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