Big Ten to battle for berth in Final Four

Steve Addy

Friday, March 24, 2000 | 10:50 a.m.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- If you let unappealing aesthetics cloud the message, you'll miss the beauty of what happened in the NCAA West Regional semifinals Thursday night.

The message that rose from the packed Pit was this: Do not mess with the Big Ten.

No matter how pedestrian, plodding or unattractive their victories might seem in a SportsCenter context, Purdue and Wisconsin struck blows for a proud conference that nevertheless hasn't won an NCAA basketball title since Michigan in 1989.

Including Michigan State's comeback victory over Syracuse in the Midwest on Thursday, all three Big Ten survivors have advanced to the Elite Eight. Purdue and Wisconsin will clash for the West title at 1:40 p.m. Sunday, so it is only through the process of elimination that the conference will finally suffer a loss in this region.

Setting up their fourth meeting of the season (Wisconsin is 2-1), the sixth-seeded Boilermakers and eighth-seeded Badgers both advanced with nonstop determination and spirit-crushing defense, lulling their foes into an unsettling tempo and then exploiting their frustration and confusion.

Purdue prevented Gonzaga, the people's choice, from repeating as an Elite Eight team, trouncing the Zags 75-66 by dominating the backboards and shutting down their top two scorers. A 17-2 scoring run and 25-13 rebounding edge in the first half put the Boilermakers in control and Gonzaga never mustered a meaningful rally.

Wisconsin's 61-48 win over fourth-seeded Louisiana State was even more impressive. Just when it seems the Badgers have run into a team with too much talent, quickness and savvy to get dragged into a sleepy tempo, they manufacture another terrific defensive performance. They have done it three times in the tournament already, and now who's going to doubt they can do it again?

The Badgers hassled LSU into 23 turnovers, inviting the Tigers to put the ball on the floor and then knocking it away from them. Seemingly ignoring the warning flares from Wisconsin's wins over Fresno State and Arizona last week, LSU fell into the trap and got thoroughly embarrassed.

After the games, there was no small amount of Big Ten chest-thumping.

"I attribute a lot of our success in the tournament to the Big Ten, because every game is like this -- very intense, night in and night out," Badgers coach Dick Bennett said.

Purdue coach Gene Keady said, "In the Big Ten, you see all different schemes and philosophies, so you should be prepared for any situation that comes up. Then it comes down to execution."

"We know the Big Ten is a tough conference, and sometimes it might not get the respect that it deserves," Badgers guard Jon Bryant said. "There's defense and hustle in every game, and that is probably why a couple of Big Ten teams are still around. We play pressure games all year, so we're used to games like this."

"When you play in such a competitive league where there are so many close games, you learn how to finish off a game," Wisconsin center Andy Kowske said.

From start to finish, the Badgers were superior to LSU, limiting the Tigers to 14 points in the first half -- matching their number of turnovers. LSU didn't break the 30-point mark until only 4:33 remained, and by then Wisconsin led 47-31.

As the Tigers' miscues mounted, you could sense the Badgers' confidence growing exponentially.

"When you get in a game and you can see that you've got a team -- really got them -- that just feeds your defensive intensity. We've experienced that a few times in the tournament," Bennett said. "I think our kids believe. They have earned the right to be confident."

But Purdue's chest is similarly puffed. The Boilermakers shut down Gonzaga's offense by playing tireless defense against guards Richie Frahm and Matt Santangelo. Frahm is the Zags' top scorer at 17 points per game, but he was hounded by Purdue's Mike Robinson all night. Frahm scored 14, but when he finally got his first basket with 8:04 left, Purdue was ahead by 15.

But regardless of how well Purdue and Wisconsin are playing, only one can go to the Final Four next weekend in Indianapolis. Purdue won the teams' first meeting this season 63-52 at West Lafayette, but the Badgers won at home 55-45, then in the Big Ten tournament at Chicago 78-66 two weeks ago.

"All three games were as intense as can be, and not very good-looking games at all," Bennett said. "I suspect this one will be the same."

Time to break out the helmets and shoulder pads. A Big Ten battle is set, and no matter what happens, the conference can't lose.