Here are a few observations from the week in the Big Ten.
1. Michigan State looks to be the class of the conference.
After early season losses to Maryland and North Carolina, the Spartans have reeled off 11 straight victories and raced to a 5-0 start in Big Ten play.
This week's games showed that the Spartans can maintain their composure in tough situations, something they didn't do in those two non-conference losses.
Against Penn State the Spartans blew a 17-point lead, allowing PSU to get within one with just over a minute remaining. But emerging point guard Kalin Lucas hit 6-8 free throws down the stretch, and Sparty survived 78-73.
The Illinois game was a whole different story, as the Illini were in control most of the game, holding Lucas scoreless in the first half. But a late 12-3 run, and 10 second half points by Lucas, propelled the Spartans to a 63-57 victory.
With four very winnable games ahead on the schedule (Northwestern, @Iowa, @OSU, Penn State) the Spartans have an excellent chance to start 9-0 in the Big Ten and separate themselves in a conference where every other team has suffered at least two losses.
2. Purdue perhaps saved their season (or, at the very least, their hopes of challenging for a Big Ten title) with a comeback win over Northwestern on Thursday.
The preseason Big Ten favorite, Purdue came into this week 1-2 in Big Ten play, with team leader Chris Kramer and all-Big Ten forward Robbie Hummel both suffering from nagging injuries. Struggling to score the basketball, the Boilers looked to be on the verge of a 1-3 Big Ten start, trailing Northwestern by 11 with just under eight minutes remaining.
That's when Hummel, and forward JaJuan Johnson, came alive, spurring a 15-4 Purdue run that gave the Boilers their first lead with just over a minute to play. Purdue, by virtue of two tiebreaking free throws by Johnson with 2.2 seconds left, went on to win the game 63-61.
The Boilers, now 3-2 thanks to yesterday's win at Iowa, face an insane five-game stretch in which they play road games at Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Illinois, with a home game against Michigan sandwiched in between.
Had their confidence been shaken by a loss to bottom-feeder Northwestern, Purdue may have fallen apart completely if they had any struggles during this difficult stretch. Now, with their confidence back, and a few wins under their belt, the Boilers seem primed to tackle five consecutive tough games and start living up to their preseason hype.
3. Minnesota needs to forget a bad half.
The Gophers ended the week with a thud, losing to Northwestern after securing their biggest Big Ten win yet (a road win at Wisconsin) just a few days earlier.
Not only did the Gophers lose to Northwestern, but they also came out unready to play the second half. The Wildcats jumped all over Minnesota, scoring the first 16 points of the half. The Gophers missed 12 of their first 13 second half shots and never recovered.
At 4-2, the Gophers have a legitimate shot at finishing in the top tier of the Big Ten. With two home games (Purdue and Illinois) and a very winnable road game against Indiana upcoming, the Gophers need to put one bad half out of their minds and avoid a hangover from such a disappointing loss.
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