1. Michigan State fans who, for three years, have been getting their hopes up about Jabari Parker coming to East Lansing had them dashed on Thursday afternoon when the five-star recruit chose Duke over Michigan State. Tom Izzo hasn’t put this much effort into a single recruit in years, and the Spartans don’t have any other incoming players lined up for next year’s class. So what’s next for the program? (And, no, Graham Couch isn’t talking football.) The Lansing State Journal columnist says the circumstances aren’t program-crippling, especially since this year’s team is set to lose only Derrick Nix to graduation (assuming Branden Dawson and Gary Harris stay in school). What they really need is an outside shooter (paging Russell Byrd) to round out next year’s group, which Couch says still has aspirations of competing for a national title.
2. With expansion bringing the number of Big Ten teams to 14 — and possibly two more in the future — the Big Ten Geeks at BTN.com are wondering if the annual Big Ten Tournament should still include all of the conference’s teams, or if there should be a cutoff. Josh Reed says no, citing the Big East as an example of a conference that has found ways to moderate the size of the tournament despite being a larger conference. Mike Portscheller says yes, with the reason that the conference tournaments give all teams around the country one last final shot at the Big Dance, a big part of what makes March so special. What do you say? Yes or no?
3. For weeks, we’ve been wondering what to make of Ohio State after they played just one competitive opponent up until this point (Duke, to which they lost). But on Saturday, we’ll get a showdown we’ve been waiting weeks (maybe even months) for — a rematch of last year’s Final Four game against Kansas. A few storylines that stand out are whether Kansas can limit Deshaun Thomas the way it did in March, and if Ohio State has enough other weapons to respond if that’s the case. Jeff Withey will surely provide a tremendous presence in the post for the Jayhawks, while whomever Kansas puts on Aaron Craft on the perimeter should make for another great individual match-up. Be sure to tune in for this one Saturday.
4. As Ben Jones writes, for the last half-decade or so, Penn State basketball has had its go-to player. From Talor Battle to Jamelle Cornley to Geary Claxton, those guys have put the team on their back when needed. This year, that player was supposed to be Tim Frazier. When he went down with a season-ending injury, the Nittany Lions didn’t really have a place to turn, and it’s showed in the results so far this season. But as frustrating as this year has been for Penn State fans, it could reap rewards next time around. Without Frazier, Jones says, the Nittany Lions have been forced to learn team basketball. And with the return of their star next year, the addition of four freshman and Pittsburgh transfer John Johnson, the hard luck could pay off 12 months from now.
5. Purdue took some time out of its season to spread a little holiday cheer around West Lafayette this week, as Matt Painter’s crew, along with help from the Lafayette Family Services, took 15 families on a shopping trip at Meijer for the holidays. Each family received three $100 Meijer gift cards with the money coming from the players’ holiday per diems, the Purdue men’s basketball FastBreakers booster group, and Meijer. “It’s absolutely phenomenal that they incorporate this and give the kids a chance to get toys when they really need them in this difficult time with the way the economy is,” Francesville resident Carmen Crawford said. “For us, it’s a blessing. It’s magnificent.”

Exam week at schools around the country mean two things: a lack of good basketball games, and that the conference season will be upon us shortly. We’ve reached that point in the season where games are fewer and further in between and far less intriguing. But fear not. We’ll all get through this together, enjoy the holidays and gear up for Big Ten season at the New Year. But first, the Big Ten Microsite correspondents have put their heads together to issue grades for all 12 conference teams based on their preseason expectations. Take a look:

Brandon Paul and the Fighting Illini are at the head of the class in the Big Ten as we wrap up exams this week. (Joe Robbins/Getty)

• Illinois: Tough to pick against an undefeated team (12-0) and the Maui Invitational champion. Illinois still has to sort out its turnover issues (13 TO per game) as they are learning how to push the tempo under John Groce’s new system. Their reliance on the three-pointer and lack of an inside game is indicative in their close wins at home against mid-majors such as Norfolk State (64-54) and Gardner Webb (63-62). But without nitpicking at certain aspects of their game, the Illini deserve the best grade possible after 12 games and if they beat Missouri over the weekend, they should get extra credit. Grade: A (bump to A+ with a win over Missouri)
• Michigan: Things have gone just about as well as the Wolverines could have hoped for so far this season. They’re undefeated, ranked #2 in the country and are poised to dispose of Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan before opening Big Ten play with Northwestern. They’ve got arguably the best backcourt in the country in Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway, Jr., with Nik Stauskas coming off the bench. Glenn Robinson III has also been stellar during his freshman campaign, leaving the Wolverines with few holes. This team will compete for not just the Big Ten championship, but also perhaps for the national title. Grade: A

Read the rest of this entry »

1. Iowa freshman shooting guard Mike Gesell recognized that he needed to be more aggressive in coming games and, after a 23-point career-best performance this weekend against in-state rival Northern Iowa, it paid off when he was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week. “I knew I had to be aggressive,” Gesell said. “I didn’t shoot as well the last few games, and I knew this whole week I had to stay positive about it and just keep attacking. Personally I know I’m a good shooter. I have confidence in my own game. I just had to stay aggressive.” Gesell is one of three freshman starters for the Hawkeyes, and the trio have proven thus far that they can adjust to the rigors of the college game. Now, the Big Ten season looms. But if Fran McCaffery gets this kind of production out of Gesell on a regular basis, Iowa may be able to surprise some people.
2. The Big Ten certainly has its fair share of talented, seasoned coaches but this columnist from the Albany Herald says Minnesota‘s Tubby Smith‘s “demeanor and coaching style, along with an intense work ethic, have brought him success everywhere he has landed.” Loran Smith goes on to say that Tubby Smith was underappreciated at Kentucky despite not leading the team back to a Final Four after winning a national title with mostly Rick Pitino’s players. The Gophers are one of the hottest teams in the country in the early part of the season and a Big Ten title contender. Does that solidify their coach’s greatness?
3. There’s no question about it: Jabari Parker is a game-changer. On the floor, he’s a once-in-a-generation type of recruit who can turn a team from a good squad into a great one. Off the floor, he’s been billed as the type of kid every coach and fan wants to have for their program, and his signing at any of the prospective universities could pay dividends for future recruiting and more. Michigan State is one of those schools, considered by some to be a finalist alongside Duke, with plenty riding on Parker’s upcoming announcement. But Tom Izzo says he “feels great about everything” with Parker potentially making or breaking the Spartans’ recruiting class this year. “It’s a big week, but in recruiting, sometimes you have regrets,” Izzo said Monday, according to MLive.com. “I have no regrets about what we’ve done in recruiting this year. I decided to do it a certain way, and we’ve done it that way. We didn’t sign anybody early. So I actually feel great about everything.”
4. It’s hard to imagine things going much better for Illinois at this point. Under new coach John Groce, the Illini are undefeated and won the prestigious Maui Invitational earlier this year to move into a Top 10 ranking for the first time since 2006. Ethan Asofsky writes that from the moment Groce stepped onto campus, he’s done things “his way” and it’s paying off in spades. He’s bringing in a talented recruiting class next year even after getting a late start and missing out on Jabari Parker. And he’s implemented a new system that highlights Brandon Paul, who has long been a All-Big Ten caliber player mired in inconsistency. Things are going to get tougher on Illinois from here on out, but at this point, Groce has delivered everything fans could have wanted — and maybe even more.
5. After dealing with soreness from playing 1,227 minutes during his freshman season, Michigan’s Trey Burke‘s feeling much better this year. This all comes despite the fact that he’s actually played more to this point than he did last year — 371 minutes this year versus 360 last year — but he credits his offseason regimen for getting into better condition. “Last year I thought I was just sore after every game and that was the norm,” Burke said. “Once it got to March, it got serious. My body started feeling it even more. But this year, I’ve definitely noticed a difference.” With a stronger Burke leading the Wolverines this season, the only people who will be sore are fans of opposing Big Ten schools after Michigan’s point guard carves up his defender.

1. The past will meet the present for Michigan and coach John Beilein on Saturday in Brooklyn, when the Wolverines meet West Virginia at the new Barclays Center. It’s the first time Beilein has coached against his former team after leaving WVU for Michigan in 2007. In a conference call Wednesday, Beilein explained to reporters that he left Morgantown because he saw an “opportunity” at Michigan and the chance to rebuild a program. He’s certainly done that, having led the Wolverines to a 10-0 start this season. But the man who couldn’t pass up one rebuilding project insists he isn’t on the lookout for another. “There is no other one,” he said. “There is no other one. It’s been a great journey so far to have been a bit of a nomadic coach and change (jobs) several times. But there is a time when you say, ‘OK, I really want to stay with this one and make the most of it.'”
2. For years, the Big Ten has had the reputation as a slow, grind-it-out conference that relies heavily on defense and rebounding and puts a premium on scoring. No matter how badly Tom Izzo wants his team to get out on the fast break, for example, or how many points high-scoring, faster-paced teams like Iowa or Indiana put up, the Wisconsin games that finish with final scores in the 40s and 50s are what fans will always associate with the conference. But the early returns on this season show the conference leading the nation in scoring  — an average of 73.1 PPG — with the Hoosiers leading the country at 89.1 PPG. Some Big Ten coaches (Bo Ryan for one) insist that you can’t base the conference on the non-conference play alone, while others like Bill Carmody and Tom Crean argue that the slow pace can be a common misconception.
3. Once upon a time, Illinois had one of the most rowdy fan bases in the country and Assembly Hall was one of the most terrifying places to play not just in the Big Ten but around the nation. That’s not so much the case anymore, writes the News-Gazette‘s Loren Tate. He points to the crowds that started flocking in 2001 and Bill Self’s clubs that sold out the arena for 28 of 40 home games during three seasons. But the Fighting Illini haven’t sold out a home game in four years, and Tate is pointing to dates like February 7 against Indiana as a game where Illinois fans might want to act quickly to snag tickets before opposing teams that travel well snatch them up.
4. Ohio State‘s Trey McDonald played all of 38 total minutes in his freshman season last year, but has already emerged as a possible darkhorse contributor for the Buckeyes this year. He played a career-high 14 minutes on Saturday against Long Beach State and saw some solid minutes early in the game before the time he usually comes in if a game is out of hand. Thad Matta, who has been saying all season that he’d like to use his bench more this year, insists that McDonald’s hard work is starting to pay off and he’s being rewarded with more minutes. “I’ve watched the evolution of Trey and the progress he’s made since he got here,” Matta said, according to theozone.net, “There’s no doubt in my mind his best basketball is right around the corner.”
5. After spending his last two seasons at Western Nebraska Community College, Mike Peltz is starting to feel right at home in Lincoln. Lee Barfknecht calls Peltz Tim Miles’ “Swiss Army Knife” in the sense that Peltz is a versatile player who can impact the game in an assortment of ways. The walk-on has appeared in each of the Huskers’ games this year and said the do-everything role is right up his alley. “I’m living my dream,” Peltz said. “I’m having a blast. It’s my role to provide energy and take care of the ball or guard the other team’s best player. Whatever it takes, I’ll do it.”

1. It sounds like the 2013-14 college basketball season is going to break ground on a large scale yet again, and with Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis again at the forefront of the idea, at least one Big Ten team is likely to participate in his latest and greatest idea. But as the culmination of the season — the NCAA Tournament and, particularly, the Final Four — has grown larger by the years and come to fill bigger spaces and stadiums, could the postseason suddenly be looking to slim down again? The Final Four hasn’t been played in a conventional basketball arena since 1996 and the next four Final Fours have already been scheduled for domes, but television executivess and NCAA administrators aren’t ruling out a return to arenas beyond that.
2. Illinois has quietly been building one of the most impressive — and, perhaps, surprising — seasons around the country thus far, and their star is finally seeing the fruits of his labor. After leading the Illini to an impressive win at Gonzaga over the weekend, Brandon Paul was named the Big Ten Player of the Week. But should we be surprised? Just a few days after scoring 14 against Western Carolina, he went off for a season-high 35 against the Zags, shooting 10-of-16 from the field and 10-of-11 from the free throw line, all the while catapulting himself into the early national and conference Player of the Year discussion.
3. It was just last year we were talking some promising freshmen at Iowa, and here we are again doing the same. With Aaron White now a sophomore, it’s newcomers like Adam Woodbury and Anthony Clemmons who are drawing high praise. Tork Mason of The Daily Iowan says that this incoming class has given the Hawkeyes some much-needed swagger, combining for 36 points over the last two games. In that span, Clemmons has a superb 16 assists and just one turnover.
4. For the most part, as Deshaun Thomas goes, so goes Ohio State. And when things aren’t going well — consider his 3-of-10 shooting in the first half against Long Beach State, which led the preseason All-American to get down on himself recently — Thomas has been prone to show it on the floor. But coach Thad Matta has noticed an improvement in Thomas’ maturity, which has been critical as he’s stepped into a leadership role for the Buckeyes this season. “It’s just me learning the game and becoming an impact player and knowing there are other things than just scoring,” Thomas told ElevenWarriors.com. “There are other things in the game of basketball.” Unfortunately for the rest of the Big Ten, Thomas can do most everything within the game of basketball.
5. Michigan State freshman Denzel Valentine has thrilled Spartan fans this season with his dazzling style of play and court vision, but he’s also maddened them at times when his inexperience has shone through. It’s the latter trait that has led Tom Izzo to rein Valentine in a bit lately, saying the freshman is on “a choker leash.” Valentine had just one turnover in the second half against Loyola on Saturday, after a couple frustrating moments earlier in the season. It’s never a good idea to question the coaching strategies of the six-time Final Four head coach, so it’s reasonable to expect to see Valentine slowly but surely getting more comfortable with a controlled role during the rest of the season.

We’re past the nitty-gritty portion of the non-conference schedule — packed with intriguing Thanksgiving tournaments and exciting events like the Champions Classic and the ACC/Big Ten Challenge — and on to the portion typically reserved for the cupcake games entering the holiday break. But Big Ten teams still have some important non-conference meetings coming up before they thrust themselves into conference play around the New Year. Here’s a list of some of the most intriguing — and important — remaining non-conference games. Don’t miss them (in no particular order):

A rematch of this 2012 Final Four matchup highlights the best of the remaining Big Ten non-conference games. (Credit: Columbus Dispatch)

• Texas at No. 19 Michigan State, December 22 — This is looking more and more like a must-win for the Spartans. They’ve got two losses already this season (although both respectable, against UConn in the Carrier Classic, and at Miami) and would do well to avoid a third heading into Big Ten play. After their rout of Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Wednesday, the Spartans have won 69 consecutive home non-conference games and Texas is not looking like the caliber of team that should break that streak. If the Longhorns get Myck Kabongo or Jaylen Bond back in time, though, that changes things. Until then, it’s just a big-name opponent, and a loss in this game could really hurt the Spartans come March.
• No. 20 Illinois at No. 9 Gonzaga, December 8 — When will the undefeated Illini eventually slip up? Here’s a likely candidate. It’s hard not to be impressed with the job John Groce has done in the early going, but you have to believe the clean slate will end somewhere before the Big Ten opener. Not many teams go into McCarthey Athletic Center and up against the Kennel Club in Spokane and come out alive. This will be an interesting challenge for Illinois and by far its most difficult road test of the year to date. Read the rest of this entry »

1. Entering this season, there hardly seemed a more unlikely candidate to be a Michigan State captain than Derrick Nix, who had a somewhat eventful offseason. The senior center, who had gradually slimmed down since he arrived on campus, was arrested on drug charges in early April and was suspended indefinitely. But the past is behind him and now he’s focusing on leading his team, something he admits has been harder than he anticipated while balancing it with his own personal performance. “It is hard,” Nix told Joe Rexrode of the Detroit Free Press. “I’m just trying to stay level-headed and stay positive.”
2. Patrick Chambers has changed the relationship between Penn State basketball and in-state recruits for the better, StateCollege.com‘s Ben Jones writes. For years, Philadelphia products were assumed to be heading to either Villanova or Temple, but Chambers — who played at Philadelphia University and was later an associate head coach under VU’s Jay Wright — has the right ties to the area to potentially bring some of those top players to State College. It’s no easy task but with the Big Ten’s further expansion east into the big Atlantic seaboard markets, Philadelphia recruits in particular may not be as hesitant to consider the league’s schools as another viable destination.
3. Nebraska coach Tim Miles secured a commitment this week from an international player who may be able to soon help the Cornhuskers on the local front. Miles shored up his fall recruiting class with New Zealand native Tai Webster — a four-star recruit, according to ESPN — who averaged 13.5 PPG in the 2012 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament while playing for his country’s national team. He will join Nick Fuller and Nathan Hawkins in the class. “I’m excited to have Tai join us,” Miles said, according to the Omaha World Herald. “He is an excellent player who will thrive in our style of play and has high-level international playing experience which will help him acclimate to basketball in the U.S.”
4. Sharing is caring for Minnesota, which has burst onto the national scene this fall with an impressive start to a season filled with promise. The Gophers have had a variety of leading scorers over their first 10 games of the year, a balance that could provide Minnesota with its first starting five to average in double figures since way back in the 1965-66 season. “This is definitely the most balanced team that we’ve had since I’ve been here,” senior Rodney Williams said. “You never know who it’s going to be on any given night.” It is that balance that could allow the Gophers to aspire to greater things even if forward Trevor Mbakwe never quite recaptures his dominance from before his injury.
5. There is something that’s worked at home for Iowa this season that has resulted in some dominating performances at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. But if coach Fran McCaffery has figured out that magic formula, he’s not quite ready to share it. McCaffery continues to keep his lineup under lock and key in the early going, tinkering with things in advance of the Big Ten season. It’s a good problem for a coach to have — to be able to mix and match to create match-up problems or to better fit your opponents — and the Hawkeyes have been able to utilize experience, youth, size and speed at different points this season.

1. Illinois is a perfect 8-0 this season, but if there’s something the Illini could do better, it’s shore up their defense. John Groce’s team has allowed 63.2 PPG this season, which ranks 10th in Big Ten and puts that priority at the top of his to-do list. To help that situation, he’s going somewhere former Illinois head coach Bruce Weber never dared to go: the zone defense. Groce said that the Illini played zone defense about 25 percent of the time against Georgia Tech last week and told Mark Tupper of the Herald-Review that fans can expect to see it more often this year.
2. Tom Izzo has had the luxury of at times going 11 deep with his Michigan State roster, but one player who has been slow on the uptake this season has been freshman Matt Costello. The big man was slowed this summer by an injury that has also potentially hampered his progress this year. So should the Spartans have redshirted him from the get-go? And would they consider doing it now? According to Josh Slagter of MLive.com, Costello wants to keep fighting for playing time.
3. Ohio State doesn’t really have a quality win yet under its belt and with 19 days until Kansas comes to Columbus for a rematch of last year’s Final Four game, Brandon Castel from thezone.net figures the Buckeyes have just that much time to get some issues sorted out. Much of that, he writes, has to do with LaQuinton Ross becoming another scoring option behind star Deshaun Thomas. The Jayhawks succeeded in slowing Thomas down last year and, if they can do that again, Ohio State could be in trouble. Enter Ross, who had a career-high 22 points against Northern Kentucky on Saturday. “My coaches have been really pushing me in practice and telling me to shoot the ball,” Ross said.
4. If Indiana is the best team in college basketball right now, does that mean that will be the case come season’s end? Not so, says Grantland‘s Charles Pierce. But the present — Indiana has been ranked No. 1 since the beginning of the year and remains so as of today — is not what head coach Tom Crean is focusing on. Right now, he’s more focused on the past and honoring Indiana’s illustrious history with this year’s group. Of course, his immediate past in Bloomington wasn’t so peachy until last year’s turnaround Sweet Sixteen season (rings included!). But if the Hoosiers keep up that level of performance, that will seem like the more and more distant past.
5. Purdue has four losses already this season and it’s easy for Matt Painter to see why. In the Boilermakers’ loss to Xavier at Mackey Arena on Saturday, they did not make a single shot from three-point range, leaving Xavier with the ability to easily defend the post without having to worry about Purdue hurting them from long range. The Boilermakers relied primarily on the backcourt last season, but the frontcourt is more seasoned this year and Painter wants his players to incorporate the post more into the offense.

This is the fourth installment of our weekly Big Ten Power Rankings which we will publish every Friday. This week’s voters were Deepak Jayanti, Joey Nowak and Kevin Trahan of the Big Ten microsite.

Cody Zeller and the Hoosiers made a statement against North Carolina this week. (Photo: Andy Lyons)

1. #2 Indiana (7-0) — We didn’t really have much to credit to the Hoosiers this season to justify their lofty national ranking — until now. Wins against Georgia and Georgetown on a neutral floor were nice, but the Hoosiers really came to play at Assembly Hall on Tuesday night. Say what you want about North Carolina’s team this season, but Indiana flexed its muscles inside and out. Defense, at times, is still a question mark. But you’ve got to be able to stop this team to stand a fighting chance. 
2. #3 Michigan (6-0) — There’s no doubt about it — the Wolverines are a legitimate Final Four and national title contender. Their guard play to this point has been nothing but outstanding, leaving Trey Burke the ability to spend his time finding teammates before going off for eight or 10 points if his team needs a run. While Mitch McGary has been a non-factor early, fellow freshmen Glenn Robinson III and Nick Stauskas have been even better than advertised and Tim Hardaway Jr. has found a consistent jumper. Their interior game is a weakness, but one that no one has been able to fully exploit yet.
3. #6 Ohio State (4-1) — It’s still hard to really get a good read on the Buckeyes, whose non-conference slate up to this point hasn’t been able to tell us much. With the Marquette game cancelled, it left us with only the Duke game to really judge. Ohio State played well, simply coming up against a Blue Devils squad with the most impressive résumé in the country. After that loss, we’ll probably see Ohio State steamroll it’s next few opponents until a December 22 showdown with Kansas. Then we’ll have another good measuring stick. Until then, steady as she goes.
4. #23 Minnesota (7-1) — The Golden Gophers have quickly gone from a Big Ten sleeper NCAA Tournament team to a team that nobody in the country wants to face. They’re hot as just about anybody now, and the most baffling thing about it is they continue to win without consistent output from Trevor Mbakwe. Andre Hollins and Rodney Williams Jr. have been fantastic. Read the rest of this entry »

1. One of the most surprising things about Minnesota‘s fantastic start has been what it’s been able to do considering Trevor Mbakwe‘s contribution (or lack thereof). The senior and former All-Big Ten forward has been practically a non-factor at times for the Gophers as he comes back from an injury that sidelined him for most of the 2011-12 season and a tumultuous offseason. To counter that counter-production, the team has relied on other scorers, and some lesser-known role players like Andre Ingram and Maverick Ahanmisi. Ingram, a senior, has turned into a sort of do-everything glue guy that handles a lot of the dirty work Mbakwe typically does and is just “a real hard worker” as teammate Andre Hollins told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Ahanmisi has filled a critical role as well as the team’s backup point guard.
2. When it comes to shooting — either good or bad — teams often revert to the mean. And that’s what can make relying heavily on the three-point shot so difficult: When it’s good, it’s good. When it’s not, it can really cause problems. Illinois has jumped out to a fast start largely thanks to hot shooting from long distance but, as Loren Tate puts it, it’s live by the three and die by the three. The Illini used threes to beat Gardner-Webb and Hawaii at the last moment, and as a whole, are averaging almost 15 more points per game this season thanks to five additional three-point buckets. But can they sustain that pace through the remainder of the non-conference slate and into Big Ten play? History says that’s probably unlikely.
3. When All-American center Jared Sullinger was on his way out, there was sure to be a considerable void in Ohio State‘s frontcourt. Part of that burden could be shouldered by the versatile Deshaun Thomas, but some of it would also have to fall onto former McDonald’s All-American and now-sophomore Amir Williams. His minutes have more than doubled (from 6.6 MPG to 13.5), and his point production has gone up accordingly (from 1.7 PPG to 3.5) but it’s still not enough to keep opponents honest in the paint. He contributed a vital nine minutes in last year’s Elite Eight win against Syracuse, leaving fans optimistic about this season, but since then, there hasn’t been much improvement. And coach Thad Matta is waiting.
4. Tom Izzo recognizes the value of conference expansion. It improves the Big Ten’s footprint, which now reaches to the East Coast thanks to Rutgers and Maryland. It’s a huge revenue boost, largely thanks to the Big Ten Network and its new market reach. But with that comes negative consequences too; namely, the value placed on the regular season conference title. That will surely be diluted with a 14-team league (soon to be 16?) and teams not having the opportunity to play each other regularly. Simply put, the more teams in the conference, the more one-time meetings over the course of a year and the harder it is to really evaluate which team is the best during the regular season. The conference tournament is already a tough enough litmus test, but now the regular season title is becoming even more diluted.
5. Wisconsin freshman Sam Dekker was heralded as one of the best recruits in the Bo Ryan era, and he’s found a way to stay motivated early on. The problem is, the Badgers’ early season losses that are fueling his fire. Wisconsin has already dropped two games, and they seem to be eating away at the former five-star recruit. Dekker is averaging 19.8 MPG this season and after a 10-point loss to Creighton, he responded with season highs in points (19) and minutes (26) in a victory against Arkansas. “Winning is everything to me,” Dekker said, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. “I am crushed when we lose… Going out and losing to two teams already in the first six games, if that’s not telling you that you have to get into the gym and work harder, I don’t know what is.”