Ranking the Big Ten Basketball Coaches

After the departure of Ed DeChelles from Penn State, I thought it might be a good time to examine all of the Big Ten basketball coaches and look at their accomplishments.  Below, I rank from 1-10 (excluding Penn State) all of the basketball coaches in the Big Ten.  Disagree with my choices?  Let me know!

1. Tom Izzo - Michigan State

Accomplishments:

-Head Coach since 1995 at Michigan State
-2000 National Championship
-14 consecutive NCAA Tournament Appearances
-6 Final Four Appearances
-6 Big Ten Titles
Comments:
No brainer selection at number 1.  He is one of the top coaches in the country let alone the Big Ten.  His March record in incredible.



2. Thad Matta - Ohio State

Accomplishments:

-Head Coach at Butler 2000-01, Xavier 2001-04, Ohio St since 2004

-12 straight 20 win seasons

-4 Big Ten Titles in 7 years

-2007 NCAA Runner Up

-2008 NIT Championship

Comments:

Thad Matta has proven to be one of the best recruiters in the country.  He has coached a number 1, 2 and 4 NBA draft pick in his 7 seasons.  In his 12 seasons as head coach he has won at least 20 games every year.  His only blemish on his record is the lack of a NCAA title.  Stay tuned as that might not be too far away. 

3. Bo Ryan - Wisconsin

Accomplishments:

-Head Coach at Wisconsin-Milwaukee 1999-2001, Wisconsin since 2001

-10 Straight NCAA Tournament Appearances

-Has never finished below 4th in the Big Ten Standings in 10 seasons

-4 Sweet 16 appearances, 1 Elite 8 appearance

Comments:

The consistency that Bo Ryan has established at Wisconsin is pretty amazing.  To make the NCAA Tournament in all 10 years as head coach and to make the Kohl Center the toughest arena for visitors in the Big Ten is impressive.  No Final Fours keep him below Matta.  Wisconsin always seems to be overlooked at the beginning of the year, but find away to compete for the conference title.

4. - Matt Painter - Purdue

Accomplishments:

-Head Coach of Southern Illinois 2003-04, Purdue since 2005

-2010 Big Ten regular season co-champions

-2009 Big Ten tournament champions

-5 straight NCAA tournament appearances

Comments:

Pudue has finished in the top two of the conference in the last four seasons.  Painter has lead Purdue to two Sweet 16 appearances.  While Tubby Smith, Bruce Weber and John Beilein may have a longer list of accomplishments as head coaches, Painter has been the better Big Ten coach.  Matt Painter just signed a contract extension to keep him a Boilermaker for a long time.

5. Tubby Smith - Minnesota

Accomplishments:

-Head Coach at Tulsa 91-95, Georgia 95-97, Kentucky 97-07, Minnesota since 2007 

-1997 NCAA Championship

-16 NCAA Tournament Appearances

-80-53 record at Minnesota

Comments:

It is difficult to image a NCAA championship winning coach being just the 5th best coach in the conference, but Smith is just 32-40 in Big Ten games as Minnesota head coach.  In fact his fifth place ranking maybe too high considering the recent struggles and Minnesota has not passed the 1st round with Smith.

6. Bruce Weber - Illinois

Accomplishments:

-Head Coach at Southern Illinois 1998-2003, Illinios since 2003

-NCAA Runner up in 2005

-2 Big Ten Championships

-8 NCAA Tournament Appearances

Comments:

I have a hard time putting Bruce Weber at number 6, because I don't think there are too many coaches that would have done less with the talent that Weber has had.  Consistently under-achieving since 2007, Weber may need a big season to keep his job.  I'm betting he won't.  The 2005 season is worth noting because they only lost 2 games.

7. John Beilein - Michigan

Accomplishments:

-Head Coach at Canisius 1992-97, Richmond 1997-2002, West Virginia 2002-07, Michigan since 2007

-Has led four different teams to the NCAA Tournament

-2005 Elite 8 with West Virginia

-2 Round of 32 appearances with Michigan

Comments:

Before last season, it looked like Michigan's program was headed downward.  A surprising 4th place finish in the Big Ten and two NCAA tournament wins in 3 years has Michigan competitive again.  Beilein has done well without high expectations, and 2011-2012 will be the year Michigan should challenge for league title.  Beilein is still just 32-40 in Big Ten games. 

8. Tom Crean - Indiana

Accomplishments:

-Head coach at Marquette 1999-2008 and Indiana since 2008

-2003 Final Four with Marquette

-5 NCAA Tournament Appearances

Comments: Tom Crean as a Big Ten coach has been a Big Time failure.  The numbers prove it.  Indiana is 8-46 in Big Ten games in Crean's 3 seasons.  To be fair, Crean inherited a mess.  Despite the condition of the program, 8 conference wins in 3 seasons is awful.  Tom Crean has had one great season as a head coach, and that was 2003.  His run to the final four keeps him above McCaffery and Carmody, but it might not for long.  Season number 4 for Crean at Indiana will be huge.  I think he is a good coach, but right now the record proves he belongs very low in these rankings. 

9. Fran McCaffery - Iowa

Accomplishments:

-Head coach at Lehigh 1985-88, UNCG 1999-05, Siena 2005-10 and Iowa since 2010

-5 NCAA Appearances, 3 in a row with Siena from 07-10

Comments:

Fran McCaffery was a great hire for Iowa.  He could be in the top 5 of this list in two years.  He will need time to recruit, but Iowa will be back.

10. Bill Carmody - Northwestern

Accomplishments:

-Head Coach at Princeton 1996-2000 and Northwestern since 2000

-2 NCAA Tournament appearances with Princeton

-3 straight NIT appearances with Northwestern

Comments:

Surprisingly, Caromdy trails just Tom Izzo for the longest tenure of current Big Ten coaches.  3 straight NIT's is impressive for Northwestern considering the history.  Carmody is a good coach at a bad program.  He might just get his first NCAA appearance for Northwestern soon. 

My rankings above are based on accomplishments with a heavy emphasis on recent history.  I think that Izzo, Matta and Ryan are among the best in the country.  I believe that Painter will be an elite head coach.  Weber and Crean have a lot of prove in a hurry. 

As far as where Ed Decelles would have ranked on this list, I would say probably 10th.  Carmody has the most difficult job in the league and McCaffery will bring Iowa back within two years. 

Highest Paid Big Ten Coaches-Men's Basketball

After the somewhat puzzling news that Penn State Basketball head coach Ed DeChellis announced he was leaving Penn State to coach Navy, I wondered why in the world would he want that job.  He is coming off the school's first NCAA Tournament appearance in a decade and Navy isn't exactly a program on the rise.  While it will be a pay cut for DeChellis, it is interesting to note that he was the lowest paid Men's basketball coach in the Big Ten. 

2010-2011 Big Ten Men's Basketball Coaches Salaries

1. Tom Izzo, Michigan State $3 million               

2. Thad Matta, Ohio State $2.4 million

3. Tom Crean, Indiana $2.16 million

4. Tubby Smith, Minnesota $1.8 million

5. John Beilein, Michigan $1.6 million

6. Bruce Weber, Illinois $1.5 million

6. Bo Ryan, Wisconsin $1.5 million

*8. Matt Painter, Purdue $1.325 million

9. Fran McCaffery, Iowa $1.1 million

9. Bill Carmody, Northwestern $1.1 million

11. Ed DeChellis, Penn State $642 thousand
 *Matt Painter signed a new contract in the 2011 off-season with Purdue

Tom Izzo is the highest paid Men's Basketbal coach in the Big Ten

Nothing too surprising on this list other then the fact that Penn State pays almost half of what Iowa and Northwestern pay.  How is Penn State going to hire a replacement if they continue to pay such a lower salary compared to every other Big Ten team?  It will be a challenge for sure. 

Most overpaid head coach: Tom Crean, Indiana

Holy crap, does Indiana pay half a million dollars for every Big Ten victory that Crean gets?  I do believe that Crean has potential to turn things around, but so far Indiana is not getting their $2.3 million dollars worth.

Most underpaid head coach: Bo Ryan, Wisconsin

Deal with it Bo, you are under-paid!  For Bo Ryan to make less then Beilein and the same as Weber is just funny.  I thought about putting Ed DeChellis here, but he bolted. 

In my next post, I will rank the Big Ten Basketball coaches and look at who might be candidates for Penn State.

French Open Predictions

Pick's You Didn't Ask For From Scott Prokop....

It's time to predict the results from the second major of the year in Tennis. 

Men's Championship Odds from Bodog:

Nadal 8/11

Djokovic 11/8

Federer 14/1

Murray 16/1

Del Potro 16/1

My Pick to Win-

Novak Djokovic

Where did NBA Playoff players go to College?

After watching some of the NBA playoff games over the last month or so it got me wondering what college programs have produced the most NBA contributors.  Just off of the top of my head I assume that Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina would be the most represented.  Also, if I had to guess I would say that the Big East is the conference with the most players followed by the Big Ten and ACC. 

To test my theory, I just looked at the 16 playoff teams.  In order to be considered a contributor by the "Prokop definition" you need to average at least 10 minutes per game in the playoffs.  Here are my findings...

Colleges with the most NBA playoff contributor's:
1. Duke 8
2. Kansas 6
    UCLA 6
4. North Carolina 5
    Arizona 5
6. Florida 4
    Kentucky 4
8. Georgia Tech 3
    Michigan St 3
    Ohio St 3
    Pittsburgh 3
    Stanford 3
    UCONN 3
    Wake Forest 3

Not too much of a surprise that Duke is number 1.  I was surprised by the absence of some powerhouse college teams like: Syracuse, Texas, and Georgetown.  Even more surprising is that Wisconsin, Louisville, Villanova and Illiniois don't have one single playoff contributor. 

Now let's look at the breakdown by conference:
1. ACC 24
2. Pac 10 20
3. Mid-Major Conferences 18
    Foreign Players (No College) 18
5. Big East 15
6. SEC 14
7. High School Players (No College) 12
8. Big Twelve 11
9. Big Ten 9

The ACC has a huge lead in this category.  Surprisingly the Big East (with 16 teams) has only 15 playoff contributor's and the Big Ten just 9.  You can combine those two leagues, which were the top leagues in the 2010-2011 season, and you just equal the ACC.  Also note that there are 18 Foreign players and 12 high school players that did not attend college contributing in the NBA playoffs.  

My way too early look at the 2011 Big Ten/ACC Challenge Match-ups

To me, The Big Ten/ACC Challenge is one of my favorite two-day events in sports.  Only a crazy person would call early December college basketball thrilling, but feel free to call me crazy.  This year, for the very first time there will be twelve match-ups thanks to the addition of Nebraska.  While I am obviously a huge Big Ten fan, here are my way too early predictions for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.  By the way, after winning the first 10 challenges the Big Ten has won the last two seasons.  I will also rank 1-12 the most exciting match-ups. 

1. Duke at Ohio State (November 29)
Why to Watch? Who wouldn't want to see two pre-season top 10 teams get together.  Both of these teams were 1 seeds in last year's NCAA Tournament.  The Buckeyes and Blue Devils have only played 5 times with the last meeting in 2002.  Jared Sullinger against the Plumlee brothers!  Duke has the top freshman in the country in Austin Rivers coming in.  Ohio State has last year's best freshman back in Jared Sullinger.

My prediction: Ohio State

2. Wisconsin at North Carolina (November 30)
Why to Watch? North Carolina will be the number 1 team in the nation going into this game.  Harrison Barnes, John Henson and Tyler Zeller all decided to return to UNC. Jordan Taylor will need an unbelievable game to pull this one out for Wisky.

My prediction: UNC

3. Florida State at Michigan State (November 30)
Why to Watch? These two teams reversed roles last season.  Michigan State disappointed after high expectations and Florida State had a nice NCAA Tournament run.  Both of these teams will be on the verge of the preseason top 25. 

My prediction: Michigan State

4. Illinois at Maryland (November 29)
Why to Watch? This is going to be a very important year for Bruce Weber at Illinois.  He cannot afford another disappointment with his AD retiring.  It will be odd not seeing Gary Williams on the bench for this one.  I see this as a potential swing game for this challenge.

My prediction: Maryland

5. Michigan at Virginia (November 29)
Why to Watch? Michigan will be a very difficult team after surprising everyone in 2011.  They lose Darius Morris, but Tim Hardaway Jr. will be a star.  Virginia played well at times last year, and pulled off a shocking road win at Minnesota in last year's challenge.  If Virginia can pull off the upset this year, the ACC will win the challenge.

My prediction: Michigan

6. Miami at Purdue (November 29)
Why to Watch? Welcome back Robbie Hummel.  Purdue loses Jujuan Johnson and Etwan Moore.  We will see what Matt Painter can do without those stars.  Miami has a new coach in Jim Larranaga.  At Mackey Arena Purdue will be very tough.

My prediction: Purdue

7. Virginia Tech at Minnesota (November 30)
Why to Watch? Every single year it seems as though Virginia Tech ends up on the NCAA Tournament bubble.  The reason they are on the bubble is because of bad early losses.  They need to beat Minnesota on the road and get a quality win.  Minnesota nearly blew it for the Big Ten last season, losing to Virginia.  I think Tubby Smith, has a big comeback year after he has announced he is cancer-free.  VT will win this game though.

My prediction: Virginia Tech

8. Indiana at NC State (November 30)
Why to Watch? NC State has a new head coach in Mark Gottfried.  I want to see if Indiana takes a step towards being respectable in 2011-2012.  Tom Crean has put some pathetic teams on the floor in his first few seasons.  Enough with the excuses.  It starts with a road win in Raleigh.

My prediction: Indiana

9. Wake Forest at Nebraska (November 30)
Why to Watch? Wake Forest struggled (to put it kindly) last season.  Nebraska actually played some decent basketball and even got some NCAA Tournament bubble talk.  The reason this game is interesting is because it gives Big Ten fans a chance to get a look at the new program in the league. 

My prediction: Nebraska

10. Northwestern at Georgia Tech (November 29)
Why to Watch? Yet another new ACC head coach in Brian Gregory.  He has a lot of work to do after the departure of Paul Hewitt.  Everyone said last season was the season that Northwestern FINALLY makes the NCAA Tournament.  They had a nice pre-conference record, but got beat up in the Big Ten last year.  John Shurna and Northwestern will be on the bubble come March 2012.  A win against Georgia Tech is a must.

My prediction: Northwestern

11. Clemson at Iowa (November 29)
Why to Watch? Clemson played in the NCAA Tournament last year in the "First Four", and beat UAB.  I am betting that Fran McCaffery will succeed at Iowa.  They shocked everyone with a win against Purdue in the final weekend of the Big Ten Season. Clemson needs to win this game for the ACC to have a chance.

My prediction: Clemson

12. Penn State at Boston College (November 30)
Why to Watch? It is weird to type this, but Penn State is coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance and a run to the Big Ten Tournament Championship.  The problem is that Taylor Battle is gone.  Boston College will be much improved and will win this game at home.

My prediction: Boston College

BIG 10: 7
ACC: 5

10 things Jim Tressel and OSU fans can brag about

In the midst of all the controversy surrounding Jim Tressel and the Ohio State Football program, I have decided to look at the Top 10 most impressive accomplishments in Jim Tressel's 10 seasons as head coach.  It seems like daily rumors and allegations keep making the headlines.  I believe the 10 reasons below are why Tressel should remain Ohio State's head coach until he is ready to leave (or starts losing).  So if you need help finding a reason why Ohio State is standing by Coach Tressel, look below!

1. 2002 National Championship win over a stacked Miami team

The 2001-2002 Miami Hurricanes were one of the best teams in college football history, and the 34 game winning streak and NFL talent back me up on that statement.  Miami came into the game a 11.5 point favorite and the Buckeyes were criticized by many as squeaking by opponents.  Everyone remembers the OT's, but Ohio State had control of the game in the 4th quarter.  A missed FG, poor punt coverage and a missed interference call gave Miami a chance to send it into OT.  Remember some of the names from that Miami team: Willis McGahee, Ken Dorsey, Andre Johnson, Kellen Winslow Jr., Jonathan Vilma, D.J. Williams, William Joseph, Jerome McDougle, Antrel Rolle, Kelly Jennings, and the late Sean Taylor.  Ohio State shocked the world and won the schools first national championship since 1968.

2. 9 out of 10 wins against Michigan

Ohio State has 11 wins in the last 23 years against rival Michigan.  9 of those wins were Jim Tressel's.  Previous coach John Cooper went 2-10-1 against the Wolverines.  Michigan is the All-Time Winningest program in NCAA Football, but Jim Tressel has owned "The Game."  Over the last three seasons (08-10) Ohio State has outscored Michigan 100-24.  Perhaps the greatest Ohio State-Michigan game was in 2006 when Number 1 Ohio State beat Number 2 Michigan 42-39.  Of course, Jim Tressel did promise this when he was hired.

3. Six Straight Big 10 Championships

Six Big Ten Championships in a row for Jim Tressel and Ohio State.  It started in 2005 and Ohio State celebrated number six in 2010.  The last time a team won six straight Big 10 titles was in 1977 when Ohio State won six straight under head coach Woody Hayes.  Jim Tressel has gone undefeated in Big Ten play twice, in 2006 and 2002.

4. 8 BCS Bowl Game Appearances

No team in college football has more BCS Bowl appearances then Ohio State.  In Jim Tressel's 10 seasons, Ohio State has played in 4 Fiesta Bowls, 2 BCS Title Games, 1 Rose Bowl and 1 Sugar Bowl.  Only once in the last 9 seasons has Ohio State not been in a BCS Bowl (2004 Alamo Bowl). Ohio State has 9 total BCS appearances followed by Oklahoma with 8 and USC with 7.

January 3, 2003	Ohio State	31	Miami (FL)	24	2003 Fiesta Bowl
January 2, 2004	Ohio State	35	Kansas State	28	2004 Fiesta Bowl
December 29, 2004	Ohio State	33	Oklahoma State	7	2004 Alamo Bowl
January 2, 2006	Ohio State	34	Notre Dame	20	2006 Fiesta Bowl
January 8, 2007	Florida	41	Ohio State	14	2007 BCS NCG
January 7, 2008	LSU	38	Ohio State	24	2008 BCS NCG
January 5, 2009	Texas	24	Ohio State	21	2009 Fiesta Bowl
January 1, 2010	Ohio State	26	Oregon	17	2010 Rose Bowl
January 4, 2011	Ohio State	31	Arkansas	26	2011 Sugar Bowl

5. Five BCS Bowl Victories

Not only has Ohio State had the most BCS Bowl appearances, but Jim Tressel has the most BCS bowl wins among college head coaches.  Jim Tressel has recorded wins against Miami in 2003, Kansas State in 2004, Notre Dame in 2006, Oregon in 2010 and Arkansas in 2011. Ohio State has 6 total BCS victories followed by USC and Florida with 5.

6. 17 All-Americans in 10 seasons

In the last ten seasons, Ohio State has produced 17 All-Americans. 

2001: LeCharles Bentley (C), Mike Doss (SS)

2002: Mike Doss (SS), Andy Groom (P), Mike Nugent (PK), Matt Wilhelm (LB)

2003: Will Allen (DB)

2004: Mike Nugent (PK), A. J. Hawk (LB)

2005: A. J. Hawk (LB)

2006: Troy Smith (QB), James Laurinaitis (LB), Quinn Pitcock (DL)

2007: James Laurinaitis (LB), Chris Wells (RB)

2008: James Laurinaitis (LB), Malcolm Jenkins (CB)

7. 16 First Round NFL Draft Picks

There is no doubt that Ohio State has seen an unbelievable amount of talent play in the Horseshoe.  Jim Tressel has coached 16 First Round NFL Draft Picks since 2001.

2001: Ryan Pickett, Nate Clements
2004: Michael Jenkins, Chris Gamble, Will Smith
2006: A.J. Hawk, Donte Whitner, Bobby Carpenter, Nick Mangold, Santonio Holmes
2007: Ted Ginn Jr., Anthony Gonzalez
2008: Vernon Gholston
2009: Malcolm Jenkins, Chris Wells
2011: Cam Heyward

8. 106 wins in 10 seasons

In 10 seasons in Columbus, Jim Tressel is 106-22 with a winning percentage of .828.  Compare that to Michigan's 79-46 record over the last 10 years and Ohio State has 27 more wins over the last decade.  If you were to combine Minnesota and Indiana's win total over the last ten seasons they equal 6 less wins than the Buckeyes.


9. Seven Big Ten Championships in Ten Seasons

Ohio State has won a total of 7 Big Ten Titles under Jim Tressel.  Football powerhouse Penn State has won only three conference titles since they joined the Big Ten in 1993.  Michigan State has won just 7 championships since joining the Big Ten in 1953.  The next active coach with the second most Big Ten titles is Joe Paterno at 3. 


10. 1 Heisman Trophy Winner and 1 Super Bowl MVP

The success that Ohio State has had on the football field had lead to players receiving many awards.  There are not too many more valuable then a Heisman Trophy and a Super Bowl MVP.  In 2006, Troy Smith earned 86.7% of the first place votes for the Heisman Trophy.  That is a record that stands today.  Troy Smith threw for 30 TD's with just 6 INT's.  In 2009, former Ohio State WR Santonio Holmes won the Super Bowl MVP trophy for his spectacular game-winning TD for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII.

The Top 10 Things Nebraska Fan's Should Know About the Big Ten

10. Believe it or not there was a time when Michigan used to be good at Football and Indiana used to be good at basketball. Their respective fan bases believe they still should be respected.  They are not!
9. Joe Paterno diaper jokes are not as funny since it became a reality in 2006 against Ohio State.

8. Speaking of Ohio State, they prefer to be called THE Ohio State University, and they have The Best Damn Band in The Land and The Best Damn Synchronized Swimming Team in the Land.

7. Every single fan base thinks Ed Hightower sucks.  They are right!

6. While you may not be able to hear Gus Johnson doing March Madness anymore, at least you can hear him do the Penn State-Minnesota basketball games on the Big Ten Network.

5. We take pride in finally winning a couple Big Ten-ACC Basketball challenges...please don't blow that next year!

4. Jim Delaney really does look like and act like Mr. Kruger (George's boss on Seinfeld).

3. The fans and media made fun of "Leaders" and "Legends" as division names...so the Big Ten decided to stick with it.

2. The Kohl Center is where Wisconsin plays basketball.  No point in trying to win there as Wisconsin already has you in the double bonus.

1. Bo Ryan does look like a badger.  Northwestern will not make the NCAA Tournament.  You will have more fans in Indiana's football stadium then they will.  Purdue Pete is on performance enhancing drugs.  Michigan State will always be the preseason basketball favorite...finish 4th...and then make the Final Four.  Minnesota will never get to a New Years Day Bowl. Penn State will have 100 fans in attendance for basketball games, 100,000 for football.  Kirk Ferentz will win coach of the year, while leading his team to a 7-5 record.  Ohio State will win the Big 10 in football and basketball, and then lose in a big game.  Bruce Weber and Ron Zook will continue as head coaches as long as they keep "recruiting well". Michigan fans will always have the same lame excuse after losing, "Well we are the All-Time Winningest Program".  

Good Luck, Nebraska!