Hoopraker has relocated.

With the November 2006 launch of www.hoopraker.com, we have expanded our commitment to providing insightful, unique and creative commentary and essays on the basketball of the Big Ten Conference and the exceptional high schools of Chicago. Hoopraker goes beyond the typical wire service reports with comprehensive first person reports and incisive analysis. An integral component of a Big Ten fan's basketball fix, we are Hoopraker.

Check us out.

Ta-Ta.

Tommy Blamaker.
Quotes can be taken out of context, however, the terrific U of M beatwriter for the Ann Arbor News, Nate Fenno is credible and reliable. Fresh off his first loss of the season, replete with characteristic sloppy play, quick shots and catatonic effort, Tommy Amaker publicly pointed the finger at one of his players. According to Amaker, "Lester is out of sync right now. For us to become the type of team we aspire to be this season, we're going to need Lester to play to his potential. Right now, it's not there.'' It's unlikely Amaker would have singled out Abram if Michigan beat NC State, afterall, they would've been 8 and 0. Perhaps Amaker was just musing about Abram coincident with a loss. Perhaps, however, Tommy was typically deflecting blame in the wake of another embarrasing effort on national television. Perhaps Athletic Director Bill Martin is watching.

Call a Doctor, I'm Lightheaded.
I'm late to the wishing well tonight as the Michigan-N.C. State game has just started. The Wolverines are up big early but the most gratifying observation thus far is Tommy Amaker's abandonment of the mock turtleneck in favor of the unbuttoned white dress shirt.

If I had any notion of being impartial, a review of the ACC/Big 10 Challenge schedule sobered me up right quick. Upon first glance, I actually convinced myself that the Big 10 will win all of these games. I suspect this is why I've never come remotely close to winning anything resembling a NCAA Tourney bracket pool. I'll try to justify and rationalize my chronic delirium of a Big Ten sweep. Well, maybe Minnesota will lose.

1. If Michigan doesn't get lazy, they should beat N.C. State tonight.
2. Maryland at Illinois. I saw the Maryland-Michigan State game and a young, tough Spartan team, playing real defense, should have won absent a shot clock violation by Maryland at the end of the game. Not only is this game in Assembly Hall, but Illinois is well-coached, they have great talent on the wings and they play in your face defense. Jamar Smith is back and Chester Frazier isn't afraid of DJ Strawberry. McBride and Randall are tough matchups and I'm excited to see freshman Brian Carlwell. I like Illinois.
3. Florida State at Wisconsin. Give me Bo Ryan, his deep team of Upper Midwestern scrapers, Regent Street Brats, New Glarus Spotted Cow and a seat next to the fire in the Memorial Union Rathskeller. I love Madison.
4. Penn State at Georgia Tech. Tech is good but I like Eddie DeChellis, Danny Morrissey, Jamelle Cornley and Gerry Claxton. In my head I know this isn't a good pick, but in my heart, I want DeChellis to get this one. I really do. He's got good guards and their tough. They hustle. Nice wins over Bucknell and St. Joe's bode well.
5. Indiana at Duke. After losing to Butler, Kelvin Sampson needs this one to placate two contingents of Hoosier fans: those who agreed to sell their souls for Eric Gordon, and those who were amazed Sampson got the job in the first place. Despite his affection text messaging, Sampson will have the Hoosiers ready to play tough defense and Duke may not be ready for intense pressure on their backcourt. DJ White will be ready for the bright lights and that spells trouble for Josh McRoberts.
6. Miami at Northwestern. In case you haven't noticed, Welsh-Ryan is a tough place to beat the Kittens. Coupled with Willy the Wildcat, playing is Evanston is an equalizer. To win this one, Northwestern needs its guards to control the tempo. If that happens and if freshman Coble and Ryan can hit a few shots, Miami won't beat them. I'm also inclined to think Miami will underestimate Northwestern, which will be a big mistake. Nevertheless, like many Wildcat fans, I wish Coble and Ryan were juniors. Seriously, what's taken Carmody so long to recruit decent basketball players? If there's a decent excuse, I'd like to hear it. We've said it before, but within the Princeton system, Northwestern would win with guards who could shoot, e.g., the Butler Bulldogs.
7. Michigan State at Boston College. Could be a great game and the best this week. I love Izzo and I love the makeup of this year's team, replete with talent and deep. Old time Spartan basketball. Raymar Morgan is seriously good.
8. Virginia at Purdue. Virginia won't be able to stop Carl Landry, who'll be ready to show the country why he's the best player in the Conference. This is a huge home game for Matt Painter and he'll have the Boilermakers ready, Gene Keady style.
9. Iowa at Virginia Tech. Well, maybe I do indeed have delusions of sugarplum fairies. In a battle of two mediocre teams, I'll take Haluska and Alford.
10. Ohio State at North Carolina. I had second row seats to watch Carolina play Tennessee on Friday night at the Garden, which, in case you didn't know, is the World's Greatest Arena according to MSG knuckleheads. With Ohio State being promoted to Number 1 (which is ridiculous by the way) Chapel Hill should be loud and ready, but will it be enough, I think not. From their sloppy showing in New York last week, Carolina plays tacit defense, gives up too many open shots, doesn't shoot exceptionally well and is sloppy with the ball. That's a recipe for Ohio State to control the tempo of the game with Jamar Butler and Mike Conley, get good looks and make shots. Matta usually has his team ready to play defense and if he can convince Hunter, Terwilliger and Harris to block out, Ohio State should neutralize Hansborough. Make someone else beat you but pay close attention to Brandon Wright. Tennessee tried defending him with a 6'4" slow small forward with poor results. Perhaps the best player for Carolina might be Ty Lawson, who'll replace Bobby Frasor soon enough but, lucky for the Buckeyes not Wednesday night. Although this is their first true test (other than a win against a good Kent State team), Ohio State has better guards and at this point in the season that might be enough.
11. Clemson at Minnesota. Say goodbye to Dan Monson. As nice a guy as he seems to be, the Gophers continue to lose too many games to teams they shouldn't be losing to, and this is another one.

Well, thirty minutes after starting this absurd rationalization, Amaker's Wolverines have been outscored by twenty-two points. They've gone soft on defense and have become careless with the ball. Live by the quick outside shot, die by the quick outside brick. I hope Thad Matta is watching.

Ohio State, Curb Your Enthusiasm.
While most of Central Ohio and the great beyond fixate upon the Nov. 18 Ohio State – Michigan game (justifiably so) these chilly Autumn nights remind me that our mistress, Big Ten basketball awaits less than one month away. Seems like just yesterday that Thad Matta got pounded by John Thompson III in the NCCA Tourney. According to many prognosticators and the related cognoscenti, things will be different this year for Ohio State, a consensus top-15 team. While they may still be unable to beat Georgetown, many people, even those outside Columbus, think Ohio State will not only make the NCAAs but also make a run at the Final Four. I hope so but I’m not so confident. Perhaps lingering pain from my days of growing up during the Eldon Miller regime or as a Brown’s fan, I’m much more comfortable with lowered expectations. I think it’s prudent for Buckeye fans to curb our enthusiasm. Unfortunately, I’m in the clear minority of Ohio State fans who believe they’ll win, win now and win big.

With a nucleus of players from the Jim O'Brien era, Ohio State had a great 2005-2006 regular season. Although they stumbled down the stretch and looked horrible in the NCAA Tourney, the Buckeyes generally exceeded expectations with an experienced team and winning the Big Ten Championship. Two very good players return from last year’s team in Jamar Butler (a potential first-team all-Big player) and Ron Lewis, a proven scorer. Among others, however, it loses a solid guard in J’kel Foster, a hard worker on both ends in J.J. Sullinger and the Big Ten Player of the Year in Terence Dials (addition by subtraction with Matt Sylvester). Ohio State replaces these experienced players with young but extremely talented freshmen.

Oh yes, the Thad Five. For just about everyone, most of whom have never seen him play, the hyperbole surrounding Ohio State’s season begins and ends with Greg Oden. However, surmising Ohio State will be better off without Dials and with Oden diminishes the contributions of Dials, a fifth year senior and Conference Player of the Year. Granted Oden is huge and talented, but based on the scouting report of Mankitten ,who saw Oden and Illinois recruit Brian Carlwell in the same Chicago tournament, Carlwell is no sloutch and in fact may be turn in the better Big Ten career because he'll stick around Champaign beyond his Freshman season. Although not as hyped, Daequan Cook is great shooter and will most likely probably step into Foster's role. David Lighty, Othella Hunter and Mike Conley will be counted on to provide significant minutes. No question, on paper it’s a talented recruiting class with potential. Putting potential on the scoreboard is another matter. Just ask Tommy Amaker and all the talent he has squandered from Seton Hall to Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The biggest issue with Oden is Matta’s failure to put depth behind the big freshman. Unfortunately, Matt Terwilliger is not the answer. Even when Oden returns from rehabing his injured wrist, Ohio State will have very little wiggle room on the front line.

As Dials will probably disclose over a beer, Matta had a proven track record of being completely unable to get him the ball when Ohio State needed a bucket. Unless Matta changes his coaching philosophy from a perimeter-oriented team to a post-team, which is very unlikely given the makeup of his recruiting classes and his track record at Butler and Xavier, Oden, like Dials, may find himself watching the guards take jump shots for several months before he flirts with the NBA.

Finally many teams in the Big Ten will confront similar problems in terms of experience, or lack thereof, as Ohio State. The Seth Davises of the world think it's a down year in the Big Ten; I think it's a wide open league that will be heavily dependent on the abilities of its coaches. Other than Ohio State, Indiana, Minnesota, Northwestern, Illinois, Michigan State and Iowa all lost significant players. With young teams, coaching plays a huge role in determining wins and loses. On this point, I fear Tom Izzo, Bruce Weber (but not Steve Alford) have an edge on the Buckeyes. In the conference, Ohio State could easily lose to Purdue, Penn State, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Michigan State, and Wisconsin. They’ll obviously have a tough time with North Carolina and Florida, not to mentioned well-coached and experienced teams in VMI, Cincinnati and Iowa State.

So far in his career, Matta has won with players he inherited from other coaches. Certainly a mark of a good coach is winning with the hand you're dealt. This year, however, we will see Matta's vision for Ohio State and he will be judged on its results. At the end of the day, however, Ohio State is a bubble team getting pounded early in the season and struggling to get the wins in February they will desperately need to make the NCAA Tournament. Although the new uniforms are absolutely ridiculous, the season will be interesting and hopefully fun.

Thad Matta, Befuddled.

The spin proffered through the Columbus media had surface appeal: Georgetown was just too good and too big; there was nothing Ohio State could've done to stop the Hoya juggernaut; the Bucks lost, but golly, what a great season. Here's a novel theory: Ohio State was outcoached.

Against Georgetown and throughout the season, when confronted with a tough defense, Ohio State struggled to find a decent shot. The culprit of this difficulty rests with Thad Matta's poor half-court offense and its inane reliance on quick 24 foot shots. As this past season progressed, as the sloppy three pointers turned into bricks, Ohio State was exposed by well-coached teams as an outfit baffled in the half-court. Out of time outs, they opted for impatient long distance shots, which more often than not missed their mark. When confronted with solid defense, inept and empty possessions became the norm.

So let's cut the sugarcoating. Ohio State didn't lose to Georgetown because they were outclassed by a more talented team. Ohio State lost to Georgetown because they were outcoached. As to Ohio State's future, it isn't as bright as everyone imagines. As long as Matta teaches his teams impatience, Ohio State will have a difficult time becoming a consistent contender. As the NCAA Tourney routinely demonstrates, if a team can't execute an offense, if a team can't get a good look when it needs a bucket...when it really needs a bucket...they'll have a rough time winning the big games.

All Tournament Stiff Team, 2006 Edition

The B10 Tourney 2006 is history, however, the performances by the following student-athletes and coaches will live in our collective memories but a few short moments. Painful to watch, these performances were eminently forgettable. So, here they are, the All Tournament Stiffs:

Head Coach Bill Carmody
Asst. Coach Tommy Amaker

1st team
Vedran Vukusic, NU
Ron Coleman, UM
Chris Hunter, UM
Kammron Taylor, WI
Ray Nixon, WI

2nd team
Tim Doyle, NU
Courtney Sims, UM
Robert Vaden, IU
Idong Ibok, MSU
Matt Sylvester, OSU



Finally, congratulations to the Iowa Hawkeyes and seniors Jeff Horner and Greg Brunner. Playing with a bum ankle, Brunner left everything on the court. No excuses from the Heartland. Brunner will be missed.

IU Job interview to Take Place in Indianapolis - Iowa and Ohio State.

There’s no need to rehash the basic facts of the past two days of Big Ten games. If you want to read about who won, shooting percentages, who scored how many points, turnovers, and what not, a plethora of news outlets fit that bill, including a few of the links to the right of this post. Take a gander and don't overlook the Ann Arbor News.

As Iowa progresses through the B10 Tourney, past Minnesota and then the Spartans on Saturday, Steve Alford should remember to send a thank you card to Jeff Horner. The senior from Mason City, Iowa has single-handedly kept Alford in the mix for the IU job, and for that, Alford is grateful. For Alford and the Hawkeyes, Brunner and Horner have been quite the security blanket, however, it's one which will be long gone next season. Thus, could the time may be right for Alford to pack his bags and call the movers. Indiana, beware...unless Steve’s dad is part of the deal, beware.

Well, as everyone in the universe now knows, the Ohio State men's basketball program will not be penalized with a post-season ban by the NCAA for violations committed during the tenure of former coach Jim O’Brien. While not unexpected, this decision almost clears up the uncertainty surrounding the future of the nation's top 2006 recruiting class. As is well known, Ohio State had agreed to let the high school players out of their commitment letters if Ohio State was given a post-season ban. What remains unclear, however, is, now that the Buskeyes do not face a post-season ban, (1) will Thad Matta stop hedging his bets, remove his name from consideration for the IU gig and publicy commit to Ohio State, and (2) if Matta does get an offer from IU and bolts, what will happen to that terrific recruiting class? Will Ohio State release them from their commitments? Not likely.

As to Matta’s purported interest in the IU job, unless he's pined for the job since Quinn Buckner and Scott May were chasing coeds around Bloomington, it doesn't compute. Not with the recruiting class; not with the enormous amount of money he makes; not with the wide latitude he has to run the program; and especially not with the hero worship Columbus would bestow upon him if he dropped to a knee and declared Columbus was his last stop. If he's dropping to a knee, Matta might as well put on a black baseball cap with a red Block O. That wouldn't hurt.

Here’s a question. On Friday Vincent Grier put in quite a performance but he just didn’t get the help from his teammates the Gophers needed to pull off an upset of Iowa. So, where was Spencer Tollackson? He contributed energy and passion in the victory against Michigan and the Gophers could’ve used some of that toughness against Iowa. There must be an underlying rationale for Monson to keep him on the bench. Or maybe Monson just forgot about him.

Tommy Amaker has to go. Could it be any more obvious? Whatever happens this afternoon with the NCCA Tourney selection, Michigan can no longer afford to be a passenger on this imminent train wreck. If Michigan was going to turn the corner, it was this season, with a talented senior class led by Daniel Horton. It hasn't happened. Next season, the picture is bleak in Ann Arbor: with Horton gone; with Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, among others, continuing to bury the Wolverines in recruiting battles; and with Michigan out-coached by every other team in the league, the University of Michigan has turned into a Big Ten footnote. And once Matt Painter gets the pipeline back up and running in West Lafayette (and he will), Michigan will be battling Northwestern for the bottom of the conference. That’s reality. Michigan should be battling Northwestern in the law school rankings, not for the cellar of the basketball standings. If Gene Keady ever had the players Amaker had this season, he’d contend for a National Title. Michigan AD, Bill Martin: take a cue from Missouri and get rid of the Coach K pretender now.

Finally, memo to Jim Delaney, Commissioner of the Big Ten. If you have any clout, throw it around and demand CBS send two announcers to the B10 Tourney who actually know something about (1) basketball (Jim Nance) and (2) Big Ten basketball in particular (Billy Packer). Packer is an ACC relic and Nance is more interested in his new Big Bertha driver than basketball. Commissioner Delaney, protect the integrity of the league and get rid of these two imposters. Through these two characters, CBS maligns the reputation and character of the Big Ten Conference to a national audience. As Commissioner, you can do better, much better.

I'm bummed to be 708 miles from the sounds of squeaking sneakers, St. Elmo's steaks, and Big Ten mascots. But this afternoon, I did watching some Big Ten basketball with Gabe here in Gotham, my massage chair and plentiful supply of seltzer water at the ready. Maybe I didn't mention it, I love Big Ten hoop.

I know ManKitten has a few things to say about the Northwestern - Penn State game so take a look at his missive below.

Minnesota - Michigan. Northwestern Alumnus Brent Musburger reported this afternoon that he was assured by Michigan Athletic Director Bill Martin that Tommy Amaker's job is safe even if the Maize and Blue play in the NIT. Martin even said that he'd be gone before Amaker. Just wondering what Tommy Amaker has done to engender such blind courage. Has Martin witnessed the utter collapses by Amaker's teams the past two seasons? Did he watch this afternoon's game against Minnesota? The Golden Gophers couldn't have played worse in the first half. Rather than playing like a team actually playing for something (the NCAA for instance), Michigan couldn't muster the fortitude to play hard, smart, disciplined basketball for 40 minutes. Bad offensive sets, sloopy with the ball, quick shots. Sound familiar? When is enough enough for Michigan? Let's see what Nate Fenno has to say in tomorrow's Ann Arbor News.

Matt Painter had his team as ready as they could have been to play Michigan State. They played hard, they hung tough, they didn't quit, they earned respect. Neitzel played well and thus, so did Michigan State. The Spartans looked in rhythm today and that means tomorrow night's game against the Illini will be fun.

Looking forward to Day Two.

Thad Matta Will Accept Indiana Head Coaching Job.

In an interview this afternoon with ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews, Thad Matta offered little solace to Ohio State fans by saying through his silence he would accept an offer to become the next head basketball coach at Indiana University. When asked to comment on his much rumored interest in the IU job, Matta demurred, stating he was flattered, mumbling when saying that he'll assess all matters at the end of the season, and, finally, claiming he was contractually prohibited from saying anything further. Even though he's being paid an enormous salary by Ohio State for services as its head coach, even though five of the finest recruits in the United States have committed to Ohio State to play for him, even though he coaches a Big Ten Championship team that possesses the finest facilities in the Big Ten, Matta couldn't muster anything resembling an endorsement let alone a statement of loyalty to or pride in Ohio State. At his stops along the coaching highway, Matta has pushed the right buttons. But loyalty has, so far, not become a factor in his decision calculus.

Matta told Andrews that he was contractually prohibited from answering any questions. Well, that begs the question, "contractually prohibited" from what? Well, from saying he wanted IU job. Whether he wants the IU job or not, Matta could certainly have said "I love coaching at Ohio State." He didn't say that. If he doesn't want the IU job, he's definitely not contractually prohibited from saying "I love Ohio State and I have no intention on leaving anytime soon. We've just won a Big Ten Championship and I see a few more on the horizon." He certainly could've said that. He didn't. He didn't even say he liked Ohio State. The impression he left was one reminiscent of Lon Kruger, Bill Self and other coaching hit men.

If Matta is indeed the carpetbagger some have suggested, jitterbugging from one job to another, Butler to Xavier to Ohio State to Indiana, then let him go. Cut him loose and move on. Find someone loyal, cast from the same iron as Tom Izzo, Bo Ryan, Gene Keady, Bruce Weber. Find someone who really wants to coach Ohio State. With near unlimited resources, Ohio State is a destination job, not a drive through teller where a coach fills up his bank account on the way to the next ATM. If Matta prefers to live in Bloomington, fine with me.

Perhaps Matta's hedging his bets on the eve of the NCAA's decision on whether to penalize Ohio State for various allegations of rules violations. Maybe. If the program is sanctioned, not only would that stink, but Matta would bolt. But even if he is hedging, it'd be nice for Matta to publicly recognize and express some appreciation for the Big Ten job he currently holds, the one at Ohio State.

I hope I'm just the cynic people I am. If Matta is the coaching genius talking heads say he is, I'd love for him to bury all job offers, from the IU speculation this season to every other job for the next twenty years. Ohio State needs another Fred Taylor, a great coach in Columbus for the long haul. But I'm skeptical. From his stammering on air this afternoon to his equivocation on the IU job, it seems clear enough, he's asking for an offer from Indiana. And if he gets that offer, which is no sure thing, don't be surprised when he's leading the candy strips out of the locker room.