March 12, 2007

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Seven Squads in Postseason: Seven Big Ten schools earned postseason berths this season with Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue and Wisconsin taking part in the 2007 NCAA Championship and Michigan competing for the NIT title.

Six Squads Collect NCAA Bids: For the second consecutive year, six Big Ten programs have advanced to the NCAA Championship in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, Ohio State and Wisconsin. With a total of six NCAA Tournament bids, the Big Ten trailed only the ACC (7), while tying with the Big East (6) and Pac-10 (6). The Buckeyes, who are the outright 2007 Big Ten regular season and tournament champions, are a No. 1 seed in the South Regional and will be making their 20th official appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Illini, who earned a No. 12 seed in the West Regional, will be making their eighth consecutive appearance in the event, the school's longest streak of NCAA bids since building an eight-year streak from 1983-90. Illinois now has 27 appearances overall, the second-highest total among all conference schools. The Hoosiers, who will join Illinois in the West Regional as the seventh seed, claimed a conference-best 34th NCAA Tournament berth and will face Gonzaga in the first round. The Spartans are in the East Regional as the No. 9 seed and will make their 10th consecutive appearance, already a school record, and 21st overall. Nabbing the eighth-seed, the Boilermakers earn their 20th NCAA appearance and first since 2003.  The Badgers will join the Boilermakers in the Midwest Regional. Wisconsin is making its ninth consecutive showing, already a school record, and 13th appearance overall.

OSU Wins Big Ten Tournament Crown: Ohio State added the 2007 Big Ten Tournament Championship crown to its regular season trophy with a 66-49 win over second-seeded Wisconsin. Before taking on the Badgers, the Buckeyes defeated Michigan and Purdue to advance to their second consecutive championship final. OSU's Mike Conley Jr. poured in a game-high 18 points, while adding six assists and teammate Ron Lewis tallied 17 points in the championship game.

Oden Named Tourney's Most Outstanding Player: Ohio State's Greg Oden became the first freshman to earn Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors after averaging a double-double with 17.0 points and 12.3 rebounds during the three victories. The freshman also blocked four shots against the Badgers for a tournament total of 12, the most in Big Ten Tourney history. In addition, those 12 rejections ties Oden for fourth on the Big Ten Tournament career list, trailing Indiana's Jeff Newton for the all-time mark of 16. Oden was joined by teammate Mike Conley Jr. on the All-Tournament team, while Purdue's Carl Landry and Wisconsin's Kammron Taylor and Alando Tucker also earned All-Tournament laurels.

OSU Claims Second-Straight Big Ten Title: Ohio State won its second consecutive Big Ten Championship for the first time since winning two straight championships during the 1991 and 1992 campaigns. The Buckeyes captured back-to-back outright crowns for the first time since running off three in a row between 1960-62, while becoming the first Big Ten squad since Illinois won two straight outright titles in 2004 and 2005. OSU has now tied Illinois for the third-highest total in conference annals with 17 Big Ten Championships, behind Purdue (21) and Indiana (20).

Tucker Claims UW's Scoring Mark: During the Big Ten Tournament, Wisconsin senior Alando Tucker broke UW's all-time scoring record held by Michael Finley (2,147 points from 1992-95), establishing a new school mark of 2,177 points. Against Iowa on Feb. 10, Tucker became the second Badger and 23rd player in Big Ten history to score at least 2,000 points in his career. Since then, the senior forward has climbed to No. 10 on the Big Ten's scoring chart. Next on the list at ninth overall is Indiana's Don Schlundt, who tallied 2,192 points from 1952-55. Tucker became the first 2,000-point producer for the Big Ten since Indiana's A.J. Guyton (2,100 points from 1997-00).

Tucker Tabbed Big Ten Player of the Year: Wisconsin's Alando Tucker captured the conference's highest honor as he was named the Big Ten Player of the Year in voting by both the coaches and the media. He is the second Badger in the last four years to earn the award as Devin Harris claimed Wisconsin's first Player of the Year laurel in 2004. In Big Ten games only, Tucker ranked second in the conference in scoring (19.7 ppg) and tied for eighth in rebounding (6.1 rpg).

Other Individual Honors: Ohio State's Thad Matta was tabbed the Big Ten Coach of the Year by the media for the second consecutive year, while also picking up coaching accolades from his peers. OSU's Greg Oden was named Freshman of the Year after leading the conference in rebounding (8.9 rpg) and blocked shots (3.44 bpg) in Big Ten games only. He was joined on the All-Freshman Team by Iowa's Tyler Smith, Michigan State's Raymar Morgan, Northwestern's Kevin Coble and Ohio State's Mike Conley Jr. Oden also became the first freshman in Big Ten history to claim Defensive Player of the Year laurels and the first Buckeye since Ken Johnson won back-to-back honors in 2000 and 2001. The Big Ten's All-Defensive Team included Oden, Illinois' Chester Frazier, Michigan State's Travis Walton, Purdue's Chris Kramer and Wisconsin's Michael Flowers. Ohio State's Daequan Cook, who has recorded only one start in 30 games this season, was the conference's second recipient of the Sixth Man of the Year award.

All-Conference Team: A total of seven of the 15 selections on the 2007 All-Big Ten teams were underclassmen and have a chance to return to their teams next season. Both All-Big Ten first-team squads included Iowa's Adam Haluska, Michigan State's Drew Neitzel, Ohio State's Greg Oden and Wisconsin's Alando Tucker.  Purdue senior Carl Landry was honored by the coaches, while the media named Ohio State's Mike Conley Jr. to the top squad. UW'S Tucker earned first-team laurels for the second-consecutive year.

Ohio State's Triple Crown Season: For the first time in Big Ten history, one school has earned outright conference titles in the sports of football and men's and women's basketball. Last year, the Buckeyes became the first conference school to earn Big Ten titles in all three sports, but shared the football crown.

Haluska Takes Scoring Title: With 21.3 points per conference game this season (341 in 16 games), Iowa's Adam Haluska claimed the Big Ten's scoring title in conference only contests. The senior guard is the first Hawkeye to finish first in the conference scoring rankings since Andre Woolridge in 1997. Haluska was closely followed by last year' conference scoring leader Alando Tucker of Wisconsin, who closed out the Big Ten season with 19.7 points per game.

In Other Conference Categories: Ohio State had two standouts finish first in four conference only categories. OSU freshman Greg Oden claimed the conference's rebounds and blocked shots titles, while teammate Mike Conley Jr. finished first in steals and assists. With 8.9 boards per game, Oden is the first freshman to lead the way on the glass since Minnesota's Kris Humphries (9.5 rpg) led the conference in rebounds in 2004. Oden is also the first Buckeye to claim the rebounding crown since Brad Sellers tallied a conference-best 11.5 boards per game in 1986. In addition, Oden (3.44 bpg) became the first freshman to lead the Big Ten in blocked shots  since Penn State's Calvin Booth won the 1996 title (3.22 bpg). He is also the first Buckeye to lead in rejections since Ken Johnson won back-to-back crowns in 2000 and 2001. Conley closed out the Big Ten season with 6.56 assists per game, becoming the first OSU player to lead the pack in assists since Kelvin Ransey won the title (6.3 apg) in 1980. He is also the first freshman to rank first since Illinois' Deron Williams dished out 4.8 assists per game in 2003. In addition, Conley tallied a conference-best 2.06 steals per game, becoming the first freshman to lead in that category since Illinois' Dee Brown claimed the 2003 title with 1.88 thefts per contest. In addition, Conley is the second-consecutive OSU player to win the steals title as former Buckeye Je'Kel Foster tallied a conference-best 2.13 thefts last season.

Big Ten Attendance Milestones: The Big Ten reached two attendance landmarks this season as the conference broke the two-million mark in all games for the 15th straight season, while also reaching the one-million plateau for league games only for the 30th consecutive season. So far in 2007, 2,467,136 patrons have passed through the turnstiles for 195 games for an average attendance of 12,652. In Big Ten contests, 1,200,542 fans flocked to conference arenas for 88 games for an average of 13,643 per outing, the highest since the 2001-02 campaign (13,790).  In 2005-06, the conference led the nation in total attendance for the 30th-straight season with 2,255,332 total patrons.

Non-Conference Success: With 118 wins this season, the Big Ten has posted the most non-conference victories prior to postseason play in conference history, eclipsing last year's mark of 112 wins. Last season, the conference tallied a 112-28 mark before heading into NCAA Tournament action. The Big Ten then closed out the season with the best out-of-conference winning percentage in over six years at .767 (115-35).

Big Ten Homecourt Winning Streaks: Ohio State and Wisconsin closed out the season ranked among the nation's top five in consecutive wins at home. The Buckeyes have tallied 25 straight triumphs at Value City Arena, which stands as the third-longest streak in the nation. Wisconsin follows with 22 wins at home, the country's fifth-longest. Memphis leads the nation with a 32-game homecourt winning streak. The Buckeyes' last home loss was on Jan. 15, 2006, in double-overtime, 62-59, against the Spartans. Wisconsin's last defeat at home occurred on Jan. 31, 2006, when the Badgers fell to No. 6/6 Illinois, 66-51. OSU and UW still trail the Big Ten record of 53 straight home triumphs set by Michigan State from 1998 to 2002 -- a winning streak that was ended by the Badgers.

Big Ten's Grand Company: The conference's group of 1,000-point scorers has more than doubled from the start of the season as 11 standouts are now above that scoring plateau, including three teams with two or more players. Four Big Ten seniors began the season on the 1,000-point list in Iowa's Adam Haluska (1,862), Michigan's Dion Harris (1,574), Ohio State's Ron Lewis (1,622) and Wisconsin's Alando Tucker (2,177). Six more players joined the list this season in Michigan's Lester Abram (1,248) and Courtney Sims (1,314), Minnesota's Lawrence McKenzie (1,004), Penn State's Geary Claxton (1,262), Purdue's Carl Landry (1,136) and David Teague (1,349) and Wisconsin's Kammron Taylor (1,175). Michigan State's Drew Neitzel (995) is vying to become the next member of the conference's 1,000 point club. The complete Big Ten's "Grand Company" list appears on this page.

Playing Smart Basketball: Iowa's Adam Haluska was named the 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American of the Year and first-team Academic All-American. Haluska, who is a finance and marketing major, becomes the first men's basketball player at Iowa to earn first-team accolades. He becomes the second Big Ten standout in the last three years to be honored since Michigan State's Chris Hill was named Academic All-American of the Year in 2005. To be nominated, student-athletes must be a starter or important reserve and carry a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher.

NCAA Tournament History: Since the inception of the NCAA Tournament in 1939, the Big Ten has recorded the most appearances of any conference in the Big Dance with 180 (ACC, 167) and has the second-most NCAA Tournament victories with 281 (ACC, 316). The conference has tied the ACC for the most Final Four appearances with 38 and boasts the second-most national titles (10) in college basketball history. The Pac-10 leads the nation with 15 titles.

No. 1 Seeds: With Ohio State earning a No. 1 seed in this year's NCAA Tournament, Big Ten teams have been awarded the top seed 18 times since the field expanded to 64 squads in 1985, ranking second behind only the ACC (20) over that time span. The Big 12 has had 14, followed by the Pac-10 (11) and Big East (10). Michigan State leads all Big Ten squads with four No. 1 seeds, while Illinois and Purdue follow in second with three top seeds each.

Final Four Frenzy: The Big Ten trails only the ACC (7) in Final Four appearances since 2000 with six conference representatives reaching the national semifinals. The Big 12 follows with five appearances over that time span, followed by the SEC (3), Big East (2) and Pac-10 (2). Michigan State leads the Big Ten with three appearances (2000, 2001 and 2005), while Illinois (2005), Indiana (2002) and Wisconsin (2000) have each earned a Final Four spot in that time span.

Low Seeds Turn Into High Win Totals: Big Ten teams have made a habit of advancing deep into the tournament despite low seeds. In 2005, fifth-seeded Michigan State was the lowest-seeded team to advance to the Final Four. Four years ago, the Spartans were the lowest seed to reach the 2003 Elite Eight after winning three games despite earning a No. 7 seed. Two other conference teams have advanced to the Final Four in the last seven years despite their low seeds, as fifth-seeded Indiana advanced to the 2002 national championship game and eighth-seeded Wisconsin reached the national semifinals in 2000.

Coaching Elite: Over the last nine NCAA Tournaments, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo has led MSU to a 23-8 record and is also one of only nine coaches in NCAA Tournament history to advance to three straight Final Fours, which he accomplished from 1999-2001. In 2005, Izzo directed the Spartans to his fourth Final Four in his first 10 seasons as a college head coach, becoming just the second coach in NCAA history to accomplish this feat. Ohio State head coach Fred Taylor took his Buckeyes to four Final Fours in his first 10 seasons. In addition, Izzo also ranks second behind Duke's Mike Krzyzewski (.782) in NCAA Tournament winning percentage among active coaches at .742.

Big Ten Tournament Benefits: Since the inception of the Big Ten Tournament in 1998, the conference has sent seven different teams to the Final Four and has won over 60 percent of its NCAA Tournament games, compiling a record of 73-42 in the national event from 1998 through 2006.

Breaking Even In NCAA Play: The Big Ten has produced a mark of .500 or better in eight of the last nine events. Among the six conferences with the most tournament wins over that time span, only the ACC and Big East have posted NCAA records of .500 or better over the last nine years. The Big East has broken even in two of the last six years (2002: 6-6, 2001: 5-5) while the ACC's lowest winning percentage occurred with a 5-4 finish in 2003. The Big 12 (2001, 1999, 1998), Pac-10 (2004, 1999) and SEC (2002, 2001) have all been under .500 at least twice in the last nine seasons.

The Big Dance Constant: Michigan State is one of only four schools in the nation that has advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last 10 years, joining Duke, Kansas and Kentucky. Wisconsin has also advanced to nine consecutive NCAA's. Only eight other schools have accomplished this feat during this time span: Arizona, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Michigan State, Kansas, Kentucky and Texas.