The Way I See It: Big Ten Power Rankings (Feb. 28)

1. Ohio State — 23-7 (13-4)

The Buckeyes move into first place this week with Purdue losing to Michigan State and the Buckeye win over the Spartans a last week. They have one final regular season game against Illinois, before sitting in the clubhouse and watching this mess settle out. Currently Ohio State holds a half a game lead over Michigan State and Purdue in the Big Ten standings.

2. Michigan State — 22-7 (12-4)

The Spartans took care of business against Purdue winning 53-44. I knew when it was announced the Hummel would be out that the Spartans would capitalize on the Boilermakers both mentally and physically. They get Penn State and Michigan for the final two regular season games this week.

3. Purdue — 24-4 (12-4)

The Boilermakers had a 10 game win streak snapped at home with the loss to Michigan State. The loss of Robbie Hummel has already been seen and it will hinder how far Purdue will go into the NCAA tournament.

4. Wisconsin — 21-7 (11-5)

The Badgers have it made right now, they’re far enough out of the Big Ten title race to feel any pressure and also have a very manageable schedule. They finish with Illinois and Iowa this week, and both game are easily winnable giving them 23 wins on the season.

5. Minnesota — 17-11 (8-8)

The Gophers are trying not to let their bubble burst, and with this weeks schedule they might just get their wish. Minnesota will travel to Michigan and finish at home against Iowa; both games need to be wins if they’ll have a chance at going dancing in March.

6. Illinois — 18-11 (10-6)

The Illini might have won their last regular season game when they beat Michigan last week. This week’s slate features games at Ohio State and home against Wisconsin. Neither games will have the Illini favored giving them a record of 18-13 going into the Big Ten tournament.

7. Northwestern — 18-11 (7-10)

The Wildcats have become the laughing stock of the Big Ten, losing to Penn State twice and neither game was close. The NIT may be a possibility, but not with them play like they did this week. They get two cupcakes in Chicago State and Indiana to finish off the regular season.

8. Michigan — 13-15 (6-10)

The Wolverines battled Ohio State in Columbus last week, but game up short in the end. That loss extended their losing streak to three, and with games against Minnesota and Michigan State still left it may go all the way to five.

9. Penn State — 11-17 (3-13)

The Nittany Lions wish they could play Northwestern every game, considering they’ve outscored the Wildcats an average of 10 points a game. They have three conference wins this season, with the other one being the 55-51 win over Michigan. Talor Battle is one of the best players in the Big Ten, too bad he’s on one of the worst teams.

10.  Iowa — 9-19 (3-12)

The Hawkeyes ended their three game losing streak against Indiana, giving them three conference wins on the season. They take to the road for the final two games of the season against Wisconsin and Minnesota; so don’t look for any more wins for the Hawkeyes this season.

11. Indiana — 9-18 (3-12)

Indiana is in the midst of a 10-game losing streak, with no end in sight. The last two games of the season will be against Purdue and Northwestern, both teams need wins for post season hopes and won’t be over looking the Hoosiers.

The Way I See It: Big East Power Rankings (Feb. 28)

1.    Syracuse (27-2) 

The Orange made sure everyone knows who the best team in the Big East is when they drilled Villanova 95-77 this past weekend. They have a No. 1 seed in the Big East tournament locked up and look to lock up a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament very soon.

2.    Villanova (23-5)

The Wildcats have done little to separate themselves from West Virginia and Pittsburgh. The fact they have a few more wins over their counterparts gets them the No. 2 spot on the list, but the blow out loss to Syracuse doesn’t look too good.

3.    West Virginia (22-6)

The Mountaineers disappointed me this week against the Huskies. I figured this would have been a signature win for the club, but instead they were dominated for the majority of the game. They beat Cincinnati in their second game of the week, which might be their last regular season win. The last two games are against Georgetown and at Villanova.

4.    Pittsburgh (22-7)

The Panthers lost to a Notre Dame team without their best player, breaking their five game win streak. Pittsburgh final two games are against cupcakes, Providence and Rutgers. That being the case, Big East tournament preparations have already begun.

5.    Marquette (19-9)

The Golden Eagles have karma working for them now after losing several close games earlier in the season. They’ve survived three straight overtime games, coming out with victories over Cincinnati, St. John’s, and Seton Hall during that stretch.

6.   Louisville (19-10)

The Cardinals beat a surging Connecticut team in a battle of bubble team this past weekend. Edgar Sosa’s layup with two second left sealed the win on the road. The schedule doesn’t get any easier this week though, Louisville will travel to Marquette and then play host to Syracuse. Picking up a couple of wins this week will go a long way in the Cardinals NCAA tournament seeding.

7.    Notre Dame (19-10)

The Irish are playing better without Luke Harangody right now. They picked up two impressive wins over Georgetown and Pittsburgh this week, with the absence of their best player. They still are a bubble team, but with games against Marquette, and Connecticut this week there’s plenty of opportunities to impress the selection committee. Has anyone noticed how much Harangody, and his back up Jack Cooley look alike?

8.    Georgetown (19-8)

The Hoyas are 1-3 in their last four games. The last week of the regular season wont be any easier as Georgetown travels to Morgantown, and then finishes up with at homes against Cincinnati. The Hoyas don’t need a signature win to get into the tournament, but a win against the Mountaineers would help their injured pride.

9.  Connecticut (17-12)

The Huskies are one of the hottest teams in the country right now. Louisville beat them on a last second layup, but this was after Connecticut recorded three straight wins over West Virginia, Rutgers, and Villanova. They now begin a road trip to Notre Dame and South Florida for their final games of the regular season. Both should be wins, but will be anything but easy.

10.  South Florida (17-11)

The Bulls wish they could play Providence every game. In the first meeting of the year the Bulls scored 100 points for their first and only time this season. The second meeting gave them another win and a 99-point performance. Augustus Gilchrist finally got back into pre-injury form scoring 21 points and six rebounds in limited action. The Bulls travel to DePaul before finishing up with Connecticut in Tampa.

11.  Cincinnati (16-12)

The Bearcats are trying to keep their heads above water going into the home stretch of their Big East schedule. They have back-to-back games against Villanova, and at Georgetown to close out the regular season. Both games presumably will be losses for a team trying to get into the NIT.

12.  Seton Hall (16-11)

The Pirates were barley a bubble team; Marquette ended any notion of NCAA play when they beat Seton Hall 84-83 in overtime. The final two games against Providence and Rutgers should be easy wins, and with any success in the Big East Tournament this team should get a decent NIT seeding.

13.  Rutgers (15-14)

The Scarlet Knights got their last win of the season last weekend with a 71-62 win over DePaul. Seton Hall and Pittsburgh will have too much to play for to be upset by a inconsistent Rutgers club. I wouldn’t expect this team to do much in the Big East tournament as well, considering their seeding.

14.  St. Johns (15-13)

The Red Storm have to travel to Syracuse this week, in what will be another blow out loss on the season. The road trip doesn’t end there however; the final game of the regular season is against DePaul. I’d expect both teams to be playing hard in this game considering neither will have a chance of winning a game in the Big East Tournament.

15.  Providence (12-16)

The Friars extended their losing streak to eight games this week with losses to Syracuse and South Florida. I wouldn’t be surprised if that streak extends to 11 considering both Pittsburgh and Seton Hall will most likely be losses and their Big East Tournament game should also be a loss. This team can put up the points, but it couldn’t stop a senior citizen’s pick up squad on defense.

16.  DePaul (8-20)

The Blue Demons continue to trump Providence’s losing streak with their 10 game and counting losing streak.  This team has packed it in for the season, and hasn’t been competitive in any game for almost two weeks.

OSU Moves Into First Place in Big Ten Standings With Win Over Michigan

Ohio State jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead to start the game before sleep walking through most the first and second halves. This lack luster performance moved them into a tie in the Big Ten standings with Purdue.

The Buckeyes split the season series with the Wolverines with a 66-55 victory in front of 18,862 Buckeye faithful. Any time these two schools meet in any sport it’s a grudge match. Neither team was willing to give ground, making it hard for Ohio State to finish off Michigan, despite the teams' records going into the contest.

Evan Turner didn’t miss a shot until midway through the second half, and finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. He was 8-11 on the day, and had a career high four blocks in the game. His presence on both sides of the court warrant the Player of the Year hype he’s been receiving this season.

William Buford had been a nice compliment to Turner all season. He’s been the most consistent scoring threat amongst the rest of the Buckeyes. Today was no different, as Buford had a game high 24 points and nine rebounds.

Turner and Buford carried the Buckeyes today when missed free throws and turnovers plagued the team. David Lighty went 3-8 from the charity stripe today, finishing with seven points and six rebounds. Jon Diebler wasn’t much better, going 1-7 from the field for three points.

Dallas Lauderdale continues to be a solid contributor on defense for the Buckeyes. He leads the Big Ten in blocks with 2.3 per game, and today had a huge one late in the second to help seal the win. He wasn’t only one dimensional today, however; he slammed home 14 points exciting the home crowd.

Ohio State shot 58 percent from the field today, but struggled from the line—especially in the second half. Poor free throw shooting will doom this team in the NCAA tournament; hopefully this doesn’t become a trend.

Ohio State (23-7) has one final regular season game, when it hosts Illinois (18-10) on Tuesday. The Buckeyes won the previous meeting in Champagne 72-53 two weeks ago. A win and the Buckeyes will have at least a tie of the Big Ten title this season.

Purdue and Michigan State will square off tomorrow, in what has almost become a Big Ten playoff this last month. The winner remains in the running for a regular season title; the looser begins preparations the Big Ten tournament.

Ohio State will be in the clubhouse watching the action after Tuesday, as the rest of the contenders still have several games remaining on their schedules.

South Florida Takes Care Of Business Against Friars Fortifies NIT Resume

South Florida (17-11) has probably gotten itself off the Bubble and into the NIT with a 99-93 over Providence. It’s been questioned whether the Bulls would even make the NIT after self destructing in the month of February.

The Bulls have been back at full strength for a two weeks roster wise, but haven’t gotten close to the team performances before Gilchrist got hurt. That was until tonight, for the first time since his Injury Augustus Gilchrist looked like his old self. He finished with 21 points and six rebounds in a dominating performance.

The biggest fan of Gilchrist’s offensive performance was Dominique Jones. The defensive attention “Big Gus” draws give Jones plenty of room to work, and work he did to the tune of 26 points and nine rebounds.

It wasn’t only Gilchrist helping take the offensive pressure off of Jones tonight, Chris Howard and Mike Mercer both had double figures as well. Chris Howard chipped in 20 points tonight in another solid performance form the senior guard. Mercer had another impressive performance with 18 points and seven rebounds, in what may have been his best game of the season.

USF shot 57 percent from the field but only 27 percent from beyond the arc. It didn’t matter though, as the starters piled on the points. They fell just one point shy of their second 100 point performance on the season, ironically enough against Providence in overtime back in January.

The Bulls have one more cupcake in DePaul (8-20) before their final test of the regular season, Connecticut (17-11) comes to Tampa. The Bulls look to be on pace for a possible 19 win season assuming a probable loss to the Huskies and a win in the first round of the Big East tournament.

The Bulls will be back in action on Tuesday when they travel to take on the Blue Demons in their first and only match-up of the season. The tandem of Jones and Gilchrist should have one more chance to fine tune their skills in another easy win before things get dicey in early March.

Vill-USF: Bulls Mauled By Wildcats In Lopsided Loss, NIT Hopes In Jeopardy

South Florida (16-11) has gotten itself back on the bubble, but this time it’s for the NIT, not the NCAA. The Bulls looked absolutely pathetic during the 74-49 trouncing at the hands of the Villanova Wildcats.

This was the worst loss of the season for USF, who for most of the season has overachieved. The Bulls seem to have peaked in early February, since then they’ve gone 1-4.

The last two losses have been exceptionally bad, but for different reasons. St. Johns beat USF on in the Sun Dome, officially ending any NCAA hopes. The Villanova loss showed a complete lack of effort in the second half. The Bulls didn’t have an answer for Scottie Reynolds who left with 21 points and a standing ovation from the home crowd of 6,500.

The Bulls have to win the next two games to secure an NIT bid. Both DePaul (8-19) and Providence (12-15) are conference bottom feeders this season. If USF wants to prove it doesn’t belong with them it needs to win handily. The loss to St. Johns has many wondering if USF is ready to take the next step toward competing for a Big East crown.

South Florida, assuming it wins the next two games would head into the Connecticut game with 18 wins. Judging on the fact the Bulls and Huskies are heading in totally different directions at the moment, I’d be surprised to see the Bulls pull the upset even on their home court.

Dominique Jones will have to get more support from Augustus Gilchrist is the Bulls will have any hopes of successfully navigating the last stretch of the schedule, including the opening of the Big East tournament. Jones struggled against Villanova in a turnover-laden performance that led to 12 points on the night. This was a team high, and the only other Bull in double figures, Mike Mercer, finished with 11 points.

USF should get a favorable matchup in its first game of the Big East tournament, and it’ll probably need an easy win to help its NIT chances. The Bulls get back into action on Saturday when they host Providence at 7:00 PM.

Buckeyes Get Sloppy In Second Half, Survive Battle and Nittany Lions

When Ohio State arrived in Happy Valley today it didn’t have quite the energy it did back in November when these two teams met on the football field. It did however lead to the same result, a Buckeye victory.

The most anticipated match up in this game was Evan Turner versus Talor Battle. Neither disappointed the fans in the Bryce Jordan Center, as both led their team in scoring.

Evan Tuner finished with 25 points and seven rebounds, in another impressive performance by the Buckeye star. He had plenty of help tonight, something Battle desperately needed.

Four Buckeyes finished in double figures, most notably David Lighty who chipped in 18 points. William Buford had 12, and Jon Diebler gunned in 16 with some good perimeter shooting.

The Buckeyes held a four-point lead into the half, and controlled most of the first half on both ends of the court. The second half was anything but as Ohio State blew a 17-point lead to a trigger-happy Nittany Lion team.

Talor Battle wasn’t going to go quietly into the night; his 22 points were once again a team high. He did al he could to answer Turner shot for shot, in what became a thrilling second half performance by both players.

David Jackson had 13 points as the only other player in double figures for Penn State. Battle needed a supporting cast to assist him outscore this talented Buckeyes squad, but had no such luck.

Ohio State did what they could to help Penn State get back into the game late in the second half. David Lighty fouled Chris Babb on a three point shot giving the Nittany Lions a chance for a rare four point play. William Buford fouled Talor Battle at midcourt stopping the clock, and fouling out. Penn State answered by missing free throw after free throw, allowing Ohio State to hold onto the win.

The Buckeyes are now 20-0 this season when leading past the five minute mark in the second half. Ohio State (22-7) now turns its focus onto it archrival Michigan (13-14), as these two teams meet up this Saturday. Ohio State has revenge on its mind as the Wolverines already beat a Turner-less Buckeye team 73-64 back in January.

The Way I See It: Big East Power Rankings (Feb. 22)

1.    Syracuse (25-2)

The Orange have all but locked up the top spot in the Big East. With the remaining schedule it will take a loss to Villanova and to Louisville to unseat them. The Villanova loss gives them an even greater probability at a No. 1 seed in the tournament

2.    Villanova (22-4)

The Wildcats have two consecutive losses for the first time this season. The remaining schedule will be challenging and Scottie Reynolds needs to get his team back on track quickly.

3.    Pittsburgh (21-6)

The Panthers have a five game win streak going with impressive wins over Villanova, West Virginia, and Marquette. This team continues to improve its seeding, and the remaining schedule is very manageable.

4.    West Virginia (21-5)

The Mountaineers have a brutal remaining schedule with games against Connecticut, Cincinnati Georgetown and Villanova. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them split, but this team has impressed all season.  They should be a No. 2 seed in the tournament depending on how they navigate themselves into March.

5.    Georgetown (18-7)

The Hoyas are reeling after back-to-back losses by Rutgers and Syracuse. February hasn’t been kind either, posting a 2-3 record. This team needs to pick up some wins quickly, unfortunately with games against Louisville, Notre Dame, West Virginia, and Cincinnati it won’t be easy.

6.    Marquette (17-9)

The Golden Eagles have worked themselves back into the NCAA Tournament. The remaining schedule still has games against Louisville and Notre Dame, but the games against St. Johns and Seton Hall should give them two easy wins.

7.    Louisville (18-9)

The Cardinals are going to get tested in this last half of Big East play. Georgetown and Syracuse book end the final home games of the season. In the between those two games is a road trip to Connecticut and Marquette. This team should get into the tournament, but it needs to solidify that with another quality win.

8.    Notre Dame (17-10)

The Irish are watching the wheels fall off what has been a good season for them. The loss of Luke Harangody has shown it’s too much to over come during this three game losing streak. The last four games are a gauntlet of Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Connecticut, and Marquette. I don’t expect them to win any of the remaining games without their best player in the lineup.

9.    Cincinnati (15-11)

The Bearcats’s bubble burst this week with losses to USF and Marquette. From here on out, its NIT or bust for this struggling Cincinnati team. They have one more win on the schedule in DePaul, but after that I expect losses to West Virginia, Villanova, and Georgetown.

10.  South Florida (16-10)

The Bulls burst the Bearcats bubble, just to watch St. Johns burst theirs. The loss to St. Johns 74-58 at home was inexcusable and the Bulls will have plenty of time to think it over during the offseason.

11.  Seton Hall (15-10)

The Pirates have Rutgers on the schedule twice and one more game with Providence. They should win all three of those games, or at worst split with Rutgers. I don’t expect them to do much against Marquette, in what will be the last real game they play in this regular season.

12.  Connecticut (16-11)

The Huskies are considered by some as a bubble team, I don’t. This team has been on the out looking in since the 81-66 drubbing by Providence. It won’t matter though, West Virginia will end any Husky hopes when they face off this week.

13.  Rutgers (14-13)

The Scarlet Knights are just counting the days down till spring football starts. Until then they’ll still have to get beat one more time by Pittsburgh and probably Seton Hall.

14.  St. Johns (15-11)

The Red Storm knocked USF out of NCAA Tournament contention.  They still have games against Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and Marquette. The final game of the regular season gives them a chance to pick up one more win when they travel to DePaul.

15.  Providence (12-14)

The Friars have an impressive six game losing streak going, and with Syracuse coming up it’ll be extended to seven shortly. They may upset USF or Seton Hall, but I don’t think they’ve got another win in them this year.

16.  DePaul (8-18)

The Blue Demons have trumped Providence’s losing streak with their own eight game streak. They might break it against Rutgers or the last game with St. Johns, but the other two games with Cincinnati and USF will be losses. It’s been a rough year in the Big East for this DePaul team.

The Way I See It: Big Ten Power Rankings (Feb. 22)

1. Purdue — 23-3 (11-3)

The Boilermakers are still the team to beat this week in the Big Ten. They got their first ever win in Value City Arena against The Buckeyes last week. The Michigan State game next Sunday will be huge for the conference standings. 

2. Michigan State — 21-7 (11-4)

Wow! I would’ve never though this Spartan squad would lose to an Ohio State team with Evan Turner being partially sidelined with the flu. This is still a very good team and will do well in the tournament, but Coach Izzo has to be disappointed in this week's performance. 

3. Ohio State — 21-7 (11-4)

This week has some good for the Buckeyes and some bad. The good was Evan Turner battles through the flu to help the Buckeyes get a huge road win over Michigan State. The bad was the lackluster effort in the loss to Purdue at home.

4. Wisconsin — 20-7 (10-5)

The Badgers hold their spot this week, despite the loss to Minnesota. This team, when healthy, has the talent to get into the Sweet 16. Performance like the one against the Gophers have me questioning it, however.

5. Illinois — 17-10 (9-5)

I can’t fault the Illini for the two losses this week. Both teams overpowered Illinois with superior talent. This team has played well this season and should get a favorable seed some tournament time.

6. Minnesota — 16-10 (7-7)

The Gophers are trying to play their way into the tournament. The win over No. 19 Wisconsin will help their cause. It’ll still take a few wins in the Big Ten tournament, maybe even winning it to seal the deal for Minnesota.

7. Northwestern — 17-10 (6-9)

The Wildcats' bubble has officially burst with the dismal performances this week against Penn State and Wisconsin. The loss to Penn State is inexcusable for a team trying to get an NCAA invite. There’s always next year, Northwestern.

8. Michigan — 13-13 (6-8)

The Wolverines are who we though they were….inconsistent. They play to the level of their opponents, and when that happens, teams lose more often then not. This week gave us a perfect example as Michigan struggled with Iowa and needed an overtime to get the win. The next game was against a horrendous Penn State team, and guess what, they lost at home, 55-51.

9. Iowa — 9-18 (3-11)

The Hawkeyes lost a heart breaker to Michigan this week, but they’ve shown there's still fight in this Iowa team. None of them have packed it in for the season and rolled over, and that’s something Iowa fans can be proud of in an otherwise bleak season.

10.  Penn State — 10-16 (2-12)

The Nittany Lions ended the 12-game losing streak with two wins over Michigan and Northwestern. They still have Ohio State, Michigan State, and Purdue on the schedule, so don’t expect any more.

11. Indiana — 9-17 (3-11)

Indiana is in the midst of an eight-game losing streak.  They take over the basement role this week, as Penn State has found out how to win.