Freshmen lead Big Ten teams into tournament
Penn State left the last impression on the Big Ten Conference regular season.
Depleted by season-ending knee injuries to stars Geary Claxton and Jamelle Cornley, the Nittany Lions upset Indiana in overtime Sunday with a starting lineup loaded with four freshmen.
"You can't do much else,'' said Penn State coach Ed DeChellis. "You are who you are.''
Sprinkled throughout the Big Ten, the freshmen played key roles during league play and bring hope to a conference sitting sixth in the power rankings. They head into postseason play for the first time with the Big Ten relying on them -- now and in the future.
"The sky's the limit,'' said Illini senior forward Brian Randle. "The Big Ten will be right back on top.''
When No. 10 Illinois meets No. 7 Penn State in a Big Ten tournament first-round game at Conseco Fieldhouse Thursday, both teams will rely on freshmen. Illinois freshman point guard Demetri McCamey directed Illinois through its best stretch in Big Ten play, and freshmen big men Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis plus injured foward Bill Cole have a spot in long-range plans.
Guard Talor Battle and forwards David Jackson, Andrew Jones and Jeff Brooks start for the Nittany Lions, who have won three of their last four games.
Of the league's top 30 scorers, nine are freshmen. Indiana guard Eric Gordon and Purdue forward Robbie Hummel were first-team all-conference picks and the stars on the Big Ten's five-man all-freshman team.
"I can't remember when there was a group that had the depth (of this class),'' Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. "The last few years when you voted for the top freshmen, you had to search for four or five. You have had one, two or three kids.''
This season, it was easy to fill a first, second and third team. There's not a Greg Oden, who led Ohio State to the national championship game last year before being taken No. 1 in the NBA draft by Portland. The biggest name is Gordon, who is expected to declare for the draft after the season and be taken in the top five or six. But there are talented freshmen scattered around the league, and other than Gordon, they will most likely be back next year.
Coach Tom Izzo, the dean of the league, said the class "has to be one of the best'' in his 25 years as head coach or an assistant at Michigan State.
While Wisconsin won the conference title outright with a lineup built on experience, runner-up Purdue relied upon a four-man freshman class. Third-place Indiana has Gordon, the league's top scorer. Michigan State finished fourth, thanks in part to guards Kalin Lucas and Chris Allen.
Ohio State freshmen Kosta Koufos, Evan Turner and Jon Diebler sit on the NCAA bubble heading into conference tournament play.
"It's been remarkable what the freshmen have done across the board,'' said Ohio State coach Thad Matta. "Look at the roles they've played.''
McCamey's career-high 31 points in the double-overtime loss to Indiana was a high point in an up-and-down year. He averaged 16 points and 4.4 assists through a five-game run in the second half of the Big Ten season. He struggled down the stretch, averaging 5.5 points while losing 10 turnovers in the last two games. He failed to reach double figures in the last four games, but Illinois still won two of its last three.
"Since the Indiana game, he's not played as well,'' Weber said. "Maybe the season has a taken a little toll. In that stretch where we competed and looked like we made progress, it was because of him. Now in our struggles offensively, he could make a difference.''
Those Penn State freshmen plus junior point guard Stanley Pringle, a junior-college transfer, accounted for 50 points in the 68-64 win over Indiana.
"Young guys have to play more minutes than they thought they were going to have to play,'' DeChellis said. "The four freshmen did a remarkable job for us (against Indiana). We hope that continues throughout the conference tournament.''
Battle and Pringle combined for 25 points in the 52-51 victory over Illinois in State College in February. Penn State scored a 68-64 win over Illinois at Assembly Hall in January.
Penn State will look to post three wins over the same team in one season for just the fifth time in program history. Penn State last accomplished the feat with three wins over Northwestern in 2006. Illinois hasn't lost three times to the same team in one season since 1998-99, when the Illini couldn't beat Michigan State in three tries.
John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com. For more coverage, read the Illini Talk blog at www.sj-r.com and www.pjstar.com
No. 10 Illinois (13-18, 5-13) vs. No. 7 Penn State (15-15, 7-11)
1:30 p.m., Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis (ESPN2, Illini Sports Network)
ILLINOIS (13-18, 4-13) ppg rpg
F Brian Randle Sr. 6-8 9.2 5.6
C Shaun Pruitt Sr. 6-10 12.5 7.1
G Demetri McCamey Fr. 6-3 7.6 2.8
G Trent Meacham Jr. 6-2 10.7 2.4
G Chester Frazier Jr. 6-2 4.9 5.1
PENN STATE (15-15, 7-11)
F David Jackson Fr. 6-6 5.7 3.5
F Jeff Brooks Fr. 6-8 3.0 2.4
F Andrew Jones Fr. 6-9 3.0 3.7
G Talor Battle Fr. 5-11 10.0 3.4
G Stanley Pringle Jr. 6-1 6.7 2.4
Noteworthy: Penn State swept the regular-season series with Illinois for the first time since the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten for the 1992-93 season. Illinois is 20-9 against Penn State. The Illini defeated Penn State 66-60 in the conference tournament first round last season, when guard Chester Frazier scored a career-high 21 points. . . Frazier (knee), Brian Randle (shoulder) and Rodney Alexander (concussion) are expected to play. . . Penn State posted its most Big Ten wins and highest Big Ten finish (seventh) since going 7-9 and finishing tied for sixth in the 2000-01 season. . .
Key for Illini: Attack the zone. Penn State bottled up the Illini with the zone in the first two meetings.
Key for Nittany Lions: The freshmen must come up big. The four freshmen starters combined for 41 points in the upset over Indiana Sunday.
Key quote: "I don't think any team wants to play us, giving how hard we play and how close most of the games have been. There's a difference in beating teams by 15 or 20 points rather than three or five points.'' -- Illinois forward Brian Randle.
Betting line:
Prediction: Illinois 58, Penn State 55