Key Games This Week in the Big Ten
What a weekend of basketball in the Big Ten. Ohio State escaped with a last-second victory over Tennessee; Wisconsin nearly fell to Northwestern; Illinois and Michigan State were involved in a back-and-forth game; and don’t forget Indiana’s comeback against Penn State. Moreover, Purdue picked up a big victory with a home win over Michigan–can the Wolverines win on the road, at all? After the Badgers and the Buckeyes, the Big Ten is still wide-open, although Indiana is looking like the clear-cut #3 right now. As a result of the middle-of-the-pack parity in the conference, nearly every game is important. Here’s a couple of the biggest ones this week.
Iowa at Indiana (Tuesday): Two teams trying to keep pace with Wisconsin. Iowa does not look like much of a contender at this point, but the Hawkeyes are 2-1 in the conference and have an excellent duo in Adam Haluska and Tyler Smith. Indiana is playing some of the best basketball in the Big Ten, and the Hoosiers are hot. With a deep group of perimeter players, and D.J. White on the interior, Kelvin Sampson and co. are tough.
Purdue at Wisconsin (Wednesday): A road win here by the Boilermakers would go a long way towards determining their Selection Sunday fate. They are coming off of a solid win at home over Michigan, while Wisconsin struggled on the road at Northwestern. Two of the Big Ten’s best will be on the court in Purdue’s Carl Landry and Wisconsin’s Alando Tucker.
Penn State at Michigan (Wednesday): Interesting game, and essentially a must-win for both. Penn State is basically out of contention for an NCAA bid, and they are struggling to close out game in the second half. Michigan can’t win on the road, so they need as many home wins as possibly. Lester Abram of Michigan and Geary Claxton of Penn State should be a good match-up.