Dec. 13, 2004
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Ranked No. 2 in RPI: The Big Ten is ranked No. 2 in the first edition of the RPI Report with a .5933 rating. The League follows only the ACC (.6195), while the SEC (.5762), Big East (.5716) and Big 12 (.5699) round out the top five.
Tough Schedules: According to the RPI Report, the Big Ten's strength of schedule is the toughest in the country. After one month of non-conference play, the Conference has taken on 14 top-25 ranked teams, more than the ACC (8), Big East (7), Big 12 (3), SEC (11) and Pac-10 (10). The Big Ten squads have also competed against 29 teams among the ACC, Big East, Big 12, SEC and Pac-10. The ACC follows behind the Big Ten, facing 25 teams among those six conferences, while the Big East has competed against 19. The Big Ten has four of the top 30 toughest schedules led by the Indiana Hoosiers, who are rated 17th in strength of schedule and followed by Wisconsin (19th), Purdue (23rd) and Iowa (29th). For the Hoosiers, three of their four losses have been against squads ranked in the top 10 of the national polls - Connecticut, Kentucky and North Carolina, while the Hawkeyes went 2-1 at the EA Sports Maui Invitational, defeating Louisville and Texas, before falling to North Carolina.
Big Ten's Fast Starts: After the first month of the 2004-05 season comes to a close, Illinois (9-0) is one of only 18 Division I squads with unblemished records. The Illini are off to their best start since the 1995-96 season when Illinois also opened the season with nine victories. The last time Illinois started the season with 10 straight wins was during the 1989-90 season. Iowa has only suffered one loss this season with an 8-1 record, falling to No. 9/11 North Carolina in the championship final of the EA Sports Maui Invitational this year. For the last three seasons, the Hawkeyes have opened with a 6-1 mark and sprinted to a 10-1 start during the 2000-01 season.
In the National Rankings: The Illini will look to remain No. 1 in both national polls for the first time in school history after one week. The last two times Illinois claimed the No. 1 ranking on January 22, 1952 and January 24, 1989, the Illini dropped out of first place in the polls the next week. Illinois is the first League school since Michigan State earned the No. 1 ranking in the Jan. 2, 2001 polls.
Badgers Streaking at Home: With Wisconsin defeating UW-Green Bay on Dec. 7, the Badgers lead the nation with a 32-game home winning streak. It 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. The Badgers will look to equal their school record on Wednesday when they host UW-Milwaukee. Wisconsin's last defeat at the Kohl Center occurred on December 4, 2002, against Wake Forest. The Badgers still trail the Big Ten record of 53 straight home triumphs set by Michigan State from 1998 to 2002 -- a winning streak that was ended by Wisconsin.
Big Ten Coaching Milestones: With a 97-72 record in his six seasons at the Hawkeye helm, Iowa head coach Steve Alford is only three wins away from becoming the fifth coach in school history to earn 100 victories. Earlier this season, he captured his 250th all-time victory and now has a record of 253-149 in 14 years of coaching. 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.
Tournament Tickets Now on Sale: Both all-session and single-session tickets for the 2005 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament are now on sale to the general public at the United Center box office, Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster at (312) 559-1212. The eighth annual event will be held from March 10-13, 2005, at the United Center in Chicago. All-session tickets, which include 10 games over four days, will be available for either $125 or $225 depending on seat location. Single-session tickets range from $20 to $75 based on seat location and session. Orders will be limited to 10 all-session tickets or 10 single-session tickets for each session.
Home Dominance: Big Ten squads have jumped out to a 39-7 mark (.848) in home games this season, as six teams are undefeated and nine of the 11 programs have one loss or fewer on their home courts. Michigan leads the way with a 6-0 mark, while Illinois (5-0), Iowa (5-0), Ohio State (5-0), Wisconsin (4-0) and Michigan State (3-0) are also unbeaten on their own floors. Last season, the Big Ten boasted a record of 116-45 (.720) at home.
Among the Nation's Best: The first edition of the NCAA national statistical rankings were released last Tuesday, as several Big Ten standouts appeared among the top 10 in the country. Penn State's Aaron Johnson was ranked fourth in the nation with 12.4 rebounds per game, while Illinois' Roger Powell was tied for eighth nationally in field goal percentage (70.4) and Iowa's Erek Hanson rated ninth in blocks (3.8 bpg). In the team rankings, Illinois ranked among the first 10 in three separate categories, as the Illini led the country with 22.3 assists per game while rating seventh in field goal percentage (52.2 percent) and fifth in three-point field goals per game (10.4). Michigan State also appeared among the top 10 in two statistical categories, as the Spartans ranked sixth in scoring offense (88.8 ppg) and free throw percentage (77.9 ppg). Iowa also rated ninth in blocked shots (7.1 bpg) and Northwestern placed eighth in the country with only 11.3 turnovers per game.
Top League performers: Several Big Ten standouts have posted impressive performances in the first month of non-conference action. Indiana's Bracey Wright tallied his fourth 30-plus point performance of his career with a League-high 31 points against Kentucky on Saturday. Penn State's Aaron Johnson has recorded two 20-plus rebounds games this season to lead the conference in rebounding with 11. 2 caroms per game. He is the first Big Ten player to reach the 20-rebound barrier since Evan Eschmeyer posted 21 versus Penn State on Jan. 20, 1999.
The 1,000 Point Milestone: Several Big Ten Standouts are setting their sights on reaching the 1,000 point plateau this season. Michigan State's Kelvin Torbert is 40 points away from becoming the fifth active Big Ten player to score 1,000 points. Illinois' Dee Brown (948), Michigan's Daniel Horton (954) and Wisconsin's Sharif Chambliss (908) are also within 100 points of that scoring plateau. Four Conference players entered the 2004-05 campaign with more than 1,000 career points in Indiana's Bracey Wright (1,129), Michigan State's Chris Hill (1,342), Ohio State's Tony Stockman (1,226) and Wisconsin's Mike Wilkinson (1,127).
