Big Ten: Knight left imprint on Big Ten basketball

In terms of all-time conference wins, only Purdue’s Gene Keady is close (if you consider 88 wins ‘close’). In terms of winning percentage, Ward Lambert is second in line, but then again, his coaching tenure began during World War I.

Nope, when it comes to Big Ten coaches, no one can hold a candle to former Indiana headman Bob Knight. Though Knight walked away from the game this week 937 miles away from where he spent the most memorable 29 years of his coaching career, his lasting impact on Bloomington – and the rest of the Big Ten – cannot be ignored.

And, while college basketball fans everywhere mourn the loss of one of the greatest coaches the game has ever known, Big Ten fans should celebrate his accomplishments during those three decades at Indiana: 661 wins including 353 in the Big Ten, three national titles, and a perfect season in 1976.

But it was Knight’s style, and not the numbers, that still has a pulse in the Midwest.

The ‘Big Ten style’ of basketball – the physical, mentally demanding kind – was brought to the national stage by Knight during those fabulous title runs of 1976, 1981 and 1987. And that style continues today. The conference is still regarded as one of the hardest working and most mentally focused in the country, and few conferences can boast as many hellish environments for opponents to visit. In terms of defense, three of the conference’s top five teams this year – Wisconsin, Ohio State and Purdue – are allowing 60 or fewer points per game.

Yep, Bob Knight may have left the coaching profession this week, but The General is still alive and well in Big Ten country.

Rising team: Wisconsin

Forced to accept being the third or fourth favored team from this conference only a week ago, Wisconsin is now the Big Ten’s only top 10 representative in the AP poll, thanks to wins over Indiana and Minnesota. Wednesday’s win over Iowa wasn’t as clean of a performance, but it was a road win nonetheless, giving the Badgers a 9-1 conference mark.

Falling team: Indiana

Coming off of back-to-back losses and a less-than-impressive win over Northwestern on Sunday, Hoosier fans have reason to be concerned, if only a little bit. One thing that shouldn’t concern them, however, is Eric Gordon’s wrist injury. After playing sluggishly last Thursday, he rallied to lead his team with 29 points on eight-of-14 shooting against the Wildcats.

Player of the week: Marcus Landry, F, Wisconsin

During the Badgers’ three-game run last week, no player was as consistent on offense as the team’s 6-foot-7 forward. He made six-of-10 shots and grabbed 11 rebounds in the win over Indiana, scored 11 on the road against Minnesota, and led all Badgers with 16 points in Wednesday’s win over Iowa. Landry is, perhaps, the most versatile player in the Big Ten; if his offensive numbers continue to improve down the stretch – watch out.

Freshman of the week: E’Twaun Moore, G, Purdue

Notice a trend of Boilermakers in this spot? Last week Robbie Hummel took home the honors, but this week Moore was the sparkplug for Purdue. The 6-foot-3 guard knocked down 10-of-12 shot attempts and posted a career-high 24 points in a road win over Illinois on Saturday. Three days later he scored 16 points, including all six of his free throw attempts, in a win over Penn State.

Stats of the week

66.7: The free throw percentage of Penn State in its win over Michigan State. As a team, the Nittany Lions rank last (.595) in the Big Ten in free throw shooting.

18.8: The three-point shooting percentage (three-of-16) for Illinois in a recent loss to Purdue. The Illini rank last in the conference in the category.

14.9: The average margin of victory this season for both Wisconsin (conference leader in fewest points allowed) and Indiana (conference leader in points scored).

They said it

“You have to give Coach DeChellis just a ton of credit. People and some of the media have given him a lot of crap. The guy has had more injuries than most people should have in a lifetime in the past two years.” – Michigan State coach Tom Izzo after his team lost to Ed DeChellis’ Nittany Lions on Saturday, 85-76.

Key upcoming games

Saturday, Feb. 9
Purdue at Wisconsin, 8 p.m. CST
The only conference loss Wisconsin has accepted all season came in West Lafayette; now the Badgers have Purdue at the Kohl Center. But Badger fans beware – the Boilermakers have played very well away from home this season.

Sunday, Feb. 10
Indiana at Ohio State, 1 p.m. EST
The Buckeyes should be able to contend with D.J. White’s physical play in the post, and the guard battle between Jamar Butler and Hoosier freshman Eric Gordon is intriguing.

Tuesday, Feb. 12
Michigan State at Purdue, 7 p.m. EST
This is the conference game of the week. Purdue is the team nobody expected to be sitting on top in February, while the Spartans are the team everyone expects to finish strong.

Wednesday, Feb. 13
Wisconsin at Indiana, 7 p.m. EST
The Badgers’ win over Indiana last Thursday helped to boost their season and plant them in the top 10. Could an Indiana win in Assembly Hall do the same for the Hoosiers?

Wisconsin-based writer Mike Beacom covers the Big Ten for Athlon