-- Indiana guard Devan Dumas was suspended indefinitely by the team this weekend after throwing elbows at Michigan State center Tom Herzog. He will continue to practice and travel with the team, but will not play Tuesday at Minnesota.
-- Iowa freshman guard Anthony Tucker says he has learned from his mistakes and aims to return next season for the Hawkeyes, writes Randy Peterson in the Des Moines Register. Tucker is suspended for the rest of the season after being declared academically ineligible this semester.
-- Purdue forward Robbie Hummel, the conference's pre-season Player of the Year pick, has a stress fracture of the L-5 vertebrae in his lower back, and his return this season is still in doubt, writes Jeff Washburn of the Lafayette Journal-Courier.
-- The key to the second half of the season for Wisconsin is that always-potent 'D', writes Tom Oates in the Wisconsin State Journal.
PREDICTIONS:
Michigan State at Michigan (Tuesday, 6 p.m., ESPN) -- Michigan State still might be without Raymar Morgan, which won't help them defend Michigan forward DeShawn Sims. Should be a good in-state battle here. Michigan needs another win to bolster their tournament resume, but I think Michigan State will steal this one on the road.
Indiana at Minnesota (Tuesday, 8 p.m., BTN) -- Minnesota has lost four of six, but they will exploit Indiana's lack of depth in a relatively easy win. Indiana hasn't won a true road game all season and without leading scorer Devan Dumas, doesn't figure to pull this one out in Minneapolis, where Minnesota has lost only two home games this season (Michigan St., Purdue)
Penn State at Purdue (Wednesday, 5:30 p.m., BTN) -- Both these teams are struggling. Purdue likely will not have Robbie Hummel again and are looking to avenge an early-season loss to Penn State in Happy Valley.
Iowa at Wisconsin (Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., BTN) -- Maybe Wisconsin has righted the ship with two straight wins. Similarly, Iowa got back on track with a home win over Northwestern and were energized by the return of big man Cyrus Tate. Iowa hasn't had much success beating Wisconsin inside the Kohl Center. Edge = Wisconsin.
Illinois at Northwestern (Thursday, 8 p.m., ESPN2) -- I wouldn't be surprised to see a Wildcat upset here, as Northwestern has been surprisingly tough at home this year. Illinois has more athleticism, but will need to find a way to contain Kevin Coble.
Record: 19-3
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The Illini game Thursday at Northwestern will be interesting. Chester Frazier has become one of the Big Ten's best defensive players. Will he draw Craig Moore? Illinois has not played well on the road, but isn't the game in Evanston a virtual home game for the Illini anyway?
ReplyDeleteI think this will be a game that goes down to the wire with the Illini pulling away in the final couple of minutes.
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