College athletics is already several decades behind the rest of the country in terms of social progress. Major conference commissioners are considering something which would set it back another 50 years.
Commissioners are focused on the "one and done" issue, where freshmen declare for the NBA Draft after only a single season on campus. As a result, they will continue to discuss making freshmen ineligible in their first year – which would harm college hoops' most high profile program in Kentucky, and force its most talented players, such as D'Angelo Russell or Jahlil Okafor, to sit.
Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby offered his completely coherent thoughts on the situation to CBS Sports' Jon Solomon.
"[There is] almost a uniform acknowledgment that there are kids in college that don't have any interest in an education and don't have the proper education to take advantage of an education," Bowlsby said. "I think there's a growing interest in a robust debate, and I think we ought to drag it to the ground and consider it any way we can."
The NBA is not going to help them avoid that debate. NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts already took a strong public stance:
Michele Roberts on stance on college players coming into the league: "Be happy with one & done, it's not going to be two & done."
— Ethan J. Skolnick (@EthanJSkolnick) February 13, 2015
1. Wisconsin (23-2, 11-1)
Last Week: 65-55 win at Nebraska, 68-49 win vs Illinois
This Week: at Penn State, vs Minnesota
Armed with a pair of the most uniquely talented big men in the country, the Badgers are destroying the notion they play a boring brand of basketball.
Frank Kaminsky is one of the most talented low-post players in the country and Nigel Hayes could be in that discussion soon. So when Wisconsin dumps it down to either one of them, the Badgers will space the floor like so:
Illinois just doubled the post. Look of wisc to combat with this: pic.twitter.com/malfxQ8l9i
— Randy Sherman (@shermsports) February 15, 2015
Kaminsky and Hayes are also two of the nation's best passing bigs – Hayes has a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio in B1G play. Opposing coaches have to weigh the risk of double teaming them and finding an open three-point shooter or allowing them to isolate in the post. Neither option is ideal, hence why the Badgers are the nation's most efficient offensive squad by 4.5 points per 100 possessions.
2. Maryland (21-5, 9-4)
Last Week: 68-66 win vs Indiana, 76-73 win at Penn State
This Week: vs Nebraska
They came into the week losers in three of their past five games, but it appears the Terps are back on the right track.
Yogi Ferrell was unreal again, Tuesday, hitting 6 of 9 from long distance. Maryland survived his offensive barrage and 13 turnovers of their own to squeak out a victory against Indiana.
Melo Trimble also returned to his early season form, as he averaged 19 points and hit all 16 free throw attempts in their two victories.
3. Purdue (17-9, 9-4)
Last Week: 61-51 win at Rutgers, 66-54 win vs Nebraska
This Week: at Indiana
The Boilermakers didn't have the most difficult schedule, this week, but still came away with two convincing wins
Purdue's schedule picks up considerably as the season comes to a close. Three of their final five games are on the road, all against the upper half of the conference – at Indiana, Ohio State and Michigan State. If the Boilers want to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament, they'll have to win at least one of those games. As of the time of this writing, ESPN's Joe Lunardi lists Purdue among his "next four out."
4. Michigan State (17-8, 8-4)
Last Week: 68-44 win at Northwestern, 59-56 win vs Ohio State
This Week: at Michigan, at Illinois
This year's Spartans might be among Tom Izzo's most flawed teams. Their offensive execution in the half court isn't pretty – that Denzel Valentine game winner being an exception.
They're undersized yet still physical on defense, a credit to Izzo's system. Michigan State stifled D'Angelo Russell and forced him into a rare inefficient performance. Among their best defensive sequences was during Ohio State's last-second inbound. Even though the Buckeyes had a timeout at their disposal, MSU was able to force a turnover on an inbounds play in which they grabbed Sam Thompson:
Tom Izzo says the Evan Turner 3 vs. Michigan was in his head when he called for MSU to switch on that play and foul after one dribble.
— Joe Rexrode (@joerexrode) February 14, 2015
5. Ohio State (19-7, 8-5)
Last Week: 75-55 win vs Penn State, 59-56 loss at Michigan State
This Week: at Michigan
In any sport, once something is on film and proven to be an effective game plan, other teams will copy that. In Ohio State's case, it's the opposition trapping D'Angelo Russell on high ball screens.
Penn State was the first team I saw consistently run multiple defenders at Russell and the Nittany Lions limited him to 4-13 shooting. Michigan State eventually did the same – though not in the clip above – and held him to 4-13 from the field, as well.
Marc Loving's shooting helps spread the floor and Anthony Lee's ability to finish on the roll is essential to the Buckeyes' strategy. Loving missed the Penn State game and barely played against Michigan State, while Lee sat out both due to a groin injury.
Regardless, Thad Matta and his staff need to devise a way to free Russell off ball. In the final 3:29 against the Spartans, a one-possession game that entire stretch, Russell didn't even attempt a shot. Even Amir Williams took one. That can't happen going forward.
6. Indiana (18-8, 8-5)
Last Week: 68-66 loss at Maryland, 90-71 win vs Minnesota
This Week: vs Purdue, at Rutgers
The discrepancy between home and road games for the Hoosiers difficult to explain, even considering a decided, ref-aided advantage at Assembly Hall.
Indiana is 2-5 on the road, as opposed to a 15-1 record in Bloomington. Luckily for them, their final two conference road games are at Rutgers and Northwestern.
Meanwhile, Yogi Ferrell continues to ball out. Although he missed his final two shots, he still had 23 points against Maryland. It wasn't a particularly sharp shooting performance versus Minnesota, but he still dished out 11 assists.
7. Illinois (17-9, 7-6)
Last Week: 64-52 OT win vs Michigan, 68-49 loss at Wisconsin
This Week: vs Michigan State
A loss at Wisconsin, clearly nothing to be ashamed of, broke a four-game winning streak for the Illini.
Leading scorer Rayvonte Rice returned from a broken hand, Thursday, and played in his first game since Jan. 3 against Ohio State. He struggled in his first two games back but will be instrumental in Illinois' push for the NCAA Tournament. They're currently No. 54 in KenPom's rankings, the only significant win they have is over Maryland and, as of this writing, Joe Lunardi has them among the last four in. So, if the Illini want to hold their spot, they might have to win at Iowa or Purdue.
8. Iowa (15-10, 6-6)
Last Week: 64-59 loss vs Minnesota, 66-61 OT loss at Northwestern
This Week: vs Rutgers, at Nebraska
I thought Iowa might've regained early season form after winning at Michigan and beating Maryland by 16. Instead, the Hawkeyes remain an inconsistent enigma.
Against Minnesota, Iowa struggled from long range and turned the ball over 16 times. In a much slower-paced game at Northwestern, the Hawkeyes continued to struggle from beyond the arc. The drastic tempo difference between those two games didn't matter.
They'll likely break their two-game losing streak, this week, playing Rutgers and Nebraska.
9. Minnesota (16-10, 5-8)
Last Week: 64-59 win at Iowa, 90-71 loss at Indiana
This Week: vs Northwestern, at Wisconsin
The Gophers got revenge for an early conference loss at home to Iowa by going to Carver-Hawkeye Arena and winning on their court.
Senior DeAndre Mathieu stepped up on the road, dropping 20 points on the Hawkeyes. As well as he played, it was Maurice Walker who sealed the game at the line, hitting five of his six free throw attempts.
A loss to Indiana broke Minnesota's three-game win streak, but you won't win many games allowing your opponent to hit 18 threes and losing the rebound battle 35-16.
10. Michigan (13-12, 6-7)
Last Week: 64-52 OT loss at Illinois
This Week: vs Michigan State, vs Ohio State
The bottom is falling out in Ann Arbor. First, the injuries piled up and now the losses are too.
Losers of four straight and five out of their last six, the Wolverines will have a chance to salvage their season, this week. Rivals Michigan State and Ohio State travel to the Crisler Center and both will likely be favored in those games. As a change of pace, Michigan wasn't a complete abomination on defense against Illinois, holding them under 39-percent shooting. Perhaps the only salvation for the Wolverines is if they can carry that defensive effort over to this week's tough games.
11. Penn State (15-11, 3-10)
Last Week: 75-55 loss at Ohio State, 76-73 loss vs Maryland
This Week: vs Wisconsin, at Northwestern
The Nittany Lions came off a blowout loss to Ohio State with a chance to win at home against the second ranked opponent they played this past week.
You can't blame head coach Pat Chambers for being frustrated with the officiating in the loss to the Terps, especially because it was a close game. This is what he was most pissed about:
"That is the worst call that I’ve ever seen in my entire life," Chambers said, via StateCollege.com's Ben Jones. " It’s a joke the way we’re officiated. It’s disappointing. And there was an elbow that they didn’t want to call that they should have called that normally get called against us. Frustrating, disappointing. But, we gotta take the refs out of the game, and we didn’t."
12. Nebraska (13-12, 5-8)
Last Week: 65-55 loss vs Wisconsin, 66-54 loss at Purdue
This Week: at Maryland, vs Iowa
The Huskers are certainly the Big Ten's most disappointing team. But, good news, they're up to No. 297 in points per 100 possessions.
Outside of the occasional Terran Petteway or Shavon Shields outburst, they don't have much on offense. Petteway had a strong game against Wisconsin but it wasn't enough.
Meanwhile, thoughts go out to Petteway and his family. He publicly revealed his mother is battling cancer for a second time.
"You guys have probably been wondering why I’ve been playing the way I have, kind of looking down,” Petteway said, via the Lincoln Star Journal. "It felt like I was being selfish and it felt like I was letting them down. Once I finally got a chance to tell them how I really felt, it felt like a big relief off my shoulders."
13. Northwestern (11-14, 2-10)
Last Week: 68-44 loss vs Michigan State, 66-61 win vs Iowa
This Week: at Minnesota, vs Penn State
Last week, I said it wouldn't be a surprise if Northwestern beat Iowa. Then it happened and I was a little stunned, though. After Jarrod Uthoff hit the game tying three, I figured it was just another gut-wrenching way to lose a game.
It took overtime, but they finally won a close contest. The Wildcats are now 1-4 in one-possession or OT games.
14. Rutgers (10-16, 2-11)
Last Week: 61-51 loss vs Purdue
This Week: at Iowa, vs Indiana
Losers of their last nine games, the Scarlet Knights again sit at the bottom of these power rankings.
Does Rutgers have a legitimate chance to break this losing streak? Well, here are their final five games: at Iowa, vs Indiana, at Purdue, vs Maryland and at Michigan. Looking like a "no."
