The race for the Big Ten title gets an extended run

Purdue waxed Michigan State in the second half last night, prevailing 72-54 in a 71 possession game. The Boilermakers exploded offensively in the second half, scoring 46 points while shooting 53%. Robbie Hummel had a nice game in his return, scoring 11 points on 9 shots, but it was really JaJuan Johnson who did most of the damage, scoring 17 on just 7 shots. Kalin Lucas had 14 points on 11 shots for the Spartans, but he also committed 6 turnovers. Box score.

Indeed, turnovers were was did in Michigan State. Although this game was fast-paced at 71 possessions, 22 turnovers is just way too many against a team like Purdue. The Boilermakers were also their usual suffocating selves, limited MSU's eFG to just 34.5%. All in all, it was by far the worst game offensively for Tom Izzo's team all season - save the debacle against UNC at Ford Field. In fact, MSU's offense was just as ineffective as it was in that game. So give Matt Painter's team a lot of credit here, because it's not easy to slow these guys down.

So it appears that there's still some life left for the chase for the conference title. Michigan State still has the inside track, of course, but Purdue also controls their own destiny. Win out - including the season finale against the Spartans in East Lansing - and they will secure at least a tie for the Big Ten title. Now that Robbie Hummel appears to be healthy, they have a reasonable shot.

Tonight, Penn State visits Illinois and Northwestern hosts Ohio State. The Buckeyes and the Illini both need to win to keep pace with Purdue and Michigan State.