Players need more than a sweet stroke or a crossover dribble to survive in the rugged Big Ten. Sharp elbows and strong forearms and the ability to absorb a blow are also necessary virtues.
This is no secret to anyone who even casually watches conference games and surely is no secret to a wise conference veteran such as Purdue coach Gene Keady.
Aggressiveness, in fact, is always an abiding characteristic of his best teams, which is why eyebrows jumped in surprise (if not skepticism) when he complained of Wisconsin’s aggressive nature after the Badgers’ recent victory over the Boilermakers.
“I thought it was too physical [a game],” he reiterated days later. “I think basketball has to have some finesse too. There was too much grabbing [in that game].”
But what about his teams?
“We’ve been accused of playing physical over the years,” he admitted. “But we don’t teach physical. We teach to play hard. (hellip) Play hard, play smart. But I don’t like grabbing. I’m not pointing fingers, I’m just saying someone has to check the hole card. Is this [style of play] going to help the Big Ten play better in the NCAA tournament. That’s what I’m concerned about.
“I’m saying the referees need to call it early so we don’t get into a grab-and-push deal. One thing I’m proud of in this league is we don’t have fights, we don’t have team scuffles. What I’m thinking is if we don’t curtail that, they might break out. We don’t need that. This league has always been good about playing hard, playing physical but within a limit.”
“It was really a physical game, that’s for sure,” Wisconsin coach Dick Bennett said when told of Keady’s comments. “But if a game is consistently called, players will adjust. If it was rough early and the officials wanted to clean it up, they would have cleaned it up.”
More Top Picks Best Mobility Scooters
Returning to the scene: Indiana’s last visit to Northwestern ended with a narrow Hoosiers victory and with Bob Knight getting in the face of Wildcats coach Kevin O’Neill. Knight had been offended by some of the chants NU fans hurled toward his players and he chose to lecture O’Neill very publicly on the necessity of controlling his home crowd. O’Neill, not a good one to lecture, barked right back. What can be expected from the fans Saturday when Indiana visits Evanston for the first time since that emotional afternoon?
“I don’t know what will happen,” O’Neill said. “I don’t care, and I don’t think coach Knight cares. We’ve talked a number of times since then and I think I’d be well within my rights to say neither of us [cares] about what happens.”
More importantly: The Hoosiers were regarded as an afterthought when this season began, but they are challenging for the conference lead. What’s the reason for their unexpected success?
“I think they’re better defensively than they’ve been,” O’Neill said.
Here is how much better. In their last outing at home against Michigan, which is averaging a league-best 80.7 points per game, the Hoosiers smashed the Wolverines 85-50.
“Their whole defense has come together,” O’Neill said. “I don’t think they have great, great talent. I think coach Knight would tell you that. But they’ve come together and bought into his philosophy.”
“That’s the important thing,” echoed Penn State coach Jerry Dunn, whose Nittany Lions visit Bloomington on Wednesday night. “All the guys have bought into his philosophy.”
Reality check: Illinois, in sharp contrast to Indiana, was heralded in the preseason and some even expected it to challenge for the league title. But the Illini have proven to be little more than average and are coming off a brutal beating at Michigan State.
“That can distort things pretty quickly,” cautioned Illini coach Lon Kruger. “We’re not a club that can contend for the Big Ten championship. We’re not [tough] consistently. We want to be. But we’re a team, by nature, that’s not ready to do it every night out.”