Quick hits: Wednesday at Big Ten Media Day

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Big Ten Media Days got underway Wednesday in downtown Indianapolis. Illinois beat writer Scott Richey highlights some of what was discussed at Lucas Oil Stadium:
‘We’ve got a lot of unfinished business’
Illinois put together its best season of football in 15 years last fall. The Illini won at Wisconsin for the first time since 2002, were ranked in The Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since 2011 and wound up in the College Football Playoff for the first time ever. The 8-5 season was a success — the most wins in 15 years.
Sustaining that success is the goal. It’s the root of everything Illinois coach Bret Bielema is trying to accomplish in Champaign. Bielema doesn’t just want to be good for one season here and there.
“We’ve got a lot of unfinished business,” Bielema said. “Last year, we were an 8-5 team, but it broke up into a 7-1 team and a 1-4 team. And I focus myself on the 1-4 team more than any time in my career. Obviously, (the losses) all happened at the end of the year, so there had to be contributing factors that are on me as a coach and development and program-wise.
“I like where we’re at. I love the influx of talent. For me, as a head coach, this is my 15th year, as I’ve said earlier, but I’ve never felt more engaged with our roster, the way they’re being developed, the way they’re being coached. And the way that they react to our coaches is pretty cool.”
Avoiding the elephant in the room
Northwestern interim coach David Braun didn’t filibuster his way through his entire 15 minutes on the podium — and live on Big Ten Network — but it was close.
He did field four questions, but he had no real interest in discussing the hazing scandal that ripped through the Wildcats’ program earlier this month. Braun said he would not “speak to current allegations” and that he would “fully trust that our university is going through a process and will make decisions based on the facts.”
Braun’s emphasis was instead on his players. Back in Evanston. Bryce Gallagher, Rod Heard II and Bryce Kirtz — all three players were scheduled to appear at Big Ten Media Days — withdrew Tuesday and did not make the trip to Indianapolis.
“Our number one priority moving forward will be ensuring that the student-athlete experience for the young men that we coach and mentor is just that — the ultimate student-athlete experience,” Braun said. “I told our players a couple weeks ago, moving forward is my ultimate purpose to make sure the four people back home are taken care of, and beyond that, I’m here to support and serve them moving forward.”
Big Ten commissioner addresses NIL
Further Big Ten expansion is not at the top of first-year commissioner Tony Petitti’s to-do list. Getting Southern California and UCLA on board is the priority.
Football scheduling might have been hammered out for a 16-team conference, but every other sport — basketball included — is still in schedule limbo ahead of when UCLA and USC join the Big Ten for the 2024-25 season.
Also topping Petitti’s list of priorities is addressing name, image and likeness, the transfer portal and how the two have been inextricably linked the last few years.
Being able to enforce rules on the books to counter inducements and pay for play is the goal.
“I have learned a lot about what NIL is and what NIL is not,” Petitti. “What it is is a great mechanism for student-athletes to benefit from their name, image and likeness through real marketing opportunities. We, as a conference, not only support, but celebrate a student-athlete’s ability to generate unlimited benefits from true NIL. However, it is important to say much of what is happening now under the guise of NIL is not true NIL and rather a move to a pay-for-play system that is driving recruitment and the transfer portal.”