Iowa's big three could be best in Big Ten, country

Kindly sit down, because this could come as a shock: Illinois' three-guard lineup, the best trio in college basketball, might not be the best trio in college basketball after all.

Or the best trio in the Big Ten.

Dee Brown, along with teammates Deron Williams and Luther Head, has Illinois thinking big. (Getty Images)

Hear us out. This is a question, not a declarative statement, but it's a question deserving due diligence: Is Illinois' three-guard lineup of Dee Brown, Deron Williams and Luther Head clearly, unmistakably better than Iowa's trio of Jeff Horner, Pierre Pierce and Adam Haluska?

Clear your mind and check the numbers.

Illinois' guards average a combined 43.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 17.6 assists and 3.7 steals. Iowa's guards are more productive in three of those four categories: 45.8 points, 14.6 rebounds, 12.6 assists and 5.7 steals.

No question, Illinois' guards are better at play making. Along with that five-assist edge per game, the Illini trio has a superior assist-turnover ratio of 2.41-to-1, compared to Iowa's 1.73-to-1.

That's a decisive edge in Illinois' factor, but it's almost the only one. Every other number -- including 3-point shooting, a near-deadlock at 43 percent each -- suggests Iowa's guards are at least as good.

If not better.

Don't hate on the messenger, especially considering we're not entirely sure of the message. The world could still be round, and Illinois' trio of guards could still be the best -- a once-heretical position SportsLine.com took before the Illini's 91-73 blowout Dec. 1 of No. 1 Wake Forest and Chris Paul, Justin Gray and Taron Downey.

Based on that game, if there was a better trio of guards than Head, Brown and Williams, we'd all need to see it to believe it.

So maybe we should all see Iowa. Just to make sure.

Iowa's guards seem to be a lot like Illinois' guards -- only bigger. Illinois' trio averages 6-foot-2, 187 pounds. Iowa's trio is an average 6-4, 197.

That explains Iowa's edge in rebounding. But it doesn't explain Iowa's edge at the foul line. While the Illini's Brown and Head are sensational athletes, neither averages more than one trip to the foul line per game. In the same number of games (10), Illinois' trio of guards doesn't have even half as many free throw attempts (55) as Iowa's trio (129).

Although Illinois' guards are more athletic, that discrepancy at the foul line says Iowa's guards are more aggressive. And perhaps we should double-check that part about Illinois' guards being more athletic.

Not that the athleticism of Illinois is overrated -- but what if the athleticism of Iowa is underrated? Pierce is the most explosive of the Hawkeyes' three guards, but Horner was an all-state football player in high school whom Iowa coach Steve Alford says gets more loose balls than any guard he's ever seen.

And the 6-5, 210-pound Haluska, the biggest guard at Iowa or Illinois is one of the most accomplished athletes in all of college sports. Unless you're from the state of Iowa, we're guessing you didn't know that. As a high school senior, he finished second in the state track and field meet -- by himself. He won four individual championships, sweeping the 100-, 200- and 400-meter sprints and winning his third straight long jump title.

Alford doesn't pretend to know where his guys belong in the conversation about the country's best guard trios. But he knows his guys belong in there somewhere.

"They've done good things, but because we haven't won the Big Ten or advanced deep into the (NCAA) tournament, they haven't gotten the recognition," says Alford, whose team's only loss came to North Carolina in the championship of the Maui Invitational. "They've had to endure a lot. That's what I'm so appreciative of."

Indeed, Iowa's guards have been hardened by personal experiences.

• Horner, a junior, is in his seventh year of college pressure. He committed to Iowa as a high school freshman and has played with the accompanying scrutiny ever since. Played well, too. He averages 16.5 points, 6.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds and is on track to become the first player in Iowa history with 200 points, 100 rebounds and 100 assists in three different seasons. He was also the first to reach 200-100-100 in two seasons.

• Haluska was the athletic supernova from Carroll, Iowa, who thrilled half the state -- and devastated the other half -- by signing with Iowa State. He reversed those emotions in 2003 by transferring to Iowa after the firing of Cyclones coach Larry Eustachy. A red shirt sophomore, this is Haluska's first season on the court for Iowa. He averages 13 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists.

• Pierce is the most polarizing of the three. A red shirt junior, he sat out the 2002-03 season after being accused of felony sexual assault against a female student. Though he pleaded the charges to a misdemeanor, some Iowa fans wanted Pierce gone -- even protesting outside the arena. Pierce joined Horner as charter members of Iowa's two-time 200-100-100 club, and should go for No. 3 this season. He averages 16.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists.

"Always as coaches, we're talking about toughness and mental toughness," Alford says. "I don't find myself having to talk to them an awful lot about that. They've got it."

Toughness, size, experience, versatility -- Iowa's guards have all of it. Do they have more of it than Illinois' more celebrated trio? Only one way to find out.

Iowa visits Illinois on Jan. 20.