Bleacher Report - Big Ten Basketball

Northwestern Basketball Growing Up Fast as They Win Chicago Invitational

Aaron Morse — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 03:36:23 -0500

It was a strange sight; Northwestern standing at half-court of the UIC Pavilion holding a giant tournament trophy. They are the champions of the Chicago Invitational. Northwestern hadn't been the champions of any tournament since 1993. Going into the four-team tournament portion of the Invitational, no one really expected NU to get past the first round.

But sophomore forward John Shurna, who earned tournament MVP honors, would not let them lose to Iowa State on Saturday, and he tallied a career-high 25 points in Friday's upset over No. 23 Notre Dame.

He "only" scored 23 against Iowa State, but he had 17 before you could blink in the 1st half. Northwestern's offense was absolutely stagnate against the Cyclones early on in the game. Shurna was the only man who kept them going. He drilled two three-pointers early, but actually struggled with his outside shot as the game went on, finishing 3-10 from deep.

No worries, Shurna went inside and displayed the best post moves I've seen from him during his short time at NU. He wasn't just a scorer either, he pulled down a team-leading seven rebounds and dished out four assists. Shurna doesn't just put points on the board, he makes others better as well.

As the second half rolled around, other NU players started to give Shurna some help. The Princeton Offense was run to perfection a number of times, as the 'Cats scored on a bunch of back-door cuts.

Junior point guard Michael "Juice" Thompson and Senior shooting guard Jeremy Nash were named to the All-Tournament team for good reason. They each tallied double figures in the finale against Iowa State, and Juice was unstoppable at times against Notre Dame. Meanwhile, Nash's defense at the top of the 1-3-1 was a wonder to behold versus the Fighting Irish.

Speaking of defense, Iowa State handled both the 1-3-1, and the 2-3 zone defenses pretty well, so NU head coach Bill Carmody did something you don't often see: he instructed the 'Cats to play man to man.

It worked. During a 12-minute span in the second half, the Cyclones tallied exactly ONE field goal.

The X-factor on this team, and the man who gives me great hope for this season is freshman shooting guard Alex Marcotullio. Not only does he shoot the lights out from outside, he plays terrific defense as well. He made some excellent defensive plays against the Cyclones, leading NU with three steals. He tallied 13 points against Notre Dame, including two dagger threes, and chipped in 8 points versus ISU.

But what impresses me most about the freshman is not necessarily his stats. It's his attitude. The kid WANTS the ball in crunch time, and he's tenacious on defense. His body language on the court just exudes confidence. Plus, his high socks are just plain baller.

NU's performance in the Chicago Invitational was very impressive to be sure, but there was some significant room for improvement.

First and foremost, they have to get SOMETHING out of 6'11 Luka Mirkovic and 7'0'' Kyle Rowley. Both showed flashes of competence last year as freshmen, but as of now they've seemingly regressed this season.

Rowley turned the ball over three times in nine minutes against ISU, while Mirkovic looks very confused and nervous whenever he gets the ball. He had a nice game against Notre Dame, but struggled against Iowa State.

Both were so bad on Saturday that Carmody went to reserve big man Davide Curletti, who didn't even play against Notre Dame. The sophomore made the most out of his opportunity though, draining a huge three from the top of the key and dishing out a couple of assists.

Right now I'm holding out hope that at the very least Mirkovic can get back to last year's form, but as of now, there's a big void in the middle.

Drew Crawford continues to be a bit of an enigma. The freshman has tremendous athleticism and I love his contributions on the boards, but he looks uncomfortable in the Princeton Offense. He's very streaky too, after a huge game against Liberty, he went scoreless against Notre Dame.

He came back and played OK against ISU, tallying four points and pulling down four rebounds while blocking two shots. But they need more from him. I'd like to see Crawford average about 10 points per game. If he can, he provides another option for NU on offense, and they become even more dangerous.

Besides that, I'm very pleased with where NU is at right now. They have a big road test coming up on December 1 in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge as they take on North Carolina State. If they can pull out a win there, the only remaining potentially tough non-conference game is when Stanford comes to town on December 19.

They have a brutal start to the Big Ten schedule, as they take on a bunch of NCAA tournament teams right off the bat. They must avoid the 0-4 start that made their climb towards the NCAA bubble quite the uphill journey last year.

If they do, we could be in for one wild ride towards Selection Sunday as the season rolls along.

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Reviewing Penn State's Charleston Classic Performance

Ben Jones — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:55:13 -0500

What felt like the start of the Old Spice Classic 2.0 of two years ago ended with feeling a little better about things after a 59-57 win over Davidson in the final game of the Charleston Classic.

In a tournament that gave everybody a taste of the good old days of Penn State basketball, the Lions will look to never look back and take the victory and rebuild positive momentum for the rest of the season.

So what did we learn from the Classic?

Jeff Brooks is coming into his own

After the first two games of the season, it was clear that Brooks had found himself and was playing within his game, but it still remained to be seen how he would play on the road. In the three games at the Classic, Brooks produced 36 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists. This has vaulted Brooks to being the No. 2 scoring option on the team, averaging 11.5 points a game.

It’s still taking everybody some getting used to watching Jeff shoot the ball, but it is a nice thing to have to get used to.

Free Throws

For some reason we’re hitting 80 percent of them. After free throws being the weak point in last season's close games, it is nice to see that the free ones are falling.

Bill Edwards looks good

Coming off of injury, it’s going to take a little bit of time to get back into the swing of things, but Edwards produced eight points in his first game of the season and plays with a high level of basketball IQ. Look for him to take over David Jackson’s minutes if he continues to play at a high level.

Don't be surprised if it takes him a little time get over the mental roadblock of playing after an injury, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him making big contributions to the team very soon.

I just want to punch those missed shots in the face

So that was a lot of good things for losing two out of three games. What needs to be improved for the rest of the season?

Defense

Solid in the lane defense is a must, or the Big Ten season was going to be pretty painful to watch. With big body guys like Jeff Brooks and Drew Jones, they shouldn’t have an issue banging around inside, but for whatever reason they seem to be playing a little timid.

Jones does average about seven rebounds a game, which is nice, and Brooks has picked up his rebounding, but the penetration defense as a whole needs to be stronger. When the lane is strong, the perimeter is weak, and opponents are shooting at a 34 percent clip from three against us this season, so finding a balance on defense is key.

Hit some shots

For whatever reason shots just weren’t falling for the Lions. We’re talking lay-ups and five-foot jumpers. How many times have you seen Talor Battle miss a lay-up? I can now say I’ve seen him miss two, and it’s the weirdest thing ever.

These guys just need to hit the gym and get the confidence back. The teams they were beaten by beat them for the most part because nothing was falling for the Lions. Battle did have a few big scoring games, but at the same time he chucked up a million shots in each game and only landed about a third of them. That's not going to fly in Big Ten season.

Those are two big things to work on, but if you’re hitting your shots and the defense is playing well, then you don't have much to worry about. So here's to the start of the rest of the season. 3-2 with many, many games to go.

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What Do We Know About Penn State Basketball So Far?

Ben Jones — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:30:34 -0500

Coming into this year, your average fan had pretty high expectations for the Penn State basketball season.

After capturing a school-high 27 wins and the NIT Championship, it is pretty hard to imagine what sort of school wouldn’t have lofty expectations of a team returning a large portion of its starters and an All-American candidate.

True, they lost their heart and soul in Jamelle Cornley and two streaky three-ball shooters in Danny Morrissey and Stanley Pringle, but the likes of Chris Babb, Tim Frazier, and Talor Battle brought hope to the Lion faithful that those roles would soon be filled.

With expectations so high, every possession is critiqued, but what are sports without armchairs? With that in mind, you would think that people would have a pretty good idea of what to expect out of this team a whole six (seven) games into the season. The general response to that question is along the lines of, "We’ve got no idea what the hell to expect."

Let's take a look at what we do actually know, what we can expect in the future, and a few reasons not to lose hope after a 4-2 start.

Quick shots—Positives

* The team is shooting 43.3 percent from the field, only 0.6 percent from last year's average.

* Averaging 70.3 PPG.

* Shooting free throws at a 77.2 percent clip, 12 percent better than last season (15th in the nation).

* Six players averaging seven or more PPG, three of which average over 10 PPG (last year only three over seven PPG).

Positives in detail

Jeff Brooks, David Jackson are making a name for themselves

After three seasons of limited production, Brooks and Jackson are both showing great improvement and determination, averaging 10 and 11 points respectively. Both players are making great strides in their play.

Brooks has impressed the coaches especially with his athletic play and his decision-making ability. In the past Brooks' greatest weakness was his mental game; now that he is playing with a positive attitude and confidence, Brooks could have an explosive season.

Talor Battle is Talor Battle

Averaging 18 PPG, Battle is looking to improve on his amazing sophomore year with another solid season. Averaging six rebounds and three assists a game, Battle is a double-double threat any given night. There isn’t much to say that hasn’t already been said about Talor.

This year he has to focus on making the rest of the team better, and so far he is doing just that, guiding the offense that has had six different players score in double digits this season.

The Bench

For the first time in the Ed DeChellis era, starters are going to be pushed by the bench players if they want to keep their starting spots. Already this season Bill Edwards has brought forth the speculation that he could start over David Jackson despite Jackson’s great improvement.

It wouldn’t be a big surprise to see this team average four to five players in double digits. As the Big Ten season gets here, the depth of the Lions will really help them out.

Quick shots—Negatives

* The Lions' three-point defense is suffering as teams are shooting 36 percent against them.

* Inside game is in need of a leader; plenty of skilled players in the position, but somebody needs to take charge.

* Rebounding, especially on the offensive zone, is lacking.

Negatives in detail

Rebounding

If you can shoot the ball better than the other team and outrebound them, you’re almost guaranteed to get the W. So far the Lions are only taking care of the shooting side of things, and although the Lions are outrebounding teams by a +1.7 margin, it is the sort of thing that doesn’t really show on the court.

Plenty of the close games this season could have been much more in the Lions' favor if they had a few more timely rebounds. That aspect of the game should get better as the season goes along, but it still should be addressed.

Defense

All of the games the Lions have lost this year have been close within the last four minutes of the game. The biggest issue with the Lions has been finding the defense that can stop teams for a few possessions and get themselves back on track or long enough to hang on and win.

So far this season when the Lions focus on defending the lane, it has left the outside shots too wide open; when focusing on the outside, the inside becomes weak. The key for the Lions' success will be finding a balance on defense that works.

Playing inside

Andrew Jones ended last season with high hopes, averaging almost a double-double in the NIT. Jones was expected to keep that pace up and give the Lions an inside go-to. So far that position hasn’t really found its dominating player, and Jones hasn’t been what he was in the NIT.

In the two games Bill Edwards has played in, he has shown a great ability to get the ball to the glass, but he isn’t a pure big man, so that only sort of solves that problem. The sooner the inside game gets figured out, the better.

The nice part about the negatives of this season so far is that they are all related. The sooner a big man stakes his claim to the paint, the sooner the rebounds will go the Lions' way, and the better the defense will become.

Odds and Ends

This year has had an odd start. In both of the Lions' losses they had the chance to win, and personally I believe that they win both of those games if they had played those games at home.

On paper this team is better than the NIT Championship-winning team last year. The issue has been finding everybody a role and executing on both sides of the ball. At times this team has looked special, and at other times it has showed its youth.

It isn’t unreasonable to assume a lot of the Lions' basic issues will work themselves out as the season goes along; how much they are worked out will be the difference in how this season goes. It’s easy to look at the two losses and assume you know what will happen this year, but this team has serious potential and could find itself sooner than you might think.

The biggest key will be getting a tougher defense going and finding a place for all the talented players this team has. Bill Edwards and Tim Frazier are the real deal—it is only a matter of time before the rest of the Big Ten finds out.

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Michigan Wolverines' Success Will Depend on the Play of Manny Harris

Jameson Fleming — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:10:10 -0500

ORLANDO-- Some teams are built to succeed even when their best players struggle.

Michigan is not one of them.

Let's face it, Michigan isn't going to score easily if Manny Harris isn't in the game or even just creating.

There's a reason Manny Harris never left the floor after halftime and the first half only received a quick rest around a time out according to coach John Beilein. Harris's play is critical to the effectiveness of Michigan's perimeter based attack which hoisted 27 three-pointers in a 83-76 OT win against Creighton on Thanksgiving.

If DeShawn Sims struggles like he did, Michigan's offense can only come from what Harris creates. There's really no one else on this team yet that can effectively create his own shot. Darius Morris isn't at the point in his development yet to be able to finish easily and Laval Lucas-Perry generally gets the majority of his points by being a beneficiary of Harris's play.

Harris faces the challenge of never being able to take a possession off and on Thanksgiving he was up to the task.

Harris showed late against Creighton how critical he is to the Wolverines' success.

Down the stretch as both teams looked like they were losing their legs, the junior wing turned it up a notch.

After the game, Harris claimed he never got tired despite a frenetic pace Creighton established with a full-court press the lasted most of the game.

It showed.

During the majority of the second half as Michigan lost its lead and began to fall behind, Harris was often not the focal point of the offense. In the final five minutes, Harris said he made it his prerogative to take over the game.

Harris had a hand in almost every offensive possession. As Michigan's top passer, best slasher, solid shooter, and glass crasher, Harris embraces all four of those roles and pushed his many skills to the forefront when the game was on the line.

"DeShawn [Sims] wasn't shooting the ball that well so there wasn't a lot of gaps for Manny [Harris]," said Beilein. "We had to create the gaps to open things up for Manny."

Harris opened things up for himself by simply playing with more composure. Harris stopped forcing shots and passes. Harris regularly finds himself in the lane with the defense collapsing. He's got two options at that point, continue to drive, take the low percentage shot and hope for the foul or find a teammate who's standing wide open because two or three defenders have keyed in on Harris.

Harris mostly chose the latter.

It's not just what Manny Harris can do that concerns Michigan's future opponent Marquette.

"They ran 25 different offensive sets and four different defenses," Marquette coach Buzz Williams said. "That's a lot to learn in the next 18 hours."

There were two Marquette coaches scouting Michigan next to me on press row. The one assistant repeatedly pointed out the complexity of the sets as Michigan uses a lot of ball reversal and what the coaches called point guard rejection.

Essentially, Michigan runs plays where the point guard passes the ball off, the Wolverines set it the play up so the player has nowhere to go with the ball so the ball automatically returns to the point guard while the rest of his team runs through the set.

This creates some deception as the defense thinks the set play is beginning when the wing player receives the first pass from the point guard.

For more on college basketball, follow Jameson on Twitter . He'll be live in Orlando on press row for the entire Old Spice Classic.

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Northwestern Women's Basketball Earns Signature Win over No. 15 DePaul

Aaron Morse — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 04:32:17 -0500

When Joe McKeown coached women's basketball at George Washington, success wasn't something fans hoped for, it was what they expected.

During his 19 seasons there, he went to the NCAA Tournament 15 times. His final two years were some of his best, as GW advanced to the Sweet 16 both seasons.

Then he left and came to Northwestern.

Northwestern women's basketball has had what McKeown has described as "a losing culture" for over a decade. The last time they made the Big Dance was 1997, where they lost in the first round to McKeown's GW squad.

Last year was McKeown's first season in Evanston, where he suffered his first losing record as a head coach. Northwestern won three Big Ten games last year. That matched their combined Big Ten wins total from the previous TWO seasons.

But this year they're off to a 4-0 start and upset No. 15 DePaul Tuesday night by a final score of 59-55.

They did it mostly through the leadership and determination of players who were recruited by former NU head coach Beth Combs.

Combs showed some good recruiting during her finals years in Evanston, but McKeown's coaching ability has been what's made the difference. They enjoy playing for him, and his knowledge of basketball is unparalleled.

Take the case of junior point guard Beth Marshall. Marshall played significant minutes under Combs as a true freshman, but didn't have a particularly good shot and was turnover prone.

Then she missed two years due to injury. After sitting out last year, Marshall is back and might be the key to the entire season. She does not look like someone who has been unable to play for two years. She is playing tenacious defense, forcing a lot of turnovers and she's been the undisputed leader on the offensive side of the floor.

Tuesday, she put it upon herself to pick up the scoring slack as star center Amy Jaeschke had a miserable day from the field. With DePaul making a late charge to take a six-point lead. Marshall coolly drained a three-pointer to cut the deficit in half. Then she stole the ball on the other end of the floor to continue the 'Cats furious rally in the final few minutes.

This rejuvinated women's team only has one senior, and that's 5th year senior shooting guard Kristin Cartwright. She too has had her struggles during her career, she missed the entire season with an injury two years ago.

But yesterday she not only provided some crucial early offense to finish with 13 points, she distributed the ball well too, dishing out five assists. Cartwright has always been an excellent free throw shooter, and she showed she could do it in the clutch as well, knocking down the two free throws that gave NU the lead for good.

In the front court, Jaeschke made up for her struggles on offense with some outstanding defense. She blocked a couple shots late that helped NU get the victory. Normally, NU cannot win if Jaeschke struggles offensively, Tuesday proved that this team has other players who can step up, and that's exactly what they did.

The attitude and depth of this year's women's team is better than it's been for many years. But McKeown, a perfectionist if there ever was one, says they still have a long way to go.

The 'Cats turned the ball over way too much Tuesday, so that will give the coach something to focus on as they go forward.

It's very likely NU could be 6-0 heading into the Big Ten/ACC Challenge against Clemson. If they win that game, then we might be talking about a team on the cusp of the top 25.

I went to practice a few weeks ago and talked to Coach McKeown. He told me that his teams at George Washington practiced with a certain swagger. They knew they were good and practiced and played with the attitude that no one could beat them except themselves. He told me at the time that NU was nowhere near that level yet, and they still had a lot of bad habits they had to overcome.

Tuesday was a HUGE step in the right direction. It was the first time they'd beaten DePaul in over a decade, and the first time they'd knocked off a top 25 team since the 2005-2006 season. It's also their first 4-0 start since the 1995-1996 team started 9-0 on their way to the WNIT.

If you're interested in checking out this rapidly improving squad, their schedule can be found here .

They're definitely a team to watch, so you might want to jump on the bandwagon now before March rolls around.

Read more Big Ten Basketball news on BleacherReport.com

Iowa Men's Basketball Off to its Worst Start in 80 Years

Bret Feddern — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:37:03 -0500

Hawkeye basketball continues to make history this season.

Unfortunately, it's for playing basketball they would rather forget.

Iowa started off the season by losing its first two games, something the team had not done since 1970. Then, they gained their first win of the season with a 68-46 throttling of last year's Mid-American Conference champions, Bowling Green.

Freshman Eric May went 4-for-4 from behind the arch and led all Hawkeyes with 16 points. Anthony Tucker picked up 13 points and nine assists in the win, as well.

The victory was a turning point for the team, Coach Todd Lickliter said.

Sadly, that turning point resembled a car turning into oncoming traffic at a high rate of speed.

After the victory over the Bowling Green Falcons, Iowa headed to Kansas City for the second portion of the 2009 O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic, where Texas and Wichita State awaited.

The trip to Kansas City started with a loss to No. 3 ranked Texas by a score of 85-60. Iowa kept it close in the first half, and even tied the game with a 70-foot buzzer-beater from freshman point guard Cully Payne to make the score at 38-38 at halftime.

But, Texas hit 66 percent of its second-half shots and went on a 17-0 run during the game’s final 20 minutes to seal Iowa's fate. The Hawkeyes shot just 32 percent in the game.

Texas's Damion James and Dexter Pittman combined for 25 points, 20 rebounds, and six blocked shots against the Hawkeyes.

The day after the Texas loss came the 74-57 loss to Wichita State in the consolation game.

The Shockers made five three point baskets in the game's first 10 minutes and grabbed nine offensive rebounds to help them maintain a comfortable lead for most of the game. Their bench outscored Iowa's 29-9.

The Hawkeyes lost all four of its CBE Classic games, averaging just over 54 points a game and shooting just over 35 percent.

"This has been a very, very demanding opening schedule," Lickliter reminded reporters after the Wichita State game.

Lickliter has a point. The Hawkeye Nation will need to have a little patience this year and remember that the bulk of Iowa's team is in their first year of college. While it is clear the freshman have some talent, they are still very green to college basketball and are learning as they go.

Iowa is now 1-4 on the season, its worst start since 1929 when the Hawkeyes began the season 1-6.

The Hawkeyes return to action Saturday, November 28 against North Carolina Central, when former Hawkeye basketball legend Kenyon Murray makes his debut as Basketball Analyst for the Big Ten Network while calling the game.

Hopefully Iowa can give Murray a memorable game to call.

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Minnesota Gophers Face First Real Test in Anaheim 76 Classic

Kevin Lindsey — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:49:13 -0500

The No. 16 ranked Minnesota Gophers play the No. 10 ranked Butler Bulldogs in their first round game of the 76 Classic Tournament in Anaheim, California on Thanksgiving. The clash with Butler represents the first real test for Minnesota this season and will provide insight into whether the Gophers have the talent to contend for the Big Ten title.

Minnesota has won its first three games of the season over Tennessee Tech, Stephen F. Austin, and Utah Valley without much fanfare. Minnesota was able to win each game by more than 25 points.

While the margin of victory has been substantial, the most impressive aspect of the Gopher victories has been the willingness of the team to eagerly embrace the tenets of Tubby ball - suffocating defense and balanced scoring.

Every eligible player on the team is averaging at least 10 minutes of playing time a game. Eight Gophers are averaging at least five points a game and several different players have shared the honor of being the team’s leading scorer on the night.

Freshman Rodney Williams has played well demonstrating his athletic versatility by making rim-rattling dunks as well as hitting long jumpers. Junior Al Nolen has done a good job running the team at the point guard position and the team has a respectable 1.9 to 1 assist to turnover ratio.

Minnesota will need its suffocating defense and balanced scoring if the team is to beat Butler on its way to the 76 Classic Championship.

The Bulldogs are not as deep as the Gophers but they appear to be worthy of their early season ranking.

Butler has a very credible inside-outside combination in Sophomores Shelvin Mack (13.0, 3, 5) and Gordon Hayward (15.3, 8, 2).

Mack and Hayward were members of the United States U-19 National Team that went 9-0 at the FIBA U-19 World Championship in New Zealand in July of this year. Hayward was named to the All-Star Tournament Team and Mack was instrumental in running the team as the point guard.

In the rugged and point guard rich Big Ten, the matchup with Butler will be a very good test for Minnesota.

The winner of the Minnesota/Butler game advances to play the winner of the UCLA/Portland game in the championship bracket. The loser plays the loser of the UCLA/Portland game in the consolation bracket.

Minnesota should be the favorite in the second round game regardless of its opponent. The second game however will not be the proverbial walk in the park.

UCLA rebounded nicely with two wins and a 20 point victory over Pepperdine after losing to Cal State Fullerton in double overtime in their season opener. The Portland Pilots have a 3-0 record and an 88-81 upset over Oregon.

If Minnesota wins its second round game, the Gophers will likely play their second Top No. 20 team in the tournament barring a second round upset in the other bracket.

The Gophers likely opponent will be either No. 8 West Virginia or No. 19 Clemson. Similar to Butler, either opponent will provide an excellent test for Minnesota as both teams are comparable to the upper echelon teams in the Big Ten.

Minnesota is a good team that has won its first three games in convincing fashion. Everyone on the team has had a chance to gain experience. However, none of the teams Minnesota has faced this season has talent comparable to the teams that the Gophers will face in the Big Ten.

The Big Ten is loaded this year with six teams in the top 25 and possibly eight teams worthy of an NCAA bid. Minnesota will not have any weekends off once the Big Ten season starts.

As November comes to a close it is time for the Gophers to find out how good they really are by playing against some of the best teams in the country. After the 76 Classic, we will know if the Gophers are prepared to challenge for the Big Ten title.

Minnesota can make a statement that they are prepared to contend for the Big Ten title by winning the 76 Classic.

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The Old Gym That is Northwestern's Welsh-Ryan Arena

Paul Swaney — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:41:52 -0500

This article originally published on www.stadiumjourney.com

The first thing you need to know about Welsh-Ryan Arena is that it is not an arena. It’s a gym. I hope you understand that this distinction is a very good thing. You immediately feel the intimacy, and you know there is no bad seat. This cozy home of the Northwestern Wildcats seats 8,117 and has been their home since 1952.

FANFARE Score: 21 (out of 35)

Food and Beverage: 2

Make sure you get something before you come to Welsh-Ryan as there really isn’t anything available besides snacks and soda.

Atmosphere: 4

I mentioned earlier that there is no bad seat. Well that’s true from a viewing perspective, but there are actually a lot of bad seats. In fact, the worst part about the game is having to sit down. Welsh-Ryan is mostly filled with old school bleachers, and when you sit you’re immediately leg-to-leg with the people next to you, as well as having a knee in your back, and a back in your knee.

If you take nothing else from this review, please at least heed this piece of advice: Sit in sections 101-107 or 201-207. You’ll get an actual chair, and believe me, you’ll be glad you did. Adding to my discomfort was the elderly man sitting in front of me, who continually kept sliding off the bleacher, and deeper into my leg.

Now, that one (important) criticism aside, this was a great place to see a game. For my experience there were essentially two student sections—the Northwestern sections behind each basket, and the Illinois section up near me.

That led to an extremely charged atmosphere, made even greater as Illinois came back to steal a win from Northwestern who was tied or lead (literally) 39 minutes and 58 seconds. Demetri McCamey made a 12-foot bank shot with under two seconds to play, and the crowd erupted in my section, and sunk in the Northwestern section.

Neighborhood: 3

Prior to the game, I spent some time in beautiful downtown Evanston (about a mile or so from the gym). I began my night at Merle’s, a southwestern themed BBQ joint, where I enjoyed a half slab of Chicago style ribs, some creamy mac and cheese, and a Goose Island Honker’s Ale.

I then walked a few blocks to Tommy Nevin’s pub—which was filled with Illini fans, where I sat at the bar and tried a Rogue Yellow Snow Ale (which was a new beer for me, and very tasty). I liked Nevin’s quite a bit—good beer selection, and it felt like an authentic Irish pub, without seeming to try too hard.

Next, I made the short drive up to the Arena, making a stop at Bluestone Bar, which was completely packed. It’s remarkable that it’s the only bar within easy walking distance to Welsh-Ryan and the football stadium, Ryan Field. An entrepreneur would do well to open another establishment to handle the overflow.

I made one additional stop at Mustard’s Last Stand, for a Polish dog. Mustard’s is a small traditionally Chicago hot dog and hamburger joint with plenty of interesting local sports memorabilia and autographed photos on the wall. I would recommend each of the establishments I tried.

Fans: 3

Being a fan of a team that hosted the first NCAA tournament, yet has never participated in the big dance has got to be difficult. That being said, the Northwestern students bring good energy, and the school does a good job of getting them down on the court behind the baskets.

It’s unfortunate that the alumni and fans don’t fill up the rest of arena. Instead, rival school alumni are able to take away some of the edge of the home court advantage as there are usually plenty of tickets available.

Access: 4

Street parking is plentiful around Welsh-Ryan, and with only 8,000 fans rolling out, it’s generally easy to get going after the game. Restrooms are small so you may want to sneak out a couple of minutes before halftime.

Return on Investment: 4

With the exception of the discomfort of the seats, the experience of Welsh-Ryan is well worth the price of admission.

Etc: 1

One extra point for that old gym feel, something that makes college basketball games special.

Paul Swaney is a Co-Founder of Stadium Journey

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Purdue-Tennessee: Paradise Jam Final in 140 Characters or Less

Tim Cary — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:36:14 -0500

I love covering sports on Twitter. What I don't love quite as much? Losing followers right and left because I send out hundreds of tweets in a two-hour time span.

With that predicament in mind, I'm taking a different approach for tonight's Top-10 showdown between Purdue and Tennessee in the Paradise Jam final. I'll be providing instant analysis and commentary in tweet-sized nuggets, but I'll post them all at once instead of flooding my Twitter timeline with every last thought.

(Warning: this is coming from my Purdue-fan perspective. Hopefully Volunteer supporters can appreciate it nonetheless.)

(Warning No. 2: I didn't put much score information in. Purdue led 42-41 at halftime and won 73-72...but there's not a lot of room for scoreboard mentions in Twitter-sized updates!)

(Warning No. 3: all times listed are number of minutes remaining in that half.)

FIRST HALF

19:30    Keaton Grant, please throw outlet passes to your own team. Thank you.

19:00    JaJuan Johnson, please make your free throws. Thank you.

18:45    Tennessee tries a back-cut; if executed properly, it’s a good way to loosen up Purdue’s defense.

18:30    How long before anyone makes a field goal? Halftime?

18:15    Or not. Tennessee leads 2-1 on a way-too-easy layup.

17:15    Tyler Smith just posterized Chris Kramer. You can find that on YouTube tomorrow.

16:45    JaJuan Johnson with the rebound and the putback. Purdue & rebounding don’t always go together.

16:30    Kelsey Barlow just checked in. Kelsey Barlow just traveled. Come back, LewJack.

16:00    Purdue’s five guys deep. Barlow, Bade, Smith, & Byrd can help, but not yet. Not consistently.

15:30    Hummel pump fake and mid-range floater. Good sign: his offense has been streaky at best this year.

15:00    Another turnover. Good thing Boilers are forcing some, because they’re giving the ball away almost every trip.

14:45    Kelsey Barlow with the “and-one” move off glass! From redshirt candidate to sixth man in a week.

14:30    And here’s the press. Purdue’s struggled against pressure the last few years.

14:00    Wow – Barlow to JJ for the 3-on-2 alley-oop. That’s how you break a press, highlight-style.

13:30    Mark Wohlford has checked in. 09-10 Wohlford = 08-09 Bobby Riddell? Discuss.

13:00    Purdue playing well and only leading 12-11. This scares me.

12:55    Then again, I’m pretty much scared of everything.

12:50    Johnson just got his second foul. Big problem for a not-so-deep-especially-in-post team.

12:45    Back-to-back triples for the Vols.

11:45    And now fellow front-line man Bade has two fouls. Five-guard lineup, here we come…

11:40    Another turnover. Purdue’s getting into the holiday giving spirit a bit early, if you ask me.

11:25    Three fouls on Bade. Oh boy. Has he even been out there three minutes yet?

11:10    12-ft jumpers in lane for E’Twaun Moore = layups for everyone else. Easy.

10:30    Horrible foul call on UT alley-oop. Kramer took charge to no avail, Grant called for swipe up top.

10:00    Jumpers for E’Twaun Moore=lay… oh wait, we said that already. Still true.

9:45    Barlow misses the front end. Free throws in practice tomorrow, Coach?

9:10    E’Twaun Moore from 22 feet = amazing. He’s keeping Purdue in it single-handedly.

9:00    Pressure still giving Purdue problems, even just trying to inbound.   How many timeouts do we get?

8:45    Tennessee just got their 107th three-point play of the game. Or something like that.

8:20    Patrick Bade from 17 ft = probably should have passed to E’Twaun Moore.

8:00    Ryne Smith looks like he’s learned floor burns from Chris Kramer. I like it.

7:00    Which number will be higher? Tonight’s fouls or costume changes at last night’s AMAs? Discuss.

6:45    Robbie Hummel for three!   It’s about time. Or would that be “It’s about stinking time”?

6:30    Memo to Ryne Smith. Please don’t foul three-point shooters. You’re a three-point shooter: you should know this.

6:30    And there’s the FIRST five-second call against Purdue. Notice I didn’t say “ONLY”.

6:00    Good press break for Purdue, finished with a layup. More of that, please?

4:40    Hummel and Moore have missed makeable jumpers the last two trips. When they’re not scoring, Purdue’s in trouble.

4:00    Whew, finally a break. End-to-end action, Purdue down 4. Considering foul trouble, not too bad.

3:20    Scoring from Chris Kramer. Purdue fans define this as “a nice bonus”.

2:30     Frantic doesn’t begin to describe the pace at this point.

2:20    E’Twaun Moore just took a ten-foot baseline pull-up while only five feet from the rim. Oops.

1:15    Hummel rediscovers his shooting stroke, at least momentarily.   Will it last?

1:00    My wife just said, “Somebody play some defense”. I concur wholeheartedly.

00:15    The Boilers listened to my wife. Shot-clock violation, Tennessee. Thanks, wife.

00:00    E’Twaun Moore beats the buzzer and gives Purdue a one-point lead. I like this.

Halftime: Purdue 42, Tennessee 41

SECOND HALF

18:30    Giving up four quick points to start the half – not what I (or Painter, I’m guessing) had in mind.

18:15    Letting E’Twaun Moore shoot as often as he wants – exactly what I have in mind. Good from downtown!

17:45    Every time JJ takes a deep jumper, I cringe. Unless he makes it, like just now.

17:21    It took Johnson exactly 159 seconds of second-half action to pick up foul number three. Joy.

16:45    Mark Wohlford just made an off-balance 25-foot three-pointer. Never thought I’d type that sentence.

16:30    Too many layups for the Volunteers. I’m ticked. Guessing Painter is too.

16:25    In case you can’t tell, I’m like many fans in that I prefer to speak for the coach at all times.

16:00    Bad DJ Byrd: don’t give up a rebound so easily. Good DJ Byrd: draw a charge seconds later.

15:45    Chris Kramer, you can miss those layups against Cal-State Northridge. Not tonight.

15:30    Chris Kramer, all is forgiven. The floor burns leader just slid 30 feet and made a steal in the process! Highlight-reel!

14:45    Hummel swishes a three-pointer. When his shot is on, the ball doesn’t even touch the rim.

14:30    Barlow’s floater swatted aside. I could almost hear the defender say, “Don’t bring that soft stuff.”

14:00    Vols back on top, 53-52. Has there been a larger lead than 1 point in this back-and-forth game?

13:30    Tennessee’s Williams with a one-handed tip slam. Highlight dunk #2 of the evening for the Vols.

13:00    Freshman=inconsistency. Barlow’s D last trip down was horrible. This time? Picture-perfect.

12:15    Johnson with the one-handed jam! I know what my computer desktop image will be tomorrow.

11:45     While the frosh aren’t ready yet, if Purdue makes a deep run in March, Painter will get a bunch of credit for throwing them to the wolves.

11:15    Barlow gets tangled up with a Volunteers player and tempers flare briefly. Calm down, gentlemen.

11:05    And that was the worst inbounds pass of all-time. PURDUE hit UT on the dead run to their basket. Ouch.

11:00    Another wasted timeout because of the Tennessee pressure. Hope Painter didn’t plan to use those later.

10:45    Hummel making a concerted effort to post up more. Sadly, he’s still undersized against athletic Vol forwards.

10:35    And proving my genius, Hummel scores easily on block (albeit vs. a guard). I’ll shut up now.

10:15    Tennessee player falls down. Purdue called for a foul (despite lack of contact). Make-up call coming.

10:05    Make-up call. That didn’t take long.

9:45    Barlow strong offensive board, then promptly dribbles ball out of bounds. The best of times, the worst of times…

9:30    Four fouls now for Johnson. If Purdue’s bench is going to grow up quick, now’s the time.

8:30    Kramer doing the little things. Great rotation after Bade got beat, caused traveling whistle.

8:25    CK won’t show up in the stats for that, but it’s just as valuable as the steals he’s famous for.

8:00    Boilers down 59-58. Offense running through Moore & Hummel every trip. Still.

7:55    Just realized I’m wearing my Big Ten tourney champs T-shirt. Good karma?

7:53    Just kidding…I don’t believe in karma.

7:50    Former Purdue football great Drew Brees just showed up on MNF halftime. If only I believed in karma…

7:20    Moore 20 pts + Hummel 19 points + rest of team 23 points. See why depth is concern?

6:20    E’Twaun Moore just ran an entire offensive possession by himself. Just like my PlayStation.

6:15    E’Twaun dribbled one way, then the other, cleared everybody out, and stuck a pull-up J with the clock dwindling.

5:50    Big drive from Vols to stop bleeding, cut lead to 3. Athletic teams can get to rim vs. Purdue.

5:20    EASY lay-in for Tyler Smith. Did I mention that athletic teams can get to rim vs. Purdue?

4:45    5-pt lead for Purdue right back to 1, but Kramer hits huge 15-footer off dish from Moore.

4:00    Patrick Bade just drew his fourth foul.

3:55    And UT’s Williams misses the front end of a one-and-one. Great foul, Bade.

3:35    JJ with the turnaround! Nice to have him back on the floor!

3:25    JJ with his fifth foul! It was nice to have him back on the floor for that one trip!

3:15    In all seriousness, this is where I’m concerned about 09-10 Boilers. Getting Marcius back from injury will help.

3:15    My semi-prophetic tweet from pre-game: “Rebounding’s key. Also foul trouble. Boilers basically 5- deep.”

3:10    Wow, Moore drawing double-team 30 ft. from hoop as soon as he touches it. That’s respect.

3:05    Begging the obvious question, can Hummel and company make the Vols pay?

3:00    Purdue up five.   Can their trademark defense close the deal?

2:25    Hummel dribbles the ball off his foot, dives on it, and Painter calls timeout.

2:25    Bruce Pearl is kindly asking the referee if Purdue had possession when Painter called time.

2:25    When I say kindly, I mean “quite animated and screaming at the top of his lungs”.

2:15    Purdue just missed three wide-open layups, one by Moore and two tips by Bade. That sequence may come back to haunt them.

2:15    Admit to a great deal of amusement that Bruce Pearl is the one complaining about calls. Whistles killed the Boilers early on.

2:03    And Pearl’s constant complaining pays off with an instant foul against Kramer. Groan.

2:00    Two-minute warning. Four-point game. Where’s E’Twaun?

1:45    There he is. Clear-out coming.

1:30    Hummel just missed a wide-open 15-footer. All-Americans make that shot.

1:15    And Chism answers. The lead is cut in half.

1:00    Purdue 72, Tennessee 70. Here we go.

00:50    Kramer rejected from behind by Chism! Incredible defense.

00:40    Vols miss a wide-open three. That would have put them on top. So close…

00:32    Hummel at the foul line, and he misses the first. Bad time for that, in my humble opinion.

00:32    Bruce Pearl just called his second consecutive timeout: trying to ice the kicker, apparently.

00:32    Matt Painter is fired up in the huddle. The Boilers have struggled in elite non-conference games lately.

00:32    After last year’s blowout loss to Duke and heartbreaking loss to Oklahoma, the Boilers have pointed to this game.

00:32    Hummel makes the second. Three-point game.

00:17    Volunteers cut it to one on the drive by Bobby Maze.

00:17    Barlow at the line for Purdue. Pressure situation for the freshman.

00:17    And he missed them both.

00:05    Chism misses the wide-open three off a botched defensive assignment! Can’t get a better look than that!

00:02    Scramble for the rebound, and the Boilers corral it! What a finish!

00:00    You’ll hear about this win during the seeding process in March. Guaranteed.

00:00    Let’s get that trophy on the plane.

For more sports-on-Twitter from Tim Cary, follow @TimCary.

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Fighting Illini Stay in Hot Streak, Roll Over Presbyterian

Frank Gasper — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:40:56 -0500

The Fighting Illini may not have had much of a challenge yet, but they are still dominating their opposition.

The Illini started out the year ranked No. 23. They haven't had to face a good team yet, so they aren't moving up in the rankings. But when it comes time for Big Ten play, how will they fare?

Today the Illini rolled over Presbyterian, 94-48. Their easiest win of the year. If they didn't beat them, I would probably cry for about a month.

Dick Vitale predicted them to be one of the best teams in the nation by the end of the year. Yes, Dick Vitale. The annoying, yet hilarious announcer. I think they have that amount of potential to be one of the top teams in the nation.

Their first 13 games, I would rank their schedule about four out of 10. That is how easy their non-conference schedule is. They should probably win all of those games.

If the Illini can keep this hot streak up for the rest of the year, then they have a chance at a dream of an ending.

Read more Big Ten Basketball news on BleacherReport.com