Dark horses. Surprise teams. Shockers.
Every year, there’s at least one in the Big Ten. A team picked to finish near the bottom starts strong, upsets a powerhouse or two, and suddenly finds itself atop the standings.
Last year Wisconsin came out of nowhere to share the Big Ten title. This year Iowa, Michigan and Purdue have shucked the loser label and are the only unbeatens left after the regular season’s first two weeks — while the Badgers and perennial favorite Michigan State have disappointed with slow starts.
The Wolverines (11-6, 4-0 Big Ten) have turned the most heads by ripping off 11 straight victories after starting the season 0-6. Michigan rebounded from an 81-59 loss to Duke on Dec. 7 to lay a thrashing of its own on Bowling Green and hasn’t looked back since.
“It always starts with that first win,” Wolverines coach Tommy Amaker said. “We were able to use that as a stepping stone, and we took it from there. Anytime you have success you get some confidence, and you hope to have some luck along the way.”
Amaker’s big three — senior LaVell Blanchard, senior Bernard Robinson Jr. and freshman Daniel Horton — have combined for more than 45 points per game. Freshman center Chris Hunter has given the Wolverines an inside threat as their first man off the bench.
The Boilermakers (11-3, 3-0) have had the easiest road to an unblemished conference record, beating bottom-of-the-barrel Northwestern and Penn State. The victory over the Nittany Lions marked Purdue’s first Big Ten road win in nearly two years, dating back to Feb. 24, 2001. But the Boilermakers’ biggest win was sandwiched between NU and Penn State — a 72-60 upset of Michigan State on Jan. 14 in West Lafayette, Ind.
Iowa has undergone a complete role reversal this year. The Hawkeyes were picked by many to win the Big Ten last season, with seniors Luke Recker and Reggie Evans leading the way, but finished in a tie for eighth. Without its two stars, Iowa wasn’t expected to challenge for the league title this year, but the team has jumped out to an 11-3 start, including a 3-0 Big Ten record, behind a backcourt of senior Chauncey Leslie and freshman Jeff Horner.
“Last year was the most talented team I’ve ever had to coach,” Iowa coach Steve Alford said. “It was just how we handled the situation of having a bulls-eye on our backs. People were coming after us and we weren’t ready for it.”
FOUL-MOUTHED: Big Ten officials for years have garnered praise from coaches thanks to their relatively lax game-calling, allowing the conference to maintain its physical play without penalty. But in recent games, such as NU-Michigan and Minnesota-Michigan State, officials have drawn the ire of coaches for an apparent increase in light-foul calls, such as hand-checks, which disrupt the flow of the game.
“One of the advantages the Big Ten has always had is the officiating, because (referees) have let (things) go in the past, and the the officials have done the best job in America of preparing teams for the NCAA tournament,” Minnesota coach Dan Monson said. “One of the reasons our teams have had so much success is because once you get to the tournament, they kind of let things go and let players win games.”
DEPTH CHARGE: Three Big Ten teams –Iowa, Northwestern and Wisconsin — have used only seven players at times this season.
Bringing only two players off the bench has hurt the Cats and Badgers, but not the Hawkeyes. So are there any advantages to playing only seven?
“It’s two more than five,” Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan quipped. “But if you have to go with that, you have to stay healthy, you have to have guys that really like one another and want to be around one another. Because the smaller the numbers, the less margin for error you have.”
