With Big Ten underway, the real fun begins

In case you didn''t have acess to the Big Ten Network over break or found yourself longing for the distinct cadence of Don Fischer’s voice (maybe that was just me), allow me to fill you in on the three home games and the Big Ten opener that IU played over break.\nAs expected, IU dismantled Western Carolina, Coppin State and Chicago State with the ease of a Cowboy hog-tying a Hoosier in the Arizona desert. Freshman guard Eric Gordon returned from his bruised backside in style against Western Carolina, draining his first five 3-pointers from his typically ridiculous spot somewhere in the parking lot south of Assembly Hall. IU put together a sluggish first half the following Saturday against Coppin State, but 27-point victories tend to mask sluggish first halves. The Hoosiers took care of Chicago State early on Dec. 29, building a 48-19 lead in the first half, and that was that. An 11-1 pre-conference schedule in the books.\nNow, with the Big Ten season under way, the real fun begins.\nIf the Hoosiers are to compete for a Big Ten championship this season, the newbies are going to have to adjust quickly to the physical, grind-it-out basketball that the conference hangs its hat on. IU passed its first test last week with a 79-76 win in Iowa City, pulling away from the Hawkeyes in the second half before surviving a ridiculous late scoring barrage by Iowa’s Justin Johnson. \nJohnson’s performance brought back visions of the video game classic NBA Jam. He was truly on fire, hitting six 3’s in the final two minutes – many of them with a hand in his face. You half-expected the net to go up in smoke after he banked in a 40-foot jump shot. The Hoosiers, however, weathered the storm for their 12th victory.\nOne thing that Gordon commented on about his first Big Ten game was the level of physicality.\n“It was real physical,” Gordon said in a statement. “Every time I went to the hole ...they had a bigger team than a lot of the other teams we played. The game was a lot more physical. It was just real tough to score inside most of the time.”\nIt won’t get any easier for Gordon and the Hoosiers, especially on the road where referees tend to give the home team the benefit of the doubt when bodies hit the hardwood. Iowa is projected to finish towards the bottom of the Big Ten as is Michigan, whom the Hoosiers face in Ann Arbor tonight. \nBut road wins aren’t to be taken for granted in this conference. As any veteran coach or fan will tell you, the key to winning the Big Ten is winning all of your home games and taking what you can get on the road.\nLuckily for IU, their knack for getting to the free throw line should keep them in every conference game. Heading into Big Ten play, the Hoosiers lead the conference in scoring and boast the conference’s leading scorer in Gordon and rebounder in D.J. White. \nIt is IU’s ability to get to the charity stripe, however, that will save their bacon when the shots aren’t falling and fatigue is setting in. Through 13 games, the Hoosiers have made more free throws than the total attempts for half of the other Big Ten teams. Of course, these statistics were compiled from games against the likes of Longwood. You won’t find a team like the Lancers in Big Ten country.\nTonight, IU faces another winnable road game in their only meeting with Michigan this season. The Wolverines have a proven coach in John Beilein and an exciting freshman in Manny Harris, but they have yet to beat a quality opponent. The Wolverine’s 1-3-1 zone may give IU some problems early, but barring any NBA Jam-esque performances from Michigan, the Hoosiers should walk away with a win.\nPrediction: IU wins 75-64