Saturday Update

I'll try to get this in before the first slate of match-ups today. I went 5-0 with my predictions in the mid-week and will try to keep the ball rolling. Here's what I noticed:

- Michigan State continues to impress following their relatively easy win over Iowa Thursday. Kalin Lucas is one of the most underrated point guards in the country and Durrell Summers had a career night. All of this without forward Raymar Morgan, who played only eight minutes due to a viral infection.

- Gotta tip your hat to Minnesota following their sheer dominance over Illinois. They held Illinois, now a ranked team (#20), to just 36 points in 40 minutes of basketball. That's a great win for Tubby Smith's program.

- Devan Dumes can fill it up. SEE: First half against Northwestern (21 points). Not too many bright spots on the Hoosiers' squad, but Dumes, a guy who was playing junior-college ball just last year, seems to be Indiana's leader on the floor. They continue to play every opponent hard and WILL get somebody, somewhere.

Now let's take a look at the weekend's games:

SATURDAY
Michigan at Purdue, 12 p.m., CBS
This isn't a good time for Michigan to visit Purdue and they have to try and stop a Boilermaker team that is simply on a roll right now. They've won six straight conference games after starting 0-2 and remember, Robbie Hummel, the conf.'s pre-season POY, isn't 100% (back).
Prediction: Purdue. I think Michigan provides a good match-up for Purdue, but the Boilers are at home and are hot. Michigan can stay in the game if their shooters connect on their 3's (looking at you, Zack Novak, Laval Lucas-Perry).

Ohio State at Indiana, 3 p.m., ESPN2
We all know Indiana's story. They are winless in conference, but they continue to play extremely hard and extremely hungry. Ohio State got a big win Tuesday against Michigan and will look to keep that going in Bloomington. Thad Matta has gotten 20 wins in every season as a head coach (they've got 14 so far this year). There were also rumors swirling around that junior captain David Lighty could be done for the season after undergoing more x-rays on his injured foot yesterday, which would be a huge blow for Ohio State, especially if they were to make it to the NCAA Tournament.
Prediction: Ohio State. I keep saying Indiana will get somebody, but I can't see it being the Buckeyes. Indiana really doesn't have a good defensive match-up for 7-footer B.J. Mullens, who is playing much better in conference play. Ohio State had little trouble with Indiana in their match-up in Columbus three weeks ago, winning 77-53.

GAME OF THE WEEK: Wisconsin at Northwestern, 7 p.m., BTN
This could be one of those low-scoring, drag-it-out kind of games. Wisconsin badly needs a win to stay in the hunt for another NCAA Tournament bid, but Northwestern is showing they are no pushover anymore. Will Wisconsin show up with a fire?
Prediction: Northwestern. The Wildcats continue to show that they are a legitimate threat for any team that comes into Welsh-Ryan Arena (and even on the road, too. Right Michigan State?). I think the first ten minutes of the game are crucial to Wisconsin. If they are winning or within striking distance, it will go down to the wire. But if they find themselves down big to start, it will be six losses in a row for the Badgers. Also, I'm sure Northwestern hasn't forgotten the 29-point drubbing they took in Madison Jan. 7.

SUNDAY
Penn State at Michigan State, 11 a.m., BTN
Penn State has had a week off to prepare for the Spartans, while Michigan State has won two straight (both on the road). This game features a showdown of the two best point guards in the conference, PSU's Talor Battle and the aforementioned Kalin Lucas.
Prediction: Michigan State. It's hard to beat the Spartans in East Lansing, though Northwestern found a way to do that. Michigan State has too many weapons for Penn State to handle and their big trees down low, Delvon Roe and Goran Suton are simply better players than Penn State's low-post guys. Penn State's Jamelle Cornely plays with a fire that I haven't seen in a player in a long time. He wills his team to victory with his energy and relentless play, but I don't see that happening Sunday.

Iowa at Illinois, 1 p.m., BTN
Iowa continues to stagger, especially on the road, where they have just one road win this season (at The Citadel). Illinois is coming off of a real bad loss at Minnesota, but returning home for Illinois should be a positive sign.
Prediction: Illinois. The depth and versatility for the Fighting Illini will be too much for Iowa to handle. Iowa can't get Cyrus Tate back soon enough, but if he sits this game out as expected, Illinois will have their way inside with Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis.

That's it, everybody. Enjoy this weekend and the Super Bowl. I'm picking the Steelers, FYI. That doesn't count towards my prediction record, though!