Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

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Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

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Buckeyes, Spartans defy preseason predictions (Big Ten Insider)

This wasn’t supposed to be Ohio State’s year. Nearly every preseason projection had the Buckeyes slated to finish between fourth and sixth in the Big Ten, and with one of the top recruiting classes in the nation for next year, all the attention seemed to be focused on Ohio State’s future.

But with two games left, against Northwestern and Purdue, the No. 9 Buckeyes are in prime position to win the Big Ten outright.

With a 79-68 victory at Michigan State and a 64-54 victory against Michigan last week, Ohio State moved into sole possession of first place in the Big Ten.

“These guys have set out and been very focused and committed,” coach Thad Matta said. “Our guys have really elevated their games and have really bought into the team concept of how we want to play.”

Since most people focused on next year’s recruiting class, which includes the nation’s top high school prospect in Greg Oden, this year’s team has been overlooked.

“I’ve used that a little bit with them,” Matta said. “I use it to try to motivate them. ‘Everybody is talking about next year, but what about you guys?'”

Many seem to have forgotten that Ohio State returned its nucleus of players that guided the Buckeyes to 20 wins last season (the team wasn’t eligible for the postseason due to self-imposed sanctions as a result of violations committed by former coach Jim O’Brien). The team has three fifth-year seniors.

“Next year’s class deserves to be talked about, but right now it’s about us,” senior Terence Dials said.

MICHIGAN STATE IN A FUNK

This certainly couldn’t have been where Michigan State coach Tom Izzo envisioned his team would be heading into postseason play. Having lost four of its last five and on the brink of falling out of the national rankings, the preseason conference favorite has fallen into a tie for sixth place with only two games remaining.

The No. 25 Spartans will have to win both – against Wisconsin tomorrow and Illinois on Saturday – in order to claim a winning record in Big Ten play this season.

In the team’s last five games, three of the Spartans’ four losses have been by double digits. Its most recent defeat was a 78-71 setback at struggling Indiana.

“We’re extremely disappointed with our last four out of five games,” Izzo said. “We haven’t been playing very well defensively. I think we’re running out of gas a little bit, especially at the end of games.”

Michigan State hasn’t been helped by injuries, either. In its 90-71 victory against Michigan on Feb. 18, starting power forward Matt Trannon broke his jaw in a collision with teammate Shannon Brown and Michigan forward Graham Brown.

“On any given day, anybody can be just as good as anybody else in this league, and we just haven’t been playing good enough to win,” Izzo said.

NOTES

As the Big Ten season enters the final stretch, four teams remain in the hunt for the conference title; Ohio State can clinch the title with two wins, while Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin are all tied for second place with 9-5 league records – The Big Ten remained in first place in the latest edition of the Ratings Percentage Index, with five teams ranked in the top 15 of the poll. The Big Ten has led the conference ratings in every edition of the RPI released this year – Illinois’ Dee Brown and Michigan State’s Maurice Ager have been named finalists for the 2006 Oscar Robertson Trophy, given annually to the nation’s top player by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. Both players are also still in consideration for the Wooden Award and the Naismith Trophy.

Reach Michael Schlossberg at [email protected].

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Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881
Buckeyes, Spartans defy preseason predictions (Big Ten Insider)