# 2007–08 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season

The 2007–08 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season began with practices in October, 2007 followed by the 2007–08 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November. The conference season began in January, 2008 and concluded in March. The season marked the 103rd season of Big Ten play.
Wisconsin won the Big Ten Conference regular season championship by one game over Purdue. Indiana finished in third with Michigan State in fourth.
Indiana's D.J. White was named Big Ten Player of the Year. Purdue's Matt Painter was named Coach of the Year.
The Big Ten tournament was held from March 13–16, 2008 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. Wisconsin won the tournament championship by defeating surprise championship participant No. 10-seeded Illinois. As a result of the win, Wisconsin received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
Four Big Ten teams (Wisconsin, Purdue, Indiana, and Michigan State) were invited to the NCAA Tournament. Two teams, Wisconsin and Michigan State, advance to the Sweet Sixteen, both losing in that round. Ohio State and Minnesota received bids to the National Invitation Tournament with Ohio State winning the tournament.

## Preseason
### All-Big Ten players

The following players were chosen as preseason All-Big Ten by the media.
    Shaun Pruitt, ILL, SR, C
    D.J. White, IND, SR, F
    Drew Neitzel, MSU, SR, G (Player of the Year)
    Jamar Butler, OSU, SR, G
    Geary Claxton, PSU, SR, G/F

### Teams

The following teams were selected as the top teams in the conference by the media.
* Michigan State
* Indiana
* Ohio State

## Regular season
### Early-season tournaments
#### ACC–Big Ten Challenge

| Date | Time | ACC team | B1G team | Score | Location | Television | Attendance | Challenge leader |
| Nov 26 | 7:00 pm | Wake Forest | Iowa | 56–47 | Carver–Hawkeye Arena • Iowa City, Iowa | ESPN2 | 9,120 | ACC (1–0) |
| Nov 27 | 7:00 pm | Georgia Tech | No. 15 Indiana | 83–79 | Assembly Hall • Bloomington, Indiana | ESPN | 17,230 | Tied (1–1) |
| Nov 27 | 7:30 pm | Florida State | Minnesota | 75–61 | Donald L. Tucker Center • Tallahassee, Florida | ESPN2 | 9,349 | ACC (2–1) |
| Nov 27 | 8:00 pm | Virginia | Northwestern | 94–52 | John Paul Jones Arena • Charlottesville, Virginia | ESPNU | | ACC (3–1) |
| Nov 27 | 9:00 pm | No. 7 Duke | No. 20 Wisconsin | 82–58 | Cameron Indoor Stadium • Durham, North Carolina | ESPN | 9,314 | ACC (4–1) |
| Nov 27 | 9:30 pm | No. 18 Clemson | Purdue | 61–58 | Littlejohn Coliseum • Clemson, South Carolina | ESPN2 | 7,350 | ACC (5–1) |
| Nov 28 | 7:00 pm | NC State | No. 10 Michigan State | 81–58 | Breslin Center • East Lansing, Michigan | ESPN | 14,759 | ACC (5–2) |
| Nov 28 | 7:30 pm | Maryland | Illinois | 69–61 | Comcast Center • College Park, Maryland | ESPN2 | 17,950 | ACC (6–2) |
| Nov 28 | 8:00 pm | Boston College | Michigan | 77–64 | Crisler Arena • Ann Arbor, Michigan | ESPNU | 8,716 | ACC (7–2) |
| Nov 28 | 9:00 pm | No. 1 North Carolina | Ohio State | 66–55 | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | ESPN | | ACC (8–2) |
| Nov 28 | 9:30 pm | Virginia Tech | Penn State | 66–61 | Bryce Jordan Center • University Park, Pennsylvania | ESPN2 | | ACC (8–3) |
| WINNERS ARE IN BOLD. Game Times in EST. Rankings from AP Poll (Nov. 26). Miami did not play due to the ACC having one more team than the B1G. |||||||||

### Final standings

| Team | B10 Conference | B10 % | B10 Home | B10 Road | All Games | All Games % | All Home | All Road | All Neutral |
| Wisconsin | 16–2 | .889 | 8–1 | 8–1 | 31–5 | .861 | 16–2 | 10–2 | 5–1 |
| Purdue | 15–3 | .833 | 9–0 | 6–3 | 25–9 | .735 | 16–1 | 6–5 | 3–3 |
| Indiana | 14–4 | .778 | 8–1 | 6–3 | 25–8 | .758 | 17–2 | 7–3 | 1–3 |
| Michigan State | 12–6 | .667 | 9–0 | 3–6 | 27–9 | .750 | 17–0 | 4–6 | 6–3 |
| Ohio State | 10–8 | .556 | 7–2 | 3–6 | 24–13 | .649 | 17–3 | 4–8 | 3–2 |
| Minnesota | 8–10 | .444 | 5–4 | 3–6 | 20–14 | .588 | 12–5 | 4–8 | 4–1 |
| Penn State | 7–11 | .389 | 5–4 | 2–7 | 15–16 | .484 | 13–4 | 2–8 | 0–4 |
| Iowa | 6–12 | .333 | 4–5 | 2–7 | 13–19 | .406 | 10–8 | 3–8 | 0–3 |
| Illinois | 5–13 | .278 | 3–6 | 2–7 | 16–19 | .457 | 7–7 | 3–9 | 6–3 |
| Michigan | 5–13 | .278 | 3–6 | 2–7 | 10–22 | .313 | 6–9 | 2–10 | 2–3 |
| Northwestern | 1–17 | .056 | 0–9 | 1–8 | 8–22 | .452 | 5–11 | 3–10 | 0–1 |

### Statistical leaders

| Points per game | Points per game | Points per game | Rebounds per game | Rebounds per game | Rebounds per game | Assists per game | Assists per game | Assists per game | Steals per game | Steals per game | Steals per game |
| Player | School | PPG | Player | School | RPG | Player | School | APG | Player | School | SPG |
| Eric Gordon | IND | 20.9 | D. J. White | IND | 10.3 | Jamar Butler | OSU | 5.9 | Chris Kramer | PUR | 2.3 |
| D. J. White | IND | 17.4 | Goran Suton | MSU | 8.2 | Travis Walton | MSU | 4.3 | Al Nolen | MINN | 1.9 |
| Manny Harris | MICH | 16.1 | Shaun Pruitt | ILL | 7.3 | Michael Thompson | NU | 4.3 | Craig Moore | NU | 1.8 |
| Jamar Butler | OSU | 15.0 | Jamarcus Ellis | IND | 7.0 | Drew Neitzel | MSU | 4.0 | Trevon Hughes | WIS | 1.8 |
| Kosta Koufos | OSU | 14.4 | Kosta Koufos | OSU | 6.7 | Kalin Lucas | MSU | 3.8 | Damian Johnson | MINN | 1.7 |
| Blocked shots per game | Blocked shots per game | Blocked shots per game | Field goal percentage | Field goal percentage | Field goal percentage | Three-point FG percentage | Three-point FG percentage | Three-point FG percentage | Free throw percentage | Free throw percentage | Free throw percentage |
| Player | School | BPG | Player | School | FG% | Player | School | 3FG% | Player | School | FT% |
| Ekpe Udoh | MICH | 2.9 | D. J. White | IND | 60.5 | Armon Bassett | IND | 45.4 | Jamar Butler | OSU | 94.3 |
| Kosta Koufos | OSU | 1.8 | Othello Hunter | OSU | 59.6 | Robbie Hummel | PUR | 44.7 | Jason Bohannon | WIS | 86.7 |
| Drew Naymick | MSU | 1.7 | Shaun Pruitt | ILL | 57.2 | Keaton Grant | PUR | 44.0 | Robbie Hummel | PUR | 86.5 |
| D. J. White | IND | 1.6 | Raymar Morgan | MSU | 55.8 | E'Twaun Moore | PUR | 43.4 | Drew Neitzel | MSU | 86.0 |
| Othello Hunter | OSU | 1.5 | Goran Suton | MSU | 55.1 | Michael Thompson | NU | 43.3 | Keaton Grant | PUR | 85.1 |

### Players of the week

Throughout the conference regular season, the Big Ten offices name a player of the week each Monday.
| Week | Player of the week |
| November 12, 2007 | DeShawn Sims, MICH |
| November 19, 2007 | Eric Gordon, IND |
| November 19, 2007 | Raymar Morgan, MSU |
| November 26, 2007 | Kosta Koufos, OSU |
| December 3, 2007 | D. J. White, IND |
| December 10, 2007 | D. J. White, IND |
| December 17, 2007 | Geary Claxton, PSU |
| December 24, 07 | Shaun Pruitt, ILL |
| December 24, 07 | Dan Coleman, MINN |
| December 31, 2007 | Brian Butch, WIS |
| January 7, 2008 | Raymar Morgan, MSU |
| January 7, 2008 | Geary Claxton, PSU |
| January 14, 2008 | D. J. White, IND |
| January 21, 2008 | Keaton Grant, PUR |
| January 28, 2008 | Drew Neitzel, MSU |
| February 4, 2008 | D. J. White, IND |
| February 4, 2008 | E'Twaun Moore, PUR |
| February 11, 2008 | Robbie Hummel, PUR |
| February 18, 2008 | Manny Harris, MICH |
| February 25, 2008 | Cyrus Tate, IA |
| March 3, 2008 | Goran Suton, MSU |
| March 10, 2008 | Jamar Butler, OSU |

## All-Big Ten Conference honors and awards

Two sets of conference award winners are recognized by the Big Ten – one selected by league coaches and one selected by the media.
| Honor | Coaches | Media |
| Player of the Year | D. J. White, IND | D. J. White, IND |
| Coach of the Year | Matt Painter, PUR | Matt Painter, PUR |
| Freshman of the Year | Eric Gordon, IND | Eric Gordon, IND |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Chris Kramer, PUR | None Selected |
| Sixth Man of the Year | Jason Bohannon, WIS | None Selected |
| All-Big Ten First Team | Eric Gordon, IND | Eric Gordon, IND |
| All-Big Ten First Team | D. J. White, IND | D. J. White, IND |
| All-Big Ten First Team | Drew Neitzel, MSU | Jamar Butler, OSU |
| All-Big Ten First Team | Robbie Hummel, PUR | Robbie Hummel, PUR |
| All-Big Ten First Team | Brian Butch, WIS | Brian Butch, WIS |
| All-Big Ten Second Team | Manny Harris, MICH | Manny Harris, MICH |
| All-Big Ten Second Team | Raymar Morgan, MSU | Raymar Morgan, MSU |
| All-Big Ten Second Team | Jamar Butler, OSU | Drew Neitzel, MSU |
| All-Big Ten Second Team | E'Twaun Moore, PUR | E'Twaun Moore, PUR |
| All-Big Ten Second Team | Marcus Landry, WIS | Michael Flowers, WIS |
| All Big Ten Third Team | Armon Bassett, IND | Shaun Pruitt, ILL |
| All Big Ten Third Team | Tony Freeman, IA | Armon Bassett, IND |
| All Big Ten Third Team | Lawrence McKenzie, MINN | Kosta Koufos, OSU |
| All Big Ten Third Team | Kosta Koufos, OSU | Jamelle Cornley, PSU |
| All Big Ten Third Team | Michael Flowers, WIS | Chris Kramer, PUR |
| All Big Ten Third Team | | Marcus Landry, WIS |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Shaun Pruitt, ILL | Jamarcus Ellis, IND |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | DeShawn Sims, MICH | Tony Freeman, IA |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Kalin Lucas, MSU | Kalin Lucas, MSU |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Dan Coleman, MINN | Dan Coleman, MINN |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Kevin Coble, NU | Lawrence McKenzie, MINN |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Jamelle Cornley, PSU | Kevin Coble, NU |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Keaton Grant, PUR | Craig Moore, NU |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Chris Kramer, PUR | Keaton Grant, PUR |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Trevon Hughes, WIS | Trevon Hughes, WIS |
| All-Freshman Team | Eric Gordon, IND | Not Selected |
| All-Freshman Team | Manny Harris, MICH | Not Selected |
| All-Freshman Team | Kosta Koufos, OSU | Not Selected |
| All-Freshman Team | Robbie Hummel, PUR | Not Selected |
| All-Freshman Team | E'Twaun Moore, PUR | Not Selected |
| All Defensive Team | Ekpe Udoh, MICH | Not Selected |
| All Defensive Team | Travis Walton, MSU | Not Selected |
| All Defensive Team | Chris Kramer, PUR | Not Selected |
| All Defensive Team | Michael Flowers, WIS | Not Selected |
| All Defensive Team | Joe Krabbenhoft, WIS | Not Selected |

## Postseason
### Big Ten tournament
#### Bracket

| Opening round March 13 | Opening round March 13 | Opening round March 13 | Quarterfinals March 14 | Quarterfinals March 14 | Quarterfinals March 14 | Semifinals March 15 | Semifinals March 15 | Semifinals March 15 | Championship March 16 | Championship March 16 | Championship March 16 |
| | | | 1 | Wisconsin | 51 | | | | | | |
| | | | 9 | Michigan | 34 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Iowa | 47 | 9 | Michigan | 34 | | | | | | |
| 9 | Michigan | 55 | | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | Michigan | 55 | | | | 1 | Wisconsin | 65 | | | |
| | | | | | | 4 | Michigan State | 63 | | | |
| | | | 4 | Michigan State | 67 | | | | | | |
| | | | 5 | Ohio State | 60 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 1 | Wisconsin | 61 |
| | | | | | | | | | 10 | Illinois | 48 |
| | | | 2 | Purdue | 67 | | | | | | |
| | | | 10 | Illinois | 74 | | | | | | |
| 7 | Penn State | 63 | 10 | Illinois | 74 | | | | | | |
| 10 | Illinois | 64 | | | | | | | | | |
| 10 | Illinois | 64 | | | | 10 | Illinois | 54 | | | |
| | | | | | | 6 | Minnesota | 50 | | | |
| | | | 3 | Indiana | 58 | | | | | | |
| | | | 6 | Minnesota | 59 | | | | | | |
| 6 | Minnesota | 55 | 6 | Minnesota | 59 | | | | | | |
| 11 | Northwestern | 52 | | | | | | | | | |
Source

### NCAA Tournament

| Team | Bid Type | Seed | Results |
| Wisconsin | Automatic | 3 | Won First Round vs. No. 14 Cal St. Fullerton 71–56 Won Second Round vs. No. 11 Kansas State 72–55 Lost Sweet 16 vs. #10 Davidson 73–56 |
| Michigan State | At-large | 5 | Won First Round vs. #12 Temple 72–61 Won Second Round vs. #4 Pittsburgh 65–54 Lost Sweet 16 vs. #1 Memphis 92–74 |
| Purdue | At-large | 6 | Won First Round vs. #11 Baylor 90–79 Lost Second Round vs. #3 Xavier 85–78 |
| Indiana | At-large | 8 | Lost First Round vs. #9 Arkansas 86–72 |

### NIT

| Team | Bid Type | Seed | Results |
| Ohio State | At-large | 1 | Won First Round vs. #8 UNC Asheville 84–66 Won Second Round vs. #4 California 73–56 Won Quarterfinals vs. #3 Dayton 74–63 Won NIT Semifinals vs. #2 Mississippi 81–69 Won NIT Final vs. #2 Massachusetts 92–85 |
| Minnesota | At-large | 4 | Lost First Round vs. #5 Maryland 68–58 |

### 2008 NBA draft

The following Big Ten players were selected in the 2008 NBA draft:
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | Team | School/club team |
| 1 | 7 | Eric Gordon | SG | United States | Los Angeles Clippers | Indiana (Fr.) |
| 1 | 23 | Kosta Koufos | C | Greece | Utah Jazz | Ohio State (Fr.) |
| 1 | 29 | D.J. White | SG | United States | Detroit Pistons (traded to Seattle) | Indiana (Sr.) |