The first thought that I have involves the Big Ten-ACC Challenge that wrapped up yesterday. Many people do not understand how big of a win that this was for the Big 10. For years, it has been said that the Big 10 can not play the up and down style basketball of the ACC and that their defensive style of play would never work against more athletic competition. Finally, the Big 10 has showed that they can force teams into sloppy play with their defense and proved that they are one of the best conferences in the NCAA (Suck on that, Digger Phelps). For those of you who did not follow the challenge, lets get to a quick recap of it, followed by my predictions for the Big 1o standings, All-Big 10 teams, and maybe some NFL and NCAA football picks.
Penn State def. Virginia 69-66
- Big road win for the Nittany Lions as they try to build a resume for the Big Dance this year.
Player of the Game: Talor Battle, PG
- Um, this guy is really good. He puts this team on his shoulders game after game and led the way with 32 points.
No. 6 Purdue def. Wake Forest 69-58
- Even with a cold shooting night, Purdue's defense was too much to handle for the Deamon Deacons
Player of the Game: E'Twaun Moore, SG
- If Purdue can get 15-20 points from "Smooge" consistently, look for them to make a run to Indy, a la Michigan State to Detroit last year in the Tournament.
Northwestern def. NC State 65-53
- Big win on the road for the Wildcats as they are rolling, even without star player Kevin Coble.
Player of the Game: Michael Thompson, SG
- According to Bill Carmody, Thompson must step up his game for the Wildcats to make their first ever NCAA Tournament. He certainly stepped up on Tuesday, dropping 22 on the Wolfpack.
Illinois def. No. 19 Clemson 76-74
- Season changing win for the struggling Illini. 23 point comeback in 2nd half can definitely change a season
Player of the Game: Mike Davis, PF
- 22 and 9 from the lanky junior forward. He and Mike Tisdale combine to form a very formidable frontcourt that needs to be reckoned with in the Big 10.
No. 15 Ohio State def. Florida State 77-64
- The Buckeyes dominated from the outset, thanks to some tough D and balanced scoring.
Player of the Game: Evan Turner, SG
- 25, 13 and 6 from the best player in the Big 10. So versatile, and sets up his teammates extremely well.
Wisconsin def. No. 5 Duke 73-69
-HUGE win for the Badgers. They showed that it is extremely tough to come into the Kohl Center and beat a Bo Ryan coached team.
Player of the Game: Trevon Hughes, SG
- 26 points and he seemed to make a big basket every time Duke tried to make a run.
Those were the 6 wins that gave the Big 10 the victory as Iowa and Indiana lost in games they were expected to lose, Michigan State was handled by North Carolina for the 3rd time in 12 months, and Minnesota and Michigan continue prove that pre-season rankings mean nothing.
Now time for some fun. The following are my predictions for the Big 10 final standings and the award winners at the end of the year:
Final Standings (Top 7 NCAA Tournament bound)
1. Purdue
2. Michigan State
3. Ohio State
4. Illinois
5. Minnesota
6. Wisconsin
7. Northwestern
8. Michigan
9. Penn State
10. Indiana
11. Iowa
First Team All-Big 1o:
Kalin Lucas, G, Michigan State, Trevon Hughes, G, Wisconsin, Evan Turner, F, Ohio State, Robbie Hummel, F, Purdue, Mike Davis, F, Illinois.
Second Team All-Big 10:
Talor Battle, G, Penn State, Michael Thompson, G, Northwestern, Manny Harris, G, Michigan, JaJuan Johnson, F, Purdue, Lawrence Westbrook, G, Minnesota
Player of the Year: Evan Turner, SF, Ohio State
Defensive Player of the Year: Chris Kramer, G, Purdue
That wraps up my first blog post covering the Big Ten-ACC challenge and award predictions for the Big 10. I leave you with my pick for tonight's NFL game between the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets (You know, if gambling was legal).
BILLS (+3) over the Jets
Final score: Bills 21, Jets 17
Might want to add Smooge to your All Big Ten lists. This is his year.
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