Football

Carrie Philips

- Ohio State -

No longer a rookie, Terrelle Pryor is coming into his own as an on and off the field leader of the Buckeye squad.  No longer worried about the locker room dynamics resulting from taking Todd Boeckman’s reps, no longer pressured to prove his reputation is based on performance, no longer burdened by the many stresses of being a frosh and being expected to please the OSU faithful – Pryor is in position to pick up where he left off last season, and soar from there.  And we all know that where he left off was already flying past defenders with fast footwork and lightening quick speed.  What about the rest of the squad, you ask?  Last weekend in the jersey scrimmage the defense beat out the offense by just one point, but Coach Tressel said both sides have plenty to work on.  The run blocking looked impressive, but pass protection was not as sharp.  At corner veteran Andre Amos is playing smart ball, but several other CBs have been stepping up, as well, including CJ Barnett, who has been a play-maker so far this spring.  At wideout Tressel says Devon Torrence is playing strong and confidently.  On the ground, Brandon Sain is fully healthy and running the ball well.  Coach Tressel says there is a lot of film to watch, but seems optimistic about where this team is right now.  We’ll get an even better look (plus more film for Tressel) this Saturday when Scarlet battles Gray in the annual Spring Game at the Shoe.   

- Indiana -

Coach Bill Lynch has been out campaigning for attendance, making public appearances on and around campus, asking for the energetic spirits of the groups he’s visiting to make their way to the football stadium come fall.  Perhaps, however, he should be spending more time making the Hoosiers a better squad, because, in the end, it is the wins that bring the fans.  While this spring is already looking better than last (please note this is not saying much, as last spring was a big ‘ol mess), there is still a lot to be done.  The defense is struggling a bit with the run, and this may be in part to the absence of LB Will Patterson, DE Jammie Kirlew, and S Austin Thomas (all currently sidelined by injury).  And while the D is sticking with the 4-3 scheme, they are mixing things up a little bit.  Ray Fisher has flipped from wide receiver to cornerback, and right now the undersized (5’9’’) senior is playing down to his size.  He has some adjustment that need to be made before game one.  Jarrod Smith is also switching sides, moving from the OLine to defensive tackle.  In the meantime, the offense is shifting to the pistol formation.  Fans and analysts alike are starting to wonder if QB Ben Chappell and WR Kellen Lewis might just turn this into a high-octane offense after all.  Lynch is going to keep teams honest by running the ball quite a bit, and the down field threat of Lewis will be an exciting one.  But they’ll still need to score more points than their defense gives up to find success. 

- Minnesota -

While we aren’t telling you to anticipate a two QB offensive rotation, the progress of MarQueis Gray throughout spring ball has been great enough that Coach Tim Brewster says the coaches will being adding special packages to their game plans in order to feature Gray in particular situations.  This is really no surprise to the Gopher program, as Gray was already whetting the coaches’ and fans’ appetites with his athleticism in practices last season.  And the adjustment to the style of new offensive coordinator (former Denver Broncos assistant) Jedd Fisch has been remarkably quick.  But as impressive as Gray has been, Adam Weber is still the unquestioned starter for the ’09 season.  Weber is recovering quickly from offseason left (non-throwing arm) shoulder surgery.  He has gotten some reps and will be playing fully in this Saturday’s team scrimmage – he was expected to miss the entirety of spring ball.  And perhaps his return has something to do with the improvement of the offense as a whole.  Coach Brewster says the defense is still ahead, but the first and second team offenses made some strides this week.  Brewster is generally pleased with how the team has been playing so far this spring – the work ethic, cohesiveness, and athleticism of his squad seem to be weaving a nice web. With the subpar running game of last season (finished 104^th in the nation), the backs need to get more physical.  Shady Salamon and DeLeon Eskridge need to work hard to improve upon their lackluster freshman performances, or watch their reps go to newbie Hasan Lipscomb when he arrives this summer.  

- Michigan State -

Last season would undoubtedly be considered a successful one for the Spartans, but the loss of Javon Ringer leaves a huge hole to fill.  Not to mention selecting a new starting QB to replace Brian Hoyer.  At signal-caller, Kirk Cousins seemed to be the obvious choice since he was a solid backup last fall whenever he got snaps.  But Keith Nichol has been added to the mix now.  Nichol, a dual-threat QB, has three years of eligibility left transferring from Oklahoma.  Coach Mark Dantonio is reportedly considering a two-QB system.  Both Cousins and Nichol are extremely mobile and offensive coordinator Don Treadwell is introducing the option as a way to take advantage of that skill.  As for replacing Ringer, Andre Anderson and AJ Jimmerson are the top two contenders right now.  Neither back got many carries last season, as Ringer was carrying the brunt of the load (97% to be exact).  With only 26 carries, Anderson averaged 3.73 yards per, while Jimmerson in eight carries averaged 1.75 yards per.  It will likely be a shared job this fall, including incoming freshman Edwin Baker.  Baker and Jimmerson will likely compete for the starting job.  At WR, we are looking at Mark Dell to improve upon last years 679 yards and 3 TDs to be among the top in the Big Ten, assuming he can stay healthy.  Blair White will also be a primary target.  The defense, returning two of its stars in LB Greg Jones and DE pass rusher Trevor Anderson, is a little ahead of the offense right now, and has a lot of experience to work with.  Jones has even been saying he thinks this defense can be among the top in the country.  While there are some large shoes to fill, the Spartans are returning 15 starters and 45 letter winners, and this could easily be a team competing for the conference title.  The annual Green and White game is this Saturday.  The teams drafted on Wednesday and have been practicing separately all week.  As a nice little spin and added incentive, the winning team will eat steak dinners, while the losers will dine on beans and franks. 

- Michigan -

If spring is the season of rebirth, then it is a welcome spring in Ann Arbor.  After the worst season the Wolverines have had in 129 years of football, Michigan fans across the nation are looking for (hoping for?) growth and a fresh start.   And they are getting it from the get-go.  Incoming freshman QB Tate Forcier is already enrolled and participating in the spring practices, and looks to be a much better fit for the style of Coach Rich Rodriguez.  Nick Sheridan was considered the front runner for the starting spot, but he is missing the spring to injury.  Forcier has come in and is gaining that early practice and experience, and is quickly bring the two on par to make for a very interesting battle.  Bet on Forcier to end up with the job.  To help take some of the pressure off the so-far inexperienced QBs, the offensive line is looking much improved and their experience, speed, and strength will not only protect the signal-caller, but also give tailback Brandon Minor, and the other RBs, a little more time to find a hole and it will help them stay healthy.  On the other side of the ball, Greg Robinson is the new defensive coordinator and he has a big job ahead of him.  He is working specifically with the OLBs and DEs, and focusing on improved tackling across the board.  While he’s got a sack specialist in Brandon Graham, and a couple other top talents returning, the D could make leaps, but still will likely only be about average or slightly better.  Overall, the Wolverines are already looking improved… just how much better can they get in one season?  Probably right around Bowl eligible with or without a Bowl bid. 

- Penn State -

The Nittany Lions have a lot of holes to fill on both sides of the ball, and this season won’t be easy.  But if spring is telling us anything, it is telling us that PSU is still a force in the Big Ten, and a contender for the conference title.  On the defensive end, LB Sean Lee is returning.  He missed all of ’08 with a torn ACL, but this year will be the leader on D.  Add Navorro Bowman and Jared Odrick, first-team all-conference LB and DT respectively, and the defense has some strength and experience to fall back on.  Running the ball will be a problem for other teams, but passing is a different story.  PSU’s biggest weakness on paper, and on the field, right now is the secondary.  While the projected starters don’t have a lot of game experience, they are being motivated by the fact that most expect them to be the weakest unit.  On offense the O-line looked weak when spring practice began, but now that it is coming to a close there is noticeable development and consistency.  Typically they wouldn’t need to work to hard to protect the seasoned QB in Daryll Clark, but this year he will have an all new receiving corps, and it could take a while for them to get the timing right, or for them to get open.  But the corps has been stepping up this spring.  Up until his ankle injury a few days ago, Chaz Powell was looking like he is destined to become Clark’s top receiver.  Derek Moye is likely going to be the second receiver, and he is looking tremendously improved.  He’s quick, has great hands, and is a big target (at 6’5’’).  RBs Evan Royster and Stephfon Green are both returning, adding some experience and confidence to the offense.  While the Nitts suffered some great losses on both offense and defense, there are plenty of guys with plenty of talent waiting to step up and take this team back to the top.

Women’s Basketball

Carrie Philips

The Lady Bucks enter the 2009 Big Ten Tournament looking for their 5th straight conference crown.

1. Ohio State - Because this week Ohio State clinched the Big Ten regular season title, it seemed only fitting that we place them, once again, atop the power rankings.  The Buckeyes have won five straight games to close out the season and have become the first team since the 80s to win five consecutive conference championships.  They only need three wins to win the conference tourney and start this Friday against the winner of Thursday’s Penn State-Illinois game.

2. Iowa - The Hawkeyes came out of nowhere and finished the season on a six game winning streak.  They honestly probably deserve the top spot in these power rankings for the longest active streak, but since this is the end of the season we opted to give it to the title winners.  If there were a few games left in the season though, Iowa may have been able to grab the title from the Bucks.  They are the hottest team in the conference but their end of the season was predominately against the weaker teams in the conference.  They will need to stay hot against the tough teams who they will now face in the conference tourney, starting this Friday against Minnesota.

3. Purdue - After winning five straight, the Boilers dropped their last game of the regular season in dramatic fashion to Michigan State.  Still, they ended the season strong and, we think, have a chance at a run for the conference tourney title.  Their post-season begins this Friday when they face the winner of Thursday’s Indiana-Michigan game.

4. Michigan State - The Spartans had a chance at a share of the Big Ten title and then blew it by losing two at the end of the season.  They closed out with a big win over a streaking Purdue to make a statement heading into the post-season, but we would still say they should be disappointed in how the regular season ended.  That being said, the rest of the season was a pretty good showing and they got the number two seed in the conference tournament by holding tie breakers over Purdue and Iowa.  They start the Big Ten tourney on Friday against the winner of Thursday’s Northwestern-Wisconsin game.

5. Indiana - The Hoosiers ended the season fairly strong (after a poor performance in the rest of the back half of the season), winning three of their last four.  It was good enough to get them the No. 6 seed in the conference tourney, but not quite good enough to grant them a first round bye.  They play No. 11 Michigan in the first round on Thursday, and if they play up to their ability and get the win, they will face No. 3 Purdue on Friday.

6. Wisconsin - The Badgers have lost eight of their last ten, but did have an impressive win this week over MSU.  And their last game was unfortunately against the top team in the conference, the Buckeyes, but the demoralizing 22 point loss isn’t going to help with momentum into the post-season.  We would have hoped for a better showing in that game to end the season, and thus don’t know who to bet on in the first round match-up of the underachieving Wildcats and the poor-finishing Badgers.  Whoever does come out on top will face the No. 2 Spartans.

7. Minnesota - The Golden Gophers lost three of their last four - most recently an 11 point loss to the Illini - and if the rest of the conference weren’t so horribly pathetic, would probably have dropped lower than this in the power rankings.  However, due to the lack of competition in the lower half of the Big Ten, the Gophers still managed to grab the number five seed and first round bye for the conference tourney.  They face No. 4 Iowa on Friday, which will likely be the end of the road for this squad unless they can find some sort of fire-starter.

8. Illinois - They lost ten straight earlier in the season, so we haven’t exactly had high hopes for the Illini.  But since then they have won five of their last nine, including the season ended upset over Minnesota (AT Minnesota), make us a little more optimistic.  They face PSU in the first round - leaving open the possibility for a win.  Likely they can’t go further than that though because their second round match-up would be against the top seeded Buckeyes.

9. Penn State - The Nitts may have won two of their last three (wins against NU and Illinois, loss against OSU), but they have only won three of their last ten.  They would probably be quickly out of the conference tournament if it weren’t for their favorable match-up on Thursday against the lack-luster Illinois.  If they do win that game, they will face OSU on Friday and will need a miracle to win that game.

10. Northwestern - With a win and two losses this week, the Wildcats are actually not the last team in our power rankings this week.  Nor are they the last seed in the Big Ten tournament, miraculously.  They tied for the worst record but a win over Minnesota broke the tie in NU’s favor.  The No. 10 ‘Cats will face No. 7 Wisconsin on Thursday.  The winner will face No. 2 MSU on Friday.

11. Michigan - Six straight losses and the last seed in the conference tournament (due to NU owning the tie breaker).  I have nothing good to say about this squad, and expect their season to end this Thursday when they face No. 6 Indiana in the first round of the Big Ten tourney.

By Carrie Philips

Bracket or Bust
With three games left in the season, the men Gophers have a legitimate shot to make the tourney.  They had a much better shot ten games ago, but have gone 4-6 to bring them into the mass of teams in the conference sitting at 8-7 (their 20-7 overall, however, is best among the four tied teams).  One loss, though, could make the end of the season the end of the road for the Gophers, and tomorrow AT Illinois is looking awfully telling.  Although a deep run conference tourney could provide a gateway not otherwise open.

Women Ballers Battling
You can call it a choke if you want.  The first loss was to OSU, arguably by far the best team in the conference, so I probably would have let that one slide.  The problem is that the Golden Gophers women’s bball squad followed it up with a loss at Northwestern, easily the worst team in the conference.  They needed both these wins.  They also need to win tomorrow (Thursday) at MSU.  They probably won’t because Michigan State has been playing better ball.  Let me be clear that their “need” to win now is so they can end the season with some momentum going into Big Tens.  They now have no shot at winning the regular season crown.

Repeat Dreams Sunk
After entering last weekend with a hold on first place in Big Tens, and attempting to defend their title, the Gopher women’s swimming and diving team lost their grasp and handed the title over to Indiana when all was said and done.  The team did finish in second place, 158 points behind the winning Hoosiers.  Stacy Busack (100 free), Megan Braun (200 fly) and the 400 free relay team all stroked their way to first place finishes (that’s what he said).

The following girls got First Team Big Ten All-Tournament Team nods:
Braun, Megan                             Busack, Stacy
Jamison, Kaylee                         Jennings, Christine
Kobayashi, Yuen                        McCarthy, Meredith
Radecke, Meagan                      Shaughnessy, Jenny
Steenvoorden, Ashley               Tyler, Jillian

Second Team:
Hougan, Karlyn                           Morahan, Rosie
Whitehead, Hannah

Carrie Philips

The Lady Boilers are firing on all cylinders as they try to distance themselves from a logjam at the top of the conference standings.

1. Purdue - The Boilers have a four game win streak running and are just a game behind OSU (and tied with MSU) for the conference regular season title.  They only had one game this week but they dominated Penn State 69-51 and have won all four of these win streak games by 15 points or more.  Perhaps they are heating up at just the right time.

2. Ohio State - They seemed uncatchable earlier in the season but then dropped a couple games and were caught.  However the Bucks recognized the need to step up their game and responded with three straight wins averaging a more than 16 point margin of victory.  With only two games left in the regular season, and both against mediocre opponents, OSU should be able to hold on to their current spot at the top of the standings.  If they don’t, expect them to be lower than second in the power rankings next week.

3. Michigan State - Maybe they couldn’t deal with the pressure of being at the top, but after only a week of being tied at the top of the conference standings, MSU relinquished that spot with a 3 point loss to Wisconsin.  Granted, the Spartans have still won four of their last five and have put on an impressive run in the second half of the season, but they gotta get it done when the heat is on.

4. Wisconsin - Their season hasn’t been great, but the Badgers are celebrating a big victory over the Spartans… a win that knocked MSU out of a share of first place in the Big Ten standings.  An upset like that is worth a jump in the power rankings, whether or not it was preceded by an ugly season.  What a way to end their home schedule.  Now, can they end their road schedule with a similar with over the now-sole conference leading Buckeyes?

5. Iowa - The Hawkeyes are finishing the season strong, and while there might not be enough time left in the season to give them a chance at the regular season title, perhaps they can make a push in the Big Ten Tournament.  And as one of the few teams who have beaten OSU this season, they’ll be going in with some confidence.  This team is our dark horse to win the tourney.

6. Minnesota - After it looked like the Gophers were making a push to be among those teams at the top of the conference, they have lost two of their last three contests.  In their remaining three games they will likely go 2-1, but if they want to take some momentum into the post-season, they will need to prove me wrong and upset MSU.

7. Indiana - I think the wearing of pink in support of breast cancer is a nice idea, but I’d like to check the statistics to see how many of the teams in pink have been able to win.  It seems to me very few, and while they probably would have lost to OSU in their regular jerseys as well, IU dropped this contest 79-67.  And losing five of their last seven, the Hoosiers have ended the season a lot worse than we were expecting when they came out with a 16-3 start.

8. Penn State - This year in the Big Ten, there are the teams that are fighting at the top of the standings, and then a large gap, and then the teams at the bottom of the standings.  PSU is one of those teams at the bottom who lose to all the top teams and sometimes beat each other, but in general just always lose.  So the Nitts won one this week to end their three game losing streak, but it was against Illinois.

9. Illinois - Not much to say here.  Illinois lost both their games this week.  The second to PSU - the team that was equally as crap as them is now one game up on them.  But this low in the standings, does it even matter?

11. Michigan - For the second week in a row, I am completely skipping No. 10 and giving Michigan and NU joint ownership of the most horrific.  Michigan has now managed to string five losses together and it trying desperately to let NU overtake it as only second worst in the conference (however NU, too, is refusing to win).  They are a half game ahead in conference standings with one extra win at 3-13.

11. Northwestern - I am so proud of the season my alma mater has put together.  They dropped their only game this week, at home against Indiana.  They are now 6-20, 2-13 in the Big Ten, and I haven’t decided which is worse.  I do have a fellow alumnus, however, who swears the ‘Cats are on the brink of being good.  I’m not sure which ‘Cats he’s been watching.

By Carrie Philips

A Win Is A Win
In perhaps the ugliest win in Penn State history, the Nitts defeated the No. 16 Illini 38-33 on Wednesday.  It seems obvious that the 71 total points scored marked a record low for the arena (the Illini’s Assembly Hall).  Some might say the game was defense-driven.  I would argue it was more the horrible shooting (PSU went 28% from the field and Illinois went 30%) and turnovers (PSU’s 13 to Illinois’ 15) that had the largest impact on the outcome of the game.  No matter how ugly, though, the Nittany Lions got the win and are just a game behind Illinois in the standings and two and a half games back from MSU at the top of the standings with four games remaining in the regular season.

Bat-tling Back
Opening weekend was an exciting one for the Nittany Lions in the Big East-Big Ten Challenge.  Nothing is better than a come-from-behind win besides a come-from-behind win at the last possible moment.  The Nittany Lion baseball team, only down one run, waited until the ninth inning to score at all, and then put up six runs against Seton Hall to win the game 6-1 on Sunday.  Mike Deese helped the Nitts get it done by going 3-5 with two RBIs.  PSU faces No. 4 Texas next weekend in a big early season test.  Right now the Nitts sit 2-1.  Like I said, it’s early.

The Lousy Lady Lions
The Lady Lions actually have a chance to grab a couple wins this week as they face two of the three worst teams in the conference, Northwestern and Illinois.  It won’t mean anything, though, because the are four worst and at this point are just waiting for the season to end.  Everyone gets a chance in the Big Ten Tournament, but it is doubtful that PSU will be able to do anything with that chance if the mediocre performances they’ve put up all season are saying anything.

Batting for Bucks
The Nitts softball team had the weekend off, but this week was the NPF (National Pro Fastpitch) draft and senior Danielle Kinley was selected with the 16th overall pick.  There are five teams in the NPF and Kinley was drafted by the Philadelphia Force.  She is the second ever Nittany Lion to go pro in softball (Missy Beseres was first in 2006) and will officially sign with the Force at the end of the season.  She is predominately a hitter with PSU but has also season time at first base and is expected to cover the bag for Philly.

By Carrie Philips

Boiler Butt-kicking
That’s right, your very own No. 19 Boilermaker ballers dealt out a royal ass-kicking on No. 5 Michigan State on Tuesday, 72-54.  Perhaps it was the fresh new gear the team was sporting that got them all vamped up and ready to play.  Or perhaps it was their suffocating defense.  They forced 22 turnovers and blocked eight shots in the contest, holding the Spartans to just 33% shooting.  On the offensive side, JuJuan Johnson continues to lead and put up a game-best 17 points.  Robbie Hummel, back for his first game since missing three games with a stress fracture in his vertebrae, chipped in 11 points of his own.  This big win, coming at the end of the season, could influence the selection committee into a higher seed.

Title Hopes?
With an important win over Penn State earlier this evening (extending the win streak to four games), the Purdue women’s basketball team stays only a half game off the conference lead.  The two co-leaders, OSU and MSU, both won tonight, as well, to hold on to their spots.  But all Purdue can do at this point is win out and hope for the best (aka losses from both the Bucks and Spartans).  That being said, winning out would include beating Michigan State in their final regular season game, and could be the difference maker.  Congrats to Lindsey Wisdom-Hylton (one of ABT’s three top girls in the conference earlier this season) for pulling down 12 boards in the contest to put her on top of the Purdue career rebounding record.

Lukewarm, not Boiling
After a hot start to the season and a big win over UCLA, the Purdue softball squad followed it up with a 2-3 performance at the Florida State Sunshine Classic this past weekend.  And to bring the lackluster weekend to a close, the Boilers were run-ruled in a 8-0 defeat at the hands of the Seminoles.  The Boilers need to turn on the burners on this weekend when they head to Auburn for four games in the War Eagle Classic.

Let’s Play Ball
The Big Ten kicks off the baseball season with the first ever Big East/Big Ten Challenge.  All the games are being played in the Sunshine State, and Purdue will be opening up in St. Petersburg against opponents Cincinnati, Michigan, South Florida and Notre Dame.  They will continue to play on the road, though at neutral sites, for their following 16 games.