Dec. 6, 2004
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Big Ten's Fast Starts: With a 6-0 record, Illinois has jumped out to its best start since the 2002-03 season when the Illini opened with an 8-0 mark. For the second consecutive year, Iowa has opened the season with a 6-1 record, falling only to No. 9/11 North Carolina in the championship finals of the EA Sports Maui Invitational this season.
Big Ten Coaching Milestones: Iowa head coach Steve Alford captured his 250th all-time victory with the Hawkeyes' 88-53 win over Centenary last Friday. He now has a record of 251-149 in 14 years of coaching. Alford is also looking to become the fifth coach in school history to earn 100 victories after compiling a 95-72 record in his six seasons at Iowa. Northwestern head coach Bill Carmody stands only three wins away from claiming his 150th career victory with a 147-93 all-time record that includes a four-year stint at Princeton before joining the Wildcat staff in 2000.
Weekend Tournament Recaps: Iowa's Jeff Horner and Pierre Pierce earned co-MVP honors after leading the Hawkeyes to their 19th straight Gazette Hawkeye Challenge crown. Greg Brunner also joined Horner and Pierce on the All-Tournament team. Michigan State bounced back with a 66-60 victory over George Mason after suffering a loss to George Washington in the first game of the BB&T Classic. The Colonials would go on to upset No. 12 Maryland in the championship game. MSU's Maurice Ager earned All-Tournament honors after averaging 17.5 points last weekend.
Keady Honored by Naismith: Purdue's Gene Keady has been awarded the prestigious Naismith Award by the Naismith International Basketball Foundation. He is the 36th recipient of the award, which is presented to individuals who exhibit tremendous sportsmanship on and off the court and have made a lifelong dedication to the sport of basketball. Keady will be presented the award by Ian Naismith, grandson of James Naismith, inventor of the game of basketball, on Wednesday, Dec. 8, prior to the Oklahoma game in a ceremony on Keady Court in Mackey Arena. Other notables to receive the award include Michael Jordan, John Wooden, Oscar Robertson, Red Auerbach and Eddie Sutton. Sutton was the last recipient of the award.
Senior CLASS Award: Illinois' Roger Powell, Jr. and Michigan State's Chris Hill have been nominated for the fourth annual Bayer Advantage Senior CLASS Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top senior player for NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball. The CLASS award -- an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School -- was developed in response to the recent trend of college basketball players leaving school early. Ten finalists will be named in February and the winner will be announced at the Tribute Gala, scheduled for Saturday, April 30, 2005 in Kansas City.
Home Away From Home: Illinois will head to the friendly confines of the United Center, home of the 2005 Big Ten Basketball Tournament, to face Oregon on Saturday, December 11. The Illini have posted a strong record at the United Center in non-conference action, defeating Arkansas, 84-61, last season. Illinois also claimed the Big Ten Tournament title the last time it was at the United Center in 2003. Iowa will also compete in non-conference action at the United Center when the Hawkeyes face Texas Tech on Dec. 21. After a one-year hiatus, the Conference returns to Chicago this season to crown the 2005 Tournament Champion from March 10-13.
Badgers Streaking at Home: With Wisconsin defeating No. 12/12 Maryland, 69-64, on Nov. 30, the Badgers extended their home winning streak to 31 games, tying Stephen F. Austin for the longest streak in the nation. Last season, Wisconsin was the only League school to produce a perfect record at home as the Badgers built a 15-0 mark at the Kohl Center. The streak is the second-longest string of success in school history, as UW was victorious in 33 consecutive contests from March 8, 1911 to January 23, 1918. Wisconsin's last defeat at the Kohl Center occurred on December 4, 2002, against Wake Forest. UW still trails the Big Ten record of 53 straight home triumphs set by Michigan State from 1998 to 2002 -- a winning streak that was ended by the Badgers.
International Flavor: Northwestern is one of six schools in the nation with five or more international players on its roster. Birmingham-Southern leads the country with six international players, while the Wildcats, Florida International, Loyola (Md.), Maine and Old Dominion follow with five. NU's 16-player roster includes Bernard Cote and Mohamed Hachad, who are both from Quebec, Canada, and Davor Duvancic, Ivan Tolic and Vedran Vukusic from Split, Croatia. The Big Ten's list of international players also include Indiana's Lucas Steijn (Muiderberg, Netherlands), Michigan's Amadou Bo (Mauritania, Africa), Michigan State's Idong Ibok (Lagos, Nigeria) and Wisconsin's Andreas Helmigk (Klagenfurt, Austria).
2004 Big Ten/ACC Challenge Review: The Big Ten won two of the three matchups that had both teams ranked in the top 25. Illinois is 2-0 in the Challenge after defeating No. 1/1 Wake Forest, 91-73 on Dec. 1. It marked the first time a League school defeated a No. 1 ranked non-conference opponent since Purdue ousted No. 1 Arizona, 72-69, on Nov. 25, 2000. Wisconsin also downed No. 12/12 Maryland, 69-64, to improve to 2-3 in the event, while Michigan State was edged by No. 10/10 Duke, 81-74 ... Seven of nine games were decided by seven points or fewer ... Only three of the League's nationally-ranked squads competed as No. 23 Iowa did not compete in this year's Challenge.
The Injury Report: On Sunday, Michigan lost Third Team All-Conference honoree Lester Abram for the 2004-05 season due to shoulder surgery, while Graham Brown will miss four to six weeks following hernia surgery. Abram, the top returning scorer from last season (14.1 ppg), was only able to play in three games this year and can apply for a medical hardship to regain an additional year of eligibility. Brown, who ranks third on the team in rebounding (6.3 pg) is tentatively expected to return at the beginning of Conference play. Purdue's David Teague returned on Nov. 27, after breaking his right shooting hand in practice on Nov. 1. The leading scorer from last season has posted an average of 8.3 points per game since his return.
Big Ten Basketball: 100 Years, 100 Moments, 100 Days: During the 2004-05 year, the Big Ten Conference will commemorate the 100th season of men's basketball. The League is celebrate this milestone with a website tribute highlighting the past 100 years of men's basketball history and tradition. On Saturday, December 4, the League tipped off the campaign with the introduction of "Big Ten Basketball: 100 Years, 100 Moments, 100 Days" on the League's official website, www.bigten.org. Over a 100-day span, the Conference office will post a daily centennial moment in men's basketball history, ending on the final day of the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament on March 13, 2005. In addition, beginning in January the League's weekly basketball releases will also promote historical accomplishments that portend success in the present and future.
Fresh Faces in the Big Ten: Several Big Ten freshmen are stepping into the spotlight early during the non-conference season. A total of 10 newcomers have made at least one start this year, while Indiana's Robert Vaden (4) and D.J. White (4), Minnesota's Dan Coleman (5) and Penn State's Geary Claxton (7) have started all games for their respective teams.
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