B1G Basketball Conference Preview
By Editorial Staff
Basketball isn’t huge at Nebraska, that much is obvious.
Still, even for the diehard Nebraska basketball fan, it can be hard to learn an entirely new conference in one season. As Nebraska’s first season of Big Ten basketball conference play approaches, Husker Corner provides you, the fan, with a cheat sheet of Nebraska’s opponents and the Huskers’ chances against them.
Tue, Dec 27 – Wisconsin – Devaney Center – 8 p.m. – ESPN2
Winability: Moderate-Low. Despite the lack of a true star this season, Wisconsin has had a good start to the 2011 season. Both games against ranked opponents resulted in their only losses, but both games were close.
The Stud: Jordan Taylor – Guard – Senior – 11.6 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game, 5.7 assists per game
Sat, Dec 31 – Michigan State – Devaney Center – 2 p.m. – BTN
Winability: Moderate-Low. The No. 23 Spartans had a rough start to the season, dropping games to UNC and Duke, but since then they have gone 8-0 and sit ninth in the country in rebounds and 15th in assists.
The Stud: Draymond Green – Forward – Senior – 16.3 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 3.1 apg
Tue, Jan 03 – Ohio State – at Columbus, Ohio – 5:30 p.m. – BTN
Winability: Virtually zero. Ohio State is the best team in the Big Ten, and they proved it by laying a whoop down on Duke.
The Stud: Jared Sullinger – Forward – Soph. – 19.1 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 1.7 apg
Sat, Jan 07 – Illinois – at Champaign, Ill. – Noon – BTN
Winability: Slim to none. The undefeated Fighting Illini are a close second to Ohio State as the best team in the Big Ten, and will be awful tough to beat, especially in Champaign.
The Stud: Meyers Leonard (7-foot-1!) – Center – Soph. – 13.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.1 apg
Wed, Jan 11 – Penn State – Devaney Center – 7:30 p.m. – BTN
Winability: High. The 6-5 Nittany Lions have dropped three straight. Penn State ranks near the bottom of the country in field goal percentage and points per game and are really missing recently-graduated star Talor Battle.
The Stud: Tim Frazier – Guard – Junior – 17.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 7.2 apg
Sun, Jan 15 – Wisconsin – at Madison, Wis. – 5 p.m. – BTN
Winability: Moderate-Low. See above.
Wed, Jan 18 – Indiana – Devaney Center – 6 p.m. – BTN
Winability: Moderate-Low. Indiana is gaining a lot of traction. The undefeated Hoosiers are fresh off a win over No. 1 Kentucky, and opponents are forced to take a much harder look at Indiana.
The Stud: Cody Zeller – Forward – Fresh. – 15 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 0.8 apg
Sat, Jan 21 – Ohio State – Devaney Center – 7 p.m. – BTN
Winability: Virtually zero. See above.
Thu, Jan 26 – Iowa – at Iowa City, Iowa – 6 p.m. – ESPNU
Winability: High. The 5-5 Hawkeyes are having a rough year. Ranking 173rd in field goal percentage and 144th in rebounds per game, the Hawkeyes are looking for something to smile about.
The Stud: Matt Gatens – Guard – Senior – 13.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.9 apg
Thu, Feb 02 – Northwestern – at Evanston, Ill. – 6 p.m. – ESPN/ESPN2
Winability: Moderate. The Wildcats have shown some potential this season, but suffered their first loss of the season after cruising through an easy schedule. In their loss to Baylor, Northwestern put up only 41 points.
The Stud: Drew Crawford – Guard/Forward – Junior – 17.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1 block per game
Sun, Feb 05 – Minnesota – Devaney Center – Noon – BTN
Winability: Moderate-High. The Golden Gophers have had a rough road since losing their star forward Trevor Mbakwe for the season. Still, 11-1 Minnesota has shown promise in wins over Virginia Tech and USC.
The Stud: Rodney Williams – Forward – Junior – 9.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.5 apg (14.6 ppg filling in for Mbakwe)
Wed, Feb 08 – Michigan – Devaney Center – 7:30 p.m. – BTN
Winability: Moderate-Low. Michigan looks like they won’t be quite as strong this year as last, and while that may be a good sign for the Huskers, the talent level still favors the Wolverines.
The Stud: Tim Hardaway Jr. – Guard – Soph. – 15.6 ppg, 3 rpg, 2.6 apg
Sat, Feb 11 – Penn State – at State College, Pa. – Noon – ESPNU
Winability: High. See above.
Sat, Feb 18 – Illinois – Devaney Center – 4 p.m. – BTN
Winability: Slim to none. See above.
Wed, Feb 22 – Purdue – at West Lafayette, Ind. – 5:30 p.m. – BTN
Winability: Moderate. The 9-2 Boilermakers have a lot of potential if Robbie Hummel can continue to play at the high level he’s had to start the season, but they’ve yet to notch an impressive victory.
The Stud: Robbie Hummel – Forward – Senior – 18.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.7 apg
Sat, Feb 25 – Michigan State – at East Lansing, Mich. – 7 p.m. – BTN
Winability: Moderate-Low. See above.
Wed, Feb 29 – Iowa – Devaney Center – 8 p.m. – ESPNU
Winability: High. See above.
Sat, Mar 03 – Minnesota – at Minneapolis, Minn. – 11:30 a.m. – BTN
Winability: Moderate-High. See above.
By Chris Peters
Photo Courtesy Associated Press