10 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, March 8, 2002 FRIDAY Focus ID 4 w 8 CONTENDERS... i A y #Is But only one can conquer the Big Ten Tournament This has been one of the strangest seasons the Lig Ten has ever seen. Your teems tied for the title for the first time in 75 uears, Wisconsin went from a preseason doormat to the No.1 seed in the tournament, No. 5 seed )Michigan State may be playing the best basketball in the league and Michigan found a way to survive into the second day. (ln!Jone could win this thing, and we'll tell you why. By Joe Smith and Steve Jackson Daily Sports Editors The road through Inds 1 ', #4 Indiana Game 4 11:30 a.m. ESPN2 # Michigan State Game 4 winner 1:45 p.m. CBS Game 8 winner 0 #1 Wisconsin is Um w - SU W #8 Purdue 72 Game 5 2 p.m. ESPN2 Game 5 winner THE BEST Game 1 -9 Iowa 87 Iowa Game 10 3:30 p.m. CBS #2 Ohio State Nobody thought the Badgers could do it, but they did. Wisconsin, under first-year coach Bo Ryan, was predicted by many presea- son publications to finish in the lower echelon of the Big Ten. And with no top 50 players or Wooden Award Finalists, and losing four starters in the offseason, who could blame them? But the Badgers proved everyone wrong by making a late run, capitalizing off other teams' late-season losses to clinch a share of their first Big Ten Championship since 1947 - the year Ryan was born. Why they can win: Wisconsin is the only team to defeat every Big Ten team at least once this season, giving the Badgers confidence no matter who they play after their first-round bye. By utilizing unselfish basketball and scorching 3-point shooting from senior Kirk Penney, the overachieving Badgers are also suddenly a team that no one wants to play in the tournament. Penny drains nearly 40 per- cent from behind the arc, and with Ryan's innovative "swing offense" - which capitalizes on sound ball movement and big men that can step out and shoot - Wisconsin scores just enough to win. The Badgers are also stingy on defense, allowing just 62 points per game in conference play. State #7 Northwestern 51 Game 2 #10 Michigan 72 Gamem.6 6:40 p.m. ESPN Plus Regional Michigan Game 6 winner 40 #3 Illinois Game 9 4:05 p.m. CBS Game 7 winner Game 9 winner #6 Minnesota 85 Game3 Game_7 9:10 p.m. ESPN Plus Regional Minnesota . Approxiue,,aw ,,n #11 Penn State 60 __ THE REST Wisconsin guard Kirk Penny shocked the world, leading his team to its first title in 55 years. AS .- e S A ich igwn Skiate No. 2 Ohio Another 20-win season for Ohio State is in the books, and this might have been Jim O'Brien's best coaching job yet. He took a team that had a gaping hole in the paint due to the departure of Ken Johnson, the Big Ten's leading shot-blocker last season. This unheralded group of Buckeyes has put an emphasis on aggres- sive team defense and has taken care of its games at home to put it atop the, conference. Ohio State used a balanced attack to post the second most points (72.1 per game) in the Big Ten this season. But the Buckeyes did not look impressive in their 84-75 victory last weekend over the Wolverines. Why they can win: Brian Brown has been a monster from the outside, leading the Buck- eyes in scoring throughout most of their games and becoming "Mr. Consistency," according to his coaches. And guard Boban Savovic may be the most underrated scorer in the Big Ten. Ohio State needs a big tournament out of them and solid post pro- duction from the its young bodies to have a chance at the title in Indianapolis. Al' PHOTO Brent Darby is one of the unknown Buckeyes who has risen to new heights this season. After opening at 4-5 in Big Ten play, Illinois won seven straight conference games to earn a tie for the title. Overall, the Illini have won eight straight to establish their longest winning streak of the season. Led by All-America guard Frank Williams, Illinois is finally playing like the team that people R expected would be a Final Four contender at the beginning of the season. Several coaches have already come out and labeled the Illini as the team to beat this weekend in Indianapolis. Why they can win: Two words: Talent and size. The Fighting Illini have, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the most talented team in the Big Ten, with Williams and two former conference Freshmen of the Year - forward Brian Cook and shooting guard Cory Bradford. When Cook is on his game, he is a virtual guaranteed double-double. He also does a great job of creating solid looks for the Fighting Illini's outside shooters. Cook and fellow forward Robert Archibald give Illinois an extremely dan- AP PHOTO gerous one-two combination in the paint. Despite the troubles that Bill Illinois guard Frank Williams has not lived up Self's team endured this season, a tournament title is still very much to the high expectations of him this season. within reach. Bobby Knight would have been- proud. The Hoosiers won a share of their first conference title in nine years with stifling team defense, gritty play and clutch outside shooting by Tom Coverdale and Kyle Hornsby. Oh yeah, don't forget about Big Ten Player of the Year Jared Jeffries., "Who would have thought this team would come in here and win a_ championship?" senior Dane Fife said. Not very many, but that is just typical of this season in the Big Ten." i.t ..ihin h .--,.J ,.h nv +k ,a .-nr- rnPneran .n Iutp in the . Michigan State may have missed a piece of the championship, but the Spartans may be playing the best ball in the con- frence. Point guard Marcus Taylor carried the Spartans on his back - literally. He scored 32 and 34 points in two wins in the last week of the season, shooting a combined 61 percent. That was good enough for Taylor to move past five players and win the league scoring title. Why they can win: Because Tom Izzo always seems to have something up his sleeve once tournament time comes (usually a talented team with multiple stars from Flint). The feisty coach knows how to light a fire under his team and get the most out of his play- ers - especially in clutch situations. If Taylor continues his hot streak, and Alysious Anagonye stays out of foul trouble, then the Spartans may shake up some things in the tournament. No.6Mneota Minnesota is the only true "bubble" team in this field. With a strong performance, the Gophers could catapault themselves- into contention for an at-large berth. But if Dan Monson wants to be sure that his team avoids the NIT, he may need to win three games in.a row. Center Rick Rickert was recently named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He led the Gophers with 14.1 points and 6.8 rebounds this season. Why they can win: The Gophers are big - really big. Their five leading scorers are all taller than 6-foot-6. Although they did most of their dam- age at home this season, their offense (74.4 points per game) is the most explosive in the Big Ten. Against Michigan, they shot a mindblowing 82 percent from the field in the second half. In tournament play, that kind of firepower can put a game out of reach or make a miracle comeback possible. No. 9 Iowa The Hawkeyes were ranked as high as No. 7 in the country this season, but they fell apart in conference play. Players were benched for lack of effort and failure to attend classes, and many people left this team for dead. But Steve Alford's club still has the most star power in the conference. Despite a horrible 5-11 record in the Big Ten, the Hawkeyes have all the talent in the world and few people would be surprised to see them upset Wisconsin today. Why they can win: The whole "underdog winning the Big Ten" dream is one the Hawkeyes are very familar with. Last year, as a No. 6 seed, Iowa had an improbable run take them all the way the NCAA Tournament. Most of the key players from that team are still there - including center Reggie Evans and guard Luke Recker, who form the best one-two punch in the league. Iowa was supposed to compete for a Big Ten title, and this is its final chance to live up to expectations. No. J Mihiga The Wolverines limped into the tournament with six straight losses. But yesterday's impressive first-round victory has Tommy Amaker's team dreaming big. The Wolverines are clearly a longer shot at this championship than most. The other seven teams have been assured of at least an NIT berth, but Michigan knows that its season will be on the line every time it takes the floor. Last season, Amaker led his disappointing Seton Hall team to the Big East Tournament semifinals. Why they can win: LaVell Blanchard had his best game of the season yesterday, scoring 26 points on 9-of-14 from the floor. If Blanchard can continue to perform like the All-American everyone expected him to be last summer, Michigan could surprise some peo- ple. The Wolverines also got a fortunate draw. They won't have to worry about preparing a gameplan for Ohio State, since the two met just last weekend in Crisler. All college basksetball, all the time I Indiana vs. Michigan State Florida State vs. No. 1Maryland Iowa vs. Wisconsin Virginia vs. North Carolina State Holy Cross vs. American Michigan vs. No.17 Ohio State DIMi 11:30 am Noon 2 p.m. 2 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 6:40 p.m. Channe ESPN2 ESPN ESPN2 ESPN ESPN ESPNPlus f