Illinois Fighting Illini

Iowa's Devyn Marble looks for an opening around Michigan's Trey Burke during the second half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City on Saturday, January 14, 2012. (Cliff Jette/SourceMedia Group)

My B1G selections: Burke is top player 1

The Big Ten’s top four players will rank among the nation’s top 10 at the end of the season. Michigan guard Trey Burke, Ohio State forward Deshaun Thomas, Indiana center Cody Zeller and Indiana guard/forward Victor Oladipo all are competitive for first-team All-American honors. All four are almost assured of landing on the top two [...]

continue »

Iowa guard Devyn Marble (4) celebrates with forward Zach McCabe (15) after making a shot during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.  (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Iowa blocks 12 shots, drops Illinois 63-55

IOWA CITY — The lane was clear for Iowa guard Devyn Marble, thanks to sophomore teammate Josh Oglesby. In perhaps the game’s most pivotal possession Tuesday night, the Hawkeyes had a play drawn up for Oglesby. The Illinois defense knew it and watched for Oglesby. Marble took advantage, scored, was fouled, sank a free throw and [...]

continue »

iowa wins 2

Video sessions: Iowa tops Illinois

Iowa’s Devyn Marble scored 21 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished four assists in Iowa’s 63-55 win against Illinois on Tuesday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Here’s Marble talking about the win and Josh Oglesby’s play down the stretch. Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery showed obvious excitement with the win and happiness with Oglesby’s performance late. Iowa sophomore [...]

continue »

Former Iowa assistant coach Bruce Pearl waves to the fans as he is recognized during a reunion of the 1986-1987 Elite Eight asketball team before Iowa's Big Ten Conference college basketball game against Penn State Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.  (Brian Ray/ SourceMedia Group News)

Players recall Kaufmann’s shot 20 years later

IOWA CITY — Andy Kaufmann still hears about his shot at weddings and funerals. Friends remind him of it every time the Fighting Illini battle Iowa in a basketball game. People still shake his hand and tell him they were at The Assembly Hall the night he buried a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to lift Illinois past Iowa [...]

continue »

Iowa forward Eric May is fouled by Indiana guard Jordan Hulls as they get tangled up in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Bloomington, Ind., Saturday, March 2, 2013. Indiana defeated Iowa 73-60. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Iowa notes: Fran on lineup, Groce on Lickliter

IOWA CITY — In the two games since Mike Gesell’s foot injury, sophomore Josh Oglesby has started at off-guard and Devyn Marble has played the point. The results have been mixed. Marble has scored 38 points in the two games, while Oglesby is 1-for-9 from the field with seven total points. Senior Eric May has [...]

continue »

Illinois Coach John Groce on the sidelines in first-half action against Norfolk State on Tuesday, December 11, 2012, at Assembly Hall in Champaign, Illinois. The host Fighting Illini won, 64-54. (Chris Lee/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/MCT)

2012-13 Big Ten men’s basketball capsules

ILLINOIS Games against Iowa — March 5 in Iowa City Recent Action vs. Iowa — Iowa snapped series-worst 7-game losing streak in Big Ten Tournament. Illinois has won series-record 3 straight in Iowa City Who’s Back? — Wings Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson are explosive scorers who fit with new coach John Groce’s system. PG [...]

continue »

Illinois's bench celebrates their lead over Gonzaga, in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 8, 2012, in Spokane, Wash. Illinois beat Gonzaga 85-74. (AP Photo/Jed Conklin)

MSU’s Izzo: Big Ten ‘has to be the best in my era’

MSU's Tom Izzo has high praise for this year's basketball conference

IOWA CITY — Tom Izzo might have the Big Ten’s sixth-best basketball team, and his Michigan State Spartans rank 19th in both major polls. “This league, definitely, has to be the best in my era,” Izzo said Monday morning. Izzo has coached the Spartans since 1995 and taken the team to seven Final Fours and one [...]

continue »

Illinois' Joseph Bertrand (2) collides with Georgia Tech Marcus Georges-Hunt (3)  as Georgia Tech Daniel Miller (5)  tries to block the shot during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Champaign, Ill.  Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012.   Bertrand shared game high points with Illinois' Brandon Paul (3)  (AP Photo/Robert K. O'Daniell)

Ten B1G thoughts after ACC-Big Ten Challenge

ILLINI ARE BACK No. 22 Illinois perpetually is the Big Ten dark horse because it always has talent. When coaches can put it together, like Bill Self a decade ago, the Fighting Illini are a national player. When they can’t, like Bruce Weber recently, they end up mediocre. Right now, it looks like the 8-0 [...]

continue »

Big Ten primary logo

Big Ten basketball preview, predictions, capsules

Michigan junior guard Tim Hardaway Jr. doesn’t fear the known as much as he does the unknown. Hardaway is aware the Big Ten boasts four men’s basketball teams ranked in the top 14, including his own. It will take a complete effort for any team to win those games, whether it’s at No. 1 Indiana [...]

continue »

Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller (5) is tackled by Nebraska safety Daimion Stafford (3) in the second quarter at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, Saturday, October 6, 2012. (Brooke LaValley/Columbus Dispatch/MCT)

B1G Rewind: Everybody has a chance

Only 2 bowl-eligible teams are unbeaten in league play: Iowa and Michigan 2

It’s Ohio State and everybody else. The Buckeyes are the Big Ten’s undisputed top team but NCAA sanctions prevent Ohio State from competing in the postseason this year. It’s anybody’s educated guess as to who plays whom in Indianapolis’ everybody-else Big Ten bowl this December. That’s because No. 12 Ohio State has lapped its Big [...]

continue »