FanHouse GearyClaxton

So far this basketball season it looked like Penn State was in the process of climbing out of it's annual spot in the Big Ten cellar. The Nittany Lions didn't look like a threat to win the conference, but an NCAA berth looked within reach.

I say it looked within reach, because after last night, I don't think Penn State is going anywhere this season. The team's leading scorer and leading rebounder, Geary Claxton, tore his ACL and he's done for the season.

Penn State senior forward Geary Claxton, the Big Ten's second-leading scorer, will miss the rest of the season after injuring his left knee during the Nittany Lions' 80-55 loss to No. 17 Wisconsin on Tuesday night.

Claxton fell to the floor with about 13 minutes left in the first half after trying to rebound his own missed shot. He winced and held his hands over his face as trainers looked at the leg before walking to the locker room with a slight limp.

This is a huge loss for the Nittany Lions. Huge. Claxton's 18.7 points per game are second in the Big Ten behind Eric Gordon, and his 8.9 rebounds a game are second in the conference to D.J. White. He's also had nine double-doubles this season, including a streak of four in a row that came to an end with his knee injury last night.

It's a terrible way for the senior to end his college career, and it's going to be very difficult for Penn State to make up for his leadership and production.

The Big Ten Diaries recaps the previous night's action in Big Ten Basketball, but of course, you're probably smart enough to figure that out on your own.

Iowa Hawkeyes 43 Michigan State Spartans 36

As Charles Rich already told you, the Spartans set a school-record of fewest points in the shot clock era by scoring only 36 points against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday. On the plus side, at least they were consistent, scoring only 18 points in each half.

Also, let's be fair here. Yes the Spartans played absolutely horribly on Saturday, but it's not like Iowa played that much better. In fact, the Spartans out-shot the Hawkeyes by making 30.8% of their shots. The Hawkeyes could only manage to make 27.5% of their field goal attempts.

Looking at the numbers you can find a hundred reasons why the Spartans lost this game besides their inability to score. They had 18 turnovers, committed 25 personal fouls, and made only 3 of their 12 three-point attempts, but what really killed them was the free throw line. Those 25 personal fouls sent the Hawkeyes to the line 29 times, where as the Spartans only took 4 free throws in the game.

The Big Ten Diaries recaps the previous night's action in Big Ten Basketball, but of course, you're probably smart enough to figure that out on your own.

Penn State Nittany Lions 68 Illinois Fighting Illini 64

While the top four spots in the Big Ten figure to belong to MSU, OSU, Indiana, and Wisconsin, don't be surprised if the Penn State Nittany Lions sneak up into 5th place this season. After only being able to win three conference games last season the Nittany Lions picked up their second conference win in as many games on Sunday afternoon in Champaign.

The duo of Geary Claxton and Jamelle Cornley looks like one that could give a lot of Big Ten teams trouble this season, as both players had their second consecutive double-doubles at the expense of the Illini. Cornley lead Penn State with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Claxton scored 11 and grabbed 11 boards as well.

The Illini had a chance to win the game after freshman Demetri McCamey hit two three-pointers in the final minute to pull Illinois within a point with 10 seconds left, but his floater in the lane that would have won the game missed it's mark and Illinois lost it's second straight home conference game, and third overall.

Another factor that helped Penn State pull of a big road victory was outworking the Illini 49-24. This despite the fact the Nittany Lions don't have a single player over 6'5 in their starting lineup.

Illinois' next two games are at Wisconsin and Indiana, so if Bruce Weber's already feeling the heat for his teams lackluster play, just wait until they start out 0-4.