Iowa's Leading Scorer Transfers After Feeling Disrespected: Iowa junior guard Tony Freeman will transfer to another school after feeling that coach Todd Lickliter disrespected him in a post-season meeting. Freeman, who led the Hawkeyes with 13.8 points per game last season, was the Hawkeyes' only all-conference team selection. He said Lickliter told him that he did not fit in the Hawkeyes' plans for the future, adding that the coach asked about his grades and whether he considered transferring. After that meeting, Freeman decided to leave the school. [5/08/08]
Crean Won't Welcome Back Bassett and Ellis: Indiana coach Tom Crean said he will not reinstate Armon Bassett and Jamarcus Ellis, upholding a decision by former interim coach Dan Dakich. Dakich dismissed the players because they missed an appointment and refused to run laps as punishment. With nearly every major contributor from last season gone, Crean will have a completely clean slate in Bloomington. [5/07/08]
Hoosier Doesn't Go Quietly: Indiana freshman forward Eli Holman will transfer from the Hoosiers to another school. While informing new coach Tom Crean of his decision, Holman became upset and knocked over a potted plant in the coach's office. Crean and his staff called the police because they felt Holman was a danger to himself. After police talked to Holman and he calmed down, he left without any charges. Holman averaged 1.0 points and 1.7 rebounds in only 7.5 minutes per game. With Holman leaving, Crean is down to eight scholarship players for next season. [5/06/08]
Buckeyes End O'Brien Saga: Ohio State closed a long and contentious chapter of its team history by paying Jim O'Brien $2.74 million for improperly firing the former coach in 2004. Ohio's Supreme Court ordered the university to pay O'Brien after determining that the school violated the terms of O'Brien's contracts by firing him abruptly in 2004 after learning of recruiting violations he committed while recruiting a Serbian player whose family had fallen into hard times. [5/06/08]
Crean Fills Coaching Vacancies: New Indiana coach Tom Crean hired Bennie Seltzer and Tim Buckley to fill two of his three open assistant coaching positions. Seltzer has spent the last two seasons at Marquette, and Buckley was Ball State's head coach for six seasons before rejoining Crean last season. Ball State fired Buckley in March 2006 after leading the team to a 10-18 record, which was its worse season in two decades. [4/24/08]
Boilermakers Get Some Assistance: Coach Matt Painter hired Jack Owens to rejoin him on his coaching staff at Purdue. Painter hired Owens during his brief stint with Southern Illinois in 2003. Painter's former assistant Cuonzo Martin resigned last month to be Missouri State's head coach. [4/24/08]
Koufos to Declare But Won't Hire Agent: Ohio State's 7-footer Kosta Koufos will enter the NBA Draft but won't hire an agent, allowing the possibility of a return to the Buckeyes next year. Koufos, a freshman, averaged 14 points and seven rebounds per game last season. Koufos, whose mother is from Greece, could also leave to go pro in that country.
[4/23/08]
Big Ten/ACC Challenge Games Unveiled: In early December, Purdue will play host to powerhouse Duke while Michigan State will host the ACC champions of this past season, North Carolina. The challenge will also include other major match ups, such as Wisconsin traveling to Virginia Tech and Miami hosting Ohio State.
[4/19/08]
Titans Find Replacement Coach: Ray McCallum will coach the Detroit Titans after serving as Indiana's assistant coach for two years and leading Ball State to two NCAA Tournament bids from 1993-2000. He is replacing Perry Watson, who retired with a 258-185 record.
[4/16/08]
Purdue Loses Martin: Purdue standout freshman Scott Martin is transferring. Martin averaged 8.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game to help the Boilermakers, who lost in the NCAA Tournament's second round to Xavier, to a 25-9 overall mark and a 15-3 record in the Big Ten. [4/10/08]
Crean Would Have to Pay $3M to Leave Indiana: Tom Crean would owe Indiana $3 million if he resigned in the first three years of his eight-year contract, followed by $2 million in the fourth and fifth year, and $1 million in the sixth. Crean's contract is worth $18 million, and the school is paying $650,000 of his buyout from Marquette. His base salary will be $650,000 a year with an additional $1 million for off-court work. [4/09/08]
Gordon Won't Stick Around for Crean Era: Indiana freshman point guard Eric Gordon announced that he will enter the NBA Draft. One of the top recruits entering this season, Gordon delivered on his potential, averaging 21.3 points per game to lead the Big Ten. Gordon's father said the arrival of new coach Tom Crean in Bloomington had no bearing on his son's decision. Gordon is projected to be a top 10 draft pick right now. [4/05/08]
Hoosiers' Coaching Search Ends With Crean: Marquette coach Tom Crean will leave Wisconsin to take over the much-maligned Indiana Hoosiers program. Crean has signed a letter of intent, and the university and Crean plan to finalize the deal and announce it Wednesday. In nine seasons with the Golden Eagles, Crean compiled a 190-96 record and a Final Four appearance in 2003 led by NBA star Dwyane Wade. He arrives in Bloomington amid a tumultuous season that ended in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Former coach Kelvin Sampson resigned in February following revelations that he and his staff committed recruiting violations after they had already been suspended for similar violations while at Oklahoma. Under interim coach Dan Dakich, the Hoosiers limped to the end of the season.
Indiana Job Doesn't Appeal to Thomas: Isiah Thomas denied rumors that he will be taking Indiana's coaching position. He said he has not been contacted by the university, and he hopes Dan Dakich, Indiana's interim coach, will be named the full-time coach. As coach and team president, Thomas is trying to save his own job. The Knicks have lost 14 of their last 16 games and are 53-102 in the past two seasons under Thomas. [3/31/08]
Missouri State Raids Purdue's Roster for New Coach: Purdue associate coach Cuonzo Martin filled the void left by former Missouri State coach Barry Hinson, fired earlier this month after nine NCAA Tournament-less seasons. Martin played at Purdue until 1995 before jumping to the NBA. Purdue hired him as an assistant in 2000 and promoted him to associate coach last year. He's scheduled to make more money that his predecessor. Martin, 36, is the 16th coach in the program's history.
[3/31/08]
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Illinois Fighting Illini Champaign, Illinois Coach: Bruce Weber  Indiana Hoosiers Bloomington, Indiana Coach: Kelvin Sampson Iowa Hawkeyes Iowa City, Iowa Coach: Todd Lickliter Michigan Wolverines Ann Arbor, Michigan Coach: John Beilein Michigan State Spartans East Lansing, Michigan Coach: Tom Izzo Minnesota Golden Gophers Minneapolis, Minnesota Coach: Tubby Smith Northwestern Wildcats Evanston, Illinois Coach: Bill Carmody Ohio State Buckeyes Columbus, Ohio Coach: Thad Matta Penn State Nittany Lions State College, Pennsylvania Coach: Ed DeChellis Purdue Boilermakers West Lafayette, Indiana Coach: Matt Painter Wisconsin Badgers Madison, Wisconsin Coach: Bo Ryan |
| More Info: Big Ten Official Site |
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March 11th - Nils Hoeger-Lerdal previews the Big Ten Tournament and sees but one upset, albeit a noteworthy one. |
February 24th - Nils Hoeger-Lerdal handicaps the race for the top and sees four teams with a chance. |
February 4th - Nils Hoeger-Lerdal shapes up the conference, from the team barely breathing to the leader of the pack. |
January 14th - Nils Hoeger-Lerdal has is certain of a few things and will soon be certain of a few more. |
January 6th - Nils Hoeger-Lerdal sees sloppy basketball early and wonders if ten conference wins will be enough. |
December 8th - Nils Hoeger-Lerdal looks at what we knew, what we didn't know and what we will know soon. |
Nils Hoeger-Lerdal previews the Big Ten, where things look a little different than they did about seven months ago. |
Nils Hoeger-Lerdal recaps another down year in the Big Ten, which saw a few sizeable gaps. |
Nils Hoeger-Lerdal breaks down all the first round matchups involving Big Ten teams. |
Nils Hoeger-Lerdal previews the Big Ten tournament, expecting a couple to play their way in and Buckeyes to roll. |
February 26th - Nils Hoeger-Lerdal has the keys to the NCAA Tournament being locked, turned or at the door. |
February 19th - Nils Hoeger-Lerdal has a rematch coming up, and the magic, unspeakable word for the middle teams. |
February 8th - Nils Hoeger-Lerdal plays the numbers game, which finds a hot Hawkeye and bottom teams not defending. |
February 1st - Nils Hoeger-Lerdal has his inaugural "Tennies" for a Hollywood in the Midwest theme. |