Men’s basketball coaches and players spoke on Wednesday about talent in the conference, rule changes, and more.
By Kyle Mann
ROSEMOUNT, Illinois — Big Ten baskeball media days were held Thursday, putting the conference’s coaches and top players at the mike. There was a lot to discuss, so here are the highlights.
Big Ten, big talent
A major point of discussion on Thursday was the strength of the Big Ten collectively, and rightfully so. Beginning with Maryland, the Big Ten could be the best top-to-bottom conference in the country.
Iowa lost Aaron White, and Naismith Award winner Frank Kaminsky also departed from Wisconsin, but the conference still could have as much talent as it has had in years.
Maryland, a consensus preseason top-four team in the country, returns sophomore guard Melo Trimble and Jake Layman, and it will unveil five-star center Diamond Stone and Duke transfer Rasheed Sulaimon. With a deadly mix of proven commodities and high-reward newcomers, the Terps are poised to run the table on a national scale this season.
Indiana will also be a major player in 2015, led by the conference’s top returning scorer and assist man in Yogi Ferrell, as well as the top returning rebounder, Troy Williams. Combined with sophomore James Blackmon Jr., the Hoosiers are also stocked full of talent and will garner national attention early.
Always welcoming some healthy competition, coaches around the league are touting Maryland and Indiana as the teams to watch out for in a deep conference.
“We’re not a ‘three yards and a cloud of dust’ basketball league anymore,” Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said. “I think the league is as good as it’s been. Maryland’s definitely the cream of the crop with what they’ve got coming back, and I see Indiana taking a major jump.”
Izzo’s Spartans return Denzel Valentine and also bring in West Virginia transfer Eron Harris, who could prove to be exactly the kind of scorer opposing fans don’t want Michigan State to have.
Wisconsin, which can’t be ignored after a trip to the national championship, did lose Kaminsky and Sam Dekker, but still returns preseason All-Big Ten selections Nigel Hayes and Bronson Koenig.
Rule changes
Though the conference will be chock-full of familiar talent, much was discussed about some of the new rules.
The NCAA men’s basketball rules committee made several changes during the off-season, most of which increase the pace of play, reduce the number of stoppages, and provide a better balance between offense and defense.
The headlines primarily came from the decrease in the shot clock from 35 seconds to 30 and also moving the restricted area under the basket from 3 to 4 feet.
Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said the changes wouldn’t mean widespread differences for the Hawkeyes schematically, and he said he is glad to see some of the tweaks.
“I think moving the arc out helps us, because we’re a driving team,” McCaffery said. “I’m so tired of guys running around, falling down, and getting the call.”
Who’s in charge around here?
Hawkeye fans have been anointing Jarrod Uthoff as the team leader, which is understandable given that he’s a senior and a preseason All-Big Ten. But increasingly, it feels like jamming a square peg into a round hole.
Uthoff is not the prototypical vocal leader who makes great headlines, but rather, a classic lead-by-example kind of guy. He may lead the team in production, but he’s in no hurry to try to claim the team as his own.
“I’m going to do whatever I can for the team … when the team needs something, I’ll step up,” Uthoff said. “It doesn’t matter to me, it’s not like I’m going to try to be the leader, it’s not like Woody’s going to try to be the real leader. It’s a group effort.”