Indiana men’s coach Bob Knight considers it a geographical absurdity to have Penn State playing basketball in the Big 10. Iowa women’s coach Vivian Stringer feels the same way after her team lost 70-64 Friday night at Penn State.
“It’s easier to get to China than to get there,” Stringer says. “I know. I’ve been to China.”
The Hawkeyes left Cedar Rapids, Iowa, at 9 a.m. the day before the game, but because of heavy snow that caused flight delays and rerouting, they didn’t arrive in University Park, Pa., until 8 a.m. on game day.
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Then, after its first Big 10 loss, Iowa went to Ohio State for a Sunday game and lost 72-60.
Head start: Northwestern senior guard Todd Leslie, a medical redshirt this season after early-summer surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right knee, has begun full-court practice sessions.
“The doctors tell me Todd is a month ahead of schedule,” coach Bill Foster said. “He’s so diligent and disciplined with it. At the end of August we’ve got a foreign tour in Italy, Switzerland and France. We’ll play about seven or eight games, and that should be a big help for him in getting ready for next season.”
Leslie, who injured the knee in a summer game, led the Big 10 in three-point shooting and set an NCAA record by hitting 15 straight as a sophomore.
An optimist: Illinois coach Lou Henson thinks his Fighting Illini may merit a No. 3 seed in an NCAA tournament bracket and no worse than a No. 4 if they can beat Michigan on Wednesday or Iowa on Saturday.
That would mean the NCAA selectors consider Illinois among the top 12 to 16 teams in the country, even though it has not been ranked all season.
“Our (Big 10) third-place team may get a three, definitely a four,” he said. “If we would win one game, I think there’d be a good shot at a three seeding. If we win two games, a definite three. If we lose two games, I think you’re looking at probably four to six. It could be lower. Maybe that’s a little optimistic.”
Henson’s also optimistic about Illinois’ first-round site. He thinks a victory will put Illinois in the Horizon.
Ho-hum: Michigan coach Steve Fisher took exception to reports that the Wolverines are “bored” and only biding their time until the tournament.
The reports have been fueled by team comments, but Fisher said the talk began with a television announcer’s remark during the Feb. 28 Michigan-Ohio State game on CBS.
“I think it’s sometimes blown out of proportion a little bit about not concentrating,” he said. “The theme that people wanted to buy into was that Michigan was, quote-unquote, `bored,’ and only waiting for the NCAA tournament to begin. It wasn’t true then, but one guy said it.”
Bubble up: Some of the major-conference postseason tourneys could well determine which teams are invited to the NCAA tourney.
In the Big East, Connecticut heads into its Friday quarterfinal against Providence with a 15-11 record and three straight losses. UConn needs a win to give itself a defensible record and to stop a losing streak that the selection committee would be sure to notice; one criterion for selection is how a team played in its last 10 games.
Strength of schedule is another criterion, and Louisiana State’s schedule has been filled with wins over low-ranked teams like Connecticut State (298) and Southeastern Louisiana (254). The Tigers haven’t beaten a Top 25 team and cannot be assured a tourney spot even though they are 20-9 entering their Southeast Conference quarterfinal Friday against Florida or Mississippi.
Florida, on the other hand, is only 16-10, but among its 16 are wins over No. 5 Vanderbilt and at No. 10 Florida State. If Florida defeats Mississippi on Thursday and follows that with a victory over LSU, the combination would be enough to get the Gators in the tourney.
Then there are perennials Georgetown (14 straight NCAA tourneys), Texas (4) and Alabama (4). To extend their streaks, they have to win their tournaments: Georgetown in the Big East, Texas in the Southwest Conference and Alabama in the SEC.