Regardless of what happens in Indianapolis at this week’s Big Ten Tournament, Wisconsin, Purdue, Indiana and Wisconsin all are dancing. One team – Ohio State – still has realistic dreams of a landing on the right side of the Selection Sunday bubble. That makes this year’s Big Ten Tournament a little mundane, but there are [...]

Record: (23-7, 14-3 Big Ten) Key Wins: @Wisconsin, Wisconsin, Michigan State, N-Louisville Key Losses: Wofford, Iowa State, @Missouri, @Ohio State Key Stats: 8.2 – Purdue’s steals per game, second in the Big Ten. 87.9 – Purdue’s defensive efficiency (points allowed in 100 opponent possessions), 11th in the country Key Numbers: RPI: 31; SOS: 90; NCSOS: [...]

Record: (23-6, 11-5 Big Ten) Key Wins: N-Texas; Purdue, N-BYU, Indiana Key Losses: N-UCLA, @Wisconsin, @Iowa, @Penn State Key Stats: 20-1. The Spartans are undefeated at home this season and have recorded a 5-1 neutral floor record. While road record is important, there are no “road” games in the NCAA Tournament. And, if the Spartans [...]

Record: (24-4, 14-2 Big Ten) Key Wins: @Texas, Indiana, @Indiana, Michigan State. Key Losses: @Purdue, Purdue, @Duke, Marquette Key Stat: 54.9. That is how many points per game the Badgers allow – best in the nation. Key Numbers: RPI: 12; SOS: 42; NSOS: 61; Vs. Top 50: 4-4 Biggest Strengths: For years, coach Bo Ryan [...]

Record: (24-5, 13-3 Big Ten) Key Wins: Michigan State, Purdue, Kentucky, @So. Illinois, N-Illinois State Key Losses: Michigan State, @ Wisconsin, Connecticut, @ Xavier Key Stat: 0.964– As good as Indiana has played this season, it is one of the few elite teams that averages more turnovers per game than assists with a .964 assist-to-turnover [...]

Record: (18-12, 9-8 Big Ten) Key Wins: N-Syracuse, Florida, @ Illinois, Minnesota, Purdue Key Losses: @ Tennessee, North Carolina, @ Iowa, @ Michigan Key Stat: 4-8 away from Value City Arena. Key Numbers: RPI: 55; SOS: 33; NSOS: 13; Vs. Top 50: 1-9 Biggest Strengths: Big-time talents. As I wrote earlier this season, the Buckeyes [...]

In a nationally televised BracketBuster game, one would have assumed Virginia Commonwealth’s Eric Maynor would have played a major factor – win or lose – in the Rams’ success. Ironically, Maynor was a shell of himself Saturday morning in front of 4,098 screaming fans at Rhodes Arena. Still, that didn’t stop VCU from making a [...]

Game Information: VCU (19-6, 12-3 CAA) vs. Akron (18-7, 8-4 MAC), 11 a.m. ET Saturday, ESPN2.About VCU: One year ago, Virginia Commonwealth took a big hit in its Bracket Buster matchup. The Rams fell to Bradley, 73-64, and I wrote, “The Rams might have to run the table in their remaining regular season games and [...]

Imagine Tim Floyd’s stomach last April. Floyd may have single-handedly propelled sales of Alka-seltzer in the Los Angeles area to an all-time record. Prior to April, it was assumed his Trojans, who finished T-3rd in the Pac-10 during the regular season, runner-up in the Pac-10 Tournament, and made an appearance in the Sweet 16, were [...]

The tears were flowing in Columbus, Ohio, last April. The Ohio State Buckeyes, who lost to Florida in the BCS Championship game in January and had already lost to the Gators on the hardwood back in December, were swallowed up by the Gators once again, this time in the NCAA title game. It wasn’t just [...]