In a move to strengthen its men’s basketball program, the University of Illinois has hired Jon Sanderson, a former strength and conditioning coach at rival Michigan, to serve as a sports performance consultant. The announcement came less than two weeks after Sanderson’s departure from Michigan, where he had been a fixture for 15 years.
Sanderson’s exit from Michigan followed a confrontation with head coach Juwan Howard on December 7th, stemming from a disagreement between an athletic trainer and Howard’s son, Jace, over the latter’s recovery from a stress fracture.
The sting of being swept in the regular season by Nebraska is still fresh for the Indiana Hoosiers as they prepare for a Big Ten tournament quarterfinal rematch with the Cornhuskers. But this veteran IU squad has rallied off five straight wins, proving their late-season swoon was only temporary.
After edging out Penn State 61-59 on Thursday, Mike Woodson’s team has new life and a chance at payback against a Nebraska club that has had their number.
The road to redemption is never easy, but the Indiana Hoosiers are determined to carve their path, one game at a time. After a dismal start to the season that had fans losing hope, the team has staged an impressive turnaround, winning five consecutive games and earning a spot in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals.
Their next hurdle? The Nebraska Cornhuskers, a formidable opponent who swept the regular season series against the Hoosiers.
In a season of unprecedented dominance and remarkable achievements, the Big Ten Conference has unveiled its coveted postseason honors for the 2023-24 men’s basketball campaign. At the forefront of this illustrious list stands the towering figure of Zach Edey, the indomitable center from Purdue University, who has etched his name in the annals of conference history by becoming only the fourth player to claim back-to-back Big Ten Player of the Year accolades.
In a surprising turn of events, TJ Sheffield, a wide receiver transferring from Purdue University, has decided to reopen his recruitment process, effectively decommitting from Michigan State University. Sheffield, who had previously verbally committed to joining the Spartans’ program in December 2023, took to social media on Thursday afternoon to announce his change of heart.
“I am officially reopening my recruitment today,” Sheffield wrote in his post. “I will be available to transfer from Purdue University at the end of this semester.
The madness of March is in full swing, and the Michigan State Spartans have their sights set on a colossal upset as they prepare to face the top-seeded Purdue Boilermakers in the Big Ten Tournament on Friday. After a hard-fought 77-67 victory over Minnesota on Thursday, the Spartans are riding a wave of momentum, but they’ll need to bring their A-game to take down the tournament’s No. 1 seed.
Leading the charge for Michigan State is second-team All-Big Ten selection Tyson Walker, who has been a scoring machine this season, averaging a team-high 18.
The madness of March was in full swing on Wednesday as the Big Ten Tournament tipped off in Minneapolis. In a first-round clash between 11th-seeded Penn State and 14th-seeded Michigan, it was the Nittany Lions who emerged victorious, thanks to a scorching performance from junior guard Zach Hicks.
Hicks was unconscious from beyond the arc, knocking down a career-high six 3-pointers en route to a game-high 20 points. His long-range marksmanship proved to be the difference-maker, as Penn State pulled away in the second half for a 66-57 victory over the struggling Wolverines.
Penn State men’s basketball has cleaned up at the postseason Big Ten awards, with senior point guard Ace Baldwin Jr. taking home some of the conference’s top honors.
Baldwin was named the 2023 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, becoming just the third Nittany Lion ever to earn that accolade. He was also a third-team All-Big Ten selection by both the coaches and media, and earned a spot on the All-Defensive Team.
