Spartan Hoopla: Will Anyone Rival Michigan State in the Race for the Big Ten?

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

The team that the rest of the Big Ten was gunning for finally took one on the chin Tuesday night.

Michigan State (22-42 all-time in Madison) was exposed by Wisconsin (17-5) to the tune of 67-49 at the Kohl Center for its seventh consecutive loss in Badger land.

With Illinois, Wisconsin (No. 16), and Ohio State (No. 18) sitting at 7-3 in the league, the time to jockey for position is now, while Michigan State is regrouping.

Seventh-ranked Purdue (18-3) can improve to 7-3 tonight against the 3-5 Hoosiers, putting them within striking distance of Tom Izzo's league-leading Spartans.

Tom Crean's Hoosiers aren't necessarily a "gimme" for the Boilermakers, but it's likely an attainable win.

With Ohio State (17-6) and fifth-ranked Michigan State (twice) on its remaining schedule, the Boilers have a tall order to fill if they hope to win the league title—it's not out of the realm of possibility for coach Matt Painter's men.

If 6'10" C/F JaJuan Johnson gains momentum, Purdue will be an extremely difficult unit for anyone in the Big Ten to take advantage of. Robbie Hummel is a versatile menace for the Boilers—at 6'8", Hummel can rebound (7.2 rpg) and score from just about anywhere on the floor. With his long-distance capabilities, he truly is an x-factor for Coach Painter.

Wisconsin is one of two teams that are legit threats to the Spartans; the Badgers reared their teeth Tuesday night in their Sparty beat-down in Madison.

Illinois is on the docket for the Badgers twice before the season ends—considering the fact that they also play a pair with Indiana, it's a relatively smooth ride for Bo Ryan's bunch.

Do Jason Bohannon and Trevon Hughes have what it will take to knock the Spartans off their pedestal? Judging by Tuesday night's thrashing, there is no reason to doubt them. 

The Buckeyes are led by Big Ten Player of the Year candidate Evan Turner and are looking to pounce.

Turner, the 6'7" scoring machine, is averaging just under 19 points per game (18.9) and 10 rebounds, and is ever so valuable to Thad Motta's club. 

The Buckeyes will have the pleasure of tangling with Tom Izzo's Spartans on Feb. 20, and will have to face Mike Davis and Demetri McCamey of Illinois twice.

No team has a clear-cut schedule advantage; in fact, the last half of the conference slate is going to be trying for all four teams hoping to gain ground on Izzo's clan.

Mike Tisdale's Illini quite possibly have the biggest hill to climb out of any team in its final weeks. The Illini (15-8) will have to face Michigan State, Wisconsin, Purdue, and Ohio State—twice. Attaining the 14 or 15-win mark may be enough to win the Big Ten, but it sure doesn't look favorable for Bruce Weber's squad.

Michigan State was riding high at 9-0 and then it happened—it was Badgered at the Kohl Center.

Now with star point-guard Kalin Lucas crutch-bound and listed as day-to-day, the Big Ten's front-runner must put its trust in sophomore guard Korie Lucious.

The Spartans' (19-4, 9-1) remaining schedule is no walk in the park—they face Purdue twice (home and home), Ohio State, and Illinois (Saturday).

The Lucas-less Spartans will have to find a way to band together if they want to hold on to their grip over the rest of the conference.

Chris Allen, Durrell Summers, Delvon Roe, and Raymar Morgan will have an increased leadership role if Lucas is lost for the season.

A vocal leader himself, Draymond Green may need to step up and be both No. 1 and No. 2 for Coach Izzo. Finding ways to win under adversity is the sign of a great team; the Spartans have some proving to do if they want to be considered among the NCAA's superiors.

Just when it was thought to be all but finished, a monkey-wrench has been thrown into the Big Ten's mix—Feb. 9's Purdue-Michigan State game is becoming all the more important to the conference's balance.