Big Ten: Going three up and three down

The high-flying dunks by Big Ten players may be changing the perception of the league, while (9-2) Iowa continues to fly under the radar.

By Mike Singer

Dec 18, 2012 at 4:08 pm ET • 4 min read

Iowa freshman Mike Gesell scored a career-high 23 points in a win over Northern Iowa Saturday. (US Presswire)

Three up:

1. Spartans depth: It’s tough not to be impressed by the depth of Michigan State. It lost last year’s conference player of the year (Draymond Green), only to pick up right where it left off. Adreian Payne and Derrick Nix are each averaging at least 7.5 rpg in the post, while guards Keith Appling and Gary Harris are as talented a backcourt as there is in the Big Ten. Against Tuskegee, Appling tied a career-high with 25 points on 78 percent shooting. Branden Dawson’s recovery from an ACL tear may be the most impressive aspect to the 9-2 Spartans. He’s shooting 58 percent (eighth in the conference) from the field while averaging 10.1 ppg and 5.8 rpg. On the defensive end, the Spartans are allowing just over 56 points per game, the lowest mark in the Big Ten. This wasn’t supposed to be a re-building year in East Lansing, but give credit to coach Tom Izzo for building a cohesive unit so quickly.

2. Big Ten athletes: Maybe it's because Big Ten teams are trudging through their non-conference schedule against lesser quality opponents, but the number of unbelievable athletes in the Big Ten is stunning. Every game seems to provide some jaw-dropping transition dunk that sparks a team. Whether it’s F Sam Thompson on the Ohio State Buckeyes finishing a one-handed alley-oop or Minnesota’s Rodney Williams Jr. slamming home a breakaway 360-dunk, these types of players are eroding the perception that the Big Ten is a slow-paced, first-to-50-type league. Indiana’s Victor Oladipo may be the most athletic of them all. He leads the conference in FG percentage (65.8) and is the only guard in the top 10 in that regard. The rest are forwards or big men. It’s no coincidence that he leads the league in steals (2.7) as well. His breakaway dunks are something to behold. Other high-flyers include Wisconsin freshman F Sam Dekker and Penn State G D.J. Newbill.

3. Iowa flying under the radar: No one is denying that the Big Ten is loaded this season, but one team flying under the radar is Iowa. Quietly, the Hawkeyes are 9-2, averaging 75.5 points per game, and holding opponents to 63.5 ppg. Last season, opponents shot 45.7 percent and averaged 72.5 ppg. The improved defensive numbers are a tribute to increased protection around the basket. Iowa averages 5.3 blocks per game, the second-most in the Big Ten. Big men Melsahn Basabe (1.5 bpg), Adam Woodbury (1.0) and Aaron White (.6) have been excellent at defending the interior and they’ve also given the Hawkeyes the fifth-best rebounding team in the conference, better than Ohio State, Michigan and Wisconsin. Guard Mike Gesell, the reigning conference freshman of the week, has stepped in and contributed immediately. His heady passing (3.2 apg) is tied for the team-high and his career-high 23 points on four of six 3-point shooting last Saturday helped boost the Hawkeyes past Northern Iowa. Of course, junior Roy Devyn Marble’s 30 points vs. the Panthers didn’t hurt either. Devyn Marble’s 15.1 ppg is tied for eigth-best in the conference.

Three down:

1. Crawford's injury: Despite a nice start, the Northwestern Wildcats (8-3) are going to have a tough time replacing Drew Crawford’s productivity. The senior guard suffered a torn labrum in his shoulder and will miss the rest of the season. He was averaging 13.5 ppg, but his 40 percent shooting was way down from last year’s 48 percent success rate. More of the scoring burden now falls to guards Reggie Hearn (14.2 ppg) and Dave Sobolewski (12).

2. Indiana's effort vs. Butler: As talented and deep as Indiana is, it’s extremely disconcerting that the Hoosiers were outrebounded 37-31 by Butler in Saturday’s overtime loss. Center Cody Zeller managed just five rebounds in 37 minutes while his counterpart on the Bulldogs, C Andrew Smith, nabbed nine in 25 minutes. It’s not all on Zeller though, as F Christian Watford (6.8 rpg) had just three in 23 minutes of action. Butler’s leading rebounder was 6-4 freshman Roosevelt Jones. Rebounding is a team effort that very obviously failed in the upset loss. There is no excuse for the 17 offensive rebounds that Indiana gave up as the Hoosiers average the 15^th-most boards in the country.

3. Illinois taking too many 3-pointers: Illinois coach John Groce is off to the best start (12-0) for a first-year coach in Champaign since 1907, but his team’s over-reliance on the 3-pointer could eventually derail its momentum. The Fighting Illini have attempted 311 shots from beyond the arc, 53 more than any other team in the conference. Wisconsin is second with 258 attempts and Michigan is third with 222 shots from deep. The Illini are shooting 38.6 percent from deep, but have shot 6 for 23 in each of their past two games. Guards D.J. Richardson (30 for 86 on the year) and Brandon Paul (33 for 83) are easily the two-most trigger happy and should be cautious of their dependency on the deep ball.

For more Big Ten coverage, follow Mike Singer and Dave Carey @CBSSportsBigTen.