Good Wins: Oklahoma State, @Texas, @Minnesota, Ohio State, Kansas, Illinois, @Ohio State, Minnesota, Wisconsin, @ Illinois.
Bad Losses: None.
Strengths:
1. Toughness. The mantra of Tom Izzo’s Spartans has been toughness from the first day he stepped in the gym. You may have heard of the “War Drill” which Izzo instituted as a regular at practice in the [...]

Good Wins: Louisville (neutral site), Ohio State, @ Wisconsin, Illinois, Wisconsin

Bad Losses: None.
Strengths:
1. Interior Defense: There isn’t a whole lot to love about Tubby Smith’s team this season, but if forced to pick one thing, interior defense jumps to the forefront. Minnesota gets a block on nearly 1/5 of opponent possessions (19.2 percent), [...]

Good Wins: @Michigan State, Purdue, Minnesota, @Illinois, Illinois
Bad Losses: None.
Strengths:
1. Ball security: It might sound like a ridiculous strength, but getting the most out of each possession is extremely important, especially in the possessions-are-at-a-premium Big Ten Conference. Penn State ranks 18th in the country in turnover rate, giving the ball [...]

Good Wins: @ Virginia Tech, @ Michigan, Illinois, Ohio State
Bad Losses: @ Iowa.
Strengths:
1. Ball Control: Watching Wisconsin’s methodical offense can be like watching the overweight contestants sweat on “The Biggest Loser”–it’s not pretty. But, just like the pound-dropping humans, the wear-you-down-until-you’re-too-bored-to-play-defense offense works. Wisconsin turns the ball over just 16.6 [...]

Niagara 70, Illinois State 56
No matter how much Illinois State chiseled at its lead, Niagara was not going to be denied on this night, in this game.
In the opening act of the 2009 ESPNU Bracketbusters, the Purple Eagles sprinted out to a big lead in front of the faithful Gallagher Center crowd and held on [...]

You want a laugh, find a copy of Bill Cosby’s “Himself” DVD. You want a chuckle, look at this season’s preseason prognostications, one month later.
Before Kentucky’s Billy Gillispie came out for Kentucky’s Midnight Madness and tried to secure a dozen letters of intent from 8th graders in the crowd and before Tom Izzo turned back [...]

The Old Spice Classic was slated to be the monster among monster pre-conference tournaments. Thanks to Michigan State (or Maryland, depending on how you view the situation), the tournament didn’t live up to the hype.
When it was all said and done, the four “big boys” all showcased their stuff. But Michigan State’s shocking thumping at [...]

Unlike the 2k Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer, where organizers had an idea of who would play for the title, the organizers of the 2008 Old Spice Classic left the future open to interpretation.
That is what happens when an 8-team tournament features five teams from last year’s NCAA Tournament. Moreover, we’re not talking about [...]

Thank goodness the NCAA Tournament field isn’t decided based on November expectations.
If that were the case, teams that fly under the radar (Davidson, West Virginia, etc.) not only wouldn’t get a chance to prove they belong in the Big Dance but that their seed should be higher than expected. It also makes the big-name [...]

“The Big Ten was bad this year. No way around the truth.”
– Bracketography’s David Mihm on Selection Sunday.
Lost in all the Selection Sunday madness was any discussion of the Big Ten. And, because of the questionable season the entire conference put together, maybe the lack of discussion [...]