What We're Learning in the Big Ten, CCHA Comments and More

Although I missed my prediction on the Purdue-Wisconsin game Tuesday, nothing about the first three games this week in the conference surprised me except Indiana almost winning in Evanston. The Hooisers have lost three down-to-the-wire games now in the league and MSU had better be ready when they face Indiana twice later in the year.

Incredibly enough Wisconsin may miss the NCAA tournament this year. They host Illinois next week, still travel to East Lansing, and have lost their home court magic. I don't feel bad for Uncle Bo.

Michigan is still a bad road team. But I noticed some posters saying the Wolverines weren't even a good team overall. I'm sorry they beat Duke at home and an (overrated but talented) UCLA team in NYC. They beat Illinois at home. Michigan is good. At home, they're great. But an NCAA tournament team? Not unless they win 9 conference games.

Purdue is becoming the team we thought they would. And that's even with Robbie Hummel playing with Mario Lemieux's bad back. E'tuan Moore has a great mid-range game.

Bottom line, MSU has to think 14 conference wins. Anything less might not get it done.

As for tonight, Iowa is not a team MSU should lose to. Forward Cyrus Tate has an ankle injury and probably won't be at 100 percent. Freshman Anthony Tucker may have been the team's most explosive scorer but is now ineligible the rest of the year because of poor grades. The Hawkeyes aren't very deep and are very young.

Now a quick aside from hoops. What has happened to the MSU hockey team? Last weekend's debacle (on the scoreboard and the action of two players) aside, how did we get this bad? I haven't followed hockey closely this season but now I'm longing for all those years when we would finish 2nd or 3rd in the CCHA and then lose a heartbreaker in the first round of the NCAA tournament.