Big Ten – Page 6 – North Platte Post Archive

Big Ten Baseball Tournament Returns to Omaha in 2016 and 2018

Posted on November 11, 2014

Rosemont, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference announced that TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb., will once again serve as the host venue for the Big Ten Baseball Tournament in 2016 and 2018 after setting record attendance numbers last season. The annual event will return to the site of the NCAA Division I Men’s College World Series from May 18-22, 2016, and May 23-27, 2018.

“We are very excited to return to TD Ameritrade Park for the 2016 and 2018 Big Ten Baseball Tournaments,” Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany said. “It was amazing to see so many passionate fans at the Big Ten Baseball Tournament this past May, and we look forward to coming back to Omaha.”

“The 2014 Big Ten Baseball Tournament far exceeded expectations,” Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority President and CEO Roger Dixon said. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to host the tournament again in 2016 and 2018 and look forward to working with the Big Ten and Nebraska to build on the success.”

The Big Ten Baseball Tournament was held in Omaha for the first time in 2014 and established multiple attendance records. The attendance of 19,965 for the championship game on Sunday, May 25, ranked as the largest single-game conference tournament attendance in NCAA history. The five-day total tournament attendance of 62,020 marked the largest in the history of the event. Four days of the tournament featured attendance of more than 10,000, including Wednesday(10,400), Thursday (11,756), Saturday (12,319) and Sunday.

The Big Ten Baseball Tournament has been played annually since 1981, with a four-team field through 1999 and a six-team event from 2000-2013 before moving to its current eight-team format in 2014. Six different schools have won the Big Ten Baseball Tournament, with Minnesota leading all conference programs with nine titles. Michigan and Ohio State have each won eight conference tournaments, followed by Illinois and Indiana with four tournament crowns and Purdue with one.

The 2015 Big Ten baseball season begins in February and culminates with the Big Ten Baseball Tournament returning to Target Field in Minneapolis, the home of Major League Baseball’s Minnesota Twins. The site of the 2017 Big Ten Baseball Tournament will be announced at a later date.

Gray Earns Big Ten Honor

Posted on November 3, 2014

Senior midfielder Caroline Gray collected Big Ten Offensive Player-of-the-Week accolades when the conference announced its weekly award winners on Monday.

Gray, a Kansas City, Mo., native, scored the game winning goal for the Huskers in the 76th minute on Friday against Iowa. She took three shots in 90 minutes of action during the 2-1 triumph over the Hawkeyes.

For the season, Gray started all 19 games and scored three goals, while adding three assists. She took 36 shots, 16 of which were on goal. Two of her goals were game winners, with the first coming on Aug. 22 against SMU.

The Huskers finished the season with an 8-9-2 record, and went 4-7-2 in the Big Ten. With its tied for ninth place finish in the conference, NU fell short of qualifying for the Big Ten Tournament.

Big Ten Wrestling Opens 2014-15 Campaign This Week

Posted on October 30, 2014

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The 2014-15 Big Ten wrestling season begins this weekend, with six conference teams taking the mat. On Saturday, Nebraska will open its campaign in Philadelphia at the NWCA All-Star Classic. On Sunday, Maryland will travel to Clarion, Pa., for the Clarion Open, while Rutgers will host the Rutgers Duals. Michigan State will welcome Michigan and Ohio State to the Michigan State Open.

Six teams begin the season next weekend. On Saturday, Nov. 8, Indiana will compete at the Harold Nichols Open in Ames, Iowa, while Minnesota will compete in the Bison Open in Fargo, N.D. Northwestern will travel to Stanford for a dual meet, while Wisconsin begins its season at the Stevens Point Open. Illinois will host the Illini Quad on Nov. 9, while Penn State will welcome Lehigh to Rec Hall.

Iowa and Purdue will open the 2014-15 campaign later this month. The Boilermakers will face Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, Calif., on Nov. 14, while the Hawkeyes will compete in the Luther Open in Decorah, Iowa on Nov. 15.

Nine teams enter the season ranked among the top 20 of the first InterMat College Dual Meet Rankings, including four in the top five and the top three spots in the poll. Minnesota leads the way at No. 1, followed by No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Iowa, No. 5 Penn State and No. 7 Nebraska. Michigan begins the season ranked No. 9, followed by No. 11 Illinois, No. 14 Wisconsin and No. 16 Northwestern.

BTN Announces Coverage of 2014 B1G Fall Championships & Tournaments

Posted on October 29, 2014

CHICAGO – BTN will provide extensive coverage of the 2014 Big Ten fall championships and tournaments, including live broadcasts during the Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament and Big Ten Men’s and Women’s Soccer Tournaments, and delayed coverage of the Big Ten Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships. Coverage of the quarterfinals for women’s soccer and field hockey will be streamed live on BTN Plus. The semifinals and finals for each event will be available on both BTN and BTN2Go.

The network will be in West Lafayette, Ind., for the Big Ten Women’s Soccer Tournament. Live streamed coverage of the quarterfinal round will begin at 10:30 AM ET on Wednesday, Nov. 5, followed by three more games at approximately 1:30 PM ET, 4:30 PM ET and 7:30 PM ET. Live coverage of the semifinal round will begin at 11 AM ET on Friday, Nov. 7, with the second game to stream live on BTN2Go at 2 PM ET and air on delay at 11:30 PM ET. The championship game will air live at 3 PM ET on Sunday, Nov. 9. Penn State, Wisconsin, Rutgers and Michigan are ranked No. 6, No. 11, No. 23 and No. 25, respectively. Nebraska will aim to win its second-consecutive Big Ten Tournament title.

BTN will provide live coverage of the quarterfinals, semifinals and final of the Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament at Michigan. Live streamed coverage of the quarterfinal round will begin at 10 AM ET on Thursday, Nov. 6, followed by three more games at approximately 12:30 PM ET, 3 PM ET and 5:30 PM ET. Live coverage of the semifinal round will begin at 1 PM ET on Friday, Nov. 7, with the second game to follow at 3:45 PM ET. The championship game will air live at 1 PM ET on Sunday, Nov. 9. Six Big Ten teams appear in the latest national poll, including No. 2 Maryland, No. 5 Penn State, No. 8 Northwestern, tied at No. 14 Iowa and Michigan, and No. 19 Michigan State. The Spartans seek their second-consecutive Big Ten Tournament title.

BTN also will provide live coverage of the semifinals and final of the Big Ten Men’s Soccer Tournament. Coverage of the quarterfinals will be announced with the release of the tournament bracket. The highest remaining seed coming out of the quarterfinals will host the semifinals and championship game. Semifinals will air live at 1 PM and approximately 3:40 PM ET on Friday, Nov. 14. The final will be carried live at 12:30 PM ET on Sunday, Nov. 16. Indiana is the top-ranked team at No. 2, followed by No. 12 Michigan State, No. 18 Penn State and No. 20 Northwestern. The Hoosiers are the reigning tournament champion.

The network will offer delayed coverage of the Big Ten Cross Country Championships at 5 PM ET on Wednesday, Nov. 12. Iowa will host the event on Sunday, Nov. 2. The Big Ten has four nationally ranked men’s teams, including No. 6 Wisconsin, No. 14 Michigan, No. 20 Indiana and No. 22 Michigan State. The Hoosiers will pursue their second-consecutive title, and will be seeking their 15^th overall. On the women’s side, five Big Ten teams are ranked in the top 25, including No. 1 Michigan State, No. 4 Michigan, No. 8 Wisconsin, No. 19 Ohio State and No. 20 Minnesota. The Michigan State women’s team will aim for a second-straight conference title.

2014 Big Ten Fall Sports Championships/Tournaments on BTN (all times Eastern)

Big Ten Women’s Soccer Tournament

Wednesday, November 5	10:30 AM	Quarterfinals – Game 1	West Lafayette, IN	BTN Plus
Wednesday, November 5	1:30 PM	Quarterfinals – Game 2*	West Lafayette, IN	BTN Plus
Wednesday, November 5	4:30 PM	Quarterfinals – Game 3*	West Lafayette, IN	BTN Plus
Wednesday, November 5	7:30 PM	Quarterfinals – Game 4*	West Lafayette, IN	BTN Plus
Friday, November 7	11 AM	Semifinal #1	West Lafayette, IN	BTN/BTN2Go
Friday, November 7	2 PM**	Semifinal #2*	West Lafayette, IN	BTN/BTN2Go
Sunday, November 9	3 PM	Championship	West Lafayette, IN	BTN/BTN2Go

* Quarterfinal #2, #3 and #4 and semifinal #2 will begin no earlier than the above time, or 30 minutes after conclusion of previous game

** Semifinal #2 will stream live on BTN2Go at 2 PM ET and be televised on delay at 11:30 PM ET

Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament

Thursday, November 6	10 AM	Quarterfinals – Game 1	Ann Arbor, MI	BTN Plus
Thursday, November 6	12:30 PM	Quarterfinals – Game 2*	Ann Arbor, MI	BTN Plus
Thursday, November 6	3 PM	Quarterfinals – Game 3*	Ann Arbor, MI	BTN Plus
Thursday, November 6	5:30 PM	Quarterfinals – Game 4*	Ann Arbor, MI	BTN Plus
Friday, November 7	1 PM	Semifinal #1	Ann Arbor, MI	BTN/BTN2Go
Friday, November 7	3:45 PM	Semifinal #2*	Ann Arbor, MI	BTN/BTN2Go
Sunday, November 9	1 PM	Championship	Ann Arbor, MI	BTN/BTN2Go

* Quarterfinal #2 and #3 and semifinal #2 will begin no earlier than the above time, or 40 minutes after conclusion of previous game

Big Ten Men’s Soccer Tournament

Saturday, November 8	TBD	First Round: No. 8 vs. No. 9	Site of No. 1 seed	TBD
Sunday, November 9	TBD	Quarterfinals – Game 1	Site TBD	TBD
Sunday, November 9	TBD	Quarterfinals – Game 2*	Site TBD	TBD
Sunday, November 9	TBD	Quarterfinals – Game 3*	Site TBD	TBD
Sunday, November 9	TBD	Quarterfinals – Game 4*	Site TBD	TBD
Friday, November 14	1 PM	Semifinal #1	Site TBD	BTN/BTN2Go
Friday, November 14	3:40 PM	Semifinal #2*	Site TBD	BTN/BTN2Go
Sunday, November 16	12:30 PM	Championship	Site TBD	BTN/BTN2Go

* Quarterfinal #2 and #3 and semifinal #2 will begin no earlier than the above time, or 30 minutes after conclusion of previous game

Big Ten Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships

Sunday, November 2

5 PM

Final (Delay: Nov. 12)

Iowa City, IA

BTN/BTN2Go

1 Game Likely to Decide B10 East; West is a Mess

Posted on October 28, 2014

Two things are apparent in the Big Ten as November approaches.

The Ohio State-Michigan State game in two weeks will decide the winner of the East Division unless both teams inexplicably hit the skids. The West is a jumbled mess with no clear favorite among the four top contenders.

Ohio State-Michigan State for months has been looked at as the conference’s marquee regular-season game. No. 13 Ohio State hosts Illinois on Saturday. The No. 8 Spartans are off.

Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer said he and his players know the big game is looming. Meyer said some of “luster” will be lost from that game if Ohio State doesn’t win this week. In the West, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa and Wisconsin each have one conference loss.

Nebraska’s Abdullah B10 offensive Player of Week Again

Posted on October 27, 2014

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah has been named Big Ten offensive player of the week for the fourth time this season.

Abdullah amassed a school-record 341 all-purpose yards in a 42-24 victory over Rutgers on Saturday. He carried 19 times for 225 yards and three touchdowns while adding 90 kickoff return yards and 26 receiving yards.

Abdullah leads the nation in all-purpose yards, total rushing yards, total touchdowns, points scored and yards from scrimmage.

Abdullah has rushed for 1,249 yards and 17 touchdowns and has a career total of 4,226 yards, second in program history behind Mike Rozier’s 4,780. Abdullah’s 6,604 career all-purpose yards ranks second in Big Ten Conference history, trailing only Wisconsin’s Ron Dayne.

New Year’s Day Bowl in Orlando gets New Sponsor

Posted on October 21, 2014

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Buffalo Wild Wings has signed on as the new title sponsor for Orlando’s New Year’s Day bowl game.

Florida Citrus Sports announced the change Tuesday. The move comes after the game’s former sponsor, Capital One, recently signed on to sponsor the Orange Bowl game in Miami.

The Orlando bowl will now be known be sponsored by Buffalo Wild Wings, and pair non-playoff teams from the Big Ten or Atlantic Coast Conference against a Southeastern Conference opponent.

The game will take place in the renovated Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium and will be the first time the game has been known as the “Citrus Bowl” since 2003.

The Journey: Big Ten Football 2014 debuts Wednesday

Posted on October 21, 2014

CHICAGO – Returning for its third season to provide fans with an exclusive behind-the-scenes glimpse of the Big Ten and its key figures, BTN Originals debuts The Journey: Big Ten Football 2014 at 7 PM ET on Wednesday.

While Big Ten fans across the country gather each week to cheer on their favorite school, off-the-field stories like those captured by The Journey, BTN’s signature series,unite rivals and shed light on student-athletes and coaches fans otherwise wouldn’t see.

“The best part of The Journey is that each year, new characters emerge on the scene,” said Bill Friedman, coordinating producer of BTN Originals. “Our talented and experienced team of producers and editors can’t wait to share the stories behind the most compelling student-athletes in the Big Ten.”

On the season premiere, The Journey team goes behind the scenes with Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah and his family. The youngest of nine children, Abdullah chose to return to Lincoln for his senior year and continue the family tradition of earning a college degree. Also included are Michigan State wide receiver Tony Lippett, a one-time cornerback for the Spartans who transitioned to offense and has emerged into one of the nation’s best wide receivers, and Indiana’s electric wide receiver Shane Wynn. Game highlights from Michigan State at Indiana and the primetime showdown between Nebraska and Northwestern will show all three in action.

In addition to being BTN’s highest-rated original program, The Journey has captured a number of prestigious awards over the past few years, including two National Sports Emmy Nominations. Last week, The Journey: Big Ten Basketball 2014 won Best Sports Show in the most recent Cablefax program awards, an honor the The Journey: Big Ten Football 2012 won last year.

For information on upcoming episodes, please go to BTN.com/Journey. Fans can also follow the Journey crew on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Big Ten’s Delany Praises Retiring SEC Counterpart

Posted on October 16, 2014

ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) — Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany doesn’t always agree with Mike Slive. He certainly respects him.

Slive announced this week he is retiring next summer after 13 years as SEC commissioner and plans to begin treatment for a recurrence of prostate cancer.

“Mike had a great run,” Delany said Thursday. “They dominated college football for a period of time in a way that no one else has done in the modern era. Two, I think he’s had a really good effect and impact not only on the SEC but the college community generally.”

Under Slive’s leadership, the SEC won seven consecutive BCS titles in football and 67 national championships in 15 of its 21 sponsored sports. He also helped the conference land huge television deals with CBS and ESPN and launch its own network, something the Big Ten did under Delany.

Slive and Delany also helped push for massive NCAA reforms that led to the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Atlantic Coast Conference being able to pass legislation without the approval of other conferences.

“(The SEC and Big Ten) are two important conferences, and when they agree on things, you’re able to actually move the agenda forward,” Delany said. “A lot of the things that we’ve been able to do in the restructuring of the NCAA, the college football playoffs, are things we found common ground on which to move forward.”

Theriot Earns Preseason All-Big Ten Honors

Posted on October 16, 2014

Nebraska point guard Rachel Theriot earned preseason first-team All-Big Ten honors from conference coaches and media, when the Big Ten announced its preseason awards on Thursday, Oct. 16.

The awards were announced while Theriot and Nebraska Coach Connie Yori were in Chicago attending Big Ten Basketball Media Day.

Theriot, a 6-0 junior from Middleburg Heights, Ohio, averaged 14.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game last season to help the Huskers to a 26-7 overall record and a trip to the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament. She was even better in Big Ten play, averaging 15.6 points, 3.6 boards and 7.3 assists per contest while carrying a Big Ten-best 2.7-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. She helped the Huskers to a 12-4 conference mark.

Theriot was at her best during Nebraska’s run to the Big Ten Tournament title, averaging 18.7 points and 10.0 assists, including a Big Ten Tournament-record 18 assists in a second-round win over Minnesota. They were the most assists by a Big Ten player against a Big Ten opponent in history.

A first-team All-Big Ten selection as a sophomore, Theriot added Big Ten Tournament MVP honors, before being named an honorable-mention All-American by the Associated Press.

Theriot was joined on the Big Ten coaches’ five-player preseason team by Iowa senior point guard Samantha Logic, Michigan State sophomore guard Aerial Powers, Northwestern sophomore forward Nia Coffey and Minnesota senior guard Rachel Banham, who was named preseason Big Ten Player of the Year by both the coaches and the media.

The media chose Theriot, Logic and Banham along with Ohio State junior guard Ameryst Alston, Minnesota sophomore center Amanda Zahui B., and Maryland sophomore guard Lexie Brown.

As a team, Nebraska was picked to finish third in the media’s preseason conference power rankings, trailing preseason favorite Maryland and No. 2 Michigan State. Maryland, which enters its first season in the Big Ten, is coming off a trip to the NCAA Women’s Final Four. Michigan State shared the 2014 Big Ten regular-season title with Penn State.

Iowa was the preseason No. 3 pick by the conference coaches behind Maryland and Michigan State. The Big Ten does not announce a full preseason team poll, but chooses only the top-three teams in the conference.

2014-15 Big Ten Coaches Preseason Rankings

1. Maryland
2. Michigan State
3. Iowa

2014-15 Coaches All-Big Ten Team

Rachel Theriot, Jr., G, Nebraska
Aerial Powers, So., G, Michigan State
Nia Coffey, So., F, Northwestern
Samantha Logic, Sr., G, Iowa
Rachel Banham, Sr., G, Minnesota (Player of the Year)

2014-15 Big Ten Media Preseason Rankings

1. Maryland
2. Michigan State
3. Nebraska

2014-15 Media All-Big Ten Team

Rachel Theriot, Jr., G, Nebraska
Ameryst Alston, Jr., G, Ohio State
Lexie Brown, So., G, Maryland
Amanda Zahui B., So., C, Minnesota
Samantha Logic, Sr., G, Iowa
Rachel Banham, Sr., G, Minnesota (Player of the Year)