Thad Matta is Bill Murray

In the very next game after displaying all sorts of offensive ugliness against Penn State, Illinois torched the nets in a 70-68 road victory over Ohio State. Bruce Weber's team shot 61% from two point range, and 53% from 3, shredding Ohio State's zone with a seemingly endless stream of 7 foot jumpers from Mike Davis. Davis finished with 22 points on 14 shots, and it seemed like every single one of those shots was a one-handed floater in the paint over OSU's shotblockers. Evan Turner led the Buckeyes with 17 points on 15 shots to go along with 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Box score.

For the Illni, this game effectively neutralizes that ugly home loss against Penn State, preserving their remote title hopes (though those hopes are fading fast with Michigan State's win over the Badgers). It's hard not to be impressed with the job Weber has done with the Illini this season, already doubling the team's conference win total from a year ago. He's certainly in the discussion for conference coach of the year (though Bill Carmody and Ed DeChellis will certainly provide some stiff competition).

Ohio State fans might feel like they're stuck in Groundhog Day right about now. Around this time last season, the Buckeyes sat at 8-4 in conference play and 17-8 overall. Thad Matta's team then proceeded to lose 4 out of their last 6 games in the regular season, and was subsequently bounced from the first round of the Big Ten Tournament by Michigan State. The Selection Committee was not impressed, leaving Ohio State off the bracket. The Buckeyes took their rage out on the NIT field, but certainly this team is hoping for better this season. Well, this was their third loss in a row, and suddenly 20 wins doesn't seem like a guarantee. Heck, I'm not sure this year's Buckeye team has a better resume than last year's, though winning a game or two in the Big Ten Tournament could change all that. That said, I think the Buckeyes were snubbed last year (I know that word gets thrown around a lot, but I think Ohio State fans definitely have a grievance. Not that it will earn them any sympathies from this year's Selection Committee).

In a matchup of the two best offensive teams in the conference, fans were treated to some defense in Michigan State's 61-50 win over Wisconsin in a 59 possession game. The Badgers couldn't throw it in the ocean in this one (they shot 31% from the field), but nonetheless led most of the way before the Spartans woke up and proceeded to demolish Wisconsin over the last 10 minutes or so. Goran Suton had his way in this one, scoring 16 points on 10 shots, to go with 10 rebounds. Trevon Hughes led the Badgers with 12 points on 12 shots. Box score. I'm sure Purdue fans were hoping the Badgers could steal one at the Breslin Center, but no such luck. There are still a couple of tough games left on Michigan State's schedule however (at Illiniois and against Purdue), so the Boilermakers are still very much in the hunt for the title.

Speaking of the Boilermakers, Purdue dispatched with Indiana, 81-67 in a 72 possession game on Saturday. With the win, Purdue retained sole possession of 2nd place. And it appears that the rumors of Robbie Hummel's demise have been greatly exaggerated, as the sophomore forward suited up and played 16 minutes in this one before running into Tom Pritchard. Hummel didn't hurt his back on the play, but the back nonetheless limits his status to day-to-day.

Of course, if his teammates can continue to shoot like this, it won't matter whether or not he's healthy. Purdue shot 54% from 3 point range and and 58% from two, led by E'Twaun Moore's 26 point outburst on just 14 shots. But Purdue's shot prowess was limited to situations when they were being guarded, as the Boilermakers shot just 55% on their numerous free throw attempts. It was Purdue's bricklaying at the line that prevented this thing from getting really ugly.

Indiana's offense wasn't all that bad in this one, considering how suffocating Purdue's defense can be. Verdell Jones led the Hoosiers with 16 points on 12 shots. Box score.

Michigan has their backs up firmly against the wall after losing in overtime to Iowa, 70-60 in a 65 possession game. Iowa absolutely dominated the extra period. Actually, Jake Kelly was the one doing the dominating, scoring 11 of Iowa's 14 points in the extra frame. Kelly finished with 23 points on 17 shots, and nearly had a triple-double with 8 rebounds and 9 assists. Stu Douglass led Michigan with 14 points on 9 shots. Box score.

Iowa wasn't expected to make a lot of noise this season, and certainly the turnover hasn't helped matters. Jeff Peterson, Anthony Tucker, and Cyrus Tate have all missed time for a variety of reasons, and those guys weren't exactly bench warmers when they were able to play. So while Iowa hasn't been able to keep up with the top half of the league, the odds were stacked against them doing so. But there's still some similar lining on Iowa's season, and part of that has been the steady play of Kelly. Like most of the other Hawkeyes, Kelly needs to cut down on the turnovers, but there's enough here for some optimism, especially if Anthony Tucker comes back next year.

For Michigan, it's not an enviable position. The Wolverines sit at 7 conference wins and probably need to get to at least 9 in order to make the Dance. So you need to win 2 out of the last 3 games on the schedule - at home against Purdue, and on the road at Wisconsin and Minnesota. Yeah, not cool. And even 2 out of 3 might not be enough if the Wolverines make an early exit from the conference tournament. In all likelihood, Michigan is going to have to make a lot of noise in Indianapolis.

This Minnesota team continues to be an enigma. The Gophers destroyed Northwestern last night 72-45 in a 62 possession game. Over their last 10 games, Minnesota has gone 4-6, and two of those wins were against Indiana. In the other two victories, the Gophers smashed their opponent (Tubby's team drubbed Illinois about a month ago at the Barn). So the skid includes a couple of dominating performances. But if you're looking for some explanation, perhaps it is the fact that the Gophers are undefeated at home except against Michigan State and Purdue (who also happen to be in 1st and 2nd place in the conference). Minnesota is powerful at home, and vulnerable on the road. It'll be interesting to see how they do in Indianapolis.

Lawrence Westbrook led Minnesota with 17 points on 10 shots, while no one for Northwestern hit double figures. Freshman John Shurna did have 9 points and 6 rebounds, however. Box score.