Big Ten Tourney Preview
Submitted by Paul Mercier on Mon, 03/09/2009 - 17:20
With the Big Ten regular season at a close, many mid-westerners will find themselves flocking to Indianapolis this weekend for the Big Ten Tournament. Before play begins, I thought we’d take a look at Thursday’s matchups:
Game One:
Time: Noon Location: Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Participants: #8 Minnesota v. #9 Northwestern.
Preview:
Northwestern is coming off of one of its best regular season finishes in the Big Ten Conference. They have a strong player in Kevin Coble who averages 15 points and 4 rebounds per game, and a solid backcourt in Craig Moore and Michael Thompson. The Wildcats have had some banner wins this year, including victories at Michigan State, at Purdue, and have beaten Ohio State, Minnesota, and Wisconsin at home. To say this team was a surprise would be an understatement, but they no longer seem like a sleeper against Minnesota on Thursday.
Minnesota on the other hand, is coming off of an up and down season which saw them jump out to a 12-0 start before being downed at home by Michigan State. Their non-conference schedule was nothing to write home about, but they still might find themselves dangling from the bubble with a good Big Ten Tournament run.
My Prediction:
Minnesota is coming off of a tough loss to Michigan, and find themselves in a do or die situation. If they are able to contain Coble, they should be able to come away with the victory. However, do not be surprised if Northwestern is able to sink some shots and pull off a slim win. The problem for these two teams: the winner faces a red hot Michigan State team in the second round.
Chances of Winning B10 Tourney: NU- No Chance ; MN- No Chance
Game Two:
Time: 2:30 P.M. Location: Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Participants: #7 Michigan v #10 Iowa
Preview:
Michigan is coming off of a big win against Minnesota which may have very well put them back into the NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines, however, would do well to lock up their bid by beating Iowa in this game. Manny Harris has all of the tools needed to be a solid tournament player, and DeShawn Sims is playing some of his best basketball.
Iowa, however, finds itself in a tough spot: sure they won a tough game against Penn State over the weekend, but they had lost three in a row prior to that, and now have to face a Michigan team that will be hungry for revenge after losing to the Hawkeyes in overtime at the end of last month. Iowa has three guards in Kelly, Gatens, and Peterson that can go off at any moment, but they will need to drain the long ball if they’re going to beat Michigan a second time.
The motivation for this game is that the winner will get to play a very beatable Illinois team in the second round.
My Prediction:
I don’t see Michigan losing this game. The Wolverines are more than likely playing for a spot in the NCAA tournament, and the loss at Iowa on February 22 will be in the minds of each player. Look for Manny Harris to step up and play big to make up for his dismal performance in the waning regulation minutes in the prior meeting.
Chances of Winning B10 Tourney: Michigan- Slim ; Iowa- No Chance
Game Three:
Time: 5:00 P.M. Location: Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Participants: #6 Penn State v. #11 Indiana
Preview:
Penn State is going to be fired up after a tough loss in overtime at Iowa over the weekend. They have one of the best players in the Big Ten in Talor Battle, and have surrounded him with a quality duo in Jamelle Cornley and Stanley Pringle. Penn State is a team that I think has the chance to cause a few upsets in this tournament. They found themselves just bumped out of the bye group, and have the ability to beat any team in the field. I also believe that Ed DeChellis has done an outstanding job with his team.
Indiana has been the poor whipping boy for the Big Ten this year. We all know the hardships that this team has faced due to former coaches and violations, thus the Hoosiers have really struggled. I don’t see them beating a hungry Penn State team that is looking to make its way into the NCAA tournament, but anything can happen with a young and motivated team.
My Prediction:
Penn State should win big in this game. Should is the key word here, because we all know anything can happen come March.
Chances of Winning B10 Tourney: Penn State- has a shot; Indiana- No Chance
