It's never too early to start looking ahead to the 2013-14 college basketball season and several outlets rank Big Ten squads among their respective early preseason Top-25 teams. Here's a look at where some of the conference programs rank heading into the 2013 offseason.
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Louisville 82, Michigan 76
The University of Michigan men's basketball team (No. 10 AP, No. 11 Coaches) led by as many as 12 points in the first half -- on the strength of 17 points from freshman guard Spike Albrecht in the opening 20 minutes -- but Louisville (No. 2 AP, No. 2 Coaches) rallied to take the 82-76 victory in the NCAA Tournament final on Monday night inside the Georgia Dome.
The University of Michigan men's basketball team (No. 10 AP, No. 11 Coaches) led by as many as 12 points in the first half -- on the strength of 17 points from freshman guard Spike Albrecht in the opening 20 minutes -- but Louisville (No. 2 AP, No. 2 Coaches) rallied to take the 82-76 victory in the NCAA Tournament final on Monday night inside the Georgia Dome.
The backcourt tandem of sophomore point guard Trey Burke and junior guard Tim Hardaway Jr. took a backseat to Albrecht, who stole the show in the opening 20 minutes, scoring a career-best 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting in 16 minutes. He nailed four three-pointers, had a pair of driving layups and knocked down one free throw. Burke finished the game with a team-best 24 points and three assists in the contest. Hardaway contributed 12 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Albrecht finished with 17 points in the game.
Michigan's Trey Burke, Indiana's Victor Oladipo and Wisconsin's Bo Ryan were honored by the National Association of Basketball Coaches with postseason awards on Sunday, while Burke was honored with the Naismith Award as the National Player of the Year. It marks the second time in four seasons a Big Ten standout has won the Naismith Award as former Ohio State standout Evan Turner claimed the honor in 2010.
Burke earned NABC Player of the Year honors to become the first Wolverine to win the honor. It is the second straight year a Big Ten player was singled out by the coaches as Michigan State's Draymond Green won NABC accolades in 2012. Meanwhile, Oladipo garnered National Defensive Player of the Year accolades, sharing the honor with Kansas' Jeff Withey and Wisconsin's Ryan was honored with the NABC Coaches vs. Cancer Champion Award.
Michigan 61, Syracuse 56
Making its first NCAA Final Four appearance in 20 years, the University of Michigan men's basketball team received a big lift from its bench in defeating Syracuse, 61-56, in the national semifinal round Saturday before a crowd of 75,350 at the Georgia Dome. The Wolverines (31-7) will play No. 1 overall seed Louisville in the national championship game Monday at 9:23 p.m. on CBS.
Making its first NCAA Final Four appearance in 20 years, the University of Michigan men's basketball team received a big lift from its bench in defeating Syracuse, 61-56, in the national semifinal round Saturday before a crowd of 75,350 at the Georgia Dome. The Wolverines (31-7) will play No. 1 overall seed Louisville in the national championship game Monday at 9:23 p.m. on CBS.
Freshman forward Mitch McGary had his third straight double-double, finishing with 10 points and 12 rebounds. He added a career-high six assists against the Orange. McGary had six points, seven rebounds and four assists in the first half. Junior guard Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 13 points, grabbed six rebounds and contributed five assists. Sophomore guard Trey Burke added seven points, five rebounds and four assists.
Indiana guard Jordan Hulls, who led the Hoosiers to the Sweet 16 has been selected as the 2012-13 Senior CLASS Award® winner in NCAA® Division I men's basketball. The award, chosen by a nationwide vote of Division I men's basketball coaches, national basketball media and fans, is given annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in Division I men's basketball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - classroom, community, character and competition.
During his career, Hulls has been recognized as an Academic All-American and is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree. After completing his bachelor of science in kinesiology in three years, the Bloomington, Ind., native will complete his athletic administration master's program in August. While in college, Hulls worked to help people become more physically fit. He worked with patients recovering from cardiac issues and also encouraged faculty members in need of beginning a healthy lifestyle.
A day after winning the Associated Press Player of the Year award, Michigan's Trey Burke was named the John R. Wooden Award winner and the USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Year on Friday morning. He is the first Wolverine to take home the Wooden Award honor and the second Wolverine to win the USBWA award, following Cazzie Russell in 1966, and the first Big Ten standout since Evan Turner in 2010 to take home both honors.
Baylor 74, Iowa 54
It was the most inopportune time for the University of Iowa men's basketball team to have an off shooting night. The Hawkeyes tied a season-low with a 26.1 field goal percentage (18-of-69) in a 74-54 loss to Baylor in the championship game of the National Invitation Tournament in Madison Square Garden. The Hawkeyes finish the 2012-13 season with a 25-13 record, the second most victories in school history. RECAP
It was the most inopportune time for the University of Iowa men's basketball team to have an off shooting night. The Hawkeyes tied a season-low with a 26.1 field goal percentage (18-of-69) in a 74-54 loss to Baylor in the championship game of the National Invitation Tournament in Madison Square Garden. The Hawkeyes finish the 2012-13 season with a 25-13 record, the second most victories in school history. RECAP
