STF Conference Report - Big Ten

And then there were three. Wisconsin, Purdue and Indiana are all seriously contending for the Big Ten title right now and we've got just a handful of games left in the season. I never said it would be pretty folks, but damn this is getting interesting. Michigan State, a team that almost everyone had as their preseason favorite, is slowly fading away with inconsistent play from Raymar Morgan and Drew Neitzel. But the big three are all hitting their stride at the perfect time, especially the Hoosiers, and should give the fans their money's worth from here on out.

Team with the Best Week - Indiana. Sanctions? What sanctions? Back-to-back wins against Michigan State and Purdue have solidified the Hoosiers, yet again, as serious contenders for a Big Ten title. Coach Kelvin Sampson may have very well coached his last game on Tuesday night against the Boilers, but it's a game that Hoosier fans will hold dear to their hearts for quite some time. It's incredible how a fan base can go from booing to cheering its coach in a matter of just a few days.

Player of the Week - DJ White, Indiana. He's a man among boys, playing in a different league, on a different planet. DJ White is the Big Ten Player of the Year, and there's not a single person in the world that can disagree with that. White was THE reason why the Hoosiers recently won back-to-back games against Michigan State and Purdue. Not only did his performance make Hoosier Nation forget about Sampson's transgressions, but it also made them temporarily forget about Eric Gordon. The senior White is showing the freshman Gordon that there is more to the game of basketball than driving wildly to the basket and getting fouled. He's also showing Gordon what four years at a major program can do for you.

Team with the Worst Week - Penn State. The Nittany Lions' 37-point loss to Michigan State on Wednesday night provides all the evidence one needs to declare this team hopeless. Now Penn State is no Northwestern (which remains winless in conference play), but the Nittany Lions' have lost 9 of their last 11 games, which surprisingly includes a win against Michigan State back on Feb. 2. Geary Claxton is the lone bright spot for this squad, but that's been the case for the past couple of years.

Bruce Weber Moment of the Week - Bruce got a reprieve from this honor last week, so unfortunately for him and his fellow Illini fans, I had to go back at it this week. Now this isn't so much a Bruce Moment of the Week as it is a simple Illinois basketball moment of the week - besides losing to Wisconsin on Wednesday night, the Illini lost sophomore big man Brian Carlwell as well. You may recall that Carlwell was involved in the car accident a few months back with Illini guard Jamar Smith, who fled the scene of the accident and left Carlwell behind, seriously injured. Well, now Carlwell has left the program (go figure) which just creates a bigger black eye for the Illini in this situation.

Games to Watch - 2/24 Wisconsin @ Ohio State
2/26 Ohio State @ Indiana
2/27 Minnesota @ Purdue
2/28 Michigan State @ Wisconsin