2011–12 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season
Encyclopedia
The 2011–12 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season marks the continuation of the annual tradition of competitive basketball
among Big Ten Conference
members that began in 1904. The season marks the first season of participation of the Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball
team in Big Ten competition. With the addition of Nebraska all teams will play seven other teams twice and four teams once during the conference schedule, which continues to be 18 games. The season commenced on October 14 when Michigan State
and Minnesota
celebrated Midnight Madness
and three more conference schools hosted events on the 15th. Following conference play, Conseco Fieldhouse
in Indianapolis
will host the 2012 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
to be played Thursday, March 8 through Sunday, March 11. For the fifth consecutive season, all conference games will be broadcast nationally with 8 aired by CBS Sports
, 36 carried by the ESPN Inc.
family of networks including ESPN
and ESPN2
, while 64 games will be carried by the Big Ten Network. The conference enters the season riding a 35 season streak of leading the nation in attendence.
The conference lost five players to the 2011 NBA Draft
(JaJuan Johnson
(27th overall), Jon Leuer
(40th), Darius Morris
(41st), Jon Diebler
(51st) and E'Twaun Moore
(55th)), but the conference returns Jared Sullinger
who was named 2011 USBWA National Freshman of the Year
. The conference had 3 2011 Consensus All-Americans
(Sullinger and Johnson both first team and second team selection Jordan Taylor
). Taylor returns for his senior season along with Sullinger.
(#3), Wisconsin
(#14) and Michigan
(#18), while Michigan State and Purdue
were also receiving votes. The Big Ten Basketball Media Day for men's and women's basketball was October 27 in Chicago. The men's basketball media day was covered by ESPNU
.
Jared Sullinger
was named preseason conference player of the year at the conference media day. Other preseason All-Big Ten first team selections were Draymond Green
, Trevor Mbakwe, Robbie Hummel
, and Jordan Taylor
. Ohio State was chosen as the top team, followed by Wisconsin and Michigan State. Sullinger and Taylor were also both preseason Associated Press
All-Americans. 5 of the 30 nominees for the men's basketball Lowe's Senior CLASS Award were from the Big Ten: Michigan's Zack Novak, Michigan State's Green, Ohio State's William Buford, Purdue's Hummel and Wisconsin's Taylor.
Illinois
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Indiana
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Iowa
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Michigan
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Michigan State
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Minnesota
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Nebraska
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Northwestern
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Throughout the conference regular season, the Big Ten offices named a player of the week each Monday.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
among Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
members that began in 1904. The season marks the first season of participation of the Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball
Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball
The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college basketball. The program saw its first game in 1896 playing 7-on-7 basketball. The first collegiate game was against Nebraska Wesleyan University...
team in Big Ten competition. With the addition of Nebraska all teams will play seven other teams twice and four teams once during the conference schedule, which continues to be 18 games. The season commenced on October 14 when Michigan State
2011–12 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team
The 2011–12 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represents Michigan State University in the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach is Tom Izzo who is in his 17th year at Michigan State...
and Minnesota
2011–12 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team
The 2011–12 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team represents the University of Minnesota in the college basketball season of 2011–2012. The team's head coach, Tubby Smith is in his fifth year at Minnesota...
celebrated Midnight Madness
Midnight Madness (basketball)
Midnight Madness is an annual event on college campuses that celebrates the first day in mid-October that the National Collegiate Athletic Association permits formal basketball practices each college basketball season. In some cases, the name has literal meaning since an event is scheduled...
and three more conference schools hosted events on the 15th. Following conference play, Conseco Fieldhouse
Conseco Fieldhouse
Conseco Fieldhouse is a multi-purpose arena located in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Opened in November 1999 to replace Market Square Arena, it is home to the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association and the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association...
in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
will host the 2012 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
2012 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
-References:...
to be played Thursday, March 8 through Sunday, March 11. For the fifth consecutive season, all conference games will be broadcast nationally with 8 aired by CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
, 36 carried by the ESPN Inc.
ESPN Inc.
ESPN Inc. is an American sports media conglomerate based in Bristol, Connecticut. Jointly owned by The Walt Disney Company and Hearst Corporation , it owns various sports broadcasting operations, including cable channels, a sports radio network, an accompanying website, and other assets.ESPN...
family of networks including ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and ESPN2
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
, while 64 games will be carried by the Big Ten Network. The conference enters the season riding a 35 season streak of leading the nation in attendence.
The conference lost five players to the 2011 NBA Draft
2011 NBA Draft
The 2011 NBA Draft was held on June 23, 2011 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball...
(JaJuan Johnson
JaJuan Johnson
JaJuan Markeis Johnson is an American professional basketball player with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association. He played collegiate basketball at Purdue University. During his sophomore season, he was named a First-Team All-Big Ten selection. As a junior, he was named a...
(27th overall), Jon Leuer
Jon Leuer
Jon Leuer is a NBA basketball player for Skyliners Frankfurt. He was a 2011 draft pick of the Milwaukee Bucks playing in Germany during the 2011 NBA lockout.-High school:...
(40th), Darius Morris
Darius Morris
-College:As a freshman with the 2009–10 team, Morris averaged 4.4 points and 2.6 assist per game on 24.3 minutes of playing time per game. Three times he scored in double digits, including his first career game...
(41st), Jon Diebler
Jon Diebler
Jon Keith Diebler is an American basketball player for Panionios B.C. in Greece. He previously played four seasons at Ohio State University. He holds the Ohio high school career scoring record and the Ohio State University and Big Ten career three-point field goals records...
(51st) and E'Twaun Moore
E'Twaun Moore
E'Twaun Donte Moore is an American professional basketball player with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association, who is playing with Italy's Benetton Treviso during the lockout. Moore was drafted by the Celtics in the 2011 NBA Draft after playing college basketball at Purdue...
(55th)), but the conference returns Jared Sullinger
Jared Sullinger
Jared Sullinger is an American college basketball player. He is a sophomore at Ohio State and was one of the top rated basketball players in the class of 2010.-High school career:...
who was named 2011 USBWA National Freshman of the Year
USBWA National Freshman of the Year
The USBWA National Freshman of the Year, the male version of which is named the Wayman Tisdale Award, is an annual basketball award given to college basketball's two most outstanding male and female freshman players by the United States Basketball Writers Association, an association of college...
. The conference had 3 2011 Consensus All-Americans
2011 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans
An All-American team is an honorary sports team composed of the best amateur players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply "All-Americans". Although the honorees generally do not...
(Sullinger and Johnson both first team and second team selection Jordan Taylor
Jordan Taylor (basketball)
Jordan Taylor is an American college basketball player for the University of Wisconsin Badgers.-High school:Named Minnesota Mr. Basketball as a senior after averaging 22.3 points and 7.1 assists per game. Led Benilde-St. Margaret's to the Minnesota state Class AAA title in 2008 and was a 2-time...
). Taylor returns for his senior season along with Sullinger.
Preseason
Three teams were ranked in the preseason USA Today/ESPN poll: Ohio State2011–12 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team
The 2011–12 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team will represent The Ohio State University during the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach will be Thad Matta, in his 8th season with the Buckeyes...
(#3), Wisconsin
2011–12 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team
The 2011–12 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team represented University of Wisconsin at Madison in the 2011–12 college basketball season. This was coach Bo Ryan's eleventh season at the University of Wisconsin...
(#14) and Michigan
2011–12 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
The 2011–12 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represents the University of Michigan during the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team will play its home games in Ann Arbor, Michigan at the Crisler Arena, which has a capacity of 13,751, for the forty-fifth consecutive year...
(#18), while Michigan State and Purdue
2011–12 Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team
The 2011–12 Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team represented Purdue University. The head coach was Matt Painter, in his seventh season with the Boilers...
were also receiving votes. The Big Ten Basketball Media Day for men's and women's basketball was October 27 in Chicago. The men's basketball media day was covered by ESPNU
ESPNU
ESPNU is a television channel that specializes in college sports, and is produced by, affiliated with and owned by parent network ESPN. ESPNU originates out of ESPN Regional Television's ESPNU (often referred to as The U) is a television channel that specializes in college sports, and is produced...
.
Jared Sullinger
Jared Sullinger
Jared Sullinger is an American college basketball player. He is a sophomore at Ohio State and was one of the top rated basketball players in the class of 2010.-High school career:...
was named preseason conference player of the year at the conference media day. Other preseason All-Big Ten first team selections were Draymond Green
Draymond Green
Draymond Green is an American college basketball player at Michigan State University. He plays the forward position.-High School:In high school, Green led the Saginaw Trojans to two state championships. During his high school career, he averaged 20 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots a game...
, Trevor Mbakwe, Robbie Hummel
Robbie Hummel
Robert John Hummel is an American college basketball player for Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana...
, and Jordan Taylor
Jordan Taylor (basketball)
Jordan Taylor is an American college basketball player for the University of Wisconsin Badgers.-High school:Named Minnesota Mr. Basketball as a senior after averaging 22.3 points and 7.1 assists per game. Led Benilde-St. Margaret's to the Minnesota state Class AAA title in 2008 and was a 2-time...
. Ohio State was chosen as the top team, followed by Wisconsin and Michigan State. Sullinger and Taylor were also both preseason Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
All-Americans. 5 of the 30 nominees for the men's basketball Lowe's Senior CLASS Award were from the Big Ten: Michigan's Zack Novak, Michigan State's Green, Ohio State's William Buford, Purdue's Hummel and Wisconsin's Taylor.
Preseason watchlists
| Wooden John R. Wooden Award The John R. Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players. The program consists of the men's and women's Player of the Year awards, the Legends of Coaching award and recognizes the All–America Teams.The awards, given by the Los... |
Naismith Naismith College Player of the Year The Naismith College Player of the Year is an annual basketball award given by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to the top men's and women's collegiate basketball players. It is named in honor of the inventor of basketball , Dr. James Naismith.... |
|
| Tim Hardaway, Jr. Tim Hardaway, Jr. -Freshman year:Although Hardaway led the team in scoring in his first career game and the season opener with 19 points against , he was soon in a shooting slump that saw him shoot 4 for 30 on his field goals in late November games against Syracuse and... UM |
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| Draymond Green Draymond Green Draymond Green is an American college basketball player at Michigan State University. He plays the forward position.-High School:In high school, Green led the Saginaw Trojans to two state championships. During his high school career, he averaged 20 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots a game... MSU |
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| Trevor Mbakwe MIN | ||
| John Shurna John Shurna John William Shurna is a senior on the Northwestern Wildcats basketball team. He played forward for the 2009-10 Northwestern Wildcats and led the team in scoring and rebounding. Following the 2009–10 All-Big Ten Conference regular season, he was named a second-team All-conference selection by... NU |
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| William Buford OSU | ||
| Aaron Craft Aaron Craft Aaron Craft is currently a true sophomore playing point guard and wearing #4 for the Ohio State Men's Basketball Team under Coach Thad Matta. He stands 6 foot 2 inches tall and weighs in at 215 lbs. Craft attended Liberty-Benton High School near Findlay, Ohio... OSU |
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| Jared Sullinger Jared Sullinger Jared Sullinger is an American college basketball player. He is a sophomore at Ohio State and was one of the top rated basketball players in the class of 2010.-High school career:... OSU |
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| Robbie Hummel Robbie Hummel Robert John Hummel is an American college basketball player for Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana... PUR |
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| Jordan Taylor Jordan Taylor (basketball) Jordan Taylor is an American college basketball player for the University of Wisconsin Badgers.-High school:Named Minnesota Mr. Basketball as a senior after averaging 22.3 points and 7.1 assists per game. Led Benilde-St. Margaret's to the Minnesota state Class AAA title in 2008 and was a 2-time... WIS |
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Rankings
| Improvement in ranking | ||
| Drop in ranking | ||
| Not ranked previous week | ||
| RV | Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll | |
| Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Wk 16 | Wk 17 | Wk 18 | Final | ||
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| Illinois | AP | RV | RV | RV | RV | ||||||||||||||||
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| Indiana | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Michigan | AP | 18 | 17 | 15 | 14 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Ohio State | AP | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Wisconsin | AP | 15 | 14 | 11 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||
| C | 14 | 13 | 11 | 7 | |||||||||||||||||
IllinoisIllinois Fighting Illini men's basketballThe Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Big Ten Conference. Home games are played at Assembly Hall, located on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's campus in Champaign....
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IndianaIndiana Hoosiers men's basketballThe Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing Indiana University . The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in Division I of the NCAA. The Hoosiers play on Branch McCracken Court at the Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana on the IU...
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2012 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
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IowaIowa Hawkeyes men's basketballThe Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team represents the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, as a member of the Big Ten Conference and the National Collegiate Athletic Association. They currently play in 15,500-seat Carver-Hawkeye Arena, along with the school's women's basketball, wrestling, and...
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2012 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
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MichiganMichigan Wolverines men's basketballThe Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Michigan. The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association . The Wolverines play home basketball games at the...
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2012 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
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Michigan StateMichigan State Spartans men's basketballThe Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represents Michigan State University and competes in the Big Ten Conference of NCAA Division I. The team currently plays at the Breslin Student Events Center...
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2012 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
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MinnesotaMinnesota Golden Gophers men's basketballThe Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team represents the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Golden Gophers have played in the Big Ten since the conference began sponsoring basketball in 1905...
|-! colspan="8" style="text-align: center; background:#800000"|Big Ten Regular Season
2011–12 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season
The 2011–12 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season marks the continuation of the annual tradition of competitive basketball among Big Ten Conference members that began in 1904. The season marks the first season of participation of the Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball team in Big Ten...
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! colspan="8" style="text-align: center; background:#800000"|2012 Big Ten Tournament
2012 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
-References:...
NebraskaNebraska Cornhuskers men's basketballThe Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college basketball. The program saw its first game in 1896 playing 7-on-7 basketball. The first collegiate game was against Nebraska Wesleyan University...
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! colspan="8" style="text-align: center; background:#FF2400"|2012 Big Ten Tournament
2012 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
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NorthwesternNorthwestern Wildcats men's basketballThe Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team representing Northwestern University in the Big Ten Conference. Men's basketball was first introduced at Northwestern in 1901...
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!colspan=12 style="text-align: center; background:#431F81"|2012 Big Ten Tournament
2012 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
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Player of the week
Players of the weekThroughout the conference regular season, the Big Ten offices named a player of the week each Monday.
| Week | Player of the week |
|---|---|
| 11-14-11 | Victor Oladipo, IND 2011–12 Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team The 2011–12 Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team represents Indiana University in the 2011–12 college basketball season. Their head coach is Tom Crean, in his fourth season with the Hoosiers... |
| 11-21-11 | Drew Crawford, NU 2011–12 Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball team The 2011–12 Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball team represented Northwestern University in the 2011–12 college basketball season. This is head coach Bill Carmody's twelfth season at the Northwestern... |
| 11-28-11 | Tim Hardaway, Jr. Tim Hardaway, Jr. -Freshman year:Although Hardaway led the team in scoring in his first career game and the season opener with 19 points against , he was soon in a shooting slump that saw him shoot 4 for 30 on his field goals in late November games against Syracuse and... , MICH 2011–12 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team The 2011–12 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represents the University of Michigan during the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team will play its home games in Ann Arbor, Michigan at the Crisler Arena, which has a capacity of 13,751, for the forty-fifth consecutive year... |
External links
- Big Ten website
- Men's basketball at Big Ten Network