effort will have to come from Hill, who scored 28 points in the Maryland win, and fellow sophomore Kendrick Nunn, who dropped 25 against Northwestern. Transfers Aaron Cosby and Ahmad Starks are also being relied on to pick up the scoring slack. This seemed like a tall order, as both have seen their share of shooting struggles, shooting under 33 percent from the fi eld on the year. But both Starks and Cosby have begun to come around as of late, as both scored in double-digits against Northwestern.

The hope for Illinois fans is that the Illini’s collective scoring effort — complemented by a revived defensive intensity — can keep them afl oat until Rice returns.

Rice had never been seriously injured in his playing career before he went down this year. And now, he’s forced to look on as his teammates try to keep their NCAA dreams alive.

This is Rice’s last chance at the Big Dance — he’s never made it as an active member of a team — and his injury now serves as added motivation to get back on the court and lead his team to the tourney.

“It just motivates me even more,” Rice said. “I was part of the (2012-13) team that went but (as a redshirt) I didn’t get to play. Nnanna’s been there, he’s thirsty to get back. We’re all just going to do what we can to try and get back.”

Rice’s expected return date is still unclear. His doctor told him that “the hand will tell” Rice when he’s able to come back, meaning Rice will be able to feel when he’s able to play above a certain pain threshold.

With or without their star player, Groce and the Illini will march on. A day before Rice’s surgery, Groce made it clear how his team will respond to the situation:

“We’re not going to shut down the season. We’re going to play.”

Alex is a junior in AHS. He can be reached at roux2@dailyillini.com. Follow him on Twitter @aroux94.

BRENTON TSE THE DAILY ILLINIIllinois’ Rayvonte Rice attempts a shot during the game against Kennesaw State at State Farm Center on Dec. 27. A hand injury during practice has put Rice on the bench.

“It’s hard to see your team struggle, but I just help out

any way that I can.”RAYVONTE RICE

SENIOR GUARD

BY NICHOLAS FORTINSTAFF WRITER

Kendrick Nunn has been here before.

It’s the reason he is so calm and collected despite the on-court sit-uation. Whether Nunn is knocking down clutch free throws at the end of the game, starting over a senior in his freshman year, or draining three

after three, he only exudes confi-dence on the court.

While he’d like to start, Nunn knows that whether he is the first person called in the starting lineup or the last man off the bench, he’ll be able to adapt his game to fit the situation.

This season, that confidence, flex-ibility and previous big stage expe-rience has translated to 10.4 points per game and the task of being the Illini’s most consistent scorer in a season plagued with inconsistency.

“He’s unflappable,” head coach John Groce said. “He’s been in so many big games in his career and so many big moments and big stages.”

For Nunn, his transition from unknown Chicago kid to confident Illinois star started in high school. At Simeon Career Academy, Nunn learned how to affect the game in

all aspects.Despite the fact that Nunn would

mature into a four-star recruit, the now sophomore shooting guard didn’t start his first two years at Simeon. Nunn graciously accepted his role as a sixth man and helped Simeon win two state titles in his first two years.

In his last two seasons at Simeon, Nunn started and helped his team win two more.

By the time Nunn arrived in Champaign, he was accustomed to winning and playing well for win-ning teams.

In his first season with the Illini, Nunn was forced to deal with losing.

The Illini lost eight straight Big Ten games last season and eventu-ally missed out on the NCAA tour-nament because of their conference shortcomings.

Although Illinois struggled in his first year with the team, Nunn didn’t. Nunn averaged 6.2 points and 1.7 rebounds per game during his fresh-man year and played well enough off the bench that Groce gave him a chance to start over senior Joseph Bertrand down the stretch.

Nunn didn’t disappoint. As a fresh-man starter his numbers jumped to 10.3 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.

After the season, Nunn continued to work on his game with both the Illini and Jaylon Tate individually. Tate and Nunn have been teammates since their days at Simeon and still have a close bond.

As Nunn’s game has grown, so has his confidence.

“Obviously he’s more confident,” Nnanna Egwu said. “Being able to play more, gaining experience. What he’s really done is understand the system especially without the ball. Boxing out setting screens.”

This year the Illini have needed

Nunn’s high level of play more than ever. With Tracy Abrams out for the season and Rayvonte Rice sidelined for at least part of the season with injury, Nunn has been looked to to provide offensive stability for the Illini.

Although he’s battled a minor knee injury of his own, especially toward the start of the year, Nunn hasn’t dis-appointed once on the court.

“I feel pretty confident,” Nunn said after the Northwestern game. “At the beginning of the season, I was just getting back in rhythm (after) a couple injuries and things like that. So I’m in a pretty good rhythm now.”

While touted transfer Aaron Cos-by floundered early on this season at starting shooting guard, Nunn tran-sitioned effortlessly from sixth man to everyday starter.

“I’m a competitor,” Nunn said. “Being a starter, you’ve got to bring it.”

Nunn tallied 16 points in his sec-ond start of the season against Hampton and hasn’t looked back since.

Although he has proven he can be effective coming off the bench, it’s hard to argue with his improved offensive numbers as a starter. In the Illini’s first nine games, in which Nunn came off the bench, he aver-aged 8.7 points per game. In Illi-nois’ next nine games, in which Nunn started nine times, his aver-age jumped to 10.

“When shots are falling,” Nunn said. “It just gives you more confi-dence so I attack more.”

Shots have been falling quite fre-quently this year for Nunn. So far he’s shooting 42.9 percent from long

distance and 45.1 percent from the field. He’s also averaging 9.7 points per game, 3.0 rebounds per game and 1.8 assists per game on the season while helping Illinois to a 12-7 record through 19 games this season.

Nunn saved his most notable offensive output for the end of break.

In Evanston, Illinois, in front of many family members and friends Nunn had a career-high 25 points and knocked down two pairs of clutch free throws to give the Illini a 72-67 win over Northwestern.

“(I’ve played) pretty good (as a starter so far this season),” Nunn said. “We’ve got more to build on though.”

Nicholas can be reached at fortin2@dailyillini.com and on Twitter @IlliniSportsGuy.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015 The Daily Illini | www.DailyIllini.com6

Nunn steps into the limelightGuard a constant for Illini in season plagued by inconsistency

BRENTON TSE THE DAILY ILLINIIllinois’ Kendrick Nunn loses possession of the ball after driving to the basket during the game against Missouri at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri on Dec.20.

“(Nunn is) unflappable. He’s been in so many big games in his career and so many big moments and big stages.”JOHN GROCEMEN’S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH

The Daily Illini | www.DailyIllini.com Tuesday, January 20, 20157

Illini face difficult journey

B ig Ten Network’s featured show during conference play is called “The Jour-ney,” and it’s aptly named.

Conference play is a grind, a haul, a mar-athon — it’s whatever gritty adjective you can think of. It’s 18 games where any team top to bottom can win on any given night. Lowly Rutgers beat Wisconsin two weeks ago, in case you needed any extra convinc-ing. Road wins should count as double, because escaping a hostile Big Ten arena is a rare occurrence, even for conference contenders.

As Illinois has seen so far, conference play truly is a journey, and it’s one with highs and lows. The Illini schedule was front-loaded with four road games in its first five, with the lone home matchup coming against then-No. 11 Maryland. Dan Dakich, the former Indiana player and coach who now regularly calls Big Ten games on ESPN, said he had never seen anything like the Illini’s scheduling misfortune to begin the season.

As if Big Ten play wasn’t challenging enough, the basketball gods dropped a bombshell on the Illini two games into the conference season: leading scorer Ray-vonte Rice would miss several weeks with a broken left hand. The news came just as Illinois’ season was flirting with major dis-appointment, when a team with high expec-tations was struggling to find its way.

Illinois head coach John Groce did some impressive things in Champaign in his first two seasons, but his Big Ten record of 15-21 in that time was not something he’d put at the top of a resume. A huge contrib-utor to the conference woes was a com-bined 3-12 record in the month of January, which is when the Big Ten season kicks into gear. Rice’s injury came in early January, at a time when his team was already 0-2 to begin Groce’s third Big Ten season. The “freak accident” of an injury seemed like a death sentence for the team.

But the hallmark of Groce’s teams has always been resiliency, and they knocked off the 11th-ranked Terps two days after Rice went down. The win may have saved their season, as they now sit at 2-4 six games into conference play, still very much

alive for an NCAA tournament bid. Unlike Groce’s first two seasons, Illinois

will almost certainly have to finish above .500 in the Big Ten this year if they want to receive an at-large bid to the Big Dance. So the Illini will need a minimum of 10 Big Ten wins, and they currently have eight to go. How will their path play out the rest of the way?

Wisconsin is the favorite to finish at the top, but the rest of the conference seems wide open. Maryland, Ohio State, Iowa, Michigan State and Indiana have all shown flashes of brilliance so far, but where the chips fall in the end is anyone’s guess. When it comes to those six teams, the Illini face only Michigan State twice, and the rest just once. They play weaker foes such as Purdue,

Penn State and Northwestern twice each.But conference play is so unpredictable.

Wisconsin’s talented point guard Traevon Jackson suffered a broken foot that will sideline him for at least six weeks, which could have significant implications on the Big Ten race. Not many people saw Mary-land’s rise coming, and it currently sits at 17-2, 5-1 Big Ten. Upsets have become the norm; Illinois could beat Wisconsin then lose to Northwestern, and it would pretty much be par for the course.

Rice’s injury and murky timetable for a return just adds an extra layer of uncer-tainty to what promises to be an intense and stressful next two months. And with the winner of the Big Ten tournament in March receiving an automatic NCAA bid, no team’s

season is truly dead.Groce likes to use boxing metaphors dur-

ing press conferences while articulating his team’s performance. Basketball games are described as fights, heavyweight boxing matches where teams take swings at each other until only one is left standing.

Rice’s injury could have been a knockout blow, but Groce won’t make any excuses for his team’s fate the rest of the way.

I think it’s appropriate to assume that when March rolls around, Illini coaches, players and fans expect to have a puncher’s chance at the Dance.

Alex is a junior in AHS. He can be reached at roux2@dailyillini.com and @aroux94.

ALEX ROUX

Basketball columnist

VERNON BRYANT TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICEWisconsin Badgers forward Frank Kaminsky and Kentucky Wildcats center Dakari Johnson battle for a rebound last season on April 5. In the Big Ten, conference play is a grind, a haul, a marathon — it’s whatever gritty adjective you can think of. It’s 18 games where any team top to bottom can win on any given night.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015 The Daily Illini | www.DailyIllini.com8

Michigan StateHead Coach: Tom IzzoRecord: 12-6, 3-2 Big TenAnalysis: These are no longer the days of

Michigan State dominating the Big Ten. While they don’t have any major wins, the Spartans have started out conference play on a strong note. In his senior season, point guard Travis Trice seems to have fi nally broken through as he’s averaging 14.3 points per game.

IowaHead Coach: Fran McCafferyRecord: 13-5, 4-1 Big TenAnalysis: Senior Aaron White is averaging

almost 16 points and seven rebounds this season. I would have guessed the loss of last year’s leading scorer Roy Devyn Marble would have hurt the Hawkeyes, but they continue to play solid basketball. With wins against North Carolina and Ohio State, Iowa looks to stay competitive in the Big Ten.

MichiganHead Coach: John BeileinRecord: 11-7, 4-2 Big TenAnalysis: The Wolverines lost almost all of

their impact players from last year to the NBA, and it’s shown. Early in the season they suffered losses to the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Eastern Michigan. They’ve collected a few wins in the Big Ten, but it’s going to take a huge second half to revive any tournament hopes.

MinnesotaHead Coach: Richard PitinoRecord: 12-7, 1-5 Big TenAnalysis: It has been a hugely disappointing

season for the Golden Gophers. They won the NIT last year, and many had high hopes for Richard Pitino’s squad, but it appears they have taken a major step back after last season’s strong fi nish. At this rate, Minnesota may miss the tournament they won a season ago.

IllinoisHead Coach: John GroceRecord: 12-7, 2-4 Big TenAnalysis: Expectations were high for the Illini

coming into the season in what seemed to be a crowded middle of the conference. Well into the season, the Illini have greatly underperformed. They have had some nice wins against Baylor and Maryland but have struggled on offense. Transfers Aaron Cosby and Ahmad Starks have been cold on the offensive end. Their tournament hopes are still alive, but they need more quality wins.

NebraskaHead Coach: Tim MilesRecord: 10-7, 2-3 Big TenAnalysis: Nebraska was the darling of the Big

Ten last year with a combination of quirky head coach Tim Miles and a strong season. Many thought they would emerge as one of the conference’s top teams. While Terran Petteway has been one of the nation’s top scorers, it hasn’t been enough to take the Cornhuskers to the next level, as they stand near the bottom of the conference.

NorthwesternHead Coach: Chris CollinsRecord: 10-8, 1-4 Big TenAnalysis: Northwestern fans have been waiting

quite a while for their team to make its NCAA tournament debut. This season doesn’t appear to be the one for the Wildcats. That being said, head coach Chris Collins has done a nice job of recruiting effective playmakers to the program. Freshman guard Bryant McIntosh has been a pleasant surprise and looks to be a player to build around going forward.

Ohio StateHead Coach: Thad MattaRecord: 14-5, 3-3 Big TenAnalysis: This year’s Ohio State team isn’t as

dominant as the Buckeyes have been in the past, but the future looks scary. Highly touted freshman D’Angelo Russell has lived up to his billing. He’s averaging 18 points, four rebounds and fi ve assists. The Buckeyes aren’t at the top of the conference, but don’t be surprised if they wind up near there by the season’s end.

WisconsinHead Coach: Bo RyanRecord: 16-2, 4-1 Big TenAnalysis: Many people had no idea how the Big

Ten was going to play out this year. It seemed like for the most part, the conference was up for grabs, but the Badgers were the exception. They were going to be at the top, while the rest of the conference would be up for grabs. Wisconsin has been as strong as ever and should continue its strong play for the rest of the season.

PurdueHead Coach: Matt PainterRecord: 11-7, 3-2 Big TenAnalysis: It seems like head coach Matt Painter

has been on the hot seat since Robbie Hummel suited up for the Boilermakers. While Painter has been able to pull in some nice talent through recruiting, he just hasn’t been able to coach his players to their fullest potential. Freshman Isaac Haas has been very solid in his fi rst season, and looks to be a major problem in the future for opposing teams.

Penn StateHead Coach: Pat ChambersRecord: 12-6, 0-5 Big TenAnalysis: Penn State opened up the season on

fi re, heading into conference play with a 12-1 record. Then the Big Ten happened, and things haven’t looked so happy in Happy Valley. On the bright side, senior D.J. Newbill has had a great season, averaging over 20 points per game.

IndianaHead Coach: Tom CreanRecord: 14-4, 4-1 Big TenAnalysis: Coming into the season, Tom

Crean’s seat was getting warmer. Another losing season would have made things very interesting in Bloomington. That being said, the Hoosiers have been surprisingly successful halfway through the season. They have quality wins against Butler and Ohio State. With a consistent fi nish to the season, Crean may have done enough to buy more time at Indiana.

Round upCompiled by Sam Sherman

Here’s an updated look at how teams are faring across the Big Ten this season.

MarylandHead Coach: Mark TurgeonRecord: 17-2, 5-1 Big TenAnalysis: So far, there have been no “welcome

to the Big Ten” moments for the Terrapins this season. Other than losses to Virginia and Illinois, Maryland has had a great opening season in its new conference. Much of their success can be attributed to Melo Trimble, one of the nation’s top freshmen, who’s averaging 16 points, four rebounds and three assists.

RutgersHead Coach: Eddie JordanRecord: 10-9, 2-4 Big TenAnalysis: The good news? Rutgers beat

Wisconsin this year in what was the biggest upset in the conference so far this season. The bad news? That’s really the only good news in Rutgers’ fi rst season in the Big Ten. The Big Ten growing pains have been rough for the Scarlet Knights.