The Big Ten has been unpredictable all season, but this past week just might have been the wildest.
Illinois lost at home for the first time in two years, a Big Ten co-leader (Michigan) got blown out and a conference title contender (Indiana) shuffled its starting lineup.
But the team that most exemplifies the wackiness of the Big Ten may be Wisconsin, which was sitting atop the Big Ten standings not long ago but is now mired in the league’s bottom half.
Three weeks ago, Wisconsin was 4-0 in the conference and alone in first place. Then it lost five of six, including a non-conference home game to lowly North Dakota State, to plummet all the way to seventh place in the Big Ten. The most recent loss was a 70-62 setback on the road against injury-plagued Purdue last Saturday.
“Consistency is not a word that is used a whole lot to describe most teams in this league,” Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said.
The heart of Wisconsin’s struggles has been its shooting. In their last six games, the Badgers (15-7, 5-4 Big Ten) have shot less than 36 percent from the field, while their opponents have shot 47 percent.
“We’ve gone through all the tapes, we’ve looked at our shots,” Ryan said. “You don’t have any time in the Big Ten to be fragile.
“With a team like this that didn’t have a lot of veterans back from last year, when you are experiencing some setbacks it can compound itself. We need to get that confidence back in their shooting.”
SHOCKER IN CHAMPAIGN
When Rich McBride’s 3-pointer at the buzzer went through the net, the Illinois players sprinted onto the court in celebration as the nation’s longest home winning streak appeared to be extended to 34 games.
Moments later, however, it was Penn State’s turn to celebrate.
After viewing the replays, the officials determined McBride’s shot had not left his hands as time expired, giving Penn State the 66-65 victory. The loss was the Fighting Illini’s first at Assembly Hall in more than two years.
No. 10 Illinois (20-3, 6-3) appeared to be in control throughout the majority of the game, jumping out to a 13-0 lead to start the game and leading by as much as 16 points in the second half. Penn State (11-9, 3-6), however, slowly chipped away at Illinois’ lead and tied the game for the first time with 3:20 remaining.
Travis Parker’s put-back with eight seconds left gave Penn State a 66-65 lead, its first and only of the game, setting the stage for McBride’s shot.
“Just standing there on the sideline, he releases the ball, you hear the horn go off, you see the light turn on, and obviously your eyes are watching a lot of things,” Illinois coach Bruce Weber said.
“There’s no question the official initially ruled it good, and 10 years ago we win the game at home. That’s how technology has changed the game.”
NOTES
After dropping back-to-back games to Iowa and Minnesota, Indiana coach Mike Davis removed Lewis Monroe, who had started 16 games at point guard, from the starting lineup in favor of Roderick Wilmont, and Marshall Strickland moved from the two-guard to the point. Wilmont has averaged 18.5 points in the two games he’s started – In a matchup between conference co-leaders, Iowa blew out Michigan 94-66 Saturday and now sits alone in first place – Saturday’s 77-66 victory over Northwestern was Michigan State coach Tom Izzo’s 250th career coaching victory – The Big Ten is still ranked first in the RPI conference ratings. Four Big Ten teams – Michigan State (5), Illinois (7), Wisconsin (8) and Iowa (10) – are ranked in the RPI top 10.
Reach Michael Schlossberg at [email protected].
