The Big Ten conference is being brought to you this season by the letters “W” and “L,” and by the word “parity.”
Not only was parity the theme of the 2001 Big Ten football season, but its influence also has spilled over into the start of the conference’s basketball season.
Of the Big Ten’s three preseason favorites — Illinois, Iowa and Indiana — only the Hoosiers (10-5, 3-0 Big Ten) are still undefeated in the conference. But Indiana is also the sole member of that group not ranked in the Top 25.
No. 25 Michigan State, which tied for the 2000-01 regular-season title, lost Tuesday to Indiana, dropping the Spartans to 9-6 overall, 0-2 in the Big Ten. Last season the team suffered only three conference losses.
“Certainly it’s going to be a wild and crazy year (because) there’s so much parity,” Illinois coach Bill Self said. “Anybody can beat anybody.”
Self’s No. 9 Illini are 1-1 in the conference after a 72-66 upset loss to Wisconsin on Saturday.
Only Indiana, Ohio State and Michigan remain undefeated against Big Ten opponents.
“You’re going to have the hype around three or four teams and then there are going to be three or four teams that get forgotten,” said Iowa coach Steve Alford, whose Hawkeyes were fell to Ohio State, 72-62, on Saturday. “Those are the teams that become the most dangerous.”
SLIP OF THE TONGUE: Indiana didn’t get rid of controversy when it got rid of Bobby Knight.
Mike Davis, Knight’s successor as head coach of the Hoosiers and an assistant coach under Knight, was fined by the Big Ten for making unsportsmanlike remarks after Indiana’s loss to Butler on Dec. 29.
Davis was fined $10,000 for comments criticizing the officiating in the game.
In the postgame news conference, Davis told the Associated Press, “If I wasn’t the lowest-paid coach in the Big Ten, I’d tell you how I really feel about this game. It’s been like this every game.
“The bottom line is this: If you can watch every one of my games, and you watch how we get hosed down everywhere we go in clutch situations, you’ll see. You just watch this game tonight.”
The comments came after Davis was assessed a technical foul at the end of the 66-64 loss to the Bulldogs.
Davis later released a statement apologizing for the comments.
HOME SWEET HOME: With upset after upset in the Big Ten, the only constant so far this season has been home-court advantage.
“It’s hard to win on the road,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “There’s a different passion in the Big Ten. Ninety-five percent of the places are going to be sold out.”
The Spartans have made use of their home court by compiling the nation’s longest home winning streak, which currently stands at 53 games.
The home team has won eight of the first 11 games of the Big Ten season. Four teams are undefeated overall at home. Iowa leads the pack with a 9-0 record in Iowa City.
The three teams to manage a conference road victory are Michigan, Ohio State and Indiana.
To combat the problems of playing on the road, Davis said he has been practicing with his starters in their road uniforms.
“It’s the fan support more than anything else,” Ohio State coach Jim O’Brien said. “It’s a rare occasion that you can play on the road and not have a really hostile environment.”
BO KNOWS BASKETBALL: Wisconsin’s conference opener marked coach Bo Ryan’s 500th game as a head coach.
Ryan’s record stands at 391-110 after Wisconsin lost to Iowa Jan. 2. This is the coach’s first season in the Big Ten.
