|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|  |
Conference sags in statistical rankings
By Aaron Sharockman, Special to CNNSI.com Before the season started, Penn State coach Rene Portland was worried about the state of her conference. And so far, according to the Ratings Percentage Index, Portland has good reason to. "There's definitely been a gap between the top and the bottom in this league the past couple years," said Portland, hoping the new crop of Big Ten coaches could help balance the conference. "We're definitely behind the SEC and the Big 12 is right there." As a conference, Portland is right. The new coaches haven't helped and tough non-conference schedules and disappointing starts by Illinois and Wisconsin have the Big Ten ranked the fifth best conference in the nation. The ACC and surprising Pac-10 hold better numbers according to the statistical ranking system which figures heavily in selecting NCAA Tournament teams. The Big Ten has played arguably the toughest non-conference schedule of any league as three teams (Penn State, Wisconsin, Illinois) rank in the top 10 in strength of schedule. Iowa and Purdue make the top 20. But with the tough schedules, the Big Ten has struggled as Wisconsin and Illinois have been victimized by their tough schedules. Illinois in particular has been demonized by the schedule makers, which at 4-6, is ranked 52nd by the RPI. The RPI is a measure of strength of schedule and how a team does against that schedule. It does not consider things like margin of victory or where a game is played, only whether or not a team won. It is one of the factors used by the NCAA in deciding which teams to invite to the NCAA Tournament and where to seed them. Indiana has been a surprise in the RPI ranking at No. 28. To put things in to perspective, teams in the top 40 of the RPI have an excellent chance of making the NCAA tourney. But the RPI is not about piling up wins. Just ask Ohio State. The Buckeyes, under fourth year coach Beth Burns, are 10-0; their best start in a decade, but are still meandering at 70th in the RPI. Their strength of schedule is ranked 259th, worst in the Big Ten and near the bottom of 316 Division I teams. Ohio State will get the chance to improve on their ranking when they open the Big Ten season with No. 28 Indiana and No. 8 Penn State. Big Ten's opening weekendThe first weekend of conference play pits many intriguing match-ups:First, we'll find out very quickly if Ohio State is for real with a match-up against Penn State, a Final Four team a year ago. We'll see if Wisconsin is ready to make the next step as they play host to Purdue in their conference season opener. UW's LaTonya Sims going against Purdue's Katie Douglas is destined to be a great match-up. But watch the battle down low between Nina Smith and Camille Cooper, it'll be nasty and physical -- and it might very well decide the game. "Nina looks like a player-of-the-year type of player," Wisconsin coach Jane Albright said. "Last year she was just totally overwhelmed by the move to college basketball I think. "With a year under her belt, and fully healed from the injury, she is just extremely consistent from what we've seen so far." And the Badgers will need big things from Smith, a former national high school player of the year, in order to compete with the No. 8 team in the country. From Madison the Boilers hop a flight to Ann Arbor, where the upset-hungry Wolverines wait for a nationally televised game. Sue Guevara's team has been solid this season and has been able to pull upsets in the past. Already with a win over powerful Louisiana Tech, the Wolverines beat Purdue in Crisler Arena on national TV a season ago. The Wolverines pounded the then No. 12 Boilermaker team Jan. 8, 2000 behind an 18-point, five rebound, four-assist effort from Anne Thorius. They'll need a repeat performance from their leader against a much-improved Purdue team. "Right now we are not a Big Ten championship-caliber basketball team," Guevara said. "We have a lot of work to do to get ready for the Big Ten season." Illinois has a chance on national television to reestablish itself as the Sweet 16 team that many thought it was at the start of the season. The Fighting Illini hope to turn around their ugly season as they travel to Auburn to play the No. 9 Tigers Saturday on CBS. Theresa Grentz has been trying to find some consistency in her line-up and after a break for the holidays, we'll see if she has. Replacement foundWhen Chrissy Falcone and Jennifer Brenden went down for the season with ACL injuries, Rene Portland had to look anywhere for warm bodies.She added an All-American. Not too bad. Volleyball All-American Katie Shumacher was added to the roster in October to surplant the losses of Falcone and Brenden. Schumacher joined the team when the Lady Lion volleyball team was eliminated in the NCAA tournament December 8. Schumacher, a first-team all-Big Ten pick at outside hitter, was a four-year starter in both sports while in high school. Schumacher has played in three games so far averaging five minutes a contest.
Aaron Sharockman is a reporter for the Indiana Daily Student, the student newspaper serving Indiana University.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
