2/16/07 - Weekend Preview
Penn State at Wisconsin Still stinging from their near victory at home against Ohio State on Wednesday night, the Nittany Lions travel to the Kohl Center, where nobody not named Wisconsin has won all year. This matchup puts one of the Big 10's most efficient offenses up against the worst defense in the league. I'll let you figure out which is which. The Badgers should score early and often, and unlike OSU, keep Penn State from getting back into this game. Wisconsin 75 Penn State 58 Iowa at Michigan State The Hawkeyes needed every one of Adam Haluska's 16 of 18 free throws to defeat Northwestern last night 66-58 in Iowa City. Haluska ended with 29 points on 19 shots. Iowa now travels to East Lansing for a quick turnaround game vs Michigan State. Last season the Hawkeyes had a similar turnaround after winning a 3 OT game at home against Minnesota on Thursday night, Iowa went to the Breslin Center and were blown out by 30. This is a much different MSU however, and I expect this game to be much closer. But in the end, I think the Spartan defense will be too much as State continues to look solid on the homecourt. Michigan State 65 Iowa 59 Indiana at Michigan An undermanned Indiana team continues their road trip on Saturday at Michigan. Hoosier coach Kelvin Sampson says it is "highly doubtful" that Indiana guard Earl Calloway will play after leaving their game with Purdue last night due to a shoulder injury. That should be good news for the Wolverines. If Tuesday's game against MSU wasn't a must win, this game certainly is. A win on Saturday would keep Michigan's faint NCAA hopes alive for at least a few more days. It will be interesting to see how Indiana will respond to their injury problems with only one full day to prepare for this one. Michigan 66 Indiana 62 Ohio State at Minnesota Minnesota's offense has been considerably better the last 3 games since the return of center Spencer Tollackson, but the Gopher defense continues to struggle. Tollackson got himself into foul trouble against Wisconsin on Wednesday, and he should have his hands full again guarding OSU's Greg Oden inside. Let's hope Ohio State has finally learned their lesson on Wednesday night and puts an inferior team away for once. Ohio State 74 Minnesota 60 Northwestern at Illinois This is the Illini's first game since Jamar Smith crashed his car into a tree on Monday night, leaving teammate Brian Carlwell in critical condition with a severe concussion. Carlwell's condition is improving and he may be released from the hospital today or tomorrow. It will definitely be interesting to see how this incident all plays out and how it, if at all, affects the Illini on the court down the stretch. Illinois 58 Northwestern 51 |
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