From Rivals this morning
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news;_ylt=AvyYqiSI8DBHau36V89GR9bevbYF?slug=jn-bigten020111
Of all the coaches rumored to be on the hot seat entering the 2010-11 season, Penn State’s Ed DeChellis appears to have made the biggest strides toward saving his job.
One year after finishing 3-15 in the Big Ten, the Nittany Lions are currently tied for fourth in the conference standings with a 5-4 mark. Saturday’s victory over then-No. 17 Wisconsin was Penn State’s third win over a ranked school in January.
“The word confidence is a huge thing with teams,” said DeChellis, whose squad is 12-8 overall. “It comes and it goes at times. Right now we’re playing with a lot of confidence. Our kids believe in one another.”
More From Jason KingSullinger unspoiled by success Feb 1, 2011 Q-and-A with Mickey McConnell Jan 31, 2011 AdChoices
Penn State coach Ed DeChellis has seen his team go 4-2 in its last six games.
That certainly wasn’t the case a month ago. After closing out non-conference play with a home defeat against Maine, the Nittany Lions got off to a 1-2 start in league play, when a victory over Indiana was followed by a loss to Michigan and a blowout against Purdue.
Then things began to change for Penn State.
A Jan. 8 upset over Michigan State ignited a run that saw DeChellis’ squad win four of six games. Included in that march were victories over Illinois and Wisconsin. Penn State’s two losses during that stretch – to top-ranked Ohio State and No. 13 Purdue, both on the road – were by a combined four points.
Suddenly the Nittany Lions are one of the toughest outs in the Big Ten. More than 15,000 fans showed up for Saturday’s victory against Wisconsin.
“We kept preaching to our guys to take good shots and to play off of one another,” DeChellis said. “Somewhere along the way – after we got beat pretty handily by Purdue – we started to play better. We found our way and we started to trust each other.”
As has been the case the past two seasons, the Nittany Lions are led by guard Talor Battle, a 6-foot senior who averages 20.4 points. DeChellis, though, said his entire senior class deserves credit for his team’s recent surge.
Forward Jeff Brooks ranks second on the team in scoring with 13.9 points per game. David Jackson hit a pair of timely 3-pointers in Saturday’s win over Wisconsin and Andrew Jones had 14 rebounds.
“It’s been a total senior effort, game in and game out,” DeChellis said.
Even though the NCAA tournament seems like a long shot, Penn State still has plenty of chances to bolster its resume with victories over ranked teams. One of those opportunities comes Tuesday night when the Nittany Lions face No. 24 Illinois in Champaign.
“We’ve defended better, we’ve rebounded the ball better,” DeChellis said. “The kids really believe they can win.”
LEAGUE RANKINGS
(Last week’s rank in parenthesis)
1. Ohio State (22-0, 9-0) – Aaron Craft has been one of college basketball’s top freshmen. (1)
2. Purdue (18-4, 7-2) – After being manhandled by Ohio State, the Boilermakers had a convincing bounce-back win Saturday against Minnesota. (2)
3. Wisconsin (15-5, 5-3) – The Badgers had defeated Penn State 12 straight times before Saturday. (3)
4. Minnesota (16-5, 5-4) – Only one ranked team remains on the Gophers’ schedule. (6)
5. Penn State (12-8, 5-4) – A major ice storm prevented the Nittany Lions from landing in Champaign on Monday for Tuesday’s game against Illinois. Penn State will bus to the arena from Evansville. (7)
6. Illinois (14-7, 4-4) – The Illini have fallen out of the rankings. (4)
7. Michigan State (13-8, 5-4) – Things can’t get any worse. Can they? (5)
8. Northwestern (13-8, 3-7) – The Wildcats will enter Saturday’s game against Illinois on six days’ rest. (8)
9. Michigan (13-9, 3-6) – The Wolverines have won two in a row, but a road game against Ohio State is next. (10)
10. Indiana (11-11, 2-7) – Tom Crean almost got a win over former boss Tom Izzo on Sunday. (11)
11. Iowa (8-13, 1-8) – Matt Gatens, Melsahn Basabe and Bryce Cartwright all average more than 10 points per game. (9)
WHO’S HOT?
Darius Morris, Michigan – When the Wolverines sophomore grabbed a rebound in the final seconds against Iowa on Saturday, he became just the third player in school history to record a triple-double. Morris had 12 points, 11 assists and 10 boards against the Hawkeyes. Manny Harris (2009) and Gary Grant (1987) are the other two Michigan players who boast triple-doubles.
Northwestern minus John Shurna – Upsetting top-ranked and undefeated Ohio State would’ve been startling enough. But for the Wildcats to pull off the feat without their top scorer would’ve been the shocker of the season. It almost happened Saturday night, though, when the Buckeyes escaped with a 58-57 victory thanks to Jared Sullinger’s free throw with 3.5 seconds remaining. Shurna, who averages 19 points, wasn’t able to play because of a concussion suffered in Northwestern’s previous game against Minnesota. Despite the loss, it was a valiant effort by the Wildcats.
Tubby Smith – For the second year in a row, the Minnesota coach is playing the second half of the Big Ten season without starting point guard Al Nolen. Smith adjusted last season and guided the Gophers to the NCAA tournament. In its first league game without Nolen this season, Minnesota defeated Northwestern. The Gophers’ resiliency says a lot about Smith as a coach.
WHO’S NOT?
Illinois – Times are tough for the Illini, who have lost four of their last six games. Three of the setbacks have been by five points or less, but there’s no excuse for Bruce Weber’s squad losing to Indiana considering the state of each program. Illini fans can’t be happy.
Korie Lucious, Michigan State – The Spartans will play the rest of the season without Lucious, a junior guard who has been suspended by coach Tom Izzo. Even though Lucious wasn’t much of a scorer, he played a huge role for Michigan State. Lucious averaged 24.4 minutes and 4.1 assists. He will be hard to replace.
Iowa – The Hawkeyes were competitive at times during non-conference play, but now we’re seeing just how much work first-year coach Fran McCaffrey has cut out for him. Iowa is clearly the worst team in a conference that is hardly void of mediocre programs. Seven of the Hawkeyes’ eight losses have come by double digits.
THREE TO WATCH
Penn State at Illinois, Tuesday – The Illini can’t afford to lose a second time to Penn State.
Purdue at Wisconsin, Tuesday – The Badgers are undefeated at home.
Ohio State at Minnesota, Saturday – If the Buckeyes lose, it will happen on the road.
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news;_ylt=AvyYqiSI8DBHau36V89GR9bevbYF?slug=jn-bigten020111
Of all the coaches rumored to be on the hot seat entering the 2010-11 season, Penn State’s Ed DeChellis appears to have made the biggest strides toward saving his job.
One year after finishing 3-15 in the Big Ten, the Nittany Lions are currently tied for fourth in the conference standings with a 5-4 mark. Saturday’s victory over then-No. 17 Wisconsin was Penn State’s third win over a ranked school in January.
“The word confidence is a huge thing with teams,” said DeChellis, whose squad is 12-8 overall. “It comes and it goes at times. Right now we’re playing with a lot of confidence. Our kids believe in one another.”
More From Jason KingSullinger unspoiled by success Feb 1, 2011 Q-and-A with Mickey McConnell Jan 31, 2011 AdChoices
Penn State coach Ed DeChellis has seen his team go 4-2 in its last six games.
That certainly wasn’t the case a month ago. After closing out non-conference play with a home defeat against Maine, the Nittany Lions got off to a 1-2 start in league play, when a victory over Indiana was followed by a loss to Michigan and a blowout against Purdue.
Then things began to change for Penn State.
A Jan. 8 upset over Michigan State ignited a run that saw DeChellis’ squad win four of six games. Included in that march were victories over Illinois and Wisconsin. Penn State’s two losses during that stretch – to top-ranked Ohio State and No. 13 Purdue, both on the road – were by a combined four points.
Suddenly the Nittany Lions are one of the toughest outs in the Big Ten. More than 15,000 fans showed up for Saturday’s victory against Wisconsin.
“We kept preaching to our guys to take good shots and to play off of one another,” DeChellis said. “Somewhere along the way – after we got beat pretty handily by Purdue – we started to play better. We found our way and we started to trust each other.”
As has been the case the past two seasons, the Nittany Lions are led by guard Talor Battle, a 6-foot senior who averages 20.4 points. DeChellis, though, said his entire senior class deserves credit for his team’s recent surge.
Forward Jeff Brooks ranks second on the team in scoring with 13.9 points per game. David Jackson hit a pair of timely 3-pointers in Saturday’s win over Wisconsin and Andrew Jones had 14 rebounds.
“It’s been a total senior effort, game in and game out,” DeChellis said.
Even though the NCAA tournament seems like a long shot, Penn State still has plenty of chances to bolster its resume with victories over ranked teams. One of those opportunities comes Tuesday night when the Nittany Lions face No. 24 Illinois in Champaign.
“We’ve defended better, we’ve rebounded the ball better,” DeChellis said. “The kids really believe they can win.”
LEAGUE RANKINGS
(Last week’s rank in parenthesis)
1. Ohio State (22-0, 9-0) – Aaron Craft has been one of college basketball’s top freshmen. (1)
2. Purdue (18-4, 7-2) – After being manhandled by Ohio State, the Boilermakers had a convincing bounce-back win Saturday against Minnesota. (2)
3. Wisconsin (15-5, 5-3) – The Badgers had defeated Penn State 12 straight times before Saturday. (3)
4. Minnesota (16-5, 5-4) – Only one ranked team remains on the Gophers’ schedule. (6)
5. Penn State (12-8, 5-4) – A major ice storm prevented the Nittany Lions from landing in Champaign on Monday for Tuesday’s game against Illinois. Penn State will bus to the arena from Evansville. (7)
6. Illinois (14-7, 4-4) – The Illini have fallen out of the rankings. (4)
7. Michigan State (13-8, 5-4) – Things can’t get any worse. Can they? (5)
8. Northwestern (13-8, 3-7) – The Wildcats will enter Saturday’s game against Illinois on six days’ rest. (8)
9. Michigan (13-9, 3-6) – The Wolverines have won two in a row, but a road game against Ohio State is next. (10)
10. Indiana (11-11, 2-7) – Tom Crean almost got a win over former boss Tom Izzo on Sunday. (11)
11. Iowa (8-13, 1-8) – Matt Gatens, Melsahn Basabe and Bryce Cartwright all average more than 10 points per game. (9)
WHO’S HOT?
Darius Morris, Michigan – When the Wolverines sophomore grabbed a rebound in the final seconds against Iowa on Saturday, he became just the third player in school history to record a triple-double. Morris had 12 points, 11 assists and 10 boards against the Hawkeyes. Manny Harris (2009) and Gary Grant (1987) are the other two Michigan players who boast triple-doubles.
Northwestern minus John Shurna – Upsetting top-ranked and undefeated Ohio State would’ve been startling enough. But for the Wildcats to pull off the feat without their top scorer would’ve been the shocker of the season. It almost happened Saturday night, though, when the Buckeyes escaped with a 58-57 victory thanks to Jared Sullinger’s free throw with 3.5 seconds remaining. Shurna, who averages 19 points, wasn’t able to play because of a concussion suffered in Northwestern’s previous game against Minnesota. Despite the loss, it was a valiant effort by the Wildcats.
Tubby Smith – For the second year in a row, the Minnesota coach is playing the second half of the Big Ten season without starting point guard Al Nolen. Smith adjusted last season and guided the Gophers to the NCAA tournament. In its first league game without Nolen this season, Minnesota defeated Northwestern. The Gophers’ resiliency says a lot about Smith as a coach.
WHO’S NOT?
Illinois – Times are tough for the Illini, who have lost four of their last six games. Three of the setbacks have been by five points or less, but there’s no excuse for Bruce Weber’s squad losing to Indiana considering the state of each program. Illini fans can’t be happy.
Korie Lucious, Michigan State – The Spartans will play the rest of the season without Lucious, a junior guard who has been suspended by coach Tom Izzo. Even though Lucious wasn’t much of a scorer, he played a huge role for Michigan State. Lucious averaged 24.4 minutes and 4.1 assists. He will be hard to replace.
Iowa – The Hawkeyes were competitive at times during non-conference play, but now we’re seeing just how much work first-year coach Fran McCaffrey has cut out for him. Iowa is clearly the worst team in a conference that is hardly void of mediocre programs. Seven of the Hawkeyes’ eight losses have come by double digits.
THREE TO WATCH
Penn State at Illinois, Tuesday – The Illini can’t afford to lose a second time to Penn State.
Purdue at Wisconsin, Tuesday – The Badgers are undefeated at home.
Ohio State at Minnesota, Saturday – If the Buckeyes lose, it will happen on the road.