Nine Big Ten men's tennis teams were voted into this week's ITA National Team Rankings, which were released on Tuesday afternoon. Ohio State, winners of 103 straight home duals, checks in at No. 2 this week, up one spot from the previous poll. Illinois is the 15th-ranked squad in the nation this week, while Michigan moves up a couple of spots to No. 26. Up four spots to No. 30 this week is Wisconsin, while Indiana, Minnesota and Northwestern remain close together at Nos. 41, 44, and 48, respectively. Penn State appears at No. 58 this week and Iowa rounds out the Big Ten contingent at No. 73.
Complete team rankings, along with singles and doubles polls, can be found by clicking here.
Eight Big Ten women's tennis teams earned ranks in the latest ITA National Team rankings, released Tuesday afternoon by the association. Headlining the list for the conference were Northwestern and Michigan, which appeared at No. 4 and No. 8, respectively, this week. Ohio State moved up 20 places from last week and is now ranked No. 25. Iowa comes in close behind at No. 26, while Purdue and Indiana are Nos. 42 and 44, respectively. Appearing at No. 56 is Minnesota, who rounds out the Big Ten teams in this week's poll.
Complete team rankings, as well as updated singles and doubles polls, can be found through this link.
Four Big Ten rowing teams found places in the latest NCAA Division I Team Rankings, released Wednesday. Michigan State appears as the top Big Ten team in the poll, checking in at No. 7 this week. In-state rival Michigan is 10th this week, Ohio State is just two spots behind at No. 12, and is immediately followed by Wisconsin at No. 13. Iowa, Minnesota and Indiana were not ranked, but did receive votes in this week's poll.
The complete weekly team rankings can be found by clicking here.
As the winter term of the 2009-10 school year comes to a close, the Big Ten recognizes a total of 536 winter sports athletes who have been named to the Academic All-Conference Team. The list of honored student-athletes features 33 men's and 53 women's basketball players, 42 men's and 54 women's gymnasts, 112 men's and 181 women's swimming and diving athletes and 61 wrestlers. To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, student-athletes must be letterwinners who are in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher.
More information and the complete list of honorees can be found by clicking here.
After claiming its fourth-straight Big Ten Championship, the Michigan Wolverines lead four Big Ten teams into the latest GymInfo National team Rankings, which were released on Monday afternoon.
The Wolverines, with a regional qualifying score of 196.600, rank sixth in this week's poll. At No. 13 is Illinois, which boasts a regional score of 196.255 and is followed closely by No. 14 Penn State, who has a 196.225 score. Rounding out this week's rankings is Minnesota, who appears at No. 25 with a regional qualifying score of 195.160.
Complete rankings and team scores can be found by clicking here.
Heading into this weekend's Big Ten Championships, all six conference teams appeared in the latest GymInfo National Team Rankings, released on Monday afternoon.
Illinois ranks third in the latest GymInfo National Team Rankings, while Michigan ranks one place behind at No. 4. The conference's remaining teams all appear in the top 10, with Ohio State, Minnesota and Penn State appearing at Nos. 5, 6, and 7, respectively, and Iowa is ninth.
Click HERE to see where your favorite Big Ten teams and players rank among the NCAA stat leaders.
Notable: Illinois' Matt Dittman is second in batting average (.500) and on-base percentage (.617) Purdue's Tyler Spillner is fifth in triples (5) Indiana's Alex Dickerson is 11th in home runs (10) and 12th in slugging percentage (.851) Michigan State's Jeff Holm is 10th in stolen bases per game (0.80) Indiana's Drew Leninger is fifth in ERA (0.79) Ohio State's Alex Wimmers is seventh in wins (5) Minnesota's Seth Rosin is six in walks allowed per nine innings (0.52) Michigan State leads the nation in fielding percentage (.987)
Athlete of the Week Justin Kronauge, Ohio State Sr., Dayton, Ohio/Centerville
Kronauge claims his fifth Big Ten Athlete of the Week honor and second of the 2010 season after leading third-ranked Ohio State to four victories last week, including three over ranked foes. In mid-week matches, Kronauge defeated Stefan Szacinski of No. 41 LSU, 6-4, 6-1, on Tuesday and No. 96 Nate Schnugg of seventh-ranked Georgia, 6-3, 6-2, on Thursday in a pair of 4-2 Ohio State victories. On Sunday, the Buckeyes hosted a doubleheader, first against No. 62 Penn State, where a straight-sets victory, 6-1, 7-6 (7-5), over Ryan Gormley paced Ohio State to a 7-0 win. In Sunday's nightcap against Cleveland State, the senior lost just two games in a 6-0, 6-2 win over Robert Fox as the Buckeyes won, 4-0, extending their home winning streak to 103. Kronauge is tied for second on Ohio State's all-time career singles wins list with 132.
Last Ohio State Athlete of the Week: Chase Buchanan (March 16, 2010)
Athlete of the Week Maria Mosolova, Northwestern Jr., Moscow, Russia/No. 204
Mosolova, ranked 11th in the nation, earns her first Big Ten Athlete of the Week honor of the 2010 season and the sixth of her career after four victories, two in singles and two in doubles, over ranked opponents last week. Competing at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles during the weekend, Mosolova defeated 42nd-ranked Katrina Tsang of No. 1 North Carolina, 6-2, 6-4, after teaming with Lauren Lui to defeat the No. 10 team of Sophie Grabinski and Sanaz Marand, 9-8 (8-6). On Wednesday at No. 8 Duke, the Northwestern tandem scored another win over a ranked squad, this time defeating Elizabeth Plotkin and Reka Zsilinszka, 8-4. Mosolova then knocked off No. 36 Ellah Nze in singles, earning a 7-6, 6-0 victory.
Last Northwestern Athlete of the Week: Lauren Lui (Feb. 16, 2010)
Boat of the Week Michigan State First Varsity Eight
The Michigan State first varsity eight boat claimed this week's Boat of the Week honor after defeating Michigan and Notre Dame last weekend. The Spartan boat of Michelle Mussett, Shannon Dunn, Laura Cowal, Emily Regan, Michelle Neuder, Kellie LaPointe, Stephanie Bochenek, Victoria Woodard and coxswain Amanda McGeachie increased its lead throughout the race, reaching open water at the 1,500-meter mark. At the finish, Michigan State won by four seconds in a time of 6:29.6, with the Wolverines finishing second in 6:33.7 and Notre Dame in third at 6:46.9.
Last Michigan State Boat of the Week: First Varsity Eight (April 29, 2009)
College Baseball Hall of Fame member Barry Larkin will have his No. 16 jersey retired by the University of Michigan during the Wolverines' game vs. Ohio State on May 1. A two-time All-American, Larkin will be the sixth player to have his number retired by the Michigan baseball program. FULL STORY
Click HERE to read a story written on Larkin as part of the Big Ten's Black History Month Celebration.
All seven Big Ten women's gymnastics teams have been award bids to regional competitions of the 2010 NCAA Gymnastics Championships, which will take place on April 10 at various sites around the country.
For complete information on the Big Ten and the NCAA Regional Championships, click here.
Illinois' Willie Argo and Indiana's Alex Dickerson were named Big Ten Co-Players of the Week, while Minnesota's Seth Rosin picked up Pitcher of the Week accolades. FULL STORY
Northwestern's Emily Allard and Ohio State's Alicia Herron shared Big Ten Player of the Week honors, while Penn State pitcher Lisa Akamine earned Big Ten Pitcher of the Week accolades, the conference office announced Monday.
For complete information on this week's winners, click here.
The Michigan Wolverines won their fourth straight Big Ten Championship Saturday afternoon at the 2010 Big Ten Women's Gymnastics Championships. The win is Michigan's 17th in the last 19 years and the team never trailed throughout the meet. The Wolverines' scored a 49.450 on the balance beam, their final rotation, to seal the win.
Michigan finished with a 196.900 score, with Penn State finishing second with a 196.525 score. Iowa was third with 195.575 points, while Michigan State and Minnesota tied for fourth with 195.350 points. Illinois' 195.025 score was good for sixth and the host Buckeyes were seventh with 194.700.
WNIT QUARTERFINALS MICHIGAN def. Syracuse, 78-52 Michigan advances to the Postseason WNIT semifinals by virtue of a 78-52 blowout over Syracuse. Carmen Reynolds tallied a career-high 26 points, including 20 in the first half, to lead the Wolverines. Veronica Hicks also notched a career high, putting up 24 points. Michigan shot 50 percent from the field in the game, holding the opposition to under 40 percent. The Wolverines will host Miami in semifinal action on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET. COMPLETE STORY
Illinois State def. ILLINOIS, 53-51 Illinois saw its season come to a close with a hard-fought loss at the hands of Illinois State in front of a crowd of 4,459 in the quarterfinals of the Postseason WNIT. Three Illini finished the game in double figures, led by Karisma Penn's 13. Jenna Smith had 12 points and eight rebounds, while Kersten Magrum had 11 tallies. Lacey Simpson contributed six points and 10 boards. COMPLETE STORY
Four Big Ten programs earned top-15 team finishes as competition concluded Sunday evening at the NCAA Championships at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion in Columbus, Ohio. Michigan led all Big Ten squads with 204 team points to finish in seventh place for the second consecutive season. The top-10 finish marked the 10th consecutive for the Wolverines at the national meet.
Ohio State picked up a ninth-place finish, scoring 136.5 points, while Purdue (97) and Minnesota (82) placed 13th and 14th, respectively. Rounding out the conference contingent was Wisconsin (12) in 30th place, followed closely by Indiana (4) and Northwestern (2), which occupied the 31st and 34th spots in the final team standings. READ MORE ...
Click HERE to view scores from Saturday's Big Ten baseball games. Conference squads went 11-1, and Minnesota drew the second-largest crowd in college baseball history.
The Big Ten saw two student-athletes capture national crowns on the second day of the NCAA Championships at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion in Columbus, Ohio. Michigan's Tyler Clary swam his way to the top of the winner's podium in the 400-yard individual medley and while David Boudia of Purdue collected his second national title in as many days in the diving well.
The Wolverines remained in seventh place after the Day Two with 160 points, followed by event host Ohio State, who currently resides in ninth place with 96. 5 team tallies. The NCAA Championships will conclude with two sessions on Sunday. READ MORE ...
Ohio State has one of the best players in the country in Evan Turner. Tennessee has what seems like an endless supply of nasty, stingy defenders.
No secret who's going to win that battle.
Brian Williams scored the go-ahead basket on a tip-in with 32 seconds left, and J.P. Prince was relentless on Turner, blocking a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer Friday night to lead Tennessee past Ohio State 76-73 and into the NCAA tournament's round of eight for the first time.
"I was tired," Prince said. "I just said I'll save it all for defense. That's all I did. I know those last two minutes I was going to make them work. I knew nobody wanted it more than I did."
Wayne Chism finished with 22 points - all but four in the second half - and 11 rebounds for the sixth-seeded Volunteers (28-8), who pulled out a back-and-forth tussle in the Midwest Regional semifinals.
No big shots from Ali Farokhmanesh. No mid-major magic.
Just another trip to the regional finals for Michigan State.
Durrell Summers scored 19 points and Korie Lucious hit a whirling turnaround jumper with about 90 seconds left, helping the fifth-seeded Spartans survive a scare with a 59-52 win over pesky Northern Iowa in the Midwest Regional semifinals Friday night.
Playing without injured star Kalin Lucas, Michigan State (27-8) needed a half to get used to Northern Iowa's grinding style and held the Panthers to 10 free throws and no field goals over the final 10:22 to send the heroes of the Heartland home empty-handed.
Northern Iowa (30-5) knocked off one March monster but couldn't make it two straight, unable to contain the athletic Spartans for an entire game after stunning top-seeded Kansas in the second round.
South Regional | Semifinals #1 Duke def. #4 PURDUE, 70-57
This is more like it for Coach K and Duke.
The top-seeded Blue Devils returned to the round of eight for the first time since 2004, with Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer helping them pull away in the second half Friday night for a 70-57 win over Purdue in the South Regional semifinals.
Singler scored 24 points and Scheyer added 18, snapping out of a shooting slump just in time.
Duke (32-5) will play third-seeded Baylor in Sunday's regional final after clearing a nagging hurdle that had some wondering if the mighty program was losing its edge.
The Blue Devils had lost in the round of 16 in three of the past five seasons, but now stand one victory from their 11th Final Four appearance under coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Purdue sophomore David Boudia highlighted the opening day of the 2010 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships with a gold-medal finish in the one-meter diving competition at theMcCorkle Aquatic Pavilion in Columbus, Ohio. The individual title marked the third national crown for the Noblesville, Ind., native after claiming top honors in the three-meter and platform events a year ago.
The Michigan Wolverines sit in seventh place with 77 points to lead all Big Ten teams after Day One, followed closely by NCAA Championships host Ohio State in ninth place with 46. 5 team tallies. Purdue is knotted in a tie for the 11th spot with 33 points. Minnesota (29) and Northwestern (2) round out the conference contingent in 15th and 28th place, respectively. READ MORE ...
The 2010 Women's Gymnastics All-Big Ten Teams were announced at the annual Championships banquet Friday night. The first and second teams were selected by vote of the conference coaches.
Headlining the 2010 All-Conference nominees was Penn State senior Brandi Personett, who with her first-team selection Friday, became the second Nittany Lion to earn first-team honors four times. Additionally, three student-athletes earned first-team All-Big Ten distinction for the third time, as Michigan's Kylee Botterman and Sarah Curtis, and Michigan State's Nicole Curler earned the accolade. Rounding out the All-Big Ten first team were Illinois' Allison Buckley, Melissa Fernandez, and Sarah Schmidt, Iowa's Rebecca Simbhudas, Minnesota's Alexis Russell and Penn State's Sharaya Musser.
The conference office also announced honorees from each team for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These seven student-athletes are now candidates for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, as the conference office will honor one male and one female student-athlete from each institution at the end of the school year.
The complete list of All-Big Ten and sportsmanship honorees can be found by clicking here.
FRIDAY, MARCH 26 Midwest Regional | Semifinals #2 OHIO STATE vs. #6 Tennessee | 7:07 p.m. | St. Louis, Mo. Ohio State Tournament Central
After winning the 2010 Big Ten Tournament March 14 in Indianapolis, Ohio State enters NCAA the Midwest Regional Semifinal game vs. Tennessee with a 29-7 overall record and a 14-4 regular season mark in Big Ten Conference play. The Buckeyes finished tied atop the Big Ten with Purdue and Michigan State after the regular season slate. Thad Matta will lead the Buckeyes against No. 6 seed Tennessee (27-8) Friday (7:07 p.m. ET) at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Mo. Ohio State is the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region. The winner of the game between the Buckeyes and the Volunteers will take on the winner of the game between Michigan State (26-8), the No. 5 seed, and Northern Iowa (30-4), the No. 9 seed.
Michigan State is making its third straight trip to the Sweet 16, and its ninth appearance in the last 13 years. The Spartans and Northern Iowa both won their first two games by a combined five points, as each created their own drama along the way. MSU advanced on a Korie Lucious three-point buzzer beater, while UNI knocked off overall No. 1 seed Kansas.
South Regional | Semifinals #4 PURDUE vs. #1 Duke | 9:57 p.m. | Houston, Texas Purdue Tournament Central
After its dramatic overtime win over Texas A&M on Sunday, Purdue will make its second-straight Sweet 16 appearance on Friday when it squares off with top-seeded Duke at Reliant Stadium. Purdue and Duke are two of only five teams to reach the Sweet 16 in each of the last two years. A win over the Blue Devils would send Purdue to the fourth Elite Eight in program history, and its first since 2000. Purdue is 6-3 in NCAA Tournament games under head coach Matt Painter. Duke will carry a No. 3 AP ranking into its matchup with the Boilermakers, who have won a school-record four games this season over teams ranked in the top 10 of the media poll when they ball is tipped. Purdue has never defeated a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament (0-4). Purdue is 7-1 in neutral-court settings and 15-3 away from Mackey Arena this season, winning seven-straight conference road games to close out the season.
Minnesota 133-pound senior Jayson Ness was named the winner of the 2010 Dan Hodge Trophy, which is presented annually to the nation's best wrestler. Ness is the third-straight Big Ten wrestler to have won the prestigious award.
An award coined the "Heisman Trophy of Wrestling," The Dan Hodge Trophy was created by Wrestling Insider News Magazine and is awarded to the wrestler based several criteria, including the wrestler's record, number of pins, dominance on the mat, past credentials, quality of competition, sportsmanship/citizenship and heart.
Ness finished the 2010 season with a 31-0 record and won the NCAA and Big Ten Championships and 133 pounds. Additionally, he was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Year and the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the National Tournament by the National Wrestling Coaches Association.
For more information on Ness and the Hodge Trophy, click here.
The conference portion of the 2010 Big Ten softball schedule begins Saturday with five conference series highlighting the weekend schedule. Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State and Penn State all host two-game sets this weekend.
The complete weekend schedule can be found below.
Saturday, March 27 IOWA at MICHIGAN STATE 1 p.m. #18 ILLINOIS at #2 MICHIGAN 2 p.m. MINNESOTA at PENN STATE 2 p.m. PURDUE at NORTHWESTERN 2 p.m. WISCONSIN at #22 OHIO STATE 2 p.m.
Sunday, March 28 MINNESOTA at PENN STATE 11 a.m. IOWA at MICHIGAN STATE 1 p.m. #18 ILLINOIS at #2 MICHIGAN 2 p.m. PURDUE at NORTHWESTERN 2 p.m. WISCONSIN at #22 OHIO STATE 2 p.m.
WNIT THIRD ROUND ILLINOIS def. Missouri State, 65-53 Illinois earned a bid to the Postseason WNIT quarterfinals with a win on the road over Missouri State. Lacey Simpson and Karisma Penn led the Illini with 17 points each, while Jenna Smith filled the box score with 11 points, 17 rebounds, six assists, five blocks and two steals. Illinois shot 46 percent from the field, including 50 percent in the first half, while allowing Missouri State to hit shots at just a 31.1 percent clip. FULL STORY
MICHIGAN def. NORTHWESTERN, 65-44 Michigan advanced to the Postseason WNIT quarterfinals with a 65-44 win over Northwestern at Crisler Arena. The win gives the Wolverines 20 on the season, marking the second 20-win season in program history and the team's first since 1999-00. Four Wolverines scored in double figures, led by Krista Phillips' 17 points and seven rebounds. Dayeesha Hollins, Carmen Reynolds and Veronica Hicks recorded 14, 13 and 11 points, respectively. Amy Jaeschke led Northwestern with 12 points and five rebounds, while Kendall Hackney had nine points and five boards. FULL STORY
The 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships will be delayed by one day, due to the illness of some participants, the NCAA announced today. The championships will now begin at noon Eastern on Friday, March 26, at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, and will end on Sunday, March 28.
The start of the championships was moved back to ensure the health and well-being of those participants who became ill and all student-athletes competing at the event. READ MORE ...
Ohio State University will host the conference's women's gymnastics squads for the 2010 Big Ten Women's Gymnastics Championships, which will take place Saturday, March 27, beginning at 2 p.m. ET, and the action will be carried live by the Big Ten Network.
For more information on the conference meet, click here.
Chris Johnson scored 18 points and Dayton used a strong start to beat Illinois 77-71 in an NIT quarterfinal Wednesday night.
Dayton jumped out to a 23-9 lead behind excellent shooting and never let up. The Flyers shot 48.1 percent from the field, including 8 of 18 from three-point range.
Illinois trailed by as many as 16 points before cutting it to four with 18 seconds left.
Johnson was 4-for-11 from the field but 9-of-10 at the foul line.
Demetri McCamey had 13 points and 10 assists for No. 1 seed Illinois (21-15).
The Illinois Fighting Illini will resume NIT play tonight at Assembly Hall when they host the third-seeded Dayton Flyers. The game will tip off at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The winner of the Illinois-Dayton game moves on to New York City for the NIT Semifinals next Tuesday, facing the winner of Texas Tech-Mississippi. Illinois and Dayton are meeting for the second time in the NIT. In Dayton's only previous trip to Champaign, the Flyers defeated the Illini in the second round of the 1982 NIT by the score of 61-58.
Four Big Ten men's gymnasts were named finalists for the Nissen-Emery Award, the College Gymnastics Association announced on Wednesday afternoon.
Illinois' Luke Stannard, Iowa's Jon Buese, Michigan's David Chan, and Minnesota's Aaron Fortunato were listed among the eight finalists for the award, which is presented annually to the student-athlete who best exemplifies gymnastics through excellence, good sportsmanship, and strong academic standing. The award presentation will be held at the NCAA Championships.
College gymnastics coaches, student athletes and accredited college gymnastics judges all across the nation are requested each year to submit nominations for the award. Gymnasts receiving the highest number of nominations are then placed on a final ballot and voted upon by those same coaches, athletes and judges.
Last year, Penn State's Casey Sandy was named the winner of the Nissen-Emery Award.
Junior Brad Hopfinger, ranked 59th in Golfweek's collegiate polls, went 3-1 at the Callaway Collegiate Match-Play Championships in Marana, Ariz., last week to lead the 13th-seeded Hawkeyes to a fifth-place finish. Sitting in Iowa's number one spot, the Lake Forest, Ill., native bettered three of the nation's top-100 collegiate golfers to propel Iowa over No. 14 Arizona State, No. 11 UNLV and most impressively, No. 2 Stanford.
Indiana's Drew Leninger, Northwestern's Francis Brooke and Ohio State's Alex Wimmers have been named to College Baseball Foundation's Pitcher of the Year Watch List. FULL STORY
NCAA SECOND ROUND No. 7 Mississippi State def. No. 2 OHIO STATE, 87-67 Ohio State's season came to a close with an 87-67 loss to Mississippi State on Tuesday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Jantel Lavender led the Buckeyes with 17 points, while Samantha Prahalis tallied 14 points and six assists, setting a Big Ten single-season record with 289 on the year. FULL STORY
Ohio State's Jantel Lavender and Samantha Prahalis were named two of 12 finalists for the 2010 State Farm Wade Trophy, the WBOC announced on Tuesday. FULL STORY
Indiana's First Varsity Eight claimed the first Big Ten Boat of the Week honor of the 2010 season after a second-place finish at the Clemson Sprints on Lake Hartzell on Saturday in Clemson, S.C. Led by sophomore coxswain Alex Burkle, the team of Shifumi Teresaka, Cara Donley, Andrea Wensits, Ellie Benson, Rachel Anderson, Katie Liston, Katie Feckler and Emily Kasvana finished with a time of 6:49.66, just five seconds behind No. 12 Clemson, and defeated the teams from Purdue, Alabama and Marist.
Last Indiana Boat of the Week: First Varsity Eight (April 1, 2008)
Four Big Ten women's gymnastics squads claimed places in the top 25 of the latest GymInfo National Team Rankings, which were released on Monday.
Leading the conference at No. 9 is Michigan with a regional qualifying score of 196.425 and is followed closely by No. 13 Illinois, boasting a regional score of 196.225. At No. 17 is Penn State, which maintains an RQS of 195.750, and Michigan State rounds out this week's poll with a score of 194.950.
For complete team rankings, as well as individual event scores, click here.
All six Big Ten men's gymnastics teams appear in the top 10 of the latest GymInfo National Team Rankings, which were released on Monday.
Illinois leads all conference schools at No. 3 and leads No. 4 Michigan by one full point, 356.917-355.917. Ohio State trails the Illini and Wolverines at No. 5, boasting an average of 351.517 and is followed by Minnesota at No. 6 with an average of 350.317. Checking in at No. 7 is Penn State, averaging 349.033, while Iowa rounds out the Big Ten contingent at No. 9 with a 344.417 average.
Complete team rankings and individual event polls can be found here.
Athlete of the Week Sonja Molnar, Iowa So., Guelph, Ontario/Centennial C.V.I.
Molnar earns her second Big Ten Athlete of the Week certificate of the season and her career following a pair of wins over ranked opponents as Iowa went 2-0 last week. She helped the Hawkeyes to wins over No. 68 Wichita State and No. 33 Tulsa last week with two victories at No. 1 singles. Against Wichita State on Thursday, Molnar defeated No. 34 Lutfiana Budiharto, 6-2, 6-0, then took down No. 95 Alexandra Kichoutkin of Tulsa, 6-3, 6-1, on Saturday. The sophomore paired with Merel Beelen in doubles against both opponents, earning an 8-4 win over Tulsa's 35th-ranked duo of JoAnne Karaitiana and Kichoutkin, and a 9-8 (7-5) victory against Wichita State's 22nd-ranked team of Stephanie Dalmacio and Delia Damaschin.
Last Iowa Athlete of the Week: Sonja Molnar (March 9, 2010)
Athlete of the Week Marek Czerwinski, Illinois Sr., Birmingham, Mich./Marathon (Fla.)
Czerwinski wins his third career Big Ten Athlete of the Week honor and the second of the 2010 season. The senior had a hand in three Illinois victories last week, including a 7-0 win over Ball State, a 6-1 triumph against Illinois State and a 4-3 decision over No. 34 Wisconsin. Czerwinski appeared at No. 2 singles against the Redbirds and Badgers, and clinched Illini victories against both opponents. First, he defeated Illinois State's Filip Miljevic, 6-3, 6-3, to cement the Illini's victory on Friday, then knocked off 13th-ranked Moritz Baumann, 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-3, to give Illinois its 4-3 victory over the Badgers in Madison on Sunday afternoon.
Last Illinois Athlete of the Week: Dennis Nevolo (March 9, 2010)
Athlete of the Week Marek Czerwinski, Illinois Sr., Birmingham, Mich./Marathon (Fla.)
Czerwinski wins his third career Big Ten Athlete of the Week honor and the second of the 2010 season. The senior had a hand in three Illinois victories last week, including a 7-0 win over Ball State, a 6-1 triumph against Illinois State and a 4-3 decision over No. 34 Wisconsin. Czerwinski appeared at No. 2 singles against the Redbirds and Badgers, and clinched Illini victories against both opponents. First, he defeated Illinois State's Filip Miljevic, 6-3, 6-3, to cement the Illini's victory on Friday, then knocked off 13th-ranked Moritz Baumann, 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-3, to give Illinois its 4-3 victory over the Badgers in Madison on Sunday afternoon.
Last Illinois Athlete of the Week: Dennis Nevolo (March 9, 2010)
McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion and Ohio State University will play host to the 2010 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships. Competition begins Thursday, March 25, with the 200 freestyle relay and concludes Saturday, March 27, with the 400 freestyle relay. This year's event will feature 52 Big Ten student-athletes from nine different institutions. Overall, student-athletes from 48 different schools will be competing this week with 235 swimmers and 35 divers taking part at the national meet. In the latest CSCAA rankings, four conferences schools appear on the top-25 list. Michigan fronts all schools at No. 7 followed by No. 9 Ohio State, No. 11 Minnesota and No. 17 Purdue.
NCAA.com will stream both sessions of competition on Thursday and Friday, and the preliminary session on Saturday. ESPN360.com will stream the finals live on Saturday.
NCAA SECOND ROUND No. 1 Stanford def. No. 8 IOWA, 96-67 Kachine Alexander scored a game-high 27 points, but it was not enough as Iowa's season came to an end with a 96-67 loss to Stanford in the second round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship. Alexander also registered six rebounds, three assists and a block, while Big Ten Freshman of the Year Jaime Printy tallied nine points. Gabby Machado came off the bench to score nine points and grab seven rebounds. FULL STORY
No. 4 Kentucky def. No. 5 MICHIGAN STATE, 70-52 Michigan State's season ended with a 70-52 loss to Kentucky in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday. Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year Kalisha Keane led the Spartans with 10 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Lykendra Johnson tallied eight points and grabbed nine boards. FULL STORY
WNIT SECOND ROUND ILLINOIS def. Marquette, 74-72 (OT) Jenna Smith led Illinois to an overtime win against Marquette in the second round of the Postseason WNIT, putting up 29 points and 14 rebounds. The senior went 9-of-13 from the field, including 2-of-3 from long range, and 9-of-10 from the line, becoming her school's all-time leading scorer for men's or women's basketball. With the victory, the Fighting Illini advance to face Missouri State in Springfield, Mo., on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. FULL STORY
NORTHWESTERN def. St. Bonaventure, 66-62 Amy Jaeschke tallied a game-high 18 points and 11 rebounds with five assists and five blocks as Northwestern upended St. Bonaventure in the second round of the Postseason WNIT. Beth Marshall recorded 11 points and five helpers, while the 'Cats went 6-of-7 from the free throw line in the game's final 1:38 to preserve the win in a closely contested matchup. With the win, Northwestern advances to face conference foe Michigan on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET in Ann Arbor. FULL STORY
National Invitation Tournament | Second Round No. 1 ILLINOIS vs. No. 4 Kent State | 7 p.m .CT | ESPNU ILL Game Notes
Illinois will try to continue its advance to Madison Square Garden when the top-seeded Illini (20-14) return home to take on fourth-seeded Kent State (24-9) on Monday from inside Assembly Hall. Wednesday's opening-round victory at Stony Brook marked the first time Illinois played a road contest in the NIT. The winner of the Illinois-Kent State game advances to the NIT Quarterfinals on Wednesday, facing the winner of the Cincinnati-Dayton matchup. In its fourth all-time appearance in the NIT, Illinois owns an overall 6-3 record, including a 4-2 slate in Champaign and a perfect 1-1 ledger at Madison Square Garden.
Gymnast of the Week Kylee Botterman, Michigan Jr., New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central
Botterman was named Big Ten Gymnast of the Week for the second time this season after winning the all-around competition in the Wolverines dual against Alabama in Tuscaloosa over the weekend. The junior's all-around score of 39.550 was tops among a field of eight All-Americans, and she finished in the top three in three events. She finished first on vault with a 9.950, was third on balance beam with a 9.900 and was third on uneven bars with a 9.875. Botterman finished the regular season with three vault titles and seven all-around crowns this season.
Last Michigan Gymnast of the Week: Sarah Curtis (March 15, 2010)
Freshman of the Week Sharaya Musser, Penn State Colorado Springs, Colo./Pine Creek
Musser wins her third Big Ten Freshman of the Week award of the season after winning two event titles and finishing second in the all-around in Penn State's dual against Nebraska over the weekend. The freshman won the vault and uneven bars competitions, scoring a 9.950 on the vault and a 9.900 on her bars routine. With a third-place score of 9.850 on floor and a 9.250 effort on the balance beam, Musser finished second in the all-around with a score of 38.950.
Last Penn State Freshman of the Week: Sharaya Musser (March 8, 2010)
Gymnast of the Week Mel Anton Santander, Michigan Sr., Southborough, Mass./Algonquin Regional
Santander wins the first Big Ten Gymnast of the Week award of his career after leading the Wolverines to a win against Ohio State over the weekend. The senior finished first in the all-around and had four top-four finishes during the meet, including a win in the parallel bars (15.35). He was second on the high bar (15.25), finished third on the vault (15.95) and recorded a fourth-place showing on the pommel horse (15.40). Santander's scores of 14.55 on still rings and 14.15 on floor exercise gave him an all-around mark of 90.650, which set a new Michigan record.
Last Michigan Gymnast of the Week: Kent Caldwell (March 1, 2010)
Freshman of the Week Nick Grant, Penn State Butler, Pa./Knoch
Grant wins his third Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor of the season. The Nittany Lion newcomer recorded a 16.050 score on vault, the highest score by any Penn State gymnast since All-American Casey Sandy scored a 16.100 at the NCAA Championships in 2008. The score helped Penn State to its highest team vault score of the season, while Grant's scores added to the Nittany Lions' 354.450 team total, their highest of the season.
Last Penn State Freshman of the Week: Nick Grant (March 1, 2010)
Michigan State's A.J. Achter was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week after a complete-game shutout against Notre Dame. Ohio State's Zach Hurley earned Player of the Week honors after combining for an OPS of 1.952 as the Buckeyes opened their spring break trip 3-0. FULL STORY
Player of the Week Meredith Hackett, Illinois So., 1B, Corona, Calif./Santiago
Hackett wins the first Big Ten Player of the Week honor of her career after helping Illinois go 4-1 over the weekend at the USF - The Game Tournament in Clearwater, Fla. The sophomore hit .500 (8-for-16) for the weekend with a 1.063 slugging percentage, as she hit three home runs, knocked in eight runs and scored five times. Hackett's standout game of the weekend came Saturday afternoon against Dartmouth, where she went 3-for-4 with three hits, including a home run, and a career-high five RBI.
Last Illinois Player of the Week: Kelley Wedel (March 1, 2010)
Pitcher of the Week Amanda Zust, Iowa Sr., Des Moines, Iowa/Des Moines East
Zust is named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week for the first time in her career after making five appearances and going 3-1 for Iowa over the weekend. She wrapped up her outstanding weekend by tossing a no-hitter against South Dakota, where she struck out eight and walked just two batters in an 8-0 Iowa win. She also earned complete-game victories against Syracuse and Florida Atlantic. On the weekend, Zust finished with a 1.01 earned run average, struck out 27 hitters and allowed just four earned runs in 27.2 innings of work.
Last Iowa Pitcher of the Week: Brittany Weil (May, 11, 2009)
Michigan State, Ohio State and Purdue all punch their tickets to the Sweet Sixteen.
East Regional | Second Round #12 Cornell def. #4 WISCONSIN, 87-69 A season filled with overcoming outside expectations ran into a Big Red buzzsaw Sunday afternoon in the second round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
Despite 23 points from junior Jon Leuer, Wisconsin couldn't match Cornell's 61-percent shooting and fell, 87-69, at Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
The Badgers fell behind quickly, as Cornell raced out to an 11-1 lead just three minutes into the first half, and the Big Red's hot shooting never gave the Badgers a chance to fight their way back into it.
In their final game as Badgers, seniors Jason Bohannon and Trevon Hughes finished with 18 and 10 points, respectively. The duo finished with 105 career wins, tying Wisconsin's all-time victories record.
Midwest Regional | Second Round # 5 MICHIGAN STATE def. #4 Maryland, 85-83 Korie Lucious hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to cap a frenetic finish and give injury-depleted Michigan State an 85-83 victory over Maryland on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
After star guard Kalin Lucas went down with a leg injury, the Spartans blew a 16-point lead in the second half. Greivis Vasquez's basket put Maryland ahead 83-82 with 6 seconds left, but Michigan State inbounded immediately and pushed up the floor.
The ball went to Lucious, Lucas' replacement, at the top of the key and he drained a three just in time, setting off a wild celebration as jubilant Spartans players streamed off the bench.
"I had an open look. Time was running down. I just shot it and it went in," Lucious said.
#2 OHIO STATE def. #10 Georgia Tech, 75-66 One bad game for Evan Turner is a rarity. No way he has two in a row.
Turner shook off one of the worst shooting nights of his career by coming within an assist and a rebound of his third triple-double of the season, and second-seeded Ohio State outlasted foul- and turnover-plagued Georgia Tech for a 75-66 victory Sunday in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Turner, a leading contender for national player of the year, finished with a game-high 24 points. Jon Diebler added 20 points for the Buckeyes (29-7) and David Lighty had 18.
Ohio State will face sixth-seeded Tennessee on Friday night in St. Louis in a Midwest Regional semifinal.
South Regional | Second Round #4 PURDUE def. #5 Texas A&M, 63-61 (OT) Chris Kramer's drive past one defender and layup over another six inches taller than him with 4.2 seconds remaining in overtime sent fourth-seeded Purdue into the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament with a bruising 63-61 victory over fifth-seeded Texas A&M on Sunday.
Texas A&M's B.J. Holmes got a final, frantic chance to win the game with a rushed three-point try from in front of his bench at the buzzer, but it hit short on the rim to ensure a sixth regional appearance in 12 NCAA tournaments dating to 1994 for Purdue (29-5).
Kramer, Purdue's leader with Robbie Hummel out with a knee injury, led the Boilermakers with 17 points and seven rebounds.
NCAA FIRST ROUND No. 2 OHIO STATE def. No. 15 St. Francis (Pa.), 93-59 Ohio State advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a convincing win over St. Francis (Pa.) on Sunday. Big Ten Player of the Year Jantel Lavender dominated the game with 23 points and 16 rebounds as the Buckeyes cruised to a 27-point first-half lead. Samantha Prahalis contributed 14 points, 13 assists and six boards, while Brittany Johnson had 18 points, including four three-pointers. Ohio State will play No. 7 Mississippi State on Tuesday. FULL STORY
No. 10 Vermont def. No. 7 WISCONSIN, 64-55 Wisconsin saw its season come to a close on Sunday with a 64-55 loss to Vermont in Round 1 of the 2010 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship. Alyssa Karel led the Badgers with 13 points, five rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal, while Lin Zastrow contributed 11 points, seven boards, three assists, two steals and a pair of blocks. FULL STORY
WNIT SECOND ROUND MICHIGAN def. Toledo, 72-57 Trailing by five points at halftime, Michigan went on a 21-2 run to open the second half en route to a 72-57 win over Toledo in the second round of the Postseason WNIT. Three Wolverines finished with double-digit point totals, led by Krista Phillips' 22 points and 11 rebounds. Carmen Reynolds had 21 points and six boards, while Dayeesha Hollins contributed 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Michigan advances to the third round to face the winner of Monday's Northwestern vs. St. Bonaventure contest. FULL STORY
Illinois State def. PURDUE, 59-57 Purdue's season came to an end on Sunday with a 59-57 loss to Illinois State in the second round of the Postseason WNIT. The Boilermakers fought back from a nine-point halftime deficit to bring the game to within one possession at its conclusion. Brittany Rayburn recorded a team-high 16 points, also with six rebounds and two steals. FahKara Malone ended her career with a 12-point, three-steal performance. FULL STORY
East Regional | Second Round #4 WISCONSIN vs. #12 Cornell | 2:50 p.m. ET | Jacksonville, Fla. Wisconsin Tournament Central
After scoring a 53-49 win over No. 13 seed Wofford in Friday's first round, the No. 4 seed Wisconsin men's basketball team will face 12th-seeded Cornell in the second round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament on Sunday.
Tip time is set for 2:50 p.m. (ET) at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
The winner will face the winner of Saturday's matchup between No. 1 seed Kentucky and No. 9 seed Wake Forest in an East Regional semifinal Thursday, March 25 in Syracuse, N.Y.
Midwest Regional | Second Round # 5 MICHIGAN STATE vs. #4 Maryland | 2:30 p.m. ET | Spokane, Wash. Michigan State Tournament Central
Michigan State and Maryland meet for the fourth time in the last eight years as the Spartans and Terrapins square off in the second round. The only previous meeting in the NCAA Tournament was a thriller as MSU notched a 60-58 win in the 2003 Sweet 16. The Spartans are in search of their third straight trip to the Sweet 16 and their ninth under Tom Izzo.
Georgia Tech guard Iman
Shumpert doesn't need a scouting report onEvan
Turner.In fact, Shumpert can probably tell the Yellow
Jackets' coaching staff a thing or two about his grade school teammate.A
spot in next weekend's Midwest Regional semifinal is the big prize in
Sunday's game between 10th-seeded Georgia Tech (23-12) and No. 2 seed
Ohio State (28-7). But there are hometown bragging rights on the line,
too, with Chicago natives Shumpert and Turner facing each other for the
first time since high school. Read More...
South Regional | Second Round #4 PURDUE vs. #5 Texas A&M | 5:15 p.m. ET | Spokane, Wash. Purdue Tournament Central
The fourth-seeded and 10th-ranked Purdue men's basketball team will face Texas A&M in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at approximately 5:15 p.m. ET on Sunday, as announced by CBS Sports and the NCAA on Friday night.
Tim Brando and Mike Gminski will once again have the call for CBS' live telecast of the game, while Larry Clisby and Rob Blackman will call the action over the radio waves on the Purdue Sports Network. Pregame coverage will begin on the Purdue Sports Network at 1 p.m. ET.
Although Iowa clinched its third-straight national championship Friday night, it waited until Saturday to receive its hardware.
After putting the team championship race out of reach following Friday night's session, the top-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes officially clinched their third-straight NCAA Championships at the final day of the 2010 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Three Hawkeyes won national championships as Iowa totaled 134.5 points to clinch the team title. Wisconsin finished fourth in the team standings with 70.5 points, while Minnesota was seventh with 63 points. Ohio State was eighth with 62 points and Penn State finished ninth with 49 points. In total five conference wrestlers won individual national championships.
Complete information from the final day of the NCAA Wrestling Championships, click here.
Indiana senior Kate Fesenko highlighted the final day of competition at the 2010 NCAA Championships with a winning performance in the 200 backstroke inside the Boilermaker Aquatic Center in West Lafayette, Ind. Fesenko capped a sensational career by becoming the first Hoosier swimmer to win a national title in leading Indiana to a 10th-place finish in the final team standings.
The Hoosiers led all Big Ten teams competing at the national event, tallying 133 team points to collect their third-straight top 10 finish at the NCAA meet. Minnesota amassed 102 tallies to place 12th, followed by Wisconsin (88) and Michigan (76) in 14th and 15th place, respectively. Championships host Purdue scored the highest national finish in program history by placing 16th with 57 points. READ MORE ...
NCAA FIRST ROUND No. 5 MICHIGAN STATE def. No. 12 Bowling Green, 72-62 Aisha Jefferson led Michigan State to a 10-point win over Bowling Green in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, scoring 17 points while adding nine rebounds and three assists. Jasmine Thomas and Brittney Thomas added 11 points each, while Lauren Aitch came off the bench to contribute 10, and the Spartan defense limited the Falcons to just 37.5 percent shooting. With the win, Michigan State advances to face No. 4 Kentucky on Monday. The Wildcats defeated Liberty, 83-76, in their first-round game. FULL STORY
No. 8 IOWA def. No. 9 Rutgers, 70-63 Iowa gave the Big Ten a 2-0 record on Day 1 of the NCAA Tournament with a hard-fought win over Rutgers. Kachine Alexander led all players with 18 points, also adding eight boards and four assists. Big Ten Freshman of the Year Jaime Printy contributed 15 points, five rebounds and three helpers. The Hawkeyes advance to face No. 1 Stanford or No. 16 UC Riverside on Monday. FULL STORY
WNIT FIRST ROUND ILLINOIS def. Western Kentucky, 68-51 Whitney Toone scored a career-high 20 points, including 18 in the first half, to lead Illinois to a convincing win over Western Kentucky in the first round of the Postseason WNIT. Jenna Smith had a game-high 21 tallies in the contest, becoming her school's all-time leading scorer. The Illini advance to host Marquette on Monday at 4 p.m. CT. FULL STORY
MICHIGAN def. Kent State, 69-34 Michigan used a 23-2 run in the first half to blow past Kent State in the first round of the Postseason WNIT. Veronica Hicks tallied a game-high 18 points, while Carmen Reynolds registered 12 points, nine of which came from beyond the arc. With the win, the Wolverines advance to host Toledo on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. FULL STORY
East Regional | First Round #4 WISCONSIN def. #13 Wofford, 53-49 Slow and methodical early, fast and frantic late. No matter the tempo, Wisconsin stayed poised against pesky Wofford.
It's exactly what coach Bo Ryan expected from his team, which has plenty of NCAA tournament experience.
And in the end, the Badgers did exactly what they do best - play defense.
Jon Leuer followed a huge jump shot with an even more critical steal on the other end, and the fourth-seeded Badgers eked out an ugly 53-49 win over the 13th-seeded Terriers in the first round of the NCAA tournament Friday.
Midwest Regional | First Round #5 MICHIGAN STATE def. #12 New Mexico State, 70-67 Thanks to Kalin Lucas' career night, Raymar Morgan's late help, Michigan State is moving on in yet another NCAA tournament.
Lucas scored a career-high 25 points and Morgan emerged from a quiet night by hitting key shots down the stretch as fifth-seeded Michigan State edged No. 12 New Mexico State 70-67 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Morgan broke a late tie with four straight points, then made two free throws with 18.6 seconds remaining with the aid of a rare lane-violation call.
Still, it was an uneven game for the Spartans (25-8), a microcosm of their at-times dazzling, other times dumbfounding season following a loss to North Carolina in last year's national championship game.
#2 OHIO STATE def. #15 UC Santa Barbara, 68-51 After making a late layup, Evan Turner turned to run back down the court, shaking his head.
It was supposed to be another chance for the Ohio State star to stand out on a big stage. Instead, it was one of the worst shooting nights of his career.
As it turns out, that didn't matter at all for Ohio State.
The Buckeyes leaned on the slick shooting of a sick player, Jon Diebler, and defensive domination by Dallas Lauderdale for a 68-51 victory over persistent UC Santa Barbara in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Friday night.
"I can't picture another game being like this," Turner said. "It's cool. I'm glad my teammates picked us up."
Diebler scored 23 points and Lauderdale blocked a career-high eight shots and grabbed 12 rebounds for the second-seeded Buckeyes (28-7), who won without much offense from their top player.
West Regional | First Round #6 Xavier def. #11 MINNESOTA, 65-54 Minnesota saw its season come to an end Friday afternoon, as it dropped a 65-54 decision to 25th-ranked Xavier in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament before a crowd of 17,875 at the Bradley Center.
The #11 seed Gophers (21-14) played to a 26-26 tie at the half, but sixth-seeded Xavier used an 18-9 run early in the second half to turn a 30-29 deficit into a 47-39 lead, which the Musketeers (25-8) increased to as many as 11 points down the stretch.
Minnesota, which was making its second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance under third-year head coach Tubby Smith, lost in the opening round for the fourth consecutive time since winning its tourney opener in 1990. The Gophers lost to Texas, 76-62, at the 2009 NCAA Tournament in Greensboro, N.C.
South Regional | First Round #4 PURDUE def. #13 Siena, 72-64 Forgotten amid all that angst over Purdue's NCAA tournament chances without Robbie Hummel: The Boilermakers still have Keaton Grant.
The senior, who became a starter after the do-it-all Hummel blew out his knee three weeks ago, ignited a decisive, 20-3 run with 11 points to begin the second half. That opened up the inside for teammate JaJuan Johnson's 23 points and rallied fourth-seeded Purdue past No. 13 seed Siena 72-64 on Friday in the first round of the South Regional.
Johnson, the tallest player on either team at 6-foot-10, tied his career high with 15 rebounds.
E'Twaun Moore added 12 points for the Boilermakers (28-5). They were steamed that even President Barack Obama had joined a national chorus predicting the Saints (27-7) would pull a first-round upset in the third consecutive NCAA tournament.
Minnesota sophomore Kelci Bryant became only the second NCAA champion in Gopher women's swimming and diving history after capturing the three-meter crown at the 2010 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships in West Lafayette, Ind., on Friday.
The Gophers continue to pace the Big Ten contingent through 14 scored events on the strength of three top-10 finishes on Day Two. The Indiana Hoosiers jumped 10 spots on the team leaderboard, compiling 77 tallies to move into 13th place heading into the third day of competition. READ MORE ...
FRIDAY, MARCH 19 East Regional | First Round #13 Wofford vs. #4 WISCONSIN | ~2:50 p.m. | Jacksonville, Fla. Wisconsin Tournament Central
The Wisconsin men's basketball team earned a No. 4 seed in the East Region and will face 13th-seeded Wofford in the first round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament on Friday at 2 p.m. (CT) at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
The winner of that game will face the winner of No. 5 seed Temple vs. 12th-seeded Cornell on Sunday, March 21. Wisconsin is making its 12th-consecutive NCAA tournament appearance.
The Badgers are one of just six schools that have an active NCAA tournament streak of at least 12 years. The others are Kansas (21), Duke (15), Michigan State, (13), Gonzaga (12) and Texas (12).
It will be the ninth-consecutive NCAA appearance for the Badgers under head coach Bo Ryan, who is 7-1 in first-round games at Wisconsin. Against Wofford, Ryan seeks his 600th career win.
Midwest Regional | First Round #12 New Mexico State vs. #5 MICHIGAN STATE | 7:20 p.m.| Spokane, Wash. Michigan State Tournament Central
Michigan State is making its 13th-straight appearance in the NCAA
Tournament as it opens as the No. 5 seed in the Midwest Region against
No. 12 seed New Mexico State. The Spartans shared the Big Ten
regular-season championship with Purdue and Ohio State. The winner of
the MSU-NMSU game will play the winner of the No. 4 Maryland-No. 13
Houston contest.
After winning the 2010 Big Ten Tournament last week in Indianapolis, Ohio State enters NCAA tournament play with a 27-7 overall record and a 14-4 regular season mark in Big Ten Conference play. The Buckeyes finished tied atop the Big Ten with Purdue and Michigan State after the regular season slate. Thad Matta will lead the Buckeyes against First Round opponent UC Santa Barbara (20-9) Friday (9:45 p.m.) at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wis. Ohio State is the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region. UC Santa Barbara is the No. 15 seed. The winner of the game between the Buckeyes and the Gauchos will take on the winner of the game between Oklahoma State, the No. 7 seed, and Georgia Tech, the No. 10 seed.
West Regional | First Round #11 MINNESOTA vs. #6 Xavier | 12:25 p.m. | Milwaukee, Wis. Minnesota Tournament Central
Minnesota is making its 11th overall NCAA Tournament appearance (1972, 1982, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2009, 2010), and its second-consecutive trip under third-year head coach Tubby Smith. Minnesota's appearances during 1994, '95, '97 and '99 were vacated due to NCAA violations. Officially, the Gophers are 7-7 in NCAA Tournament games. Minnesota was awarded a No. 11 seed for the second time. The Gophers' previous appearance as the 11th seed was during 1989, when they knocked off No. 6 seed Kansas State, 86-75, and No. 14 Siena (80-67) to reach the Sweet 16 before falling to second-seeded Duke, 87-70.
South Regional | First Round #13 Siena vs. #4 PURDUE | 2:30 p.m. | Spokane, Wash. Purdue Tournament Central
Purdue will kick off the 24th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, and fourth in as many years, on Friday when it tangles with Siena in first-round action in Spokane, Wash. The Boilermakers were awarded a No. 4 seed for the first time in program history, marking their highest since 1998. Purdue will also be playing a No. 13 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time. The Boilermakers have never faced Siena or played in Spokane. Purdue is 4-3 in NCAA Tournament games under head coach Matt Painter, having advanced to the Sweet 16 a year ago. Purdue also ventured out to the Pacific Northwest for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament in 2009, defeating Northern Iowa and Washington, respectively, in Portland, Ore. The Boilermakers have won their first-round game in each of their last 11 trips to the Big Dance
WNIT FIRST ROUND NORTHWESTERN def. Duquesne, 79-72 In their first postseason appearance since 1997, the Wildcats grabbed an early lead and never looked back, downing Duquesne, 79-72, in the first round of the Postseason WNIT. Beth Marshall led Northwestern with 25 points, while Amy Jaeschke had 15 points and 12 rebounds. The 'Cats advance to play St. Bonaventure in second-round action. FULL STORY
Hofstra def. PENN STATE, 76-68 Tyra Grant scored 23 points, but it was not enough as Penn State's saw its season end with a 76-68 loss to Hofstra in the first round of the Postseason WNIT. Freshmen Nikki Greene (11) and Alex Bentley (10) also registered in double digits for the Lady Lions. FULL STORY
Minnesota sophomore Kelci Bryant highlighted a cadre of Big Ten divers as five conference participants posted top-10 finishes in the one-meter competition on the opening day of the 2010 NCAA Championships in West Lafayette, Ind.
With six events in the books, the Gophers pace all Big Ten teams in 11th place with 27 team points, followed closely by Michigan (25) and Wisconsin (23) in 12th and 13th place respectively. Purdue and Ohio State are currently tied in the 15th spot with 20 team tallies while Indiana rounds out the Big Ten contingent on the team leaderboard in a tie for 23rd place with 11 points after Day one.
Illinois felt the sting of being left out of the NCAA tournament.
Then, the Fighting Illini were forced to hit the road to start the NIT despite being a top seed in their bracket because Cirque du Soleil was playing at Assembly Hall.
Despite all that, Illinois still was able to beat eighth-seeded Stony Brook 76-66 in front of a loud sellout crowd of 4,423 at Stony Brook Arena on Wednesday night.
"We're still disappointed, obviously," Illinois' Mike Davis said. "But Coach has been talking all week about making something happen in the NIT, just move on to next year as far as getting ready for next year. Just win a championship and learn how to win championships because hopefully next year we can make a run."
Davis led Illinois (20-14) with 17 points, and Demetri McCamey just missed a triple-double with 16 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds. D.J. Richardson also contributed 16 points and Mike Tisdale added 15 for the Fighting Illini, who had been knocked out in the Big Ten semifinals.
Virginia Tech Bracket | First Round #2 Rhode Island def. #7 NORTHWESTERN, 76-64
Every time Northwestern made a run, Rhode Island had an answer. A 10-point second-half deficit proved to be too much for the Wildcats to overcome as they saw their season come to an end with a 76-64 loss in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament.
Michael Thompson scored a game-high 24 points for Northwestern which saw its season draw to a close with a 20-14 record.
"This was very disappointing," said Thompson. "We think we accomplished a lot this season and we wanted to make a strong run in the NIT."
URI (24-9) jumped out to an early eight-point advantage behind eight points by center Will Martell as the Rams surged in front 18-10 eight minutes and 30 seconds into the contest.
WNIT FIRST ROUND Purdue def. Eastern Michigan, 56-50 Brittany Rayburn's 17 second-half points led Purdue to a 56-60 win over Eastern Michigan in the first round of the Postseason WNIT. With the win, the Boilermakers advance to host Illinois State on Sunday at Noon ET.
Eight of the Big Ten's women's tennis teams earned places in the latest ITA National Team Rankings, which were released Tuesday afternoon.
Northwestern found itself once again ranked among the nation's best, checking in at No. 2 in this week's poll. Michigan joins the Wildcats in the top 10, appearing at No. 8 this week. Iowa was voted in at No. 25 this week, and Indiana and Illinois rank No. 30 and No. 31, respectively. Purdue made the conference's largest jump this week, moving up 22-places and landing at No. 35 this week. Ohio State is No. 47 and Minnesota rounds out the Big Ten rankings at No. 57.
Complete team rankings, as well as this week's singles and doubles polls, can be found here.
Nine Big Ten schools rank in the top 75 of the latest ITA National Team Rankings, which were released on Tuesday afternoon.
Appearing at No. 4 is Ohio State, which won its 100th consecutive home dual last week, and close behind is Illinois at No. 11. Michigan appears at No. 27, with Wisconsin and Northwestern occupy Nos. 34 and 37, respectively. Penn State checks in at No. 44 with Indiana trailing three spots behind at No. 47. Minnesota ranks 51st and Iowa rounds out the ranked-conference squads and No. 53.
Complete team rankings, along with singles and doubles polls, can be located through this link.
The 2010 postseason begins tonight as Purdue hosts Eastern Michigan in the first round of the WNIT at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be streamed live on www.BigTenNetwork.com. For more postseason news and notes, click HERE.
The Boilermaker Aquatic Center and Purdue University will play host to the 2010 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships. Competition begins on Thursday, March 18, with the 200-yard freestyle relay and concludes on Saturday, March 20 with the 400 freestyle relay. Preliminaries will begin at 11 a.m. each morning, with the finals commencing at 6:30 p.m. This year's event will feature 58 Big Ten student-athletes from eight different institutions.
Tommy McDonagh led Penn State in last weekend's Pinehurst Intercollegiate with an eighth-place finish at four-over par. The Nittany Lion junior sank nine birdies and finished with a card of 73-71-76 (220) to trump ranked opponents such as No. 21 Kelly Kraft of SMU and No. 86 Jack Newman of Michigan State. McDonagh's top-10 finish aided his squad to a tie for third place as the Nittany Lions compiled an 887 team score on the weekend.
Penn State junior Tommy McDonagh earnedhis first Big Ten Golfer of the Week award after leading the Nittany Lions at the Pinehurst Intercollegiate with an eighth-place finish last week. The Nittany Lion junior sank nine birdies and finished with a card of 76-71-73 (220) to trump ranked opponents such as No. 21 Kelly Kraft of SMU and No. 86 Jack Newman of Michigan State. READ MORE ...
Ohio State's Brandon Wynn takes home the first Big Ten Gymnast of the Week honor of his career after finishing first in two events and appearing in the top five in two others against Oklahoma over the weekend, while Illinois' Yoshi Mori was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the fourth time this week after finishing second in the all-around in Illinois' conference dual with Michigan.
Detailed information on this week's winners can be found here.
A pair of Michigan gymnasts swept the women's gymnastics weekly awards this week as Sarah Curtis was named Gymnast of the Week after being the all-around winner in Michigan's win against fourth-ranked and five-time defending national champion Georgia over the weekend, while teammate Natalie Beilstein finished first on the vault and second on the floor exercise to win Freshman of the Week honors.
For more information on this week's winners, click here.
Athlete of the Week Jennifer Rabot, Purdue So., Bishop's Stortford, England/The Hertfordshire
Rabot wins the first Big Ten Athlete of the Week honor of her career after earning the match-clinching point in No. 57 Purdue's 4-3 win over No. 30 Ohio State last Friday. The sophomore, appearing at No. 2 singles, defeated Ohio State's Paloma Escobedo, 1-6, 7-5, 6-4, to break the 3-3 tie and improve her 2010 dual-match singles record to 11-0. Earlier in the match, Rabot and teammate Michelle Sammons paired at No. 1 doubles to knock off the Buckeye duo of Kelsey Haviland and Cami Hubbs, 8-3, to clinch the doubles point.
Last Purdue Athlete of the Week: Mallory Voelker (March 28, 2007)
Athlete of the Week Chase Buchanan, Ohio State So., New Albany, Ohio/New Albany
Buchanan notches his fourth Big Ten Athlete of the Week certificate of 2010 after the No. 4 Buckeyes defeated No. 60 Purdue, 7-0, on Friday to earn their 100th straight home victory. The 23rd-ranked sophomore paired with freshman Dino Marcan at No. 1 doubles to defeat the Purdue combo of Thomas Wilson and Slavko Bijelica, 8-2. Buchanan then faced Bijelica at No. 1 singles, where the Buckeye performer lost just one game in a 6-1, 6-0 victory, improving his record at the top singles spot to 10-1. He is 14-4 overall on the season.
Last Ohio State Athlete of the Week: Chase Buchanan (March 9, 2010)
Players of the Week Illinois' Matt Dittman and Indiana's Micah Johnson were named Big Ten Co-Players of the Week, while Purdue's Matt Bischoff was named Pitcher of the Week. COMPLETE RELEASE
The 2010 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament is in the books and
congratulations to the Ohio State Buckeyes on winning the postseason crown. A heartfelt congratulations also
goes out to the Minnesota Golden Gophers, who displayed great determination and teamwork over the past four days, dismissing Penn State and two of the three Big Ten regular season champions, Michigan State and Purdue.
Here are a few final pictures from this afternoon's celebration:
CBS' Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg talk with Ohio State head coach Thad Matta and the Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player Evan Turner.
Ohio State celebrates its 2010 Big Ten Tournament title.
Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany presents the Big Ten Tournament trophy to Ohio State head coach Thad Matta and the Buckeyes.
Ohio State head coach Thad Matta talks with the Big Ten Network's Rick Pizzo.
Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player Evan Turner cuts down the net.
Congratulations to the top-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes on their 90-61 victory over the No. 6 Minnesota Golden Gophers in Sunday's Big Ten Tournament Championship final.
During halftime of the Big Ten Tournament final, BigTen.org went searching for those passionate Big Ten fans that were still supporting their team despite having lost in the postseason event. Those Penn State fans eluded the camera once again, but here now are representatives from each school:
Illinois sophomore Brent Rhodes of Champaign, Ill., and Indiana senior Lauren Morris of New Albany, Ind.
Iowa's Paul Loeffer, Class of 1974, of Bakersfield, Calif., and incoming Michigan freshman Scott Wilson and father Michael Wilson of Boulder, Colo.
Michigan State's Richard Small, Class of 1978, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., and Minnesota's Steve Salmela, Class of 1967 & 1970, of Travelers Rest, S.C.
Northwestern's Will and Bill Marquardt, Class of 1991, of Fishers, Ind., and Ohio State's Stephanie Kreager of Sunbury, Ohio.
Purdue's Dan Alder of Fishers, Ind., and Wisconsin's Karen Zanter of Eden Prairie, Minn.
One of the highlights of this afternoon's Big Ten Tournament Championship Pregame Pep Rally was when a few kids representing Minnesota and Ohio State took center stage to get the crowd pumped. The group of Buckeyes above belted out the OSU fight song, while Minnesota's youngster led the crowed with the popular "M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A, Go Gophers!" chant.
Although the Minnesota and Ohio State pep bands gave quite the rowdy performances at today's Big Ten Tournament Championship Pregame Pep Rally, the U.S. Army band was rocking for the entire event in their fatigues!
BigTen.org just got back from the Big Ten Tournament Championship Pregame Pep Rally. Several hundred Minnesota and Ohio State fans were taking in the festivities, which included free hot dogs, popcorn and beverages, face painting, artists and both the pep band and cheerleading squads from Minnesota and Ohio State.
Below are a few select photos from today's event:
Several hundred fans were in attendance for today's pep rally.
A Minnesota fan gets her face painted with a gold 'M' for today's game.
Ohio State fans get a free fan drawing done at today's pep rally.
Welcome to the 2010 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament Championship game!
In just a matter of hours we will determine the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship, which will end with its Final Four taking place just blocks away from Conseco Fieldhouse at Lucas Oil Stadium.
It's No. 1 Ohio State against No. 6 Minnesota. CBS will air the championship final with tip-off scheduled at 3:30 p.m. ET. Click here to view Gametracker
These two teams have never met in Big Ten Tournament play.
Of the 12 previous postseason tournaments, the No. 1 seed has captured four tournament crowns (1999-MSU, 2005-ILL, 2007-OSU, 2008-WIS) while the No. 6 seed has earned the title once (2001-IOWA).
With a win today, Minnesota could join the 2001 Hawkeyes squad as the lowest seed to have ever won the Big Ten Tournament Championship.
For the second straight season, Indiana and Minnesota led all Big Ten conference teams at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. The Hoosiers finished the meet in sixth place with 25 points, the best for IU since 2005 and the third-most ever at the Indoor meet for IU. Minnesota earned 18 team tallies to tie for eighth place at the conclusion of the two-day event. Penn State racked up 14 points as the Nittany Lions tied for 14th place followed by Wisconsin in 26th place with eight team points. Illinois earned four points while Michigan State and Ohio State tallied three points.
Look here for complete results and final team standings.
Penn State led all Big Ten teams as competition came to a close at the 2010 NCAA Indoor Championships at Randal Tyson Tracak Center on the campus of the University of Arkansas on Saturday. The Nittany Lions tallied 17 team points to finish in 13th place, marking their third-consecutive top-15 finish at the national event. Rounding out the Big Ten contingent was Illinois (10) and Indiana (8) in 21st and 28th place, respectively.
Illinois senior Angela Bizzarri claimed top honors in the 3,000-meter run. The Mason, Ohio native smashed her own school record in the event by 13 seconds with a time of 8:57.40 and edged top-seeded Lisa Koll (8:57.52) of Iowa State by just over a tenth of a second.
Oregon earned the NCAA team crown with 61 points, followed by Tennessee with 36, LSU with 35, Florida with 33, and Texas A&M with 31.
Look here for complete results and final team standings.
More than 1,300 runners took to the streets outside Conseco Fieldhouse this morning for the second annual Big Ten Hoops Day 5K. Despite chilly temperatures near 40 degrees, runners began and finished the 3.1-mile race outside the main entrance of Conseco Fieldhouse.
Several volunteers were on hand to cheer the participants and the Minnesota pep band was stationed on the course to give the runners some tunes along the way.
The Indiana Sports Corporation, which touts health and wellness in the Indianapolis community as one if its primary objectives, was pleased with today's turnout, which ISC spokesperson John Dedman said was nearly 500 more than last year's total.
Two things seem to make this event one of a kind. The first being that all participants are encouraged to wear clothes from their favorite Big Ten school. How often do you see people running in Purdue football jerseys or Michigan and Ohio State fans crossing the finish line in unison?
The second thing that adds a unique touch to the event is the inclusion of the Indianapolis youth. Throughout the year, students were encouraged to run a full 26.2-mile marathon by running half a mile over 50 days. Today, the 51st day, 100 kids finish their marathon by running 1.2 miles around downtown.
Congratulations to No. 6 Minnesota on advancing to the Big Ten Tournament finals following a 69-42 victory over No. 2 seed Purdue.
For Tubby Smith and his Golden Gophers, this year's tournament is turning into a Tri-Champ Checklist.
Beat Big Ten Tri-Champion Michigan State? Check.
Beat Big Ten Tri-Champion Purdue? Check.
Beat Big Ten Tri-Champion Ohio State? We'll find out in Sunday's final!
Sunday's Big Ten Tournament Championship will feature the top-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes and the No. 6 Minnesota Golden Gophers, with tip-time at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS
As sixth-seeded Minnesota appears to be running away with our second semifinal, currently holding a 58-33 advantage over Purdue with 6:01 remaining, now would be a perfect time to promote the Big Ten Hoops Day 5K!
The city of Indianapolis continues its celebration of Big Ten Basketball on the morning of the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament championship game when 1,000 runners descend upon downtown to take part in the Big Ten Hoops Day 5K. The second annual run/walk takes place tomorrow, March 14, and begins at 11 a.m. The entry fee is $20 in advance and $25 the day of the event. The first 1,200 entrants receive an Under Armour long-sleeve event t-shirt.
The 5K starts and finishes in front of Conseco Fieldhouse and weaves through downtown Indianapolis, passing each restaurant participating in the Big Ten Restaurant Pairing program. Runners are encouraged to wear their favorite Big Ten team's colors. The "Most Spirited Fan" will also win a Big Ten Prize Pack.
Prior to today's semifinal games, the Big Ten Tournament hosted several young boys and girls from the Indianapolis community, who have been competing in free-throw competitions throughout the school year.
The finals were held on Conseco Fieldhouse's main court.
If you are looking to present an award to a group of guys who have gone above and beyond the call of duty, look no further than the Conseco Fieldhouse balcony, Section 215, Rows 1 & 2.
That is where you will find the Michigan "Maize Rage" student section that has taken advantage of the Big Ten Tournament's special student pricing this year and has brought a little Wolverine flavor to each contest this week.
This year the Big Ten made a student all-session ticket package available for just $50, which as Maize Rage president Nick Mattar points out is, "a great deal."
Mattar said his Maize Rage group began the Big Ten Tournament with 40 members and as of the first half of the Minnesota/Purdue semifinal, the group is still 20 strong.
The Maize Rage was present for Michigan's first-round win over Iowa on Thursday and suffered the heartbreaking loss with all Wolverines on Friday when Ohio State's Evan Turner made an improbable 37-footer at the buzzer for the win.
Despite the loss, Mattar said the group stuck around to cheer on in-state rival Michigan State, but after the Spartans were upset by Minnesota Friday night, the Maize Rage is now seeing Maize gold in the Golden Gophers.
"Minnesota is our team now," said Mattar.
So far the extra support is working. Minnesota has stormed out of the gates and have shocked the Boilermakers with a 37-11 advantage at halftime.
Mattar and his group are planning on sticking around as well.
"The Big Ten Tournament website had great lodging deals so we just got a few rooms, crammed four people in each one, and it worked out to $60 per night over four nights."
And although the balcony seats are a little uncommon for the popular student section that is used to hovering the sidelines at Crisler Arena, Mattar knows the seats go with the price.
"The view could be a little better," Mattar said, "but we're only paying five bucks a game."
Semifinal #1 of the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament is in the books and top-seeded Ohio State has escaped with an 88-81 double-overtime win over No. 6 Illinois.
The 169 combined points are the third-most in Big Ten Tournament history and mark the highest scoring game in the tournament since 2002.
Ironically, it was Illinois and Ohio State who combined to set the BTT record of 182 points back in the 2002 tournament semifinals when the Buckeyes defeated the Illini, 94-88 -- a win that was later vacated by Ohio State due to NCAA sanctions.
Illinois has also been involved in each of the Big Ten Tournament's top three scoring contests as listed below:
We are set for overtime in today's first semifinal matchup as No. 1 Ohio State and No. 6 Illinois are tied at 66 at the end of regulation.
Counting last night's overtime upset with Minnesota defeating Michigan State, this marks the second straight OT matchup in Big Ten Tournament play and the first time the conference tournament has seen two extra sessions in the same year.
With 7:13 remaining in the second half, Ohio State has regained control of this game with a 20-0 run and holds a 59-50 advantage over Illinois.
However, the Fighting Illini are owning the concessions stands right now.
During both the Big Ten Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament, Levy Restaurants -- the official food supplier of Conseco Fieldhosue -- has dedicated special burgers and baked potatoes for each school. And in the sport of competition, they are keeping track of how many items are sold, including head-to-head battles during each game.
Right now the Fighting Illini Cheddar Burger is out-selling the BLT Buckeye Burger 64-51 on the week and an impressive 28-15 in today's semifinal.
Over at Big Ten Spuds, the Illini's Salsa & Shredded Cheddar Cheese has been the chosen favorite over the Buckeyes' Chopped Bacon and Shredded Lettuce.
Will the concessions advantage translate to success on the court for the Illini???
In addition to the life-size "Big Ten Icons" bobblehead statues that are located on the Conseco Fieldhouse concourse, the Big Ten Network has also enlisted the assistance of 11 different bobbleheads to promote its new fall series, Big Ten Icons.
Below is a glance at the other Big Ten bobbleheads... the human version!
From left: Illinois basketball's Kendall Gill, Indiana basketball's Quinn Buckner, Iowa basketball's B.J. Armstrong, Michigan basketball's Glen Rice, Michigan State basketball's Steve Smith, Minnesota basketball's Kevin McHale, Northwestern baseball's Joe Girardi, Ohio State basketball's Jim Jackson and Penn State football's Ki-Jana Carter. Not pictured: Purdue basketball's Glenn Robinson and Wisconsin basketball's Michael Finley.
In recognition of the its new "Big Ten Icons" show that is planned for this fall, the Big Ten Network has displayed 11 life-size bobbleheads representing each of the conference schools on the Conseco Fieldhouse concourse this week.
Here is a look at each school's iconic bobblehead...
Illinois football great Red Grange and Indiana basketball legend Steve Alford
Football stars Chuck Long of Iowa and Charles Woodson of Michigan
Michigan State basketball star Mateen Cleaves and Minnesota baseball great Dave Winfield
Northwestern linebacker Pat Fitzgerald and Ohio State Olympian Jesse Owens
Penn State Heisman winner John Cappelletti and Purdue QB Drew Brees
1999 Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne of Wisconsin
For more information on "Big Ten Icons," click here.
The great Wilson Pickett made those famous words popular back in 1965. Forty-five years later, the Big Ten nearly had to wait until the midnight hour to conclude an unbelievable quarterfinal round of the 2010 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament.
And that's okay for Motown-lover Tubby Smith (shown above in a postgame interview with the Big Ten Network). Tonight, his Golden Gophers took down another Motown favorite.
In tonight's final matchup, No. 6 seed Minnesota upset third-seeded Michigan State in overtime, 72-67. Devoe Joseph (pictured in background) led the Gophers with a team-high 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.
The Gophers' victory put an exclamation point on what many feel is the greatest day in Big Ten Tournament history.
The day began with Michigan's Manny Harris making "the shot" with seconds left to put the Wolverines in contention to beat top-seeded Ohio State. But then it was Evan Turner, the Big Ten Player of the Year, who made "the dagger shot" from 37 feet out at the buzzer to keep the Buckeyes alive.
Throw in a 4-point Illinois victory over Wisconsin, an 8-point Purdue win over a determined Northwestern ballclub and an overtime upset in the nightcap and what do you have in the end???
Friday marked the first time in Big Ten Tournament history where all four quarterfinal games were determined by a single-digit margin of victory. In addition, the 18 points marked the lowest combined margin of victory in Big Ten Tournament history, besting the previous record of 24 set in the inaugural event back in 1998.
What an unbelievable night.
It's officially Semifinal Saturday. No. 1 Buckeyes and No. 5 Illini, No. 2 Boilers and No. 6 Gophers. Action begins Saturday at 1:40 p.m. on CBS.
Well... after an absolutely devastating loss to rival Ohio State today, you have to give these two guys credit for sticking around and supporting in-state rival Michigan State tonight.
Requesting anonymity, likely because of the sudden jump across party lines and the repercussions they could face back home, these two friends busted out the electrical tape tonight and transformed their Michigan shirts into Michigan State gear.
Sort of...
"We really are cheering for them tonight," said one of the men. "We would like to see them win."
How about that for some good down home Big Ten sportsmanship???
BigTen.org's SuperFan Search has located quite the Golden Gopher in the crowd!
Jim Olson, 25, is leading a team of eight Gopher fans that left Thursday morning at 4 a.m. from Bloomington, Minn., and traveled to the Circle City to cheer on the Maroon and Gold.
So far so good. His Gophers hold a 28-26 advantage over Michigan State at halftime of tonight's quarterfinal game.
Olson's company, which is comprised of his girlfriend, Tina Hanson, and her family, were all decked out in Minnesota gear, but it was Olson's striped overalls and headgear that caught the eye of SuperFan Search. Olson admitted that the overalls belong to a buddy of his, who is known to wear them at all the Gopher hockey games.
Not only is Olson a fashion icon, he is also an accomplished photographer.
Leave it to a wholesome Midwesterner to politely offer up his memory card to BigTen.org to give another angle of Evan Turner's game-winning 37-foot 3-pointer earlier today that lifted the Buckeyes past Michigan, 69-68. How about this timing???
Olson has been here all day and hopes to stay through the weekend to cheer on his Gophers to a Big Ten Tournament title.
Sam May of Ft. Wayne, Ind., was hoping to take his son Todd and grandsons Dalton (7) and Chase (8), all of Fishers, Ind., to Conseco Fieldhouse tonight with the hopes of cheering on Indiana.
But despite the Hoosiers' first-round loss to Northwestern on Thursday, the May family still showed up to watch IU's rival Purdue defeat Northwestern.
Shown in the SuperFan Search picture to the right is Dalton and Chase in their Hoosier gear along with their Big Ten Tournament souvenir basketballs.
Northwestern sure gave Purdue all it could handle in our third quarterfinal game of the 2010 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament, but the Boilermakers held on for a 69-61 victory and advance to Saturday's semifinal round.
Purdue will meet the winner of tonight's final game between No. 3 seed Michigan State and No. 6 Minnesota.
Earlier today another BigTen.org SuperFan Search turned up a Drew Brees fan impersonating a Drew Brees bobblehead impersonating legendary Boilermaker quarterback Drew Brees.
Earlier today during the break between Sessions Two and Three, Big Ten Conference staff members, along with representatives from the Indiana Sports Corporation, Pacers Sports & Entertainment and the Big Ten Network, joined together in the upper levels of Conseco Fieldhouse to recognize two conference staffers who are retiring this year.
Rich Falk, the Big Ten's Coordinator of Men's Basketball Officiating, and Associate Commissioner for Governance Carol Iwaoka, were each honored by Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany for their two decades of service at the conference office.
From left: Ohio State Senior Woman Administrator Miechelle Willis, Ohio State diver Chelsea Davis, Indianapolis Big Ten Community Partnership's Jerry Semler and Phil Borst, Northwestern football player Mark Ison, Northwestern Associate Athletic Director Brad Hurlbut, and Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany.
The second presentation during halftime of the Northwestern/Purdue quarterfinal game honored a former Big Ten Commissioner, a Northwestern football standout, and an accomplished Ohio State diver.
The Wildcats' Mark Ison and Buckeyes' Chelsea Davis were honored as the recipients of the 2010 Wayne Duke Postgraduate
Award presented by the Indianapolis Big Ten Community Partnership. The
award is an annual scholarship recognizing one male and one female Big
Ten senior student-athlete pursuing a postgraduate degree for
achievements in academics, athletics, extracurricular activities and
leadership. It is given out in conjunction with the Big Ten Men's and
Women's Basketball Tournaments.
In recognition of the Big Ten's
leadership in fully integrating athletics into the academic mission of
its member institutions, the Indianapolis Community Partnership
initiated the Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award in 2008 to complement the
Big Ten Basketball Tournaments in Indianapolis. Each Big Ten
institution was asked to nominate one male and one female
student-athlete for 2010, with a $5,000 scholarship awarded to each
winner.
The Wayne Duke
Postgraduate Award is named for the former Big Ten Conference
commissioner who served from 1971-89. While leading the Big Ten, Duke
spent much of his time working to improve academic standards and
graduation rates for student-athletes.
Just like we saw during the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament, halftime of the Northwestern/Purdue game consisted of two great presentations, the first of which was the swearing into service of 18 young men into the U.S. Army.
While the on-court action near the end of the first half was bringing both Northwestern and Purdue fans to their feet, every spectator in attendance stood in appreciation when these young men were recognized for their enlistment decision.
During the first half of the Northwestern/Purdue contest, BigTen.org was in the midst of another SuperFan Search when it came across a father and son tandem ready to root on their Michigan State Spartans.
Jim Luce and his 11-year-old son Kyle traveled from Brighton, Mich., today to help the third-seeded Spartans against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
While Michigan and Ohio State were busy making thrilling shots in today's first quarterfinal contest, several current and former Big Ten students had a shot at impressing prospective employers at the third annual Big Ten Conference Career Expo.
The event took place throughout the day at Indianapolis' historic Union Station. Included among the numerous employers that participated in the Career Expo were the Big Ten Conference, Indiana Sports Corporation, Eli Lilly, ExactTarget, General Motors, Marriott Place/White Lodging, Simon Property Group, U.S. Army, NCAA, and Pacers Sports & Entertainment.
The majority of the these companies were offering internships and full-time jobs, which could be found by the participants at the Cyber Cafe. While there, participants were also able to update and print their resumes to tailor their materials to the businesses that they were interested in meeting.
Following an impressive Illinois' victory over Wisconsin, 58-54, Session Two of the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament officially came to a close. During the break between Sessions Two and Three, fans were asked to leave Conseco Fieldhouse to allow staffers the opportunity to prepare for tonight's two quarterfinal games.
Needless to say, when they were let back in, "they" were almost all Purdue Boilermaker fans. And almost all of them were dressed in black.
Where is that ACDC "Back in Black" anthem when you need it???
Wow! What an amazing start to Friday's quarterfinal action.
Big Ten Player of the Year Evan Turner proved he was worthy of his title, hitting a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift Ohio State over upset-minded Michigan, 69-68.
What an unbelievable effort Michigan left out on the court. Manny Harris simply took over the game with a game-high 26 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Harris scored the last two of his 26 points on what was thought to be the "dagger shot" with 3 seconds remaining.
But then it was simply Evan Turner time.... Wow.
One can only imagine the elation behind Door #1 and the disappointment behind Door #2 right now.
The quarterfinal round got off to a rousing start when Ohio State's Evan Turner halted an upset bid by Michigan with a three point shot from long distance at the buzzer.
Next up is No. 4 seed Wisconsin and No. 5 seed Illinois. Let's see if they can match the energy of the finish of that last game!
Four games are on the slate for Friday's Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament quarterfinal action.
Similar to Thursday's games, each of today's contests have interesting storylines.
Of the four games, two feature opponents that have only met once before in the 13-year history of the event, while one contest features a pair of teams that have never faced one another in Big Ten Tournament play.
In today's second game between No. 4 seed Wisconsin and No. 5 Illinois, the 2010 meeting marks the first time where neither team has competed as the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in their six postseason meetings.
Here is a inside look at each of the four quarterfinal matchups, which begin at noon on ESPN.
Game 4: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 8 Michigan (Noon, ESPN2) Ohio State leads the Big Ten Tournament series vs. Michigan, 1-0
2007, Q, No. 1 Ohio State def. No. 8 Michigan, 72-62
Game 5: No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 5 Illinois (Approx. 2:30 p.m. ESPN) Wisconsin leads Big Ten Tournament series vs. Illinois, 3-2
Game 6: No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 7 Northwestern (6:30 p.m., Big Ten Network) This marks the first time Purdue and Northwestern have competed in Big Ten Tournament play since the event's inception in 1998.
Game 7: No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 6 Minnesota (Approx. 9 p.m., Big Ten Network) Michigan State leads Big Ten Tournament series vs. Minnesota, 1-0
2009, Q, No. 1 Michigan State def. No. 8 Minnesota, 64-56
Day One of the 2010 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament is in the books. Congratulations to Michigan, Northwestern and Minnesota on advancing to quarterfinal action.
Action begins Friday with the top-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes taking on rival and the No. 8 seed Michigan Wolverines at noon on ESPN.
As we are bringing a close to first-round action here at the Big Ten Tournament, others are preparing for a big day tomorrow -- one that many hope will produce a great employment opportunity.
The Big Ten Conference Career Expo pairs the talents of Big Ten students and alumni with the staffing needs of elite and industry-leading employers. The Career Expo takes place tomorrow, March 12, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Union Station. Registration is free for current Big Ten students and alumni and both full-time jobs and internships will be available.
There will be two breakout sessions during the event, each featuring panelists from top companies in highlighted fields. The first session, running from 10-11:30 a.m., is entitled Careers in Life Sciences. The second session runs from 12:30-2 p.m. and is called Careers in Broadcasting, Media, Advertising, Public Relations and Marketing.
During the first half of tonight's final first-round matchup between Minnesota and Penn State, BigTen.org hit the Conseco Fieldhouse concourse to check out the Big Ten Network ICONS Fan Zone.
Fans have the opportunity to shoot some hoops and toss the 'ol pigskin at the Fan Zone, which is flanked by real "bobbleheads" representing Big Ten legends. In this picture, Northwestern baseball legend Joe Girardi and Michigan hoops star Glen Rice are looking on.
More on the real-life and life-size bobbleheads later. They are a sight to see!
Northwestern became the second team to advance with the benefit of its 73-58 win over Indiana on Thursday. The Wildcats will face the No. 2 seed Purdue tomorrow night.
The final first round game is coming up on the Big Ten Network at 7:30 ET and will feature No. 6 Minnesota and No. 11 Penn State.
Pardon the reference to the classic Five Man Electrical Band/Tesla "smash hit" Signs, but the title holds true in Indianapolis this week as the popular Big Ten University street signs adorn most of the city blocks centered around Conseco Fieldhouse.
It has become quite popular for fans to tour the downtown in search of their particular school's sign or make the journey to find all 11 schools.
BigTen.org has found all 11 throughout the town and can be found below:
Nearing the end of the Indiana/Northwestern game, BigTen.org spotted a certain Hoosier fan that carries a bit of weight here in the state of Indiana.
Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels (R) is in attendance with colleagues tonight.
Unfortunately for the Hoosiers, the Cream and Crimson are on their way to being defeated tonight. Inside a minute to play, Northwestern holds a 71-56 advantage.
Had Indiana won this evening, the Hoosiers would have faced Purdue in Friday's quarterfinal matchup.
Perhaps the loss saves the Governor from worrying about which hat to wear on Friday.
Michigan defeated Iowa, 59-52, to win the first game of the 2010 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament and advance to a meeting with top seed Ohio State tomorrow afternoon.
Welcome to the 2010 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament!
The gates are open at Conseco Fieldhouse and we are nearing tip-off of the tournament's opening game.
Each of today's three contests have intriguing storylines.
Michigan owns a 3-0 advantage over Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament and the 2010 contest marks the third straight season the two teams have battled each other in the first round.
Indiana and Northwestern have never met in Big Ten Tournament play, but this will mark the second straight game the two teams have faced one another. In the teams' final regular season games, Indiana outlasted Northwestern in Bloomington with an 88-80 overtime win.
In the nightcap, Minnesota and Penn State will meet for the second time in Big Ten Tournament history, the first of which came eight years ago when the two teams were the exact same seeds they are in the 2010 event.
Here is a quick look inside the three contests today:
Game 1: No. 8 Michigan vs. No. 9 Iowa - 2:30 p.m. ET Michigan leads the Big Ten Tournament series vs. Iowa, 3-0
Game 2: No. 7 Northwestern vs. No. 10 Indiana - Approx. 4:55 p.m. ET This will be the first meeting between Northwestern and Indiana since the Big Ten Tournament's inception in 1998.
Game 3: No. 6 Minnesota vs. No. 11 Penn State - Approx. 7:20 p.m. ET Minnesota leads Big Ten Tournament series vs. Penn State, 1-0
With both the Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments here in Indianapolis, the Big Ten Conference, the Big Ten Network, and the Indiana Sports Corporation have a unique opportunity to tie-in the postseason competition with several other events in Indianapolis.
Last week at the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament, spectators at Saturday's semifinals were encouraged to donate money into "Big Ten Thinks Pink" buckets to help find a cure for cancer.
This week, Big Ten fans can participate in the Big Ten Conference Career Expo on Friday and in the Big Ten Hoops Day 5K on Sunday morning.
BigTen.org will have more on those two events throughout the week.
The 2010 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament is set to get begin on Thursday with No. 8 Michigan (14-16, 7-11) taking on No. 9 Iowa (10-21, 4-14) at
2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
The second game of the tournament will feature
No. 7 Northwestern (19-12, 7-11) against No. 10 Indiana (10-20, 4-14)
on ESPN2.
The final game on Thursday will include No. 6 Minnesota
(18-12, 9-9) and No. 11 Penn State (11-19, 3-15), with the Big Ten
Network providing live coverage.
Make sure you are in attendance for the 13th annual event.
Tickets are available through the Conseco Fieldhouse box office and Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or www.ticketmaster.com.
All-session tickets are available for $220 (sideline balcony) and $165 (corner and end zone balcony). Single-session prices are as follows:
It's a beautiful Wednesday in Indianapolis so BigTen.org opted for lunch outside Conseco Fieldhouse today!
BigTen.org enjoyed some BBQ and the infamous stuffed breadsticks at Kilroy's, located one block west of Conseco Fieldhouse, site of this week's Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament.
Each year 11 establishments are paired with the 11 conference schools to create a home away from home for fans.
Kilroy's, a Hoosier tradition, will be home to Indiana University fans this week.
The Big Ten University Restaurant Pairings locations are the place to be before, during and after your favorite team's tournament games.
All pairings are located just blocks from Conseco Fieldhouse.
The host establishments with their Big Ten university partner are listed below.
Illinois - The Ram (140 S. Illinois; 317.955.9900) Indiana - Kilroy's Bar & Grill (201 S. Meridian St.; 317.638.9464) Iowa - Claddagh Irish Pub (234 S. Meridian St.; 317.822.6274) Michigan - O'Reilly's Irish Bar and Restaurant (36 S. Pennsylvania; 317.974.0674) Michigan State - Slippery Noodle (372 S. Meridian St.; 317.631.6974) Minnesota - Alcatraz Brewing Co. (49 W. Maryland St.; Circle Centre Mall; 317.488.1230) Northwestern - Buffalo Wings & Rings (111 W. Maryland St.; 317.822.8400) Ohio State - Champps (49 W. Maryland St.; Circle Centre Mall; 317.951.0033) Penn State - Harry & Izzy's (153 S. Illinois; 317.635.9594) Purdue - Scotty's Brewhouse (1 Virginia Ave.; 317.571.0808) Wisconsin - Buffalo Wild Wings (7 E. Washington; 317.951.9464)
Scott Langley fired consecutive rounds of 68 en route to a runner-up finish at the LA Classics Invitational held at the 7,141-yard par-72 Oakbourne Club in Lafayette, La., last week. The junior Illini carded a 73 in the final round of competition to tally a seven-under 209 score, just one stroke shy of the top spot, in leading his team to a second-place finish.
Scott Langley fired consecutive rounds of 68 en route to a runner-up finish at the LA Classics Invitational held at the 7,141-yard par-72 Oakbourne Club in Lafayette, La., last week. The junior Illini carded a 73 in the final round of competition to tally a seven-under 209 score, just one stroke shy of the top spot, in leading his team to a second-place finish. This is the fourth career Big Ten Golfer of the Week award for Langley, who earned three during his sophomore campaign in 2009. READ MORE ...
Michigan senior Ashley Bauer carded consecutive rounds of 68 to earn her second individual title with a career-best, four-under 209 tally at the Rio Verde Invitational last week. The top-finish gives Michigan its 25th individual title in program history and set a new U-M record for a 54-hole event. The Grand Blanch, Mich., native has yet to miss a tournament in her career, making appearances in 44 straight events. This is the second Big Ten Golfer of the Week award for Bauer's career and her first this season. READ MORE ...
Some Big Ten Basketball fans might think that preparing for the Men's Basketball Tournament this week is simple.
I mean, the Women's Basketball Tournament took place just days ago in the same building, right? It's essentially the same setup, right?
While that is the case, the Indiana Pacers returned home to Conseco Fieldhouse on Tuesday for one home game in between lengthy road trips.
That meant the Conseco Fieldhouse staff was forced to remove all Big Ten signage from the building and put everything back in place for the Pacers' setup. Following a 107-96 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers Tuesday night, that very same staff removed the Pacers' setup and returned Conseco Fieldhouse back to its Big Ten flavor.
The floor, the banners, press row... everything.
And you thought this building was just sitting empty and all set up since Sunday's Women's Tournament final....
What a great way to start off Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament week. Check out this awesome highlight package from the Big Ten Network. It gets those juices flowin'!
Athlete of the Week
Sonja Molnar, Iowa
So., Guelph, Ontario/Centennial C.V.I.
Molnar earns her first Big Ten Athlete of the Week honor after helping the No. 54 Hawkeyes to a pair of wins over Missouri and No. 24 DePaul over the weekend. Playing at No. 1 singles and doubles for Iowa, Molnar defeated the Tigers' Jamie Mera, 6-0, 6-4, then teamed with Merel Beelen to defeat the top Missouri team, 8-4. Against the Blue Demons on Sunday, Molnar and Beelen again teamed up at No. 1 doubles, this time knocking off the No. 10 tandem of Anna Redecsi and Selma Salkovic, 9-7. Later in the match, Molnar defeated Redecsi, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) to secure the clinching point as the Hawkeyes earned a 4-3 win.
Last Iowa Athlete of the Week: Jacqueline Lee (Jan. 30, 2008)
Indiana wins the award for Best Breakout Performance of last weekend, according to Eric Sorenson of College Baseball Today.
Check out CollegeBaseball360.com's interviews with Big Ten players and coaches at the Big Ten/Big East Challenge: Ohio State coach Bob Todd Michigan State pitcher Kurt Wunderlich Michigan State coach Jake Boss Jr.
Iowa's Kurtis Muller offers his thoughts on the season, two weeks in.
Michigan alum Don Lund was a first-hand witness to baseball history.
Co-Athlete of the Week
Dennis Nevolo, Illinois
So., Gurnee, Ill./Keystone National
Nevolo wins his first Athlete of the Week award of the 2010 season and the third of his career. The sophomore helped No. 12 Illinois to wins over No. 17 Texas A&M and No. 34 Northwestern this past weekend. Nevolo, ranked 43rd in the nation, played at No. 2 singles against the Aggies and Wildcats and posted two victories, a 6-1, 6-2 win over No. 33 Jeff Dadamo of Texas A&M and a 6-2, 6-1 win over Northwestern's Spencer Wolf. Against the Aggies, he teamed with Marek Czerwinski to knock off the No. 9 team of Austin Krajicek and Dadamo, 9-8 (4), then paired with Johnny Hamui to defeat the Wildcat tandem of Alex Sanborn and Wolf, 8-3.
Last Illinois Athlete of the Week: Marek Czerwinski (March 2, 2010)
Chase Buchanan, Ohio State
So., New Albany, Ohio/New Albany
Buchanan notches his third Big Ten Athlete of the Week certificate of 2010 after the No. 3 Buckeyes defeated No. 13 Louisville and No. 17 Texas A&M over the weekend. The sophomore defeated two top-35 performers at No. 1 singles, first downing A&M's Austin Krajicek, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), then knocking off No. 34 Austen Childs of Louisville, 6-4, 6-7 (1-7), 6-4. Also performing at No. 1 doubles, Buchanan and teammate Dino Marcan paired to upset the No. 9 Aggie team of Krajicek and Jeff Dadamo, 8-7 (7-5), as the Buchanan helped Ohio State to its 99th straight home dual match victory.
Last Ohio State Athlete of the Week: Chase Buchanan (Feb. 23, 2010)
The Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament has come and gone, which means now the focus is on the men.
The official Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament bracket has been released and like the women, the Ohio State Buckeyes have claimed the No. 1 seed. Here's the question though... Will the Ohio State men find the same success in Indianapolis???
Click here to view the bracket release and be sure to stay tuned to BigTen.org this week for the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament Blog!
Penn State's Sharaya Musser wom both Gymnast and Freshman of the Week honors after finishing first in the all-around in the Nittany Lions' quadrangular over the weekend. Musser's all-around total of 39.600 bested the field as she took home titles on vault and on the balance beam.
For more information on Musser's successful weekend, click here.
Michigan first baseman Dorian Shaw wins her first Big Ten Player of the Week honor after slugging 1.250 and batting .500 as the Wolverines posted a 5-0 record over the weekend, while teammate Jordan Taylor won her third Pitcher of the Week honor of the season as she pitched two complete games and earned a save this weekend.
Complete information on the Wolverine winners can be found through this link.
Illinois' Paul Ruggeri posted two first-place finishes and helped Illinois to a 357.500-346.600 win over Iowa during the weekend, while Minnesota's Harris Coleman wins his first Freshman of the Week honor recording a first-place finish and two 15-plus performances for the Gophers over the weekend.
More information on this week's winners can be found here.
The 2010 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament is in the books and congratulations to the Ohio State Buckeyes on successfully defending their conference tournament title. A heartfelt congratulations also goes out to the Iowa Hawkeyes, who took to the court poised to take down the champions, which they almost did.
Here are a few final pictures from this evening's celebration:
The Buckeyes celebrate their second consecutive Big Ten Tournament title.
Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany addresses the crowd at Conseco Fieldhouse tonight, prior to presenting Ohio State with the Big Ten Tournament trophy.
Ohio State head coach Jim Foster thanked the Iowa Hawkeyes on a hard fought contest as well as all the fans for attending the event in Indianapolis.
Champions Crowned... once again!
BigTen.org thanks you for following along this week.
Stay tuned to BigTen.org as the 2010 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament Blog will begin soon!
Having all of its wrestlers finish in fourth place or higher, the Iowa Hawkeyes won their 34th Big Ten Championship and third in a row Sunday afternoon on the final day of the 2010 Big Ten Wrestling Championships in Ann Arbor, Mich. Iowa finished with 156.5 points and had a pair of individual champions en route to victory. Minnesota earned runner-up honors with 119.5 points, while Wisconsin was third with 109 points and Ohio State was fourth with 102.5 points.
For complete information on this year's championships, click here.
This was no illusion this year. For Ohio State's Jantel Lavender, it actually happened again.
In last year's Big Ten Tournament Championship, Lavender hit one free throw with 6.2 seconds remaining to give Ohio State a 67-66 victory over Purdue.
As for this year? Lavender once again sealed the victory for the Buckeyes hitting the winning two free throws with 1.9 seconds left to give the Buckeyes a 66-64 win over Iowa.
Lavender finished with 35 points and 10 rebounds and earned Most Outstanding Player honors for her efforts.
2010 Big Ten Tournament All-Tournament Team Kachine Alexander, Iowa Kelley Krei, Iowa Kamille Wahlin, Iowa Jantel Lavender, Ohio State Samantha Prahalis, Ohio State
Most Outstanding Player Jantel Lavender, Ohio State
Ohio State has been rallying here in the second half, looking to fight back from a double-digit deficit to Iowa.
The Buckeyes have a little extra help in their cheering section today. After wrapping up a share of the Big Ten Championship this week, Ohio State men's basketball players P.J. Hill (left), Dallas Lauderdale (center) and Evan Turner (right) are in attendance.
Turner, a National Player of the Year candidate, has been a fan favorite today, signing several autographs for Buckeye fans.
Lauderdale also auditioned for big screen fame, playing air guitar during one of the media timeouts.
Next week the Ohio State's men's team will return to Conseco Fieldhouse as the No. 1 seed for the 2010 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament.
Iowa's Kelly Krei and Ohio State's Jantel Lavender pace all players with 12 points at intermission. The Hawkeyes' Kachine Alexander has 11 points at half, while the Buckeyes' Tayler Hill has 10.
Twenty minutes to play... who will walk away with the 2010 Big Ten Tournament trophy???
By far one of the best moments of the Big Ten Tournament Pre-Game Championship Pep Rally was the Mascot Challenge.
Ohio State's Brutus absolutely rocked the dance competition as MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This" played in the background. Following that performance, it was safe to say that Herky Hawkeye faced an uphill climb.
Herky redeemed himself, however, knocking off Brutus in the toilet paper showdown. Both mascots were challenged to unroll a full roll of toilet paper the quickest and Herky came away the spirited winner.
BigTen.org just got back from the Pre-Championship Game Pep Rally in the Entry Pavilion of Conseco Fieldhouse.
What a scene!
Fans were busy playing cornhole, getting team-specific tattoos, and enjoying complementary popcorn and drinks near the entrance, while Radio Disney 98.3 FM held court near the grand staircase to raise the energy level of the hundreds of spectators that began filing into Conseco Fieldhouse two hours before tip-off of today's final.
The Radio Disney crew also had young boys and girls in the crowd come up the stage and join them in several dances, including Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA" smash hit.
Speaking of smash hits, both the Iowa and Ohio State pep bands also got into the action toward the end of the Pep Rally.
We are an hour away from tip-off of the 2010 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament Championship final.
Your Ohio State Buckeyes are not only the top seed in the event, but they are also the defending champion and the current regular season conference champ.
Iowa will certainly present a challenge today, but there is no time for nerves!
OK, here are the "Need to Knows" about Sunday's Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament Championship final.
The top-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes will face the No. 3 seed Iowa Hawkeyes at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Ohio State is in the tournament final for the sixth time (1995, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009), having won in both 2006 and 2009. Iowa makes its third appearance in the finals and has captured both the 1997 and 2001 titles.
Iowa and Ohio State have met twice in Big Ten Tournament play with each team sharing a win. The No. 1 Hawkeyes captured a 72-54 victory over the eighth-seeded Buckeyes in the 1998 quarterfinals, while top-seeded OSU scored a 72-56 win over No. 4 Iowa in last year's semifinal round.
As for the 2009-10 regular season, Ohio State earned an 86-82 home victory over Iowa in its lone meeting on Feb. 4.
ESPN2 is set to televise today's Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament Championship final between No. 1 Ohio State and No. 3 Iowa at 4:30 p.m. ET.
The Big Ten Network, however, has been broadcasting the tournament's first nine games for the past three years.
During the semifinal action on Saturday, BigTen.org toured the Big Ten Network production trucks and took a few snapshots of the crew preparing for the studio show, which was located just off the Conseco Fieldhouse hardwood and hosted by Mike Hall and Stephanie White.
Congratulations to the Ohio State Buckeyes on reaching the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament final for the second straight season and fourth time in five years.
The top-seeded Buckeyes, winners of the outright regular season conference title, topped No. 4 seed Wisconsin 82-73 this evening.
OSU is now 11-2 in its last 13 Big Ten Tournament games.
Among the highlights from tonight's second semifinal matchup:
The Buckeyes set a Big Ten Tournament record with their 34 made
free throws. The previous record was 29 by Indiana against Illinois
during the 2002 tournament.
Samantha Prahalis
led the Buckeyes with 29 points. Prahalis converted 11-of-11 free
throws, which ties a tournament record for free throw percentage. She
shares the record with Penn State's Tanisha Wright (10-of-10, 2002 tournament) and Purdue's Shereka Wright (10-of-10, 2004
tournament).
Jantel Lavender finished with 27 points and has now scored in double figures in all 99 career games, the longest active streak in Division I.
Jantel Lavender and Samantha Prahalis combined to score 56 of Ohio State's 82 points. It is the highest point
total for two players in all games played by Big Ten teams this year.
Saturday was the fourth meeting between Ohio State and Wisconsin at
the Big Ten Tournament. The Buckeyes are 4-0 against the Badgers in the
tournament.
The Big Ten celebrated its "Think Pink Day" during Saturday's semifinal contests. Here are four more pictures from the Conseco Fieldhouse concourse, which include the Pink Ribbon Connection table, a table that included information on several Breast Cancer Awareness 5K and greater-distance events in the Indianapolis area, as well as a host of Michigan State fans showing that pink does in fact look good with green!
Prior to Saturday's semifinals at the 2010 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament, the Big Ten and the Indiana Sports Corporation held its annual Girls Basketball Clinic on both the practice court and main court at Conseco Fieldhouse.
An estimated 110 young girls from 4th through 8th grade participated in the clinic, which was led by Jennifer Jacoby, a former Indiana Miss Basketball, Purdue University standout and former basketball coach for Indiana University, Miami of Ohio and Illinois.
The clinic took place from 1-3 p.m. prior to this evening's first semifinal contest. Following the clinic, each participant received a complimentary ticket to the semifinal games as well as a pink clinic T-shirt.
Congratulations to the Iowa Hawkeyes, who have advanced to the 2010 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament final for the third time and the first since 2001. The third-seeded Hawkeyes captured a 59-54 victory over No. 2 Michigan State and will vie Sunday for their third Big Ten Tournament title. So far so good for Iowa. The Hawkeyes were finalists in both 1997 and 2001 and captured the championship in each year. They'll attempt to keep the perfect record intact tomorrow, but first comes Semifinal #2 against Ohio State and Wisconsin!
As mentioned in a previous post, Saturday is "Think Pink Day" at the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament.
Throughout the evening, volunteers are stationed on the Conseco Fieldhouse concourse accepting generous donations for the Pink Ribbon Connection of Indianapolis.
If you are in town, stop by, take in some Big Ten women's hoops and help the conference connect with a cure for cancer.
The Iowa Hawkeyes arrived 20 minutes ago and have made their way to the court for warm-ups of the first semifinal contest of the 2010 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament. Second-seeded Michigan State is also here and we are ready to get going at 5 p.m. ET!
It's Semifinal Saturday at the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament, with tonight's first tip scheduled at 5 p.m. ET. No. 2 seed Michigan State will battle No. 3 Iowa, while top-seeded Ohio State will face No. 4 Wisconsin.
This year's semifinals mark just the third time in the 16-year history of the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament that the top four seeds advanced to the semifinals.
In 2005, No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Michigan State, No. 3 Penn State and No. 4 Minnesota all advanced, while in 2000, top-seed Penn State, followed by Michigan, Purdue and Illinois advanced to semifinal play.
Both Iowa and Wisconsin are hoping to find their first Big Ten Tournament victory over Michigan State and Ohio State, respectively. In two wins, the Spartans have defeated the Hawkeyes by a combined 46 points, while Ohio State has outscored the Badgers 212-165 in three tournament wins.
Here is a brief look at the semifinal matchups on Saturday and the history the teams have with one another at the Big Ten Tournament.
Game 8: No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 3 Iowa(5 p.m. ET) Michigan State leads the Big Ten Tournament series vs. Iowa, 2-0
2004, Q, No. 5 Michigan State def. No. 4 Iowa, 81-54 2006, Q, No. 4 Michigan State def. No. 5 Iowa, 79-58
Game 9: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Wisconsin(Approx. 7:30 p.m. ET) Ohio State leads the Big Ten Tournament series vs. Wisconsin, 3-0
1996, Q, No. 6 Ohio State def. No. 3 Wisconsin, 72-58
1999, Q, No. 5 Ohio State def. No. 4 Wisconsin, 70-61 2005, Q, No. 1 Ohio State def. No. 8 Wisconsin, 70-46
During the Big Ten's second annual event to promote and support breast cancer awareness and research, the conference will donate a portion of every ticket purchased for the semifinals of the 2010 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament to Indianapolis' Pink Ribbon Connection.
Collection buckets will also be located inside the Conseco Fieldhosue Clarian Health Entry Pavilion today for donations to the Pink Ribbon Connection. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the games to raise breast cancer awareness.
The Big Ten Conference also encourages players, coaches, and officials to show their support by wearing pink.
Last year's event raised over $7,000 for Indianapolis' Pink Ribbon Connection.
Forget the spuds... the competition is in the burgers.
Levy Restaurants has also created specific burgers for each school and a scoreboard to keep track of the competition.
Near the end of Friday night, the Big Ten Burger Competition was a three-way tie between Illinois' Fighting Illini Cheddar Burger, Michigan's Go Big Bleu Cheese & Bacon Burger and Ohio State's BLT Buckeye Burger.
In head-to-head competition tonight, the BLT Buckeye Burger outmatched the Fighting Illini Cheddar Burger just as OSU got past Illinois on the hardwood.
Yet another staple of the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament...
As part of the Big Ten Middle School Curriculum and Pen Pal Program, young Big Ten hoops fans put together support banners for each of the 11 squads prior to the Big Ten Tournament.
These banners adorn the walls of the inner hallway of Conseco Fieldhouse, which is located right outside each locker room.
One of the great things about the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament is the support the teams receive from the Indianapolis community. The Indiana Sports Corporation does an excellent job coordinating with all the schools to make this creative project happen!
We are nearing halftime of tonight's final quarterfinal game between Purdue and Wisconsin.
It's getting time to think about what to get at the concessions stand and luckily there is a option suited for every Big Ten fan.
It's Big Ten Spuds -- 11 different ways to order a baked potato all in the name of school spirit. Levy Restaurants came up with the tasty theme exclusively for the Big Ten Tournament.
We had a chance to talk to Tyrone at Big Ten Spuds and he informed us that the Michigan State, Michigan and Purdue baked potatoes are leading the way in sales tonight. Apparently the MSU Chopped Broccoli and Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese spud is the way to go.
During the Illinois/Ohio State quarterfinal contest, BigTen.org had another chance to visit the "Get to Know Her Zone" on the concourse of Conseco Fieldhouse.
Several students from the Big Ten Middle School Curriculum Program remained in attendance to help cheer on the Illini and Buckeyes. We had a chance to catch up with some of the young OSU fans showing off their artistic skills, while others were busy putting them to good use in the stands.
Perhaps some were inspired by the halftime presentation, where young women were sworn into service with the U.S. Army, and opted to visit the Army's table on the concourse.
Others just opted to get tattoos! BigTen.org cannot confirm whether or not they had permission from the parents!!!!
Congratulations to Big Ten regular season champion Ohio State, a 66-55 winner over No. 9 seed Illinois.
The Buckeyes have advanced to Saturday's second semifinal contest and will meet the winner of this evening's nightcap between No. 4 Wisconsin and No. 5 Purdue.
Great question... By the looks of this picture, Ohio State fans are nowhere to be found. Safe to say it's because of two reasons:
Reason 1: It's 46 degrees in March and still a little chilly to enjoy your favorite food and drink outside of Champps, the Buckeyes' home away from home. (Each university is aligned with one of Indianapolis' popular eateries to give the team and its fans a place to congregate.)
Reason 2 (and probably the actual explanation): It's almost game time! The Big Ten regular season champs and their fans are already at Conseco Fieldhouse ready to cheer on the top-seeded Buckeyes against No. 9 Illinois. Tip-off is at 6 p.m. ET.
Two quarterfinal games are complete now. Iowa advanced with an 82-75 win over Penn State and will face Michigan State in one of Saturday's semifinal contests. Still upcoming tonight is Ohio State-Illinois at 6:00 p.m. ET and Wisconsin-Purdue at approximately 8:30 p.m. ET. Both games are live on the Big Ten Network.
Impressed with how this young women are competing on the basketball court? Wait until you learn more about them at the Big Ten "Get to Know Her Zone" on the concourse of Conseco Fieldhouse.
The "Get to Know Her" campaign is a fully integrated effort that allows fans to see the non-basketball sides of their favorite student-athletes via multimedia tools and on-campus functions.
At the Big Ten Tournament this week, fans are encouraged to check out the "Get to Know Her Zone" just to the left of the main staircase in the Entry Pavilion at Conseco Fieldhouse.
The "Get to Know Her Zone" features several activities, including an interactive trivia kiosk, tattoos and a mascot coloring area. Fans can also compare themselves to the tallest and shortest players in the Big Ten and grab cool giveaways, including limited edition trading cards.
The first quarterfinal is complete with Michigan State advancing to Saturday's semifinal round with a 61-50 win over Michigan. The Spartans opponent tomorrow comes from the next game - No. 3 seed Iowa vs. No. 6 seed Penn State.
OK, so the Penn State women's team was busy rocking inside its hotel prior to its quarterfinal matchup with the Iowa Hawkeyes. While the Lady Lions were doing that, the Iowa pep band was stepping off the bus and making the early trek down to Conseco Fieldhouse to help the No. 3 seed Hawkeyes prep for the Lady Lions.
The Iowa pep band will have to help keep the Hawkeyes' juices flowing in today's quarterfinal matchup. During the regular season series, Iowa dropped a 77-73 overtime heartbreaker in State College on Dec. 28 and then fell to Penn State at Carver Hawkeye Arena 68-62 two weeks later.
Prior to Penn State's quarterfinal matchup with the No. 3 Iowa Hawkeyes, BigTen.org caught up with the sixth-seeded Lady Lions at the Omni Severin in downtown Indianapolis.
Members of the Penn State program, including the women's team, head coach Coquese Washington, athletics administration, and support squads were gathered for a little pregame pep rally a little past noon today.
Athletics Director Tim Curley and Assistant Athletics Director Jenn James were among the Lady Lion faithful watching the women's squad loosen up by dancing to the beats of the Penn State pep band.
The cheerleading squad and the Nittany Lion mascot were also in attendance to help get this team pumped up for its quarterfinal contest against the Hawkeyes.
No. 2 seed Michigan State is set to square off against No. 7 Michigan in today's first quarterfinal contest at 11:30 a.m. The Spartan faithful always travels well, but today there will be a little extra green in the Conseco Fieldhouse stands.
Fans of the Spartans you ask? Well, perhaps some will be, but these lime green shirts will adorn several middle school students from the Indianapolis and surrounding communities. The Big Ten Middle School Curriculum Program has long been a fixture of the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament.
As part of the Big Ten Middle School Curriculum Program, central Indiana middle schools have incorporated basketball (through statistics, artwork, etc.) into their curriculum. The middle schools have also paired with Big Ten women's basketball teams in a pen pal program. The program includes 21 central Indiana schools and more than 2,000 students, many of whom receive a free ticket to attend the first tournament game of the team (either Thursday or Friday) they have been paired with all semester.
Batter Up... Friday, March 5 MINNESOTA vs. Middle Tennessee
State |29| 11 a.m. #17 OHIO STATE vs. East Tennessee State
|37| 11:30 a.m. NORTHWESTERN vs. North Carolina |9| Noon
INDIANA vs. Pacific |9| 2:15 p.m. NORTHWESTERN vs. Oregon
State |9| 2:15 p.m. WISCONSIN vs. #22 Fresno State |47|
2:30 p.m. MINNESOTA vs. #6 Georgia |29| 3:30 p.m. PENN
STATE vs. Central Michigan |10| 4 p.m. IOWA at Cal State
Northridge (DH) |14| 4 p.m. INDIANA vs. North Carolina |9|
4:30 p.m. PENN STATE vs. Florida Gulf Coast |10| 6 p.m.
#7 MICHIGAN at #8 Alabama |19| 7 p.m. WISCONSIN at San Diego
|47| 10 p.m.
ON DECK... Saturday, March 6 #17 OHIO STATE vs. Notre Dame |37| 9 a.m. PENN STATE vs. Ball State |10| 9:30 a.m. MINNESOTA vs. Elon |29| 10 a.m. MICHIGAN STATE vs. #18 Florida State |24| 11 a.m. PENN STATE vs. Florida International |10| 11:30 a.m. INDIANA vs. UC-Davis |9| Noon IOWA vs. St. Mary's |14| Noon #7 MICHIGAN vs. South Carolina |19| Noon WISCONSIN vs. Buffalo |47| Noon MICHIGAN STATE vs. Eastern Michigan |24| 1 p.m. IOWA vs. Cal State Bakersfield |14| 2 p.m. INDIANA vs. Cal-State Fullerton |9| 2:15 p.m. MINNESOTA vs. #6 Georgia |29| 2:30 p.m. #17 OHIO STATE at Cal Riverside |37| 2:30 p.m. #7 MICHIGAN at #8 Alabama |19| 5 p.m. NORTHWESTERN vs. UC Davis |9| 6:45 p.m. WISCONSIN vs. San Diego State |47| 7:30 p.m. NORTHWESTERN vs. #10 Stanford |9| 9 p.m.
Quarterfinal action of the 2010 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament is set to begin at 11:30 a.m. ET on Friday.
We have some interesting notes surrounding each quarterfinal contest. In Friday's opener, Michigan and Michigan State will meet for the first time in Big Ten Tournament play since 1995 when the very first conference tournament took place.
In the second game of the day, Iowa will be the better of the two seeds for the first time, as Penn State has twice defeated the Hawkeyes in 1995 and 2005, but by only a combined margin of nine points.
The first game of the evening session will pair Illinois and Ohio State against each other for the third straight tournament and the third consecutive postseason contest where the Buckeyes are the top seed and the Illini are the No. 9 seed. Illinois captured the 2008 matchup and the Buckeyes earned revenge in 2009. Who will get the bragging rights in 2010?
In the nightcap, Purdue owns a 2-0 advantage over Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament, but the 2010 game marks the first that the Badgers will own the better seed. It's also been awhile since UW opened tournament play on a Friday. The Badgers earned their first first-round bye since competing as the No. 3 seed in 2001.
Here is a brief look at the four matchups on Friday and the history the teams have with one another at the Big Ten Tournament.
Game 4: No. 2 Michigan State vs. 7 Michigan(11:30 a.m. ET) Michigan State leads the Big Ten Tournament series vs. Michigan, 1-0
The first day of action is in the books at the 2010 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament.
And what a way to end the first day with an incredible performance by Illinois senior Jenna Smith. En route to a 59-53 victory over Indiana, the Fighting Illini was led by Smith's game-high 23 points and four blocks. Oh by the way she also has a Big Ten Tournament record 19 rebounds!
Amazing.
Fellow senior Lacey Simpson contributed by filling up the stat sheet with 12 points, eight steals, seven rebounds and six assists.
Also amazing.
But the night belonged to Smith and the performance she had on the boards. Despite battling with a nagging sore knee and a tight left hamstring throughout the game, Smith managed to haul in 19 rebounds, which still left her one shy of her personal best. Smith's career rebounding high is 20, which
she tallied against the Hoosiers on Feb. 7 earlier this season. The previous conference tournament record was 18, set by Penn State's Amanda Brown
against the Illini in 2007.
When asked in the postgame press conference about the performance of one of her senior leaders, Illinois head coach Jolette Law said this about Smith:
"I have utmost respect for Jenna Smith. I think she's one of the top players in the country. Everything I've asked of Jenna Smith, she has responded, and I'm so thankful. I'm thankful that I had the opportunity to coach her."
Well, look who it is... During the Illinois/Indiana first round matchup, which the Fighting Illini won 59-53, Ohio State head coach Jim Foster was busy scouting the opposition from the stands.
The Buckeyes will now face the Illini on Friday at 6 p.m.
BigTen.org stopped by the Sheraton Hotel today to check out Indiana's Pep Rally, prior to the Hoosiers' departure to Conseco Fieldhouse for the postseason contest against Illinois. Several members of Hoosier Nation were on hand to support the women's team, which was flanked in the hotel lobby by members of the IU Pep Band and Cheerleading Squad.
This support is seen throughout the season for sure, but this sight today was a moment when all parties affiliated with the school were coming together and cheering on this team.
Coach Felisha Legette-Jack spoke briefly to the crowd and pumped her fist in the air -- a sign for her team to load the bus, head to Conseco Fieldhouse, and earn another W.
Penn State claimed the second game of the day, posting a 63-52 win over Minnesota. The Lady Lions advance to the quarterfinal round where they will face No. 3 seed Iowa tomorrow.
The final game of the day is No. 8 Indiana vs. No. 9 Illinois. Watch live on the Big Ten Network or get live stats from Gametracker.
Michigan took game one of the 2010 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament with a 67-54 win over Northwestern. The Wolverines will take on second-seeded Michigan State tomorrow.
Next up is No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 11 Minnesota. Live stats are available via Gametracker, or watch live on the Big Ten Network. Also follow along with in-game updates on Twitter (@bigtenchamps) .
We are underway here at the 2010 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
What an impressive first half by the Michigan Wolverines. The Maize and Blue have stormed out to a 38-16 advantage at halftime of today's first of three scheduled games.
It's just moments from the tip of the first game of the 2010 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament with No. 7 Michigan taking on No. 10 Northwestern. Live stats are available here: Gametracker
The 2010 Big Ten Wrestling Championships gets underway Saturday as the Iowa Hawkeyes look to make it three-straight conference titles.
A complete weekend preview, including schedule of events, championships pre-seeds, and rankings can be found by clicking here. Further information can be found at the Michigan Big Ten Championships page.
In just a few short hours, the 2010 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament will begin!
Six teams will take to the court today looking to begin a 4-day quest for the Big Ten Tournament trophy, which by the way has quite the presence in the center of the Entry Pavilion of Conseco Fieldhouse (right). OK, it's not the real one, but you get the point.
Today's three contests happen to be quite intriguing as most of today's opponents have either never faced each other in Big Ten Tournament play or have not met in many years.
In fact, of all three games on the slate today, the most recent postseason matchup of any of the opponents took place 10 years ago.
Check out the breakdown below:
Game 1: No. 7 Michigan vs. No. 10 Northwestern(Noon ET) Michigan and Northwestern are tied in the Big Ten Tournament series, 1-1
Ten of the conference's men's tennis squads appeared in the latest National Team Rankings, released Tuesday by the ITA.
Ohio State is the highest ranked Big Ten squad, checking in at No. 3 and is joined in the top dozen squads by Illinois, which comes in at No. 12. Northwestern ranks 34th this week and is trailed closely by No. 36 Michigan and No. 37 Wisconsin. Four Big Ten teams occupy spots in the 40s, with Penn State at No. 42, Indiana at No. 43, Minnesota at No. 46 and Iowa at No. 49. Purdue rounds out the ranked-conference squads, appearing at No. 65 nationally.
For complete team rankings, as well as singles and doubles ranks, can be found here.
Eight Big Ten women's tennis teams appeared in the latest ITA National Team Rankings, which were released on Tuesday afternoon. Topping the list this week is Northwestern, which defeated two ranked foes last weekend to move up from the second poll.
Michigan joined Northwestern in the top 10 of this week's poll by appearing at No. 7. Other teams ranked this week included Ohio State at No. 21, Indiana checking in at No. 30, while Illinois moved to No. 43 this week. Purdue and Iowa vaulted into this week's, ranking48th and 54th, respectively, in the nation after not appearing in last week's poll. Minnesota rounds out the Big Ten contingent, appearing at No. 63 in this week's poll.
Complete team rankings and this week's singles and doubles ranks can be found here.
The newest GymInfo National Team Rankings were released on Monday with five Big Ten women's gymnastics squads earning spots in the latest polls.
Coming in at No. 12 is Michigan, which boasts a regional qualifying score of 195.610 and is one spot ahead of the 195.540 score of No. 13 Illinois. Penn State holds a regional qualifying score of 195.290 and ranks 17th in the latest rankings, while Minnesota and Michigan State check in at No. 22 and No. 24 respectively. The Golden Gophers boast a regional qualifying score of 194.590, while the Spartans have a 194.430 score.
Complete team rankings and individual event scores and rankings can be found here.
The Big Ten's six men's gymnastics teams occupied spots in the top 10 of the latest GymInfo National Team Rankings, which were released on Monday.
At No. 3 is Michigan, which boasts of three-score average of 354.033, is the highest-ranked conference squad in this week's poll. Illinois follows close behind at No. 4 with an average score of 353.217. Ohio State, Penn State and Minnesota immediately follow the Wolverines and the Illini as the Buckeyes rank fifth with a 349.117 average, the NIttany Lions are sixth averaging 347.633 per outing, and the Golden Gophers are seventh with a score of 346.217. Iowa rounds out the Big Ten crew in 10th, averaging 340.383 per competition.
Complete team rankings, and individual event scorers can be found through this link.
Chris DeForest posted a pair of wins in singles dual and four-ball match play to lead the No. 13-ranked Illinois to its seventh straight victory over Illinois State in the Tinervin Cup at Coral Creek Golf Club in Placida, Fla., last week. The Illini junior fired a 68 to win the head-to-head matchup against Joe Emerich in singles before teaming up with Ross Frankenberg to down Will Cullen and Emerich in 5 and 4 in four-man better-ball match play. The two victories helped Illinois defeat the Redbirds, 9-0, marking the first shutout in the Tinervin Cup since the inaugural event in 2004. This is the first Big Ten Golfer of the Week award for DeForest's career.
Purdue will entertain archrival Indiana on Wednesday in what is also Senior Night at Mackey Arena. A win over IU on Wednesday will give Purdue its first two-game regular-season sweep of the Hoosiers since 1996-97 and also make the Class of 2010 the winningest in program history.
After Ohio State clinched at least a share of the Big Ten regular season title on Tuesday, the Boilermakers will be vying for a piece of the crown along with Michigan State. Purdue is among the five conference teams to have clinched a bye into the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.
Both teams are coming off losses, with Iowa dropping a 73-57 contest at Iowa while the Boilers suffered a 53-44 decision to Michigan State on Sunday.
Wisconsin will look to close out its home slate when it plays host to Iowa from inside the Kohl Center on Wednesday night for the team's only regular-season meeting. Tipoff is schedules for 8:30 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network.
The Badgers have already clinched a first-round bye in the 2010 Big Ten Tournament, but will by vying for a No. 3 seed in the postseason event. UW's senior duo of Jason Bohannon and Trevon Hughes will take its final curtain call at the Kohl Center as the Badger faithful honor their veteran leaders on senior night. With a win, the Badgers would tie the all-time series against the Hawkeyes at 75-all.
Iowa is coming off a 73-57 victorty over Indiana in its final home game of the regular season on Sunday. The Hawkeyes led start-to-finish as sophomore Matt Gatens poured in a game and career-high 25 points to lead his squad in the win.
Series History: Iowa leads, 76-75
Chicago State at NORTHWESTERN | 8 p.m. | BigTenNetwork.com NU Game Notes | Chicago State Game Notes
Northwestern plays its final home game of the 2009-10 regular season Wednesday as it takes on nonconference foe Chicago State. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at Welsh-Ryan Arena. BigTenNetwork.com is video streaming the contest.
Jeremy Nash and Matt Steger will be honored in pregame ceremonies on Senior Night. The duo enters the contest one win shy of tying the 2005 class for the school record for most career wins (57). NU has already established a mark for most victories in consecutive campaigns with 35 and a win Wednesday would establish a new single-season record (19).
The Big Ten Conference office announced on Tuesday the 2010 All-Big Ten Men's indoor track and field teams and individual award winners. Highlighting the list, Ohio State sophomore Thomas Murdaugh was named Big Ten Track Athlete of the Year and Indiana senior Derek Drouin earned the nod as Field Athlete of the Year. Indiana's Andy Bayer was tabbed Freshman of the Year by the conference coaches while Golden Gopher head coach Steve Plasencia was named Coach of the Year by his peers. The conference coaches also recognized a pair of student-athletes for their excellent performances at this year's Big Ten Indoor Championships as Murdaugh and Minnesota senior Aaron Studt took home Track and Field Athlete of the Championships laurels, respectively.
Look here for more information and a complete list of All-Conference teams and 2010 men's indoor track and field Sportsmanship Award honorees.
The Big Ten Conference office announced on Tuesday the 2010 All-Big Ten women's indoor track and field teams and individual award winners. Highlighting the list, Penn State junior Shavon Greaves was named Big Ten Track Athlete of the Year and Minnesota senior Alicia Rue earned the nod as Field Athlete of the Year. Michigan's Jillian Smith was tabbed Freshman of the Year by the conference coaches while Nittany Lion head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan was named Coach of the Year by her peers. In addition, Nittany Lion senior Bridget Franek was tabbed Big Ten Track Athlete of the Championships while seniors Aja Evans of Illinois and Faith Sherrill of Indiana took home Field Co-Athletes of the Championships laurels for their outstanding performances over the weekend.
Look here for more information and a complete list of All-Conference teams and 2010 women's indoor track and field Sportsmanship Award honorees.
Illinois' Angela Bizzarri was named as Division I's female cross country Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2009 season as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Monday. Bizzarri is also among 104 given All-Academic status for the previous cross country season for their efforts in the classroom and on nation's cross country courses.
The Big Ten boasted 15 representatives on the list to tie the Big 12 and Big East for the most among all Division I conferences.
Look here for a complete list of USTFCCCA 2009 Division I Women's Cross Country All-Academic Honorees.
Freshman Amy Meier earns her first Big Ten Golfer of the Week award after leading Ohio State to a second-place finish at the Kinderlou Forest Challenge. For the second-consecutive tournament, Meier was the top finisher for the Buckeyes, carding a three-over 222 to finish in a tie for seventh place at the two-day, 54-hole event. READ MORE ...
Chris DeForest posted a pair of wins in singles dual and four-ball match play to lead the No. 13-ranked Illinois to its seventh straight victory over Illinois State in the Tinervin Cup at Coral Creek Golf Club in Placida, Fla., last week. READ MORE ...
It's Wednesday morning... Just one day until the start of the 2010 Big Ten Women's Tournament!
Big Ten staff is currently at Conseco Fieldhouse finalizing setup for the tournament's first day.
Do you have your tickets? If not, there are some great deals for you to check out!
All-session tickets for the women's tournament are $65, while single-session tickets range from $12 to $16. Tickets are on sale at the Conseco Fieldhouse box office, and all Ticketmaster outlets, including www.ticketmaster.com. Men's Tournament all-session and single-session tickets are also still available through Ticketmaster and the Conseco Fieldhouse box office.
Setup of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament court and its surroundings continued to take place on Tuesday, with Mother Nature providing a little help with the lighting. Weather here in Indianapolis -- and throughout the Midwest -- has been rather gloomy as of late. Finally Indianapolis had a beautiful sunny day on Tuesday.
So what if it was sunny outside when they were setting up inside, you ask? Well, when construction of Conseco Fieldhouse began in 1997, one of the building's unique features included large glass windows near the top of the upper deck, resembling many of the historic fieldhouses and gymnasiums that has helped create such a basketball culture throughout the state of Indiana.
And while Conseco Fieldhouse will close the drapes on the windows for all Big Ten Tournament games this week, it was nice to let the light shine down on the court for Tuesday's setup. Look to the left of the scoreboard in the picture above and you'll see the rays coming through. Definitely one of the most unique characteristics in any basketball arena in the country.
The weather will only add to this week's tournament festivities. Early reports call for 55-degree weather by the championship game on Sunday.
It's warming up, it's the basketball postseason, and all eyes are on Indianapolis this week as the Big Ten once again hits the Big Stage.
It's Tuesday and we are two days away from tip-off of the 2010 Big Ten
Women's Basketball Tournament.
Kudos to the Conseco Fieldhouse crew...
the place looks amazing!
It's always exciting to be around the
tournament venue during the days leading up to the event. There is
hardly a soul in sight, but you know in a matter of days the place will
be rocking.
Stay tuned to BigTen.org's 2010 Women's Basketball Tournament Blog for more pictures, inside info and announcements regarding this week's postseason event.
Athlete of the Week Marek Czerwinski Sr., Birmingham, Mich./Marathon (Fla.)
Czerwinski wins his second career Big Ten Athlete of the Week honor and first of the 2010 season. The Illinois senior scored a win for the Illini at No. 3 singles, defeating Florida's Antoine Benneteau in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5. Czerwinski then teamed with Stephen Hoh at No. 1 doubles to knock off the No. 10 tandem of Benneteau and Alexandre Lacroix, 9-7, to help the Illini clinch the doubles point against the Gators. He improved his record to 6-2 at No. 3 singles this season and has won six of his last seven singles matches.
Last Illinois Athlete of the Week: Dennis Nevolo (April 14, 2009)
Athlete of the Week Whitney Taney, Michigan Jr., Edina, Minn./Edina
Taney wins her second career Big Ten Athlete of the Week award and first of the 2010 season. She helped No. 8 Michigan knock off two ranked opponents over the weekend, including clinching the Wolverines win over No. 5 Baylor, Michigan's first-ever over a top-five opponent, by defeating No. 91 Taylor Ormand, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, at No. 5 singles. The junior also helped Michigan to a 4-3 victory over No. 32 TCU by knocking off Gaby Mastromarino, 6-1, 6-1, at No. 5 singles, then teamed up with Rika Tatsuno for an 8-5 win over the TCU tandem at No. 1 doubles.
Last Michigan Athlete of the Week: Michelle Sulahian (Feb. 2, 2010)
NCAA.com's Roger Moore previews this weekend's Big Ten Championships and takes a look at some of the conference's top wrestlers heading into the competition.
Polling Place The votes are in and three Big Ten teams are among the nation's elite. Michigan checks in at No. 7 in the latest NFCA poll, while Ohio State is No. 17 and Illinois No. 21. Northwestern is receiving votes. In this week's ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, two Big Ten teams earn national rankings in Michigan (4), Ohio State (14). Illinois and Northwestern are receiving votes.
On Deck... Softball action gets underway early this week as No. 7 Michigan travels to Auburn for a 7 p.m. ET contest. The Wolverines will be at Mississippi State on Wednesday before heading to Tuscaloosa for the Easton SEC/Midwest Challenge. Minnesota takes to the field on Thursday as they begin play in the Georgia Bulldog Invitational in Athens. The complete schedule for the week follows.
2 #7 MICHIGAN at Auburn 7 p.m.
3 #7 MICHIGAN at Mississippi State 6 p.m.
4 MINNESOTA at Kennesaw State |29| 3 p.m.
5 MINNESOTA vs. Middle Tennessee State |29| 11 a.m. #17 OHIO STATE vs. East Tennessee State |37| 11:30 a.m. NORTHWESTERN vs. North Carolina |9| Noon INDIANA vs. Pacific |9| 2:15 p.m. NORTHWESTERN vs. Oregon State |9| 2:15 p.m. WISCONSIN vs. #22 Fresno State |47| 2:30 p.m. MINNESOTA vs. #6 Georgia |29| 3:30 p.m. PENN STATE vs. Central Michigan |10| 4 p.m. IOWA at Cal State Northridge (DH) |14| 4 p.m. INDIANA vs. North Carolina |9| 4:30 p.m. PENN STATE vs. Florida Gulf Coast |10| 6 p.m. #7 MICHIGAN at #8 Alabama |19| 7 p.m. WISCONSIN at San Diego |47| 10 p.m.
6 #17 OHIO STATE vs. Notre Dame |37| 9 a.m. PENN STATE vs. Ball State |10| 9:30 a.m. MINNESOTA vs. Elon |29| 10 a.m. MICHIGAN STATE vs. #18 Florida State |24| 11 a.m. PENN STATE vs. Florida International |10| 11:30 a.m. INDIANA vs. UC-Davis |9| Noon IOWA vs. St. Mary's |14| Noon #7 MICHIGAN vs. South Carolina |19| Noon WISCONSIN vs. Buffalo |47| Noon MICHIGAN STATE vs. Eastern Michigan |24| 1 p.m. IOWA vs. Cal State Bakersfield |14| 2 p.m. INDIANA vs. Cal-State Fullerton |9| 2:15 p.m. MINNESOTA vs. #6 Georgia |29| 2:30 p.m. #17 OHIO STATE at Cal Riverside |37| 2:30 p.m. #7 MICHIGAN at #8 Alabama |19| 5 p.m. NORTHWESTERN vs. UC Davis |9| 6:45 p.m. WISCONSIN vs. San Diego State |47| 7:30 p.m. NORTHWESTERN vs. #10 Stanford |9| 9 p.m.
7 MINNESOTA vs. Belmont |29| 9 a.m. #17 OHIO STATE vs. East Tennessee State |37| 9 a.m. #7 MICHIGAN vs. South Carolina |19| Noon PENN STATE at South Florida |10| Noon MICHIGAN STATE vs. Florida A&M |24| 1 p.m. WISCONSIN vs. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo |47| 1 p.m. INDIANA vs. #10 Stanford |9| 2:15 p.m. NORTHWESTERN vs. Pacific |9| 2:15 p.m. MICHIGAN STATE vs. Miami (Ohio) |24| 3 p.m.
Welcome to the official blog of the 2010 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament.
Throughout the week, BigTen.org will highlight some of the events and
games of the annual women's tournament, while showcasing some of the
atmosphere that surrounds the great event.
The Tournament Bracket is out...check out this week's matchups by clicking here!
Illinois' Kelley Wedel earns her first Big Ten Player of the Week honor after being named to the NFCA Leadoff Classic All-Tournament team and leading Illinois to a 5-0 record over the weekend, while Minnesota's Lacey Middlebrooks wins her first Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honor after posting a 3-1 record over the weekend for the Gophers.
For complete information on this week's winners, click here.
Gymnast of the Week Kent Caldwell, Michigan Sr., Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Latin
Caldwell earns his first Big Ten Gymnast of the Week honor after helping Michigan post a team score of 352.150 against Stanford over the weekend. Caldwell finished with top-five showings in floor exercise and on vault, setting two season-best scores in the process. The senior scored a 15.15 in his floor routine to take fourth, while his mark of 15.90 on vault was good enough for a fifth-place finish and was one-tenth shy of his all-time personal best.
Last Michigan Gymnast of the Week: Chris Cameron (Feb. 1, 2010)
Freshman of the Week Nick Grant, Penn State Butler, Pa./Palmer
The freshman earns his second Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor after scoring a pair of first-place finishes for Penn State over the weekend. The freshman won floor exercise and vault titles for the fourth time this season, finishing his floor routine with a score of 15.100 and scored a 15.850 on his vault run. Grant's score on vault marked a new career high and also tied the team best for 2010, while his floor exercise score was one-tenth shy of a new personal record.
Last Penn State Freshman of the Week: Nick Grant (Jan. 18, 2010)
Gymnast of the Week Kylee Botterman, Michigan Jr., New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central
Botterman earns her first Big Ten Gymnast of the Week honor after winning the all-around title over the weekend in Michigan's dual meet win over Illinois. Botterman finished in the top two in each event and finished with a 39.675 all-around score, the third highest in the nation this year. The junior scored a perfect 10 on vault, the first Wolverine to do so in any event since 2004, and scored a 9.900 on bars in her first-place finishes. She also finished second on the balance beam (9.850) and floor exercise (9.925) to lead the Wolverines to a team total of 196.775.
Last Michigan Gymnast of the Week: Sarah Curtis (Feb. 2, 2009)
Freshman of the Week Brittnee Martinez, Michigan Colorado Springs, Colo./Doherty
Martinez wins her first Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor and becomes the second Wolverine freshman to win the weekly award. She earned three top-five finishes that included a fifth-place showing in the all-around with a score of 39.200 in Michigan's victory over Illinois. The freshman earned fourth-place finishes on vault and bars, earning a score of 9.825 on each apparatus. Martinez also finished with a 9.800 on floor exercise and a 9.750 on balance beam.
Last Michigan Freshman of the Week: Natalie Beilstein (Feb. 22, 2010)
Illinois' Aaron Johnson, Michigan's Chris Berset, Ohio State's Dan Burkhart and Penn State's Ben Heath are four of 53 members of the Coleman Company - Johnny Bench Award Watch List, the organization announced on Monday. The award is given annually to the top catcher in Division I college baseball. COMPLETE RELEASE
It's Tuesday and we are two days away from tip-off of the 2010 Big Ten
Women's Basketball Tournament. 
