As forward JaJuan Johnson wrestled with whether to enter the NBA draft or stay in school this past spring, Purdue fans did everything they could to persuade him to come back for his senior season.
A friend offered to do his homework all year. A complete stranger promised to cook him his favorite meal. One Purdue coed even told him she'd go on a date with him if he promised to return for one last go-round with Robbie Hummel and Etwaun Moore.
"It was a very difficult decision to make, but obviously a lot of people were happy when I came back to school" Johnson said. "I pretty much wrote down the positives and negatives and talked to my family, my coaches and my teammates. I went back and forth a lot that final week but now I'm at peace with my decision."
That so many of Johnson's Big Ten peers also decided to return to school rather than enter the NBA draft this past spring is the biggest reason why the conference is expected to be especially strong next year. Ten of the 15 all-Big Ten performers from last season are back, raising hopes that the conference can improve upon the five NCAA tournament bids and three Sweet 16 teams it produced a year ago.
Reigning co-Big Ten champs Michigan State and Purdue return enough talent to likely begin the season ranked in the top five. Ohio State loses national player of the year Evan Turner, but brings back his entire supporting cast and adds McDonald's All-American Jared Sullinger. And Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Northwestern are each veteran-laden teams that begin the season with legitimate aspirations to at least make the NCAA tournament and perhaps win a game or two.
"Coaches always build up their conference, but I think we're going to be particularly good next year," Northwestern coach Bill Carmody said. "There are just so many returning players that are good. Sometimes you get young guys in there and you might be able to knock them off, but this year the talented guys are juniors and seniors. It's always competitive, but it just seems like it's going to be at a higher level than it has been."
It's a testament to the caliber of Big Ten talent that's returning that Carmody would make such a statement because it's not as though the league has been a punching bag recently. A record seven Big Ten teams earned NCAA bids two years ago and five made it last season, though nobody besides Michigan State has experienced much success after the first weekend of the tournament.
Coaching stability throughout the league has played a role in its steady improvement, but it also took a perfect storm of factors for so many teams to have the opportunity to flourish at the same time.
An Achilles injury suffered during the NCAA tournament is the only reason Michigan State's Kalin Lucas didn't enter the NBA draft last spring. Johnson and Moore also might not have come back were it not for the late-season knee injury Hummel suffered that deprived Purdue of the third weapon it needed to make a Final Four run. Other stars like Illinois' Demetri McCamey, Northwestern's John Shurna, Wisconsin's Jon Leuer or Ohio State's William Buford weren't satisfied with their draft stock after last season and opted to return to try to improve it.
The result is a conference that former Michigan State star Mateen Cleaves believes compares favorably to his junior and senior seasons in 1999 and 2000 when the Spartans were joined by Ohio State and Wisconsin in the Final Four.
"I really do think it will be a strong season for the Big Ten, as strong as it was when I was playing," Cleaves said. "I think it will be really competitive during the season, but some teams will really prosper in the NCAA tournament."
Even in a league as dominated by upperclassmen as the Big Ten, perhaps no team has more urgency next season than Purdue. The trio of Johnson, Moore and Hummel have accomplished great things in their first three years of college, but this is their final chance to lead the Boilermakers to a Final Four.
Such a competitive Big Ten could be seen as a hindrance to that quest since Purdue will likely jeopardize its seeding with a couple losses, but Johnson prefers to see the silver lining.
"If you win the Big Ten, no matter what you put yourself in position to get a high seed in the NCAA tournament, he said. "It seems like from top to bottom the Big Ten is going to be pretty strong this year. That definitely helps prepare you for March because it keeps you on edge and keeps you sharp."
