Thursday Previews

Minnesota (12-6) at Michigan (5-15) 7:00 BTN Pomeroy Rankings: Minnesota #39, Michigan #125 Greenfield Team Rankings: Minnesota #60, Michigan #194 Minnesota started the Big Ten season 2-1 but have since dropped three straight games. Michigan has lost 4 straight games and 5 straight at home. The Gophers are led by senior Dan Coleman, who fills up the stat sheet and takes nearly 30% of Minnesota's shots on offense. The Wolverines have had a dreadful time stopping anybody this year giving up 1.10 points per possession in conference games. The Gophers have a strong shot at picking up a road win tonight against one of the worst teams in the Big Ten. BTC Prediction: Minnesota 75 Michigan 66 Indiana (17-2) at Wisconsin (16-3) 9:00 ESPN Pomeroy: Indiana #11, Wisconsin #7 Greenfield: Indiana #14, Wisconsin #13 The first-place Hoosiers travel to Madison for their first game since a home loss to UConn last weekend. The Badgers will also be looking to rebound after a weekend loss to Purdue in West Lafayette. Both teams display excellent defense holding opponents to under 0.9 points per possession. On the offensive end, Indiana is led by freshman guard Eric Gordon, who is suffering a little with an injured left wrist, and senior forward D.J. White. Both Gordon and White get to the foul line frequently, combining for 257 attempts (and 202 makes). However, Wisconsin's defense excells at shutting down an opponents offense while also keeping them away from the charity stripe. Most around the Big Ten know how tough it can be to escape the Kohl Center with a win and no team knows that more than Indiana. The Hoosiers haven't won in Madison since the 1997-98 season. BTC Prediction: Wisconsin 64 Indiana 62 *BTC Predictions are 20-3 on the season

Where are they now? Deon Thomas

Deon Thomas played forward for the Illinois Fighting Illini from 1990 to 1994. Thomas finished his career as the all-time leading scorer in Illinois history with 2,129 career points, averaging 18.0 points per game. He is the only player in Illini history to score 2,000 career points. Despite his illustrious career, Deon Thomas is probably still most remembered for the recruiting scandal that surrounded him prior to enrolling at Illinois. Thomas played high school basketball for Simeon High School in Chicago and was regarded as one of the top prospects in the nation. He was recruited by a number of teams including Illinois and Iowa. Bruce Pearl, then assistant coach at Iowa, recorded a telephone conversation between him and Thomas in which Deon allegedly admitted to have been offered a Chevy Blazer and cash from Illinois' assistant Jimmy Collins. Pearl turned the recording in to the NCAA along with a memo describing his recollection of the events. Deon Thomas denied having received and/or being offered any such benefits from Illinois, and no proof of any improper offers were ever found. The NCAA never formally charged Thomas with any wrongdoing, but the resulting investigation did uncover other violations committed by Illinois. Ultimately the NCAA cited Illinois for lack of institutional control and implemented a one year postseason ban as well as several recruiting restrictions. Still to this day Deon Thomas denies any wrongdoing, swears that he never received anything from Illinois and has yet to forgive Bruce Pearl, now head coach at Tennessee, for his involvement in the scandal. He still contends the decision to play for Illinois was made due to his relationship with his grandmother and her proximity to Champaign. After his college career, Thomas was selected with the 28th pick in the 1994 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks. He attended mini camp but never actually played in a regular season NBA game. He instead opted to play professional basketball in Europe. Thomas has had a very successful professional career playing for teams in Spain, Israel and Bulgaria. Deon Thomas is currently playing in the Israel National League for Maccabi Haifa. Thomas has played in 14 games this season and is averaging 10.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. His team is 7-8 on the season and sitting in 7th place out of 14 teams in the league.

Wednesday Night Previews

Iowa (10-11) at Purdue (15-5) 7:00 BTN Pomeroy Rankings: Iowa #112, Purdue #35 Greenfield Team Rankings: Iowa #129, Purdue #40 Iowa has won 3 of their last 5 to find themselves sitting at 6th place in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes are doing it mostly with solid team defense. During that 5 game span, Iowa is holding its opponents to 55 points per game. Purdue is coming off their biggest win of the last few years, a home win against Wisconsin. The Boilermakers are one of the hottest teams in the conference, they've won 5 straight and 8 of their last 9 games. These teams met two weeks ago in Iowa City, with Purdue winning 67-62. BTC Prediction: Purdue 61 Iowa 54 Texas-Pan American (14-10) at Northwestern (6-11) 8:00 BigTenNetwork.com Pomeroy: TX-Pan American #274, Northwestern #175 Greenfield: TX-Pan American #258, Northwestern #204 Fans who are without the Big Ten Network get a bonus treat tonight! Whether your cable provider carries BTN or not, all will be able to watch Texas-Pan American face off against Northwestern on the Big Ten Network's website. Of course the newest episode of America's Ballroom Challenge on PBS will probably provide more excitement. Anyways, for those interested Texas-Pan American has actually won seven straight games, of course all against teams ranked 270th or worse in Pomeroy's rankings. Northwestern is 0-7 in Big Ten play and have lost all seven by double-digits. The Wildcat's last win came out of conference two weeks ago against Chicago State. BTC Prediction: Northwestern 70 Texas-Pan American 60 Illinois (10-11) at Michigan State (18-2) 9:00 BTN Pomeroy: Illinois #34, Michigan State #17 Greenfield: Illinois #112, Michigan State #10 Illinois has actually played better than their record would suggest. The Illini are 2-6 in conference play but have played some good teams close on the road. Their last 4 losses have all come on the road and by 10 or less points to Ohio State, Purdue, Indiana and Wisconsin. The Illini's only head-scratching loss in Big Ten play came at Penn State in early January, but of course that was back when Geary Claxton was still suiting up for the Nittany Lions. The bad news for Illinois is you don't get any points for losing close on the road, and Michigan State has yet to drop a home game this year. In fact, the only team to beat the Spartans in East Lansing in the past three years was last year's National Runner-Up Ohio State. BTC Prediction: Michigan State 67 Illinois 58 BTC Predictions are 17-3 on the season

Tempo-Free Breakdown

John "Big Ten Wonk" Gasaway has an awesome article up today at Basketball Prospectus looking at tempo-free and efficiency stats for conference games only. Here is his breakdown of the Big Ten: Pace PPP Opp. PPP EM 1. Wisconsin 61.0 1.09 0.92 +0.17 2. Indiana 67.4 1.06 0.90 +0.16 3. Ohio State 67.2 1.03 0.88 +0.15 4. Purdue 65.4 1.05 0.94 +0.11 5. Michigan State 64.8 1.05 0.96 +0.09 6. Illinois 62.3 1.02 1.02 0.00 7. Minnesota 69.7 0.98 1.00 -0.02 8. Iowa 62.6 0.91 1.00 -0.09 9. Michigan 64.2 0.96 1.10 -0.14 10.Penn State 62.8 0.98 1.13 -0.15 11.Northwestern 63.5 0.90 1.15 -0.25 (Conference games only through January 28) Key: Pace: possessions per 40 minutes PPP: points per possession Opp. PPP: opponent points per possession EM: efficiency margin (PPP - Opp. PPP) To read Mr. Gasaway's entire breakdown and see stats for every conference visit his article at Basketball Prospectus. Basically the only surprises here are the high ranks for both Ohio State and Illinois. Some may also be surprised to see Michigan State rank in at 5th in efficiency margin.

BTC Power Rankings IV

1. Michigan State Spartans 17-2 (6-1) (Previous #3) This week: 1/30-vs Illinois, 2/2-at Penn State Michigan State jumps two positions to claim the top spot in this week's poll thanks in large part to losses by Indiana and Wisconsin over the weekend. The Spartans beat up on the bottom of the conference this week with wins over Northwestern and Michigan. If the Spartans could ever figure out a way to cut down on turnovers, they would be an amazingly efficient team. Michigan State continues to turn the ball over at a very high rate, nearly 22% of their possessions (only Iowa gives away possessions at a higher percentage). 2. Indiana Hoosiers 17-2 (6-0) (Previous #1) This week: 1/31-at Wisconsin, 2/3-vs Northwestern The Hoosiers dropped a non-conference game to UConn on Saturday; a loss that snapped Indiana's 29-game home winning streak. IU is still undefeated in conference play but have yet to play anyone in the top five of the Big Ten. All of that will end on Wednesday with a trip to Madison to face the Badgers. 3. Wisconsin Badgers 16-3 (6-1) (Previous #2) This week: 1/31-vs Indiana, 2/3-at Minnesota Wisconsin traveled to West Lafayette on Saturday to get a "closer look" at the Purdue team we looked at on Friday. The Badgers and everybody who watched the game found out these young Boilers are for real, so how can we still have Wisconsin ranked higher? Remember, these are "Power Rankings" and despite the 4-point loss, we still feel if these teams met on a neutral court the Badgers would be favored. 4. Purdue Boilermakers 15-5 (6-1) (Previous #4) This week: 1/30-vs Iowa, 2/2-at Illinois The Boilermakers have won five straight games in conference and have proven themselves worthy of being mentioned in the same group as the Big Ten's top three. Purdue continues to take care of the ball on offense, they had just 12 turnovers against a solid Wisconsin defense, as they continue their ascent up the conference standings. The Boilers are looking more and more like an NCAA Tournament team with each game. 5. Ohio State Buckeyes 14-6 (5-2) (Previous #5) This week: 1/29-at Penn State, 2/2-at Iowa Ohio State took care of business at home this past week with wins over Illinois and Minnesota. The Buckeyes will now head back on the road with games at Penn State and Iowa this week. If the season ended today, we'd also have Ohio State in the Big Dance. 6. Iowa Hawkeyes 10-11 (3-5) (Previous #7) This week: 1/30-at Purdue, 2/2-vs Ohio State So this Lickliter guy might be able to coach, eh? After looking like a JV team for most of the non-conference, Iowa has turned things around and actually won 3 of their last 5 conference games despite having the worst offense in the Big Ten. Does that say more about Iowa or more about the weakness of the Big Ten? Probably a little of both. The Hawkeyes have really started to play well on the defensive end, and yes, the bottom half of the Big Ten is terrible. 7. Minnesota Golden Gophers 12-6 (2-4) (Previous #6) This week: 1/31-at Michigan, 2/3-vs Wisconsin Minnesota has dropped three straight against the likes of Indiana, Michigan State and Ohio State. None of those are bad losses, but at some point you have to beat somebody and Minnesota has not. The Gophers have not won a game against any team ranked in Pomeroy's Top 100 this season. To date, Minnesota's best win came at Iowa State on November 20th. Losing close to good teams is not exactly how you build a tournament resume. 8. Illinois Fighting Illini 9-11 (2-6) (Previous #8) This week: 1/30-at Michigan State, 2/2-vs Purdue Will Illinois' destruction of Northwestern on Sunday help spark a team in massive need of a jump start? We shall find out soon as Illinois is looking at Michigan State, Purdue and Indiana in their next three games. An ugly season could get even uglier with those opponents waiting in the wings. 9. Penn State Nittany Lions 10-9 (2-5) (Previous #8) This week: 1/29-vs Ohio State, 2/2-vs Michigan State We said that Penn State's season technically ended at the same time Geary Claxton's season was cut short due to injury. Five straight losses has helped make that prediction look accurate. The Nittany Lions would have competed for a postseason bid with Claxton, but without their best all-around player they simply do not have the firepower. 10.Michigan Wolverines 5-14 (1-7) (Previous #10) This week: 1/31-vs Minnesota Michigan has lost 9 of their last 10 with the only win being against Northwestern. The Wolverines have been bad in recent memory, but it's still strange to see the once prominent Big Ten power struggling so badly. 11.Northwestern Wildcats 6-10 (0-7) (Previous #11) This week: 1/30-vs Texas-Pan America, 2/3-at Indiana How many years is Bill Carmody going to get at Northwestern? I realize that it is Northwestern and nobody has nor probably will be successful there, but isn't it about time to try something else? Anything else?

A Closer Look: Purdue

Purdue Boilermakers 14-5 (5-1, T-3rd) Team Capsule: Home Record: 10-1 Away: 2-3 Pomeroy Rank: 38 RPI: 75 SOS: 152 Efficiency: Offense= 107.9 (82nd) Defense= 89.2 (24th) *RPI and Efficiency stats taken from KenPom.com Best wins: Indiana State 71-60 Louisville (@ Indianapolis) 67-59 Ohio State 75-68 Worst loss: Wofford 66-69 "Good" losses: @ Clemson 58-61 @ Michigan State 75-78 The surprise team so far this conference season could very well be the Purdue Boilermakers. The young Boilermakers finished their non-conference schedule with a 9-4 record but have since found their stride winning 7 of their last 8 including 5 out of 6 in Big Ten play to find themselves tied for 3rd in the conference. Purdue will host Wisconsin on Saturday in what will be one of the biggest games played in Mackey Arena in recent years. Many fans around the country and even Big Ten fans will most likely be getting their first glimpse of Purdue, so before the big game let's take a closer look at the Boilermakers. Purdue starts two freshman, two sophomores and a junior as Matt Painter coaches the youngest team in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers are a very inexperienced, talented and balanced team. The team's leading scorer Keaton Grant averages 11.6 points per game and is one of three starters who average double-digits. Robbie Hummel averages 10.7 PPG and is the team's leading rebounder with 6.0 rebounds per game. Freshman E'Twann Moore averages 10.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. The most impressive offensive stat for this year's Purdue team would be their turnover ratio. The Boilermakers have a turnover percentage of 19.1, which ranks 44th best in the nation. This means that Purdue turns the ball over on 19.1% of their offensive possessions, which is actually quite good for such a young team with no "true" point guard. Compare that ratio to that of Michigan State (21.7) and Iowa (25.4) which rank 10th and 11th in the conference in TO %. The Boilermakers rank 3rd in the Big Ten in that stat. The Purdue defense also forces turnovers a high clip. The Boilers defensive turnover ratio is 26.0% which ranks 17th nationally. Overall, Purdue's defensive efficiency ranks 24th best in the NCAAs. Defensive efficiency is defined as points allowed per 100 possessions. This tempo-free stat is a much better measure of a team's defensive abilities than just looking at overall points allowed per game. If Purdue can continue to play solid defense and forcing opponents into a high number of turnovers while taking care of the ball themselves on offense, they will find themselves dancing come March. A win at home on Saturday over Wisconsin would not only put the Boilers in great position for a postseason bid, but it would also jump Purdue into the national spotlight and Big Ten title race. Win or lose, a "closer look" at this young, overachieving Purdue team was long overdue.

Where are they now? Rick Rickert

Rick Rickert played center for the Minnesota Golden Gophers from 2001 to 2003. Rickert was named the 2001 Minnesota Mr. Basketball as a high school senior and came to Minnesota after previous commitments with Arizona and Duke. He became the Gopher's first ever Big Ten Freshman of the Year after averaging 15 points and 5 rebounds per game in 2001-02. Rickert averaged 16 points and 6 rebounds per game in his sophomore season and declared for the 2003 NBA Draft after just two years at Minnesota. Rickert was drafted in the 2nd Round of the 2003 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 55th overall pick. He failed to make the team and decided to play professionally in Europe. Rickert has since played for various European teams as well as in the NBA's Development League. He was selected to the NBADL's 2007 All-Star Game while playing for the Fayetteville Patriots. Rick Rickert currently is playing professionally for the New Zealand Breakers of Australia's National Basketball League. Rickert is currently averaging 17.8 points per game and is 2nd in the league with 10.7 rebounds per game. Through 25 games the Breaker's are 13-12 on the season. Rick Rickert's NBL Profile Page

Wednesday Night Matchups

Purdue (13-5) at Penn State (10-7) 7:00 BTN Penn State has dropped three straight to fall to 2-3 in conference. The freefall started when Geary Claxton injured his ACL in the Lion's game against Minnesota. Claxton is out for the season and Penn State might as well be too. They simply aren't the same team without him. Purdue has been the surprise team so far in the Big Ten as they are off to a 4-1 start with their only blemish a 3-point loss at Michigan State. The young Boilers are poised to make a serious run at postseason play, but they need to take care of business on the road tonight and can't afford to look past Penn State to the huge game against Wisconsin this weekend. BTC Prediction*: Purdue 72 Penn State 60 Iowa (9-10) at Indiana (16-1) 9:00 BTN When these teams met in early January Indiana "escaped" Iowa City with a 79-76 victory. I say "escaped" hesitantly since the game wasn't really as close as the final score would indicate. Iowa was trailing by 13 with two minutes to play, but they made the loss look much more respectable thanks mostly to Justin Johnson "going ass-bananas". (Chronicled here at Black Heart Gold Pants) The bad news for Iowa is now Johnson finds himself slumping, and Indiana is really good. The Hoosiers have proven they can win on the road in the Big Ten without major contributions from the conference's leading scorer Eric Gordon (22.4 PPG). For as good as Gordon has been, D.J. White has been the consistent force inside that paces the Hoosiers' success. White is averaging 16.9 points per game and also leads the Big Ten in rebounding (10.6 RPG). BTC Prediction*: Indiana 68 Iowa 54 * BTC Predictions Current Record: 15-3

Big Ten Newsstand and other Links

Michigan at Wisconsin 7:00 ESPN U-M's road gets tougher tonight - Detroit News Toe injury frustrates Harris - Ann Arbor News Badgers doing just fine at the line - Wisconsin State Journal Stiemsma keeps it fresh - Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Illinois at Ohio State 9:00 BTN Illini try to survive on the road - St. Louis Post-Dispatch Freshman foes played at St. Joe's - Peoria Journal Star OSU's road to NCAAs is paved with Big Ten wins - Cleveland Plain Dealer Turner's game taking off - Columbus Dispatch Other news and notes: The Chicago Tribune's Skip Myslenski takes a look at the "good, the unkempt, and those needing a makeover" in this glance around the Big Ten. After Iowa's victory at Michigan this weekend, head coach Todd Lickliter "suggested" his team head back into the locker room at Crisler Arena and clean up the mess his players had made. Ken Pomeroy opened up his mailbag at Basketball Prospectus to address some issues. If you don't already frequently read Mr. Pomeroy's musings, I would highly recommend a visit to his site. Trust me, you will be enlightened. In football news, Penn State's Anthony Morelli all but slammed the door on any hopes he had at being selected at the NFL Draft with his lackluster performance in the Shrine Game. Tyrelle Pryor's high school coach was just one of the many who commented on the blue chip recruit's "enjoyable" visit to Michigan over the weekend. Pryor's final decision isn't expected until February 6th.

BTC Power Rankings III

If you still haven't heard, some of my good friends in the Big Ten Bloggers group and myself are doing weekly Big Ten Power Rankings for this basketball season. Our rankings will be posted every Monday, and Tom over at Gopher Nation will count the ballots and release the Big Ten Bloggers Power Rankings each week. You can also find the updated rankings each Tuesday right here in the Chronicle's left sidebar. Pow-Pow-Power Rankings! 1. Indiana Hoosiers 16-1 (5-0) (Previous #1) This week: 1/23-vs Iowa, 1/26-vs UConn The Hoosiers remain at the top spot after squeaking a win away from Minnesota and then returning home to take care of Penn State on Sunday. Indiana has won 12 straight games, soon to be 13 straight with Iowa in town on Wednesday, before what should be a tough out of conference test against UConn over the weekend. 2. Wisconsin Badgers 15-2 (5-0) (Previous #2) This week: 1/22-vs Michigan, 1/26-at Purdue Wisconsin has been impressive in their five wins in conference as they continue to work through the softest portion of their Big Ten schedule. All of that changes on Saturday with a good road test at Purdue on tap before next week's game of the week at home against Indiana on Thursday. 3. Michigan State Spartans 16-2 (4-1) (Previous #3) This week: 1/24-at N'western, 1/27-vs Michigan Michigan State bounced back from their devastating loss at Iowa with a 2-0 week. It seems as Drew Neitzel found his shooting touch just in time for the Spartans to ride his hot hand to a tough road win against Minnesota on Sunday. I'd say MSU has two gimmes this week with Northwestern and Michigan scheduled, but the Spartans proved in that loss to the Hawkeyes that anything is possible in the Big Ten. 4. Purdue Boilermakers 13-5 (4-1) (Previous #6) This week: 1/23-at Penn State, 1/26-vs Wisconsin The Boilermakers are beneficiaries of the biggest jump in this week's power poll. Purdue jumps up two spots after wins at Iowa and against Illinois last week. The young Boiler's are looking nice at 4-1 in conference with their only blemish a 3 point loss at Michigan State. 5. Ohio State Buckeyes 12-6 (3-2) (Previous #4) This week: 1/22-vs Illinois, 1/26-vs Minnesota After jumping to a 3-0 start out of the gate, Ohio State has now dropped three straight ball games. Of course, those three games have all been against quality opponents away from home. Buckeye fans can take pride in the way OSU hung tough at Tennessee over the weekend. Just ask nationally ranked Vanderbilt how tough it can be playing a very talented Volunteers squad in Knoxville. 6. Minnesota Golden Gophers 12-5 (2-3) (Previous #5) This week: 1/26-at Ohio State Minnesota went into last week needing a win over Indiana or Michigan State to catapult themselves into the upper half of the conference. However, thanks to cold shooting against the Hoosiers and Drew Neitzel's hot hand, the Gophers found themselves with two losses and down a spot in this week's power poll. 7. Iowa Hawkeyes 9-10 (2-4) (Previous #8) This week: 1/23-at Indiana, 1/26-vs Penn State The Hawkeyes continue to play solid team defense and thanks in large part to the play of Tony Freeman, it seems Iowa has finally started to show signs of life on offense. Todd Lickliter picked up his first Big Ten road win on Saturday against Michigan and today sees his Hawkeyes move up a spot in BTC's Power Rankings. 8. Penn State Nittany Lions 10-7 (2-3) (Previous #7) This week: 1/23-vs Purdue, 1/26-at Iowa Penn State has lost three straight now as they continue to slide down to the bottom of the conference. With Geary Claxton out for the season, things should get worse before they get any better for the Nittany Lions. 9. Illinois Fighting Illini 9-10 (1-5) (Previous #9) This week: 1/22-at Ohio State, 1/27-vs N'western Bruce Weber's Illini finally got a Big Ten win last week! Hey, even wins over Michigan count when things are as ugly as they have been for Illinois this year. They find themselves one game under .500 currently, but I'd be very surprised if the Illini finish the year with a losing record. If this team misses out on any postseason play it would be a massive disappointment. 10.Michigan Wolverines 5-13 (1-5) (Previous #10) This week: 1/22-at Wisconsin, 1/27-at Michigan State Man are things looking bad in Ann Arbor this season. Michigan lost big to Illinois on the road, then dropped a game to Iowa at home on "Terrelle Pryor Day". The eight-point home loss to Iowa wasn't even really that close as the Wolverines threw in an array of late three's to help it look more respectable. Not that anyone really cared about the basketball score...a blue chip football recruit was in the crowd!! 11.Northwestern Wildcats 6-9 (0-5) (Previous #11) This week: 1/24-vs Michigan State, 1/27-at Illinois After a non-conference win at Chicago State last Wednesday, Northwestern came back to conference play with a loss at Wisconsin over the weekend. Two more losses look ahead this week before the Wildcats can boost their confidence with another out of conference game against Texas-Pan America next Wednesday.

The definition of an "Ugly Win"

Indiana 65 Minnesota 60 (Full Box Score) The Indiana Hoosier's best basketball was definitely not on display last night in their win over Minnesota at The Barn. In fact, I still haven't got a very good grasp on just how Indiana pulled out a road victory while looking so ugly and with their superstar freshman struggling so mightily. Despite Big Ten leading scorer Eric Gordon playing the worst game in his young career and the Hoosiers committing an eye-popping 24 turnovers, IU was able to hold off the Gophers in a 65-60 victory. Gordon was sent to the bench early in the first half after committing two fouls in the first 3 minutes and ended the half with just 5 points. He finished the game with 12 points on 3 of 8 shooting and led the team with 7 turnovers. Indiana can thank the Gophers for their poor shooting and inability to keep the Hoosiers off the glass as reasons for this win. Minnesota shot just 17.6% (3-17) from the three-point line and was a terrible 11 of 21 from the free throw line. Spencer Tollackson missed all seven of his free throw attempts. The Gophers were also outrebounded 21 to 39 in the loss. D.J. White led the Hoosiers with a game-high 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Jordan Crawford stepped up off the bench scoring 14 of his 16 points in the first half while Gordon was hindered by foul trouble. Indiana led 40-32 at the halftime break. Dan Coleman was a bright spot for Minnesota scoring 15 points on 7 of 14 shooting and grabbing 7 rebounds. The Gophers were given just about every opportunity to knock off 10th-ranked Indiana, but in the end cold-shooting and missed free throws did them in.

Where are they now? Scoonie Penn

Scoonie Penn played point guard for the Ohio State Buckeyes from 1998 to 2000. Penn started his career at Boston College but transferred to Ohio State after the 1996-97 season to play for coach Jim O'Brien. Scoonie was named Big Ten Player of the Year his junior season of 1999 and helped lead the Buckeyes to the Final Four. That Final Four appearance has since been vacated by the NCAA due to rules infractions committed during O'Brien's tenure. He was named 1st Team All-Big Ten in both 1999 and 2000. Scoonie Penn was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 57th overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft. Penn never played a game in the NBA, but instead he signed a contract to play professionally in Italy. Penn has played professional basketball all over Europe since 2000 in Italy, Serbia, Croatia and Greece. Scoonie currently plays for Efes Pilsen S.K. in the Turkish Basketball League. Penn has played in 12 games this season and is currently averaging 11.1 points and 2.6 assists per game. His team is currently 12-4 and tied for second in the league.

Geary Claxton Out for Season

Penn State lost much more than just a basketball game to Wisconsin last night, as the Nittany Lions may have been watching their postseason hopes limp off the court in the first half. Senior forward and leading scoring Geary Claxton left last night's game 7 minutes in with an injury to his ACL. Penn State team doctors said after the game that Claxton's season and career are likely over as he is expected to miss the rest of the season. Claxton was leading the Lions scoring 18.7 points per game, second in the Big Ten behind only Indiana's Eric Gordon. Claxton's injury is obviously a huge blow to Penn State. Claxton was not only the team's best defender, but he also accounted for 29% of shots taken by Penn State on the offensive end. In fact, Jamelle Cornley is the only other Lion scoring in double figures. With the loss to Wisconsin, the Nittany Lions fell to 2-2 in conference play, and now with Claxton out, it's hard to see them finishing above .500 in Big Ten play this season. Tonight's action: Purdue (11-5) at Iowa (8-9) 7:00 BTN Both teams are coming off big home wins in the last week. Purdue defeated Ohio State 75-68 on Saturday to improve to 2-1 in Big Ten play. The young Boilermakers have been steadily improving throughout the year and have gotten a surprise shot in the arm from forward Marcus Green. Green is only averaging 4.9 points per game but has raised that average to 11.7 ppg in Big Ten play, including a season-high 22 in the win over Ohio State. Iowa is led by junior guard Tony Freeman, who scored 22 of the team's 43 points in their upset of Michigan State on Saturday. The Hawkeye defense will be put to the test tonight and don't expect Purdue to show up as cold as the Spartan's did over the weekend. BTC Prediction: Purdue 61 Iowa 55 Northwestern (5-8) at Chicago State (6-13) 8:00 Northwestern travels across city to face the Cougars of Chicago State. Chicago State has lost by 30+ to both Indiana and Michigan State on the season, so Northwestern better hope they can "escape" with a win. This may be the last real chance the Wildcats have at winning a road game. BTC Prediction: Northwestern 69 Chicago State 66 Michigan (5-11) at Illinois (8-9) 9:00 BTN The Wolverines got their first Big Ten win on Saturday, but it came over the only other winless team in the conference, Northwestern. The difference between the Wildcats and Illinois is that Illinois played Indiana close on Sunday, showing signs of life against the Big Ten's top team. The surprise is that the Orange Crush in Assembly Hall have witnessed four home losses this year. Still, Michigan hasn't won at Illinois since the 1994-95 season. BTC Prediction: Illinois 64 Michigan 57

Tuesday Basketball

Ohio State (12-4) at Michigan State (14-2) 7:00 ESPN Michigan State got a "wakeup call" on Saturday with their 43-36 loss at Iowa. John Gasaway at Basketball Prospectus points out, in great detail, that the Spartan's problem, much like last year, is their high turnover rate. Ohio State freshman Kosta Koufos sees himself as more of a European style of player, but he is adjusting to the physical play of the Big Ten. Koufos was averaging 15.6 points per game before Big Ten play, and he has a 10.8 points per game average in OSU's four Big Ten games. BTC Prediction: Michigan State 68 Ohio State 64 Wisconsin (13-2) at Penn State (10-5) 9:00 BTN Wisconsin sits atop the Big Ten with a 3-0 conference record. The Badgers and Indiana are the only remaining undefeated teams in the conference. Wisconsin is holding opponents to just 54.3 points per game on the defensive end. Penn State suffered their first Big Ten loss last weekend at home against Minnesota. The Nittany Lions are led by Geary Claxton, whos is 2nd in the conference averaging 18.7 points per game. Jamelle Cornley is Penn State's only other player averaging double-digits. BTC Prediction: Wisconsin 65 Penn State 58

Wolverine Exodus

What has pretty much been known for the past few weeks was made official yesterday. Michigan WR Mario Manningham will skip his senior season and enter the NFL Draft: "It was a hard decision, but after discussing it with my family it was the right one for me to make right now," Manningham said Monday in an interview with The Associated Press while driving home to Ohio. "I've heard I will be drafted in the first round because of the lack of depth at wide receiver." Reports also had Freshman QB Ryan Mallett transferring to Arkansas. Mallett will certainly not be playing football in Ann Arbor next season, but according to his father a final decision has not yet been made: "We haven't made a decision yet, but everybody and their dog is saying my son has done this or that," Jim Mallett said Monday in an interview with the Associated Press. "I can tell you, we visited Arkansas and we've talked to Texas A&M and Tennessee. But we're not sure what is going on at Tennessee because they hired an offensive coordinator that has run the spread."

BTC Power Rankings

Some of my good friends in the Big Ten Bloggers group and myself are doing weekly Big Ten Power Rankings for this basketball season. Our rankings will be posted every Monday, and Tom over at Gopher Nation will count the ballots and release the Big Ten Bloggers Power Rankings each week. "I HAVE THE POWER.....rankings." 1. Indiana Hoosiers 14-1 (3-0) (Previous #2) This week: 1/17-at Minnesota, 1/20-vs Penn St I had a tough time deciding on the top spot this week between Indiana and Wisconsin. The Hoosiers take it for now mostly because I believe they have the best player in the conference with Eric Gordon. Plus, his supporting cast is none to shabby either. However, Indiana had better not look past Minnesota on Thursday. That game has upset written all over it. 2. Wisconsin Badgers 13-2 (3-0) (Previous #3) This week: 1/15-at Penn St, 1/19-vs N'western Bo Ryan's Badgers are once again quietly moving to the front of the Big Ten race. Wisconsin may not have the marque name this season, but the Badgers are the most consistent team on both sides of the ball. A 5-0 start looks to be in reach with likely wins against Penn State and Northwestern up this week. 3. Michigan State Spartans 14-2 (2-1) (Previous #1) This week: 1/15-vs Ohio State, 1/20-at Minnesota Seriously, What in the world happened in Iowa City on Saturday night? Turnovers and cold shooting helped make the Spartans look more than mortal. If you missed it, the Spartans were held to 36 points in their loss to Iowa, the lowest point total in post-shot clock MSU history. MSU's upset loss is comparable to USC losing to Stanford in football this year. Now the question is how they can respond this week. I promise you practice wasn't fun for the Spartans on Sunday. 4. Ohio State Buckeyes 12-4 (3-1) (Previous #4) This week: 1/15-at MSU, 1/19-at Tennessee The Buckeyes saw their 8-game win streak snapped at Purdue over the weekend. This is a young Ohio State team that will take some hits this year, but I think they will be in the upper half of the standings come season's end. Up next is a tough game against an angry Spartan team, then a trip to Knoxville to face top-10 Tennessee out of conference. 5. Minnesota Golden Gophers 12-3 (2-1) (Previous #5) This week: 1/17-vs Indiana, 1/20-vs MSU I was tempted to jump Purdue ahead of Minnesota in this week's rankings, but in the end decided to keep the Gophers right where I had them. Minnesota's 76-73 win at Penn State on Saturday was more impressive then some may think. The Gophers proved they could win on the road and now it's time to show they can knock off a top-ranked team. They'll get two chances at home this week when Indiana and Michigan State come to town. 6. Purdue Boilermakers 11-5 (2-1) (Previous #6) This week: 1/16-at Iowa, 1/19-vs Illinois After going 1-1 last week against Michigan State and Ohio State, Purdue now gets to travel to offensive inept Iowa City. And I'll guarantee you that the Boilers post more than 36 against Iowa's defense. 7. Penn State Nittany Lions 10-5 (2-1) (Previous #7) This week: 1/15-vs Wisconsin, 1/20-at Indiana Penn State blew a good opportunity against Minnesota over the weekend to remain undefeated in conference. Now the schedule immediately gets tougher with Wisconsin and Indiana up this week. The Lions are better than last year, but it will take a lot for this year's team to finish above 7th in the conference. 8. Iowa Hawkeyes 8-9 (1-3) (Previous #9) This week: 1/16-vs Purdue, 1/19-at Michigan Iowa moves up a spot after their stunning victory against Michigan State. The Hawkeye's forced more turnovers (18) than made baskets for MSU (16). Iowa made only 11 shots themselves in the game, but that was enough to give Todd Lickliter his first Big Ten win. If the Hawk's keep playing team defense like that and Tony Freeman or Justin Johnson can get hot from the outside, this will be a tough out for anybody in the conference. 9. Illinois Fighting Illini 8-9 (0-4) (Previous #8) This week: 1/16-vs Michigan, 1/19-at Purdue The Illini continued to disappoint on Sunday with another loss at Indiana. The schedule starts to get softer in the coming weeks, but its looking more and more like a sub-.500 year in Chaimpaign. 10.Michigan Wolverines 5-11 (1-3) (Previous #10) This week: 1/16-at Illinois, 1/19-vs Iowa Michigan holds on to the 10-spot this week after a win at Northwestern on Saturday. I must admit that I did not see a minute of the game in Evanston this weekend, and if you were one of the few watching my sympathy goes out to you. 11.Northwestern Wildcats 5-8 (0-4) (Previous #11) This week: 1/16-at Chicago St, 1/19-at Wisconsin What is Northwestern doing playing at Chicago State in the middle of the conference schedule? Are they trying to create a cross-town rivalry? Better question, does anyone care?

Weekend Basketball Preview

Minnesota (11-3) at Penn State (10-4) 2:00 BTN In what is looking to be a three, maybe four team, race for the Big Ten crown this year, both Minnesota and Penn State want to establish themselves as "best of the rest". The Nittany Lions are off to a 2-0 start in conference play with road wins over Northwestern and Illinois. Senior Geary Claxton leads Penn State and is second in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 18.6 points per game. Minnesota is 1-1 in conference after an easy home win over Northwestern on Wednesday. The Gophers are ranked 3rd in the Big Ten in scoring offense and 1st in 3-point shooting, hitting on 38.5% of their threes. BTC Prediction: Minnesota 70 Penn State 66 Ohio State (12-3) at Purdue (10-5) 4:00 BTN Ohio State seems to be the forgotten team in this year's conference race. The Buckeyes have started 3-0 in Big Ten play after their complete domination of Iowa on Wednesday night. OSU has a young team led by veteran guard Jamar Butler. Butler is averaging 14 points per game and currently leads the Big Ten with 6.3 assists per game. Purdue proved they have the capabilities of being a very dangerous team in their 78-75 loss at Michigan State this week. The Boilermakers have a young team full of talent, but they have also been very inconsistent so far this season. This is the same team that dropped a home game to Wofford earlier in the year. BTC Prediction: Ohio State 67 Purdue 60 Michigan (4-11) at Northwestern (5-7) 6:30 BTN Michigan and Northwestern will both battle it out with Iowa this year for 9th in the Big Ten or tops of the bottom feeders. Both are 0-3 so far in conference play, and Michigan has lost five straight overall. This is the kind of high-flying action Comcast and other cable subscribers are missing without the Big Ten Network! BTC Prediction: Michigan 66 Northwestern 64 Michigan State (14-1) at Iowa (7-9) 8:30 BTN Michigan State has won 11 straight contests and 2 straight to start the Big Ten schedule, but the Spartans have not played a true road game since their 66-61 win at Bradley in early December. MSU ranks 2nd in the conference in scoring offense, 1st in field goal percentage and 2nd in rebounding. Sophomore forward Raymar Morgan is having a breakout year leading the team with 18.1 points per game. Iowa was blown out by Ohio State on Wednesday after staying close in their first two conference losses with Indiana and Wisconsin. The Hawkeyes' Justin Johnson leads the Big Ten in three-pointers made and attempted, but shot just 3 of 13 from behind the arc in their loss at Ohio State. BTC Prediction: Michigan State 68 Iowa 53 SUNDAY: Illinois (8-8) at Indiana (13-1) 4:30 CBS Illinois fell to 0-3 in conference play with their 70-60 loss last night at Wisconsin. The Illini defense is not what it has been in years past, while their offense has been inept for most of the season. Currently, Illinois ranks 10th(ahead of only Iowa) in the Big Ten scoring 65.8 points per game. Indiana leads the conference in scoring offense averaging 82.6 points per game this season. The Hoosiers are led by Eric Gordon (23.5 ppg) and D.J. White (16.7 ppg), who are both in the top 5 of Big Ten scoring leaders. Sunday will be Indiana's first home game in conference play. BTC Prediction: Indiana 75 Illinois 62

Where are they now? Andre Woolridge

Andre Woolridge played point guard for the Iowa Hawkeyes from 1994 to 1997. Woolridge started his college career at Nebraska before transferring to Iowa after his freshman year. Woolridge ended his career as Iowa's all-time assist leader, he has since been passed by Jeff Horner. In his senior season, Woolridge averaged 20.2 points and 6.0 assists per game and was the first player to ever lead the Big Ten in both scoring and assists in the same season. He was named first team All-Big Ten and third team All-American by the Associated Press. Woolridge was passed up in the 1997 NBA Draft and decided to play professionally overseas in Turkey. He has since played professionally in France, Greece and Italy as well. Woolridge has been invited to some NBA training camps since his time in Turkey and also played for the Asheville Altitude of the NBDL in 2002 and 2003. The closest he has ever come to playing in the NBA was probably in 2000 when Andre was invited to participate in training camp for the Denver Nuggets. However, Woolridge was waived before the season started. Currently, Woolridge is back playing in the Turkish Basketball League for Oyak Renault. They are currently 4-11 on the season and tied for 13th out of 16 teams in the league. Woolridge is leading the team in points and assists, averaging 15.2 points per game and 3.5 assists per game.

The "Butler Way" on display in Columbus tonight

The "Butler Way" refers to the system used by the Butler University men's basketball team. The Butler Way was originated by legendary Butler Bulldogs coach Tony Hinkle, who coached at the university in the 1920's. More recently, the term and it's underlying attitudes were adopted by former coach and current athletic director Barry Collier. Tonight two schools who have both adopted the Butler Way will face off in a Big Ten conference matchup when Iowa travels to Ohio State. Buckeye's coach Thad Matta took over the Butler program in 2000 when Collier left for a brief stint at Nebraska. Matta led the Bulldogs to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before leaving after just one year to accept the coaching position at Xavier. After Matta's departure, Butler hired current Iowa coach Todd Lickliter. Lickliter coached Butler from 2001 to 2007 reaching the Sweet 16 twice and earning National Coach of the Year honors last year. Lickliter was named head coach at Iowa after Steve Alford left to take over at New Mexico. Lickliter and Matta also both played as guards at Butler. Matta actually played for Lickliter when he was an assistant coach at Butler. The "Butler Way" is described as denying selfishness, demanding commitment, accepting reality and yet seeking improvement every day. An emphasis is put on the good of the team over individual players. Butler has consistently been one of the most efficient teams in the nation this decade, showcasing a great defense and an offense that values possession of the ball. Last season, Butler led the nation with the fewest turnovers per game. The blueprint of Butler basketball has proved to be very successful for Thad Matta. In his previous seven years as coach at Butler, Xavier and Ohio State, Matta's teams have missed the NCAA Tournament just once, the 2004-05 season(his first at OSU), when the Buckeyes were ineligible for postseason play due to NCAA sanctions. Lickliter is now trying to follow in the footsteps of his friend and predecessor Matta once again as he tries to implement the principles of the Butler Way at his new school Iowa. The Hawkeyes have struggled this season with a talent-strapped and inexperienced team left behind by Alford, but if history holds true, there will be brighter days ahead for the Iowa basketball program.

Tuesday night basketball

Indiana (12-1) at Michigan (4-10) 7:00 ESPN Indiana opened the season last week with a 3-point win at Iowa. The Hoosiers will be without guard Armon Bassett tonight against Michigan. Bassett played in only three minutes of IU's win over Iowa due to bone chips in his ankle. Freshman Eric Gordon leads the Hoosiers scoring 23.5 points per game. Gordon has scored over 20 points in 11 of his 12 games played this season. Michigan is 0-2 in conference play with losses last week to Wisconsin and at Purdue. The Wolverines have lost 4 straight, including three straight at home. BTC Prediction: Indiana 80 Michigan 66 Purdue (10-4) at Michigan State (13-1) 9:00 BTN Purdue won their Big Ten opener on Saturday against Michigan 65-58 at home. The Boilermaker's are led in scoring by freshman sixth-man Scott Martin. Purdue starts three freshman and two sophomores. Michigan State is off to their best start since the 1999 season, but Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year Drew Neitzel has been struggling. Neitzel scored just four points on 2 of 11 shooting in MSU's win over Minnesota on Saturday. The Spartans are led in scoring by sophomore Raymar Morgan who averages 18.4 points per game. BTC Prediction: Michigan State 70 Purdue 58

The Big Ten is NOT weak

Thanks to another subpar performance by Ohio State in the BCS Champsionship Game, all we will hear for the entire offseason is how weak/slow/unathletic the Big Ten Conference is. Ohio State at least showed up in this year's game, unlike the embarrassment that was last year's BCS Title Game, but in the end the Buckeyes were done in by mistakes and a great LSU team took advantage. LSU was obviously the best team Ohio State had played all year, but the Buckeyes were not as overmatched as some are making it sound. The game basically came down to turnovers, a blocked field goal, and a roughing the punter penalty on OSU in the 3rd quarter. With that being said, hats off to LSU. The Tigers took advantage of every Buckeye mistake and made OSU's nation-best defense look average. LSU was the best team on the field last night, and the SEC was the better overall conference this season. But the SEC vs Big Ten debate is not as one-sided as the media makes it seem. Let's take a look at recent bowl results between the two conferences to show how even both conference actually are. This year the SEC finished with a 2-1 record against the Big Ten in bowl games. LSU defeated Ohio State 38-24 last night, Tennessee beat Wisconsin 21-17 in the Outback Bowl, and Michigan won the Capital One bowl over Florida 41-35. Last season the Big Ten won 2 of 3 from the SEC with Ohio State's loss to Florida being the SEC's only bowl victory over the Big Ten. Every year Big Ten and SEC teams face off in two Florida bowl games, the Outback and the Capital One Bowls. The Outback Bowl puts the 3rd pick from the Big Ten against the 3rd or 4th pick from the SEC each year. Since 2002, the Big Ten has won 3 Outback Bowls and the SEC has won 3 including Tennessee's win this year. 2002: Michigan 38 Florida 30 2003: Iowa 37 Florida 17 2004: Georgia 24 Wisconsin 21 2005: Florida 31 Iowa 24 2006: Penn State 20 Tennessee 10 2007: Tennessee 21 Wisconsin 17 The Capital One Bowl gets the best team from each conference that is not invited to a BCS Bowl. The Big Ten has recently dominated the Capital One Bowl winning four straight. 2002: Auburn 13 Penn State 9 2003: Georgia 34 Purdue 27 (OT) 2004: Iowa 30 LSU 25 2005: Wisconsin 24 Auburn 10 2006: Wisconsin 17 Arkansas 14 2007: Michigan 41 Florida 35 After looking at those results, it's hard to see why so many have this preconceived notion that the SEC is the dominate conference in college football and how the Big Ten is annually looked at as a "weak" conference. The SEC has had the best team in the nation the past two years, that much is proven, but as a whole the Big Ten Conference has also proved that it is in fact one of the elite conferences in college football.

Big Ten Bloggers Power Rankings

Some of my good friends in the Big Ten Bloggers group and myself are introducing weekly Big Ten Power Rankings for this basketball season. Our rankings will be posted every Monday, and Tom over at Gopher Nation will count the ballots and release the Big Ten Bloggers Power Rankings each week. So without further ado, here is the Big Ten Chronicle's Power Ranking poll for this week: 1. Michigan State Spartans 13-1 (1-0) This week: 1/8 - vs Purdue; 1/12 - at Iowa Michigan State got off to a good start in conference play with a hard fought win over Minnesota on Saturday night. The Spartans played the toughest non-conference schedule of the Big Ten's "Big 3" (MSU, Indiana, & Wisconsin), therefore we ranked them at the top in our first poll. Drew Neitzel has yet to really dominate like he has shown the ability to do in years past, but Raymar Morgan and Goran Suton help make this year's Spartans more than just a one-man show. 2. Indiana Hoosiers 12-1 (1-0) This week: 1/8 - at Michigan; 1-13 - vs Illinois The only thing that is separating Indiana from the Spartans so far is strength of schedule. The Hoosiers' only loss came to a very strong Xavier team, but Indiana's best win to date would probably be their home win against Kentucky, and we all know a win over UK this year does not mean what it used to. With that being said, Freshman phenom Eric Gordon and inside force D.J. White will keep IU near the top of this poll provided they can stay healthy. 3. Wisconsin Badgers 12-2 (2-0) This week: 1/10 - vs Illinois The Badgers used a thrilling road victory over Texas to jump back into the national rankings and spotlight. However, many have not forgotten about their 82-58 dud of a loss at Duke in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge earlier this year. Wisconsin has shown improvement in every game since then, and with Bo Ryan, possibly the best coach in a conference full of great leaders, they will be solid all year long. 4. Ohio State Buckeyes 11-3 (2-0) This week: 1/9 - vs Iowa; 1/12 - at Purdue Last years Big Ten Champs are off to a 2-0 start with wins at Illinois and against Northwestern at home. This years Buckeyes are led by veteran guard Jamar Butler and newcomer Kosta Koufus inside. Nobody expects OSU to win the conference again, but they seem to be the best early bet to finish in 4th behind the "Big 3" and have a good shot at an NCAA bid. 5. Minnesota Golden Gophers 10-3 (0-1) This week: 1/9 - vs Northwestern; 1/12 - at Penn State Minnesota hung tough in their 65-59 loss at Michigan State on Saturday night. It's hard to get too excited about a loss, but staying with a really good Spartan team in one of the toughest venues to play at in the Big Ten is something to make Gopher fans optimistic. Minnesota has an experienced squad and new coach Tubby Smith brings a winning attitude that will produce wins and keep them battling to reach the upper half of the Big Ten. 6. Purdue Boilermakers 10-4 (1-0) This week: 1/8 - at Michigan State; 1/12 - vs Ohio State The young Boilermakers have been all over the place so far this season. Purdue scored wins over Louisville in non-conference play and beat Michigan on Saturday to start Big Ten play. But the Boilers also lost to Wofford at home and to Iowa State in Las Vegas in December. The talent is there to make Purdue a very scary team, and one that should compete for a conference championship in the next few years. It may just be too early to expect that much from a very young and inconsistent squad. 7. Penn State Nittany Lions 10-4 (2-0) This week: 1/12 - vs Minnesota Say 'Hello' to your undefeated Penn State basketball team! The Lions notched back-to-back road wins against Northwestern and Illinois last week and have now won 7 straight overall. Saturday's home contest against Minnesota is a big game if Penn State wants to prove it's basketball team is no longer a conference cellar dweller. 8. Illinois Fighting Illini 8-7 (0-2) This week: 1/10 - at Wisconsin; 1/13 - at Indiana The Illini look to be the early favorite for most disappointing team in the Big Ten this season. Illinois struggled in non-conference and then started Big Ten play with 2 straight home losses to Ohio State and Penn State. Things will not get any easier this week with back-to-back road games against Wisconsin and Indiana. Shaun Pruitt has been strong inside for the Illini, but someone, anyone, needs to step up as a consistent contributor on the perimeter if Illinois is to finish above .500 in conference play. 9. Iowa Hawkeyes 7-8 (0-2) This week: 1/9 - at Ohio State; 1/12 -vs Michigan State The Hawkeyes entered Big Ten play with a non-conference record of 7-6 and a handful of bad losses. Iowa lost by only three to Indiana at home and stayed close on the road against Wisconsin last week. Iowa is strong defensively, but is one or two scorers away from being decent on offense. Their defense will keep them in games, and expect the Hawkeyes to pull off an upset or two this season, but overall they'll be lucky to win more than 5 conference games. 10. Michigan Wolverines 4-10 (0-2) This week: 1/8 - vs Indiana; 1/12 - at Northwestern In fairness, Michigan's overall record is uglier than it would be had they played a softer non-conference schedule. With that being said, the Wolverines are very bad. Saturday's game at Northwestern will prove which team deserves the 11-spot in next week's poll. 11. Northwestern Wildcats 5-6 (0-2) This week: 1/9 - at Minnesota; 1/12 - vs Michigan Saturday's game will also feature two Big Ten teams that lost to Ivy League schools. Michigan fell at Harvard and Northwestern lost at home to Brown earlier in the year. Northwestern does have homecourt advantage in the pillow fight this weekend, and I'm sure the 40+ NU students that show up will be rowdy!

Weekend Basketball Match-ups

Saturday, January 5th: Iowa (7-7) at Wisconsin (11-2) 12:00 BTN Freshman guard Jake Kelly is expected to start for Iowa after suffering a sprained ankle in Iowa's loss to Indiana on Wednesday night. Wisconsin still holds one of the best home court advantages in the nation. The Badgers have lost only two home conference games in the past five seasons, both to Illinois the past two years. BTC Prediction: Wisconsin 65 Iowa 50 Michigan (4-9) at Purdue (9-4) 2:00 ESPN Michigan hits the road after a big loss at home on Wednesday to Wisconsin. Purdue will open Big Ten play on Saturday. The Boilermakers are a young talented team that have been up and down so far this season. Purdue should be able to notch a few upset wins at home but will struggle on the road with their lack of experience. However, they should expect a victory over the Wolverines. BTC Prediction: Purdue 68 Michigan 62 Minnesota (10-2) at Michigan State (12-1) 8:00 BTN Tubby Smith has brought instant enthusiasm to Minnesota's basketball program, and his team has responded with a strong 10-2 record, albeit against a pretty weak non-conference schedule. Tubby gets his first taste of Big Ten action Saturday at Michigan State. The Spartans look very much like the preseason favorite to win the conference. MSU has big time playmakers in Drew Neitzel, Raymar Morgan and Goran Suton. BTC Prediction: Michigan State 72 Minnesota 62 Sunday, January 6th: Northwestern (5-5) at Ohio State (10-3) 12:00 BTN Northwestern took a tough loss at home on Wednesday night to Penn State. The Wildcats did get the return of big man Kevin Coble, but with or without Coble NU will struggle to finish any higher than 10th or 11th in the conference. The Buckeyes beat up on Illinois Wednesday night and should coast in their conference home opener this weekend. BTC Prediction: Ohio State 73 Northwestern 52 Penn State (9-4) at Illinois (8-6) 2:00 BTN Penn State was a favorite pick for the surprise team in the Big Ten this season. The Nittany Lions go for back to back wins in the state of Illinois on Sunday. The Illini may end up being the biggest surprise in the conference this year, surprisingly bad. If Illinois does not get more consistent play from their backcourt, this could end up being a very disappointing year in Champaign. BTC Prediction: Illinois 62 Penn State 57

Where are they now? Evan Eschmeyer

Evan Eschmeyer played center for the Northwestern Wildcats from 1995 to 1999. Eschmeyer finished his great career at #2 on the list of Northwestern's all-time leading scorers with 1,805 career points. He is also the only Wildcat basketball player to earn three first-team All Big Ten honors (1997, '98, and '99). During his senior season of 1999, Eschmeyer led Northwestern to an NIT berth and also earned All-American recognition. Eschmeyer was drafted by the New Jersey Nets in the 2nd Round of the 1999 NBA Draft. Evan played for three teams during his four-year NBA career, including the Nets, Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks. Eschmeyer announced his retirement from the NBA in 2004 after a long bout with persistent knee problems. Evan Eschmeyer is currently back at school in Evanston. Following his NBA career, Eschmeyer founded an online recruiting service and showed some interest in politics for the Democratic Party in his home state of Ohio, before deciding to come back to Northwestern and enroll in law school.

Conference Basketball begins tonight

Wisconsin (10-2) at Michigan (4-8) 7:00 BTN The Badgers are coming off a big 67-66 win at Texas on Saturday to close out non-conference play. With only two losses (at Duke, vs Marquette), Wisconsin has to be considered one of the favorites to win the Big Ten with Michigan State and Indiana. Michigan has struggled under first year coach John Beilein and hasn't played since their loss to UCLA on December 22nd. BTC Prediction: Wisconsin 72 Michigan 54 Penn State (8-4) at Northwestern (5-4) 9:00 ESPN2 Tonight marks only Penn State's second true road game of the season. The Nittany Lions lost at St. Joseph's back on December 1st. Northwestern should look at this game as one of very few real opportunities for them to capture a conference win. Expect the Wildcats to be competitive, but why in the world is this game on ESPN2? BTC Prediction: Penn State 68 Northwestern 63 Indiana (11-1) at Iowa (7-6) 9:00 BTN The Hoosier's only non-conference loss came over the Thanksgiving weekend to a very solid Xavier team. If Indiana can stay healthy, they have as good a team as any in the Big Ten. Iowa has struggled tremendously thus far, especially on the offensive end, and things will only get worse with starting freshman forward Jarryd Cole's ACL injury that will force him to miss the remainder of the season. BTC Prediction: Indiana 72 Iowa 52 Thursday, January 3rd: Ohio State (9-3) at Illinois (8-5) 8:00 ESPN Ohio State has rattled off five straight wins since their 19-point loss at Butler, including a 62-49 win over defending champ Florida. The Illini have struggled recently with stunning home losses to both Miami (Ohio) and Tennessee State on Sunday. Illinois needs to find someone other than Shaun Pruitt that can provide consistent scoring if they want to finish in the upper half of the conference. BTC Prediction: Ohio State 57 Illinois 56

Note to Pete Carroll

OK Pete, your team is good. Really good. Nobody is going to argue that. The Trojans have peaked at the right time and are obviously playing their best football to end the season. That was on display in the Rose Bowl as USC pummeled Illinois 49-17 on New Year's Day. But Pete, year after year it is also obvious that you must have no idea how the current college football season works. Frankly I'm getting tired of the annual pity party you like to throw for yourself and your football team at the end of each regular season and after your bowl victories. Let me just explain a couple of things for you. Just to be clear, there is no playoff in Division 1 college football. That's not to say that there shouldn't be, but under the current system we play bowl games. That's just the way it is. Two teams are picked based on their entire body of work, all 12 games, and those two teams get to play for our National Championship. How your team starts and how they play during the heart of the schedule counts just as much as how they finish. Despite the fact USC looked really good in yesterday's Rose Bowl, this year your Trojans were not one of those teams. Probably mostly due to the fact that you lost to Stanford at home back in October. Remember that 4-8 team that came into your Coliseum as 40-point underdogs and left with a world-shocking upset win? So maybe when your thinking about how good your team looks and how it's a shame they didn't get the chance to play for a National Title you can look back at that loss and your loss to Oregon as the reasons instead of blaming it on the same Bowl system we've had in college football for decades. Now I'm not saying that USC, and Georgia as well for that matter, aren't playing some of the best football in the nation right now. Without having seen Ohio State, LSU, Oklahoma and others to play in the next few days yet, USC and UGA most certainly look like "damn good football teams" to quote LSU coach Les Miles. But the point I am making here is that this is college football and college football does not have a playoff system and hasn't ever had a playoff system. Pete Carroll is a college football coach. He knows from week one how this works. He's been at it for many years now. When he was hoisting up those back-to-back BCS Championship Trophies, Pete Carroll didn't seem to have much of a problem with the system. So now that you are not on the field January 7th don't give me this "Would I love to still be playing right now? Sure would" junk. After all you are Rose Bowl Champion, and that was your team's goal from the outset, right?