We continue our look at the Big Ten and the teams' participation in preseason tournaments. In part one, we hit some of the teams that are higher rated, including Ohio State and Michigan. Don't sleep on the teams in part two: Purdue could be better than a lot of people thing and Iowa seems to be headed in the right direction.
Purdue
Puerto Rico Tipoff: San Juan, PR
11/17 Iona-W
11/18 Temple/Western Michigan-L
11/20 Maryland/Alabama/Wichita State/Colorado-L
11/29 Miami-W
Record: 2-2
Matt Painter is one heck of a coach, but he alone cannot replace JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore. The one positive about Robbie Hummel having to redshirt last season is that the transition from losing two of the best Purdue players of all time will be more bearable. Hummel most likely will not be the same player he was before the injuries that have knocked him out of the two previous seasons. What he will give you is a leader, an excellent defender, and a great shooter for his size. Lewis Jackson will have to create for him as well as the other Boilermaker role players. Purdue travels to San Juan, Puerto Rico the week before Thanksgiving. The open with an underrated Iona, but I still see them getting the opening round victory. After that it gets a little tougher. I predict Purdue to lose against Temple, who is receiving votes in both the AP and Coaches Polls. An Alabama vs. Wichita State semifinal is likely for the opposite side of the bracket. While I think Alabama will defeat Temple in the championship, I think that Wichita State will defeat Purdue in the third-place game. The Shockers won the NIT last year and are hungry to get into the NCAA Tournament this season. Although 1-2 would be a disappointing trip for Purdue in San Juan, I foresee a home victory when they return for the Big Ten-ACC Challenge against Miami. Center Reggie Johnson will not be healthy by then, so the Boilermakers lack of size should not hurt them there.
Minnesota
Old Spice Classic: Orlando, FL
11/24 DePaul-W
11/25 Texas Tech/Indiana State-W
11/27 Dayton/Wake Forest/Arizona State/Fairfield-W
11/30 Virginia Tech-W
Record: 4-0
Coming into this season, the Minnesota Golden Gophers have lost 10 of their last 11 games. The excuse of not having Al Nolen in all of those games is not going to fly this season though. While Minnesota boasts one of the nation's top frontcourts in Trevor Mbakwe and Ralph Sampson III, the backcourt will be the deciding factor between a trip back to the NCAA Tournament or a season like last year. Tubby Smith's team is taking part in the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, which I predict them to win. It is not a weak field necessarily, but every game is very winnable. The Gophers open with an improved, yet still very young DePaul team. After that they will have to get by an Indiana State Sycamore squad that is led by Jake Odum, who has arguably the best facial hair in Divison I basketball. Minnesota should be too tough inside for ISU to handle, leaving them in a potential matchup with Dayton (who I predict to beat Arizona State in the semifinals) in the tournament finals. Mbakwe is a beast on the boards and is a double-double machine. Freshman guard Andre Hollins will likely see a lot of time in the backcourt, while Rodney Williams will be the team's X-Factor. Williams, the once thought-to-be NBA lottery pick, has not lived up to his hype during his first two seasons in Minneapolis aside from a few highlight reel dunks. Getting Williams to play well consistency would be a huge lift for Minnesota.
Iowa
Dale Howard Classic: Des Moines, IA
11/20 Creighton-L
11/11 Chicago State-W
11/14 North Carolina A&T-W
11/17 Northern Illinois-W
11/29 Clemson-W
Record: 4-1
Iowa actually does not take part in any early season tournaments, but they do however host Creighton in the Dale Howard Classic. Unfortunately for them, I see the classic going in favor of the visiting team. The Bluejays of Creighton are predicted to win the Missouri Valley and have sophomore stud Doug McDermott. McDermott is coached by his father Greg, and was also a high school teammate of North Carolina's Harrison Barnes. Before the Dale Howard Classic occurs, Iowa hosts Chicago State, North Carolina A&T, and Northern Illinois all at home. Anything but three wins there would be ultra disappointing for a team looking to go back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years. After all of this, the Hawkeyes host Clemson for their Big Ten-ACC Challenge matchup. Unlike against Creighton, I predict Iowa to win this contest. Clemson is a decent enough team that a win over them would go a long ways for Iowa's postseason hopes. The three-headed monster of Bryce Cartwright, Matt Gatens, and Melsahn Basabe will lead Fran McCaffrey's team this year. Cartwright is a stat sheet stuffer as well and led the Big Ten in assists last season. Gatens is sound in all aspects of the game, while Basabe is a wiry 6'7" athlete who has a huge upside and could have a breakout season. Eric May is Iowa's X-Factor. After being selected to the All-Freshman team in the Big Ten two years ago, May struggled to find consistency during his sophomore campaign. He could be the difference between an Iowa team finishing near the bottom of the Big Ten once again, an NIT squad, or dare I even say NCAA Tournament team.
Indiana
Hoosier Invitational: Bloomington, IN
11/13 Chattanooga-W
11/19 Savannah State-W
11/21 Gardner-Webb-W
11/27 Butler-L
11/30 @ North Carolina State-L
Record 3-2
Despite bringing in freshman Cody Zeller, I think it will be another non-NCAA Tournament year for the Hoosiers. Patience is growing thin for Hoosiers fans in regards to Tom Crean, although Indiana boasts the top recruiting class for the Class of 2012. The Hoosier Invitational will not gauge IU's season by any means. Wins over Chattanooga, Savannah State, and Gardner-Webb are musts in Crean's fourth season. No longer will wins to inferior programs be acceptable. Indiana takes on a new-look Butler team that lost Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard, after making a second straight NCAA Title game appearance. Nonetheless, the Bulldogs should come out victorious over their in-state opponent. Three days after that, IU travels to take on a mediocre North Carolina State squad. Again, I predict Indiana to lose since this will be their first road test of the season. With Maurice Creek out for the season yet again, who will fill in as the fifth starter? Victor Oladipo and Will Sheehey are the two likeliest candidates to play alongside Verdell Jones III, Jordan Hulls, Christian Watford, and Zeller. While that turns out to be a solid starting lineup, the bench will also need to step up for Indiana to get out of the cellar of the Big Ten, which is where they have been since Crean has taken the helm.
Nebraska
No Tournament: Lincoln, NE
11/20 Rhode Island-W
11/23 Oregon-W
11/26 South Dakota State-W
11/30 Wake Forest-W Record: 4-0
After leaving the Big Twelve, everyone thinks of Nebraska in regards to football. The fact is though that Nebraska was a few wins away from participating in March Madness last season. Despite grumblings about how the Big Ten is weak besides Ohio State, I believe this conference is better overall than the Big Twelve. The Cornhuskers return center Brian Diaz and add LSU-transfer Bo Spencer. Despite how I am trying to get my point across about how Nebraska basketball isn't as bad as people think, I am predicting them to finish in the bottom half of the conference but they could be playing for an NIT bid. Wins over Rhode Island and Oregon at home would be too decent looking wins to a postseason resume. After that they take on South Dakota State and then host Wake Forest as their Big Ten-ACC Challenge matchup. Nebraska and Iowa are the only two Big Ten squads not in an early preseason tournament, but a 4-0 record in the four games listed above would help Nebraska's record before a brutal Big Ten slate. Wake Forest is a very winnable game for Nebraska, especially since it is at home where they play very well. A win in that contest could also show the other Big Ten teams that Nebraska is for real and would help the conference win the challenge for the third consecutive season.
Penn State
Hall of Fame Tipoff: Uncasville, CT
11/14 Radford-W
11/16 Long Island-W
11/19 Kentucky-L
11/20 South Florida/Old Dominion-L
11/30 @ Boston College-L
Record: 2-3
Losing your program's all-time leading scorer is never easy. Losing three other starters that played alongside him is even tougher. Tim Frazier will take over the reigns for a Penn State program that finally made it back to the NCAA Tournament, but has to replace Talor Battle, Jeff Brooks, David Jackson, and Andrew Jones III. Although Frazier was one of the top distributors in the Big Ten last season, he will also have to take on a scoring role this year. I expect him to put up solid numbers in all three major categories: points, rebounds, and assists. Wins over Radford and Long Island at home would go a long way for the confidence of the Nittany Lion squad before they head to Connecticut to take part in the Hall of Hame Tipoff. There they will have to take on second-ranked Kentucky, which should be no contest. They then would take on the loser of South Florida vs. Old Dominion, which I'm guessing will be South Florida. Again, another loss is likely here leaving Penn State 0-2 in non-home games. 10 days later, they travel to Boston College to take on the Golden Eagles in a clash of each conference's bottom feeders. While I would pick Penn State to beat BC at home, I am picking Boston College to beat them on their home floor. It will more than likely be a rebuilding year for new head coach Pat Chambers. The squad is young, with 11 freshman or sophomores combined on the roster, so turning it around in the next few years is definitely not out of the question.