BEYOND THE ARC: THE BIG TEN IS OFFENSIVELY CHALLENGED

by Noce, Chicago Bull

After watching Illinois fall to Maryland in what pretty much was an exercise in futile offense, I started wondering why Big Ten basketball teams never match up well against the ACC. Is it because they have three new coaches trying to rebuild disheveled programs? That may be part of it, as Iowa, Minnesota and Michigan all lost with first year coaches Todd Lickliter, Tubby Smith and John Beilein, respectively. That can't be the only reason though, because even if they only lost those three games, the Big Ten still could have won the Challenge right? Wrong.

The one glaring difference between Big Ten basketball and ACC basketball is the presence of a go-to scorer who can be counted on the put the ball in the hoop. Besides Indiana's Eric Gordon and Michigan State's Drew Neitzel, there are no other players in the Big Ten who can create their own opportunities to score. What's even worse is that Gordon is a freshman, even though he appears to be head over heels more skilled than anyone on Illinois, Iowa, Northwestern, Minnesota or Michigan.

While all those aforementioned losing teams were busy throwing the ball around the outside and waiting for someone to step up, defenders knew all they had to do was take away the inside game and force the outside shot. From there all it takes is a solid rebounding night on the defensive side and the game was over. The Big Ten has such an awful time scoring baskets that it averaged only 70.7 points per game during the Challenge.

I understand that the conference is based around defense, as they held the ACC to an anemic 77.8 points per game average over the tournament, but only one player from the Big Ten managed to score over 20 points in a game during the tournament and guess who it was? If you said Eric Gordon, you were right.

Gordon had the most points of anyone in a single game during the tournament with 29 against Georgia Tech. Meanwhile, the ACC had three players over 20 points in Boston College's Tyrese Rice (28), Virginia's Mamadi Diane (22) and NC State's J.J. Hickson (21).

The Big Ten had better get it's act together and start recruiting kids who can create opportunities to score, rather than relying on a "system" where players become so enveloped, they fail to realize that each one on the court is capable of taking his man off the dribble. All these kids want to be pro ballers and make it to the NBA, right? They had better learn some moves if that's ever going to happen because the only one with a guaranteed ticket to the "Association" right now is Gordon, and he should be in an Illini jersey not an Indiana jersey. I hate you Kelvin Sampson, you dirty, dirty man.