When it comes to the Big Ten, there are a few tiers of similar teams. Illinois and Purdue are similar. Iowa and Indiana are similarly bad. There's a big amoeba in the middle where every team is on the bubble. Then, you are left with Michigan State. They are in a class all by themselves.
Sunday we received another reminder, as they turned Purdue away despite a sub-par shooting performance.The pressure defense and the quick-paced offense were just too much for the Boilers.
A few weeks ago I did a halfway point roundup for the Big Ten, in which I buried Wisconsin and hailed Penn State to no end. Boy, do I look like an idiot now. Since then, Penn State crumbled, while Wisconsin has done a 180.
The Nittany Lions were embarrassed by Michigan, lost at home to Wisconsin, and handily lost at Purdue. They now sit just 6-6 in conference play, and their RPI has plunged into the 80s. With road trips to Illinois and Ohio State -- not to mention hosting Illinois and Minnesota -- it would appear they are fading back into obscurity.
Illinois really needed a bounce-back win after that bad loss in Wisconsin Thursday night. Sunday they got it in the form of a 66-48 trouncing of Purdue. The Illini stifled the Boilers' offensive attack, holding them to just 32-percent shooting, including a dismal 2-of-15 from behind the arc.
Of course, Purdue also missed the presence of their best player, Robbie Hummel. This is a bad sign for them moving forward, because they do not play well without the sophomore swingman. Purdue is 16-3 with Hummel in the lineup and 1-3 without him this season.
With just over a month in the books and most teams having played about half their conference schedule, let's check out the big boys of the Midwest. We're seeing a slight upheaval when it comes to traditional powers, as Indiana and Wisconsin sit in the bottom third of the standings, Northwestern is respectable, and Penn State is in the mix toward the top.
At this point, the conference is very balanced, and much stronger than it has been in recent years. They have a shot at seven bids for the Big Dance, but six is the more likely number.
The above video shows Purdue guard Chris Kramer getting knocked out by an elbow from Michigan guard Manny Harris on Saturday. Harris was ejected, but I don't think he was trying to hurt Kramer, and the Big Ten has decided, correctly, that he shouldn't face any discipline.
But this story shouldn't end there. Not until Purdue coach Matt Painter has taken a refresher course on the seriousness of concussions.
The disappointing 2009 Big Ten campaign for the Wisconsin Badgers continues, as they dropped their fifth straight game Tuesday night. This time, Purdue was the culprit. The Badgers now fall to 12-8 overall, and a terrible -- by Badgers' standards under Bo Ryan -- 3-5 mark in conference play.
Most disturbing to Wisconsin has to be the fact that they've lost two of these games at home. Followers of the Big Ten will remember that, heading into this season, you just don't go into the Kohl Center and win. It's now happened in two consecutive games.
Chris Kramer won the Big Ten's defensive player of the year award last season, but he likely didn't face an assignment as daunting as the one standing standing in his path this Saturday. The Purdue Boilermakers will battle the Davidson Wildcats in Indianapolis (4:00 PM EST, CBS), and Kramer will be checking Stephen Curry. Curry leads the nation in scoring, at just under 32 points a game. He's gone for 40 thrice. Kramer is not shying away from the assignment, in fact, he seems to be a bit excited.
"People say he's one of the best three players in the country, so just getting the opportunity . . . to guard somebody like that and try to show the country how good of a defender you want to be . . ." Kramer said. "To be the best, you've got to play the best, and I want to be one of the best defenders in the country."
Look, we all know what Curry can do by now, after his electrifying NCAA tourney performance last season and his recent taking of Manhattan. It's tough for anyone to stop him for an entire game, even if he's not hitting shots for the first 35 minutes.
If there's one weak spot on the 10th ranked Purdue Boilermakers right now, it's definitely their lack of bulk on the inside. The Boilers aren't short, but the size of their bigs who garner playing time doesn't involve as many lbs as some other teams. Today, they face a very tough test when butting heads with 11th ranked Oklahoma.
Not sure if you've heard of him, but Blake Griffin is a decent basketball player. He hung 32 and 15 on UAB earlier this week, and he's going to be throwing his massive 6'9" 245 lb frame tonight. Purdue's game plan should be to do everything they can to shut Griffin down and make the guards beat them. Purdue's perimeter defense -- led by reigning Big Ten defensive player of the year, Chris Kramer -- is superb. JaJuan Johnson isn't going to be able to handle Griffin on his own, so the Boilers should send a variety of different double-teams down low in an effort to force as many passes as possible from the stout Griffin.
I know that I'm rather surprised by the fact that the Purdue Boilermakers are sitting atop the Big Ten standings, and I know I'm not the only one that feels this way. Even Purdue coach Matt Painter would be hard pressed to say he expected the performance he's seen from his team all season.
You know who isn't surprised? Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. During his weekly teleconference Izzo called the Boilers the most physical team in the conference, though it's not the same kind of physical Purdue team he's used to facing.
"That's strange to say with freshmen (playing a large role)," Izzo said. "It's not the old Purdue teams that Jud (Heathcote) used to battle – when a lot of the players looked like the Boilermaker himself. This is more of an athletic, skinnier version, but with the same competitiveness. I think they all play off (sophmore guard Chris) Kramer, and I'm not sure there's a tougher kid in the league than Kramer."
Tuesday night will be a good barometer for how good this Purdue team really is, as they host the Spartans at Mackey Arena tonight. Win or lose, Purdue's success this season is good for the Big Ten conference because it will help the conference get five teams in the tournament, rather than the four most people expected to make it.
If D.J. White and Eric Gordon play like they did in Ann Arbor on Tuesday night all season, I don't know that there's anybody in this country that can beat the Hoosiers. Of course, it will probably be a bit tougher to do against North Carolina than Michigan, but it's not the Hoosiers' fault the Big Ten is very top heavy this year.
White scored 21 points and also grabbed 22 boards to become the first Hoosier to have a 20/20 game since Alan Henderson in 1995. D.J. was already scary enough in his first three years on campus, now that he's gotten into much better shape physically, he's an absolute beast.
Eric Gordon matched his number with 23 points, including 4 three-pointers, just another ho-hum night for the youngster. He just makes everything he does look so easy, which you just don't see freshman do very often. At least not the kind that stick around longer than a year.
For Michigan, Manny Harris-speaking of freshman-led the team with 19 points. There's hope on the horizon, Wolverines fans!
When it comes to the Big Ten, there are a few tiers of similar teams. Illinois and Purdue are similar. Iowa and Indiana are similarly bad. There's a big amoeba in the middle where every team is on the bubble. Then, you are left with Michigan State. They are in a class all by themselves.
A few weeks ago I did a halfway point roundup for the Big Ten, in which I buried Wisconsin and hailed Penn State to no end. Boy, do I look like an idiot now. Since then, Penn State crumbled, while Wisconsin has done a 180. 
Illinois really needed a bounce-back win after that bad loss in Wisconsin Thursday night. Sunday they got it in the form of a 66-48 trouncing of Purdue. The Illini stifled the Boilers' offensive attack, holding them to just 32-percent shooting, including a dismal 2-of-15 from behind the arc. 
With just over a month in the books and most teams having played about half their conference schedule, let's check out the big boys of the Midwest. We're seeing a slight upheaval when it comes to traditional powers, as Indiana and Wisconsin sit in the bottom third of the standings, Northwestern is respectable, and Penn State is in the mix toward the top. 
The disappointing 2009 Big Ten campaign for the Wisconsin Badgers continues, as they dropped their fifth straight game Tuesday night. This time, Purdue was the culprit. The Badgers now fall to 12-8 overall, and a terrible -- by Badgers' standards under Bo Ryan -- 3-5 mark in conference play. 
Chris Kramer won the Big Ten's defensive player of the year award last season, but he likely didn't face an assignment as daunting as the one standing standing in his path this Saturday. The Purdue Boilermakers will battle the Davidson Wildcats in Indianapolis (4:00 PM EST, CBS), and Kramer will be checking Stephen Curry. Curry leads the nation in scoring, at just under 32 points a game. He's gone for 40 thrice. Kramer is not shying away from the assignment, in fact, he seems to be a bit excited. 
If there's one weak spot on the 10th ranked Purdue Boilermakers right now, it's definitely their lack of bulk on the inside. The Boilers aren't short, but the size of their bigs who garner playing time doesn't involve as many lbs as some other teams. Today, they face a very tough test when butting heads with 11th ranked Oklahoma. 
I know that I'm rather surprised by the fact that the Purdue Boilermakers are sitting atop the Big Ten standings, and I know I'm not the only one that feels this way. Even Purdue coach Matt Painter would be hard pressed to say he expected the performance he's seen from his team all season.
