STF Conference Report: Big Ten

The Big Ten sort of, kind of, maybe (?) enjoyed a successful winter break...at least the few teams at the top sure did. Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan State all entered 2008 surprisingly unscathed, with the Badgers asserting themselves with a HUGE win against Texas - which I'll get to in a moment. Not much to update though on the rest of the conference. Sorry folks, but the conference season is just beginning - let the elbows fly and the records suffer.

Team of the Week - Wisconsin. This is heading wayyyy back to Dec. 29, 2007, but the Badgers finally cracked back into the top 25 polls with a big, big win against the then-No. 9 Texas on some razzle-dazzle plays by Michael Flowers with just seconds remaining. Maybe now the Spartans and Hoosiers will have some competition at the head of the pack in the Big Ten. However, we can't forget about those pesky Golden Gophers either...

Player of the Week - Justin Johnson, Iowa. It was hard to pass on Flowers' incredible finish against Texas, but who could ignore Johnson's performance Wednesday night against the Hoosiers. The senior guard Johnson, one of the lone bright spots for the Hawkeyes this season, nailed a staggering 8-for-13 from beyond the arc and was 10-for-15 altogether from the field. He finished the contest with 29 points, including a rainmaker/prayer/hail mary launch from just inside half court that cut the Hoosiers' lead to just three in the closing seconds of the game.

Team with the Worst Week - Illinois. They lost to Tennessee State last weekend. That's all I need to say.

Games to Watch - 1/3 Ohio State at Illinois

1/5 - Minnesota at Michigan State

1/8 Purdue at Michigan State