Topsy-turvy world

Early Big Ten hoops leaders are surprises

One of the few certainties in the otherwise unpredictable world of college basketball is the significant advantage home teams possess over visiting teams.

With the home crowd in a frenzy and emotions at a fever-pitch, it's tough for a road team to come away with a win, no matter what conference you're in - or who you're playing.

And in the Big Ten, home-court advantage takes on an even greater importance. Parity in the league coupled with the relative youth of most teams has already made the 1998-99 season one of the most interesting in recent history.

With the season already bucking the predictions of many, the main storyline thus far has been the inability of conference favorites to win on the road - with also-rans slowly turning into also-contenders.

LOUIS BROWN/Daily Michigan's overall record of 8-9 isn't that much of a shock, but a couple of those eight wins are. The Wolverines have beaten three ranked teams - Clemson, Wisconsin, and Indiana - showing that they still might be a factor in the Big Ten race yet.

"It looks like our league is making it very, very clear that it's going to be tough to win on the road," Michigan coach Brian Ellerbe said.

The conference's biggest surprise thus far, No. 12 Iowa, has had no such problems. The Hawkeyes have successfully used coach Tom Davis' swan song as motivation for a breakout season, jumping out to an early lead in the Big Ten with a 4-0 record.

Iowa's Big Ten campaign got a jump-start in its opener when it upset then-ranked No. 8 Indiana 67-52 in Bloomington. The Hawkeyes also defeated No. 21 Ohio State 71-68 last night.

Sharing Iowa's billing as early-season surprise has definitely been Northwestern, who has a 2-1 record after two road victories over No. 19 Minnesota and Illinois.

Despite its success in the conference (3rd in the Big Ten) and a 9-3 overall record, however, the Wildcats still haven't cracked the national rankings - which further credits the depth of the league.

So what's with all the early surprises? Well, preseason favorites to win the conference have all faltered, opening the door for the Hawkeyes, Wildcats and the Buckeyes to creep up from behind.

In fact, No. 13 Purdue, No. 14 Michigan State and No. 23 Indiana have all been struck with the same problem - an inability to win big games on the road.

Both the Boilermakers and Spartans have been felled by No. 17 Wisconsin in their only road games. And the Badgers really haven't been that much better. In its one road opportunity, Wisconsin turned in a mediocre performance and Michigan and lost, 59-55

But the biggest shock has been Indiana, who has lost its first three away games to Iowa, Michigan and Ohio State by a combined 44 points.

Ellerbe feels the road woes for some of the Big Ten's early favorites can be attributed to inexperience.

"I think kids feel comfortable playing in front of their home fans," Ellerbe said. "I think our league is kind of young in some areas.

"Kids are not as apt to play as well on the road and fight off all the things that are around them."

Nevertheless, seven of the conference's 11 teams are still ranked nationally, which is even more impressive when you consider that Michigan and Illinois - two perennially ranked teams - are having off years.

But if things keep up the way they're going, it will be a surprise if anyone will be able to make it out of the Big Ten dogfight with a shot at cracking the nation's Top 10.

01-13-99