- Regardless of how Indiana performs in the postseason, Tom Crean can assure the Hoosier faithful that their season tickets are worth something. Indiana continues to be a monster in Assembly Hall as they took down the third team ranked in the top five this season as they rocked Michigan State 70-55 last night. Crean finally got his former mentor, winning his first game against Tom Izzo’s Spartans after nearly four seasons in Bloomington. The win is a huge boost to his team’s confidence as they prepare for their season-ending matchup against in-state rival Purdue over the weekend.
- William Buford, Thad Matta is looking for you to lead over the next two games. There are several theories about Ohio State’s recent slump (the Buckeyes have lost three out of their last five games) but these are the times when a veteran guard steps up for his team. Buford struggled in two of the losses as he scored in single digits — six points against Michigan and four points against Michigan State. Look for Buford to be aggressive when Matta’s team travels to Evanston to face a hungry Northwestern team who could lock up an NCAA bid with a win on Wednesday night.
- Minnesota head coach Tubby Smith is showing signs of tiredness. He admits that team morale is down as a result of the Gophers’ recent losing skid and their loss to Wisconsin last night did not help make anything better. The Gophers had a strong first half as they led 23-16 but could not contain a hot shooting Badger squad in the second half. Senior center Ralph Sampson, III, crossed 1,000 points for his career and should receive a good sendoff against Nebraska in Minneapolis over the weekend.
- Even though Iowa’s senior guard Matt Gatens has never made the NCAA Tournament, he is getting well-deserved recognition during his final few weeks of college. Gatens was named the player of the week in the Big Ten because he averaged 27.5 points over two games last week. Regardless of what happens over the next 10 days, Gatens ought to be happy for leaving Iowa on a high note as Fran McCaffery’s squad has shown great resilience throughout the season.
- Bo Ryan knows when to loosen up around his players. He has a grin on his face during most of his press conferences after Big Ten games. But after Wisconsin’s upset victory over Ohio State on Sunday, Ryan decided to do his version of the electric slide in the locker room. The Badgers played an excellent game against the Buckeyes and the win should give them the credibility to make a case for a great seed in March.