IU against Big Ten NCAA Tournament teams on the road, 1985-1994.
Yesterday, I listed IU's results against Big Ten teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament. It wasn't pretty. The Hoosiers have won only three such games in the last 13 seasons. The cutoff I chose was 1994, which was Bob Knight's last Sweet 16 team. To determine how noteworthy that 3-46 record is, I figured I better compare it to the ten years prior, from 1985 (the first year of the 64-team tournament and the first year that "NCAA Tournament team" came to mean what it means now). Here goes:
1985
Illinois
Ohio State L 84-86
Michigan State L 61-68
Michigan W 87-62
Purdue L 52-62
1986
Michigan L 52-83
Michigan State W 97-79
Iowa L 69-79
Illinois W 61-60
Purdue L 68-85
1987
Purdue L 64-75
Michigan W 85-84
Illinois L 67-69
Ohio State W 92-80
Iowa L 88-101
1988
Purdue L 85-95
Illinois W 75-74
Michigan L 72-92
Iowa L 70-84
1989
Iowa L 70-87
Minnesota W 75-62
Illinois L 65-75
Michigan W 71-70
1990
Purdue L 49-72
Illinois L 65-70
Michigan State L 66-72
Minnesota L 89-108
Michigan L 71-79
Ohio State L 67-69
1991
Purdue W 65-62
Ohio State L 95-97
Iowa W 99-79
Michigan State W 62-56
1992
Iowa W 64-60
Michigan State L 60-76
Ohio State W 86-80
Michigan L 60-68
1993
Purdue W 74-65
Iowa W 73-66
Michigan W 76-75
Illinois W 83-79
1994
Michigan L 67-91
Illinois L 81-88
Purdue L 76-83
Michigan State L 78-94
Minnesota L 56-106
Wisconsin DNP
Thoughts:
- The record: 17-28.
- I thought about making the cut-off after 1993, Knight's last great team. That would have resulted in a record of 17-23 before the cutoff and 3-51 after.
- I often contended that because of the absence of a championship during that stretch, 1991-1993 is the most underrated stretch of Knight's career. During those 3 seasons, Knight was 9-3 on the road against Big Ten NCAA qualifiers.
- Even some of the less remarkable teams of this era did okay: 1985 (NIT) 1-3; 1986 (first round loss) 2-3; 1988 (first round loss) 1-3. Only the 1990 team, one of Knight's few seasons with a losing record in the conference, and the 1994 team, the beginning of the end, were shut out.
I don't know if it is cause or effect, but if IU wins at Michigan State, we may finally be putting the worst years behind us.
6 comments:
Where was Purdue on the schedule in '89 & '92? Did they skip the home and home back then too?
I'll double check when I have time, but I believe Purdue missed the NCAA Tournament in 1989 and 1992. I'm positive that Purdue didn't make it in 1992, but can't recall about 1989.
From some time before 1985 through the 1991-92 season, all Big Ten teams played twice each season. The true round-robin ended when Penn State joined the league in 1992-93, was further limited when the BTT began in 1997-98, and has partly been restored this year.
OH right, yeah they probably didn't make the tournament in those years. Although I kind of remember them being pretty good year in and year out.
Confirmed. Purdue didn't play in the postseason in 1989. It was PU's only losing season in Keady's first 21 years there.
I think Purdue lost to Florida in the NIT in '89...it was a rebuilding year because Lewis, Mitchell & Stephens graduated in '88.
Right on- I was thinking about '92.
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