Recruit Review: Feb '09

Today is the last day of February, which means the high school basketball regular season is over in Wisconsin. State tournament seeding is set in Wisconsin and Illinois and soon to follow in Minnesota.

A lot has happened in the last six weeks, so catching up on the action for all the Badger recruits is a daunting task. I did a bit of research and humbly offer some quick recaps below.

2009

:: Though senior Diamond Taylor scored only eight points back on Jan. 17 when Bolingbrook (IL) lost to St. Ignatius and another potential Badger recruit Nnanna Egwu, 66-63, he bounced back with 19 points in an overtime loss to Homewood-Flossmoor. Since then, the Raiders have not lost, starting their streak by blowing out Andrew, 84-50. Yet Taylor has struggled somewhat in that time. After fighting off an illness earlier this month, Taylor's missed front end of a bonus free throw situation nearly cost his team a victory in one game.

More recently, the 6'3" guard scored a game-high 14 points and 11 points, respectively, as Bolingbrook clinched the SouthWest Suburban Blue Conference title last weekend. A #3 seed in the Oswego (East) Sectional was the team's reward. Bolingbrook (18-6, 7-1) beat Stagg by 24 on Saturday, when Taylor chipped in nine points.

:: Henry Sibley (MN) forward Mike Bruesewitz is chugging along since his team dropped two games to a pair of elite Midwestern squads (Hopkins and Memorial). Bruiser hit the game-winner for his mates versus Kaukauna in the 2009 Wisconsin vs. Minnesota Border Battle. He averaged over 18 ppg for the month of January. The Warriors have rarely been challenged at all in conference and they recently clinched their second-straight league crown. Behind Bruiser's 19 points, they destroyed Hill-Murray to start February and Bruesewitz was soon named to the final 15 for Minnesota's Mr. Basketball.

Opposing coaches appear to be throwing junk defenses at Sibley to prevent Bruiser and his front line teammates from getting revved up. This trend has limited Bruesewitz's scoring. He averaged nine ppg in a recent three-game stretch, but bounced back with 16 points in Sibley's win on Tuesday to end a nice stretch of home games (7 of 8). The Warriors (22-2, 14-0) dominated South St. Paul, 77-27, and have two remaining road games before tournament play begins in Minnesota, where Hopkins is the heavy favorite in Sibley's division.

2010

:: The sight of Vander Blue attending Marquette games and rumors of him wavering in his verbal commitment to the Badgers seem like distant memories now. Though Blue had a relatively quiet night, Madison Memorial (19-1, 17-1) wrapped up another Big Eight Conference title by beating Madison East, 56-45, Thursday night in the biggest city basketball game in years.



After slipping against East back in January, the Spartans reeled off nine straight wins -- only one of which was by less than 20 points. A month ago Blue exploded in the second half against Verona to lead the team with 22 points in 57-34 win. That has been the lucky number for Blue, as he scored 22 points against crosstown rival LaFollette and another 22 when Memorial pinned 98 points on Madison West. The Spartans then came from behind to beat Beloit, 66-58, with Blue scoring 13 points. He followed that up with another 21-point performance the next game out. Blue's season-long streak of double-digit scoring games came to an end last Tuesday when the bench was emptied early in a rout over Janesville Parker. Memorial is currently ranked #20 and #24 by a few national polls and earned the top seed in its sectional.

:: Big man Evan Anderson returned from injury to Eau Claire North's lineup with a bang against Rice Lake the last week of January. Anderson scored 14 points -- including two important free throws -- in nearly 30 minutes of the 55-48 win. The Huskies next blasted New Richmond, though Anderson made little more than a whimper (2 pts). Anderson was then limited to three field goal attempts as North was officially unseated as conference champs by Hudson. So it's no surprise that as a #5 seed, North's road to State would have to go through top-seeded Hudson squad in a regional final.

Opposing defenses tend to collapse on North's huge front line, which seems to have been effective. The best case scenario for Anderson in a Wisconsin uniform is looking more and more like a Stiemsma-like impact. Not bad in the end, but also a few years of not much as his college game develops. The Huskies (13-7, 9-4) have won three games in a row, starting with wins last Thursday and on Monday, to run their record to 5-2 since Anderson's return. Last night, North defeated River Falls as Anderson scored 11 in the second half.

2011

:: From the tone of the article, it sounds like Devon Hodges fouled out of a game earlier this year that featured a preposterous 87 free throw attempts. Romeoville made 22 of 37, while surrendering 37 points from the stripe to Plainfield North. Like Taylor, Hodges also missed a game recently when he sat out with the flu. However, the lanky sophomore was a terror on defense while leading the Spartans with 17 points in a 76-74 overtime loss to Plainfield South.

It's unclear whether Hodges was one of the Spartans who missed last Tuesday's game for missing a practice. More likely, Hodges just had an off night and was not mentioned in the article. Either way, Hodges was back in time to grab 12 rebounds in Romeoville's latest set back to Plainfield Central. Romeoville (11-14, 7-7) grabbed a #12 seed in the middle of the Frankfort (Lincoln-Way North) Sectional for the upcoming state tournament before its seniors carried the team to victory in the regular season finale versus Minooka.

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Links:
- The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel just did a nice story on the progress of Wisconsin's two 2009 recruits.
- For the second time ever, not a single McDonald's High School All-American is headed to a Big Ten school this fall. The last time the Big Ten got shut out was 2005.

Prospect Profile: Chasson Randle

Chasson Randle, PG
6'2" :: 175 lbs.
Class of 2011
Rock Island (IL) HS [team site]
AAU: Illinois Wolves

::: RANKINGS UPDATED AUG. 24 :::
Rankings
Scout: 4 Stars * * * * (#9 PG/#55 overall) Previous: 3 Stars > 4 Stars (#13/#49 > #56 overall > #7/#37 > #7/#45)
Rivals: 4 Stars * * * * (#18 PG/#68 overall) Previous: #42 overall > #12/#45 > #11/#38 > #18/#64
ESPN/Scouts, Inc. grade: 96 (#6 PG/#38 overall) Previous: 95 (#7/#31) > 96 (#6/#31) > 95 (#10 PG)

Honors
2010 First Team All-State (Class 3A, IBCA)
2010 Second Team All-State (Tribune)
2009-10 USA Men's Developmental National Team
2009 First Team All-State (Class 3A, AP)
2009 First Team All-State (Class 3A/4A, IBCA)

Recent Press
4/1: Busy offseason for POY Randle - Quad-Cities Online
1/16: Randle honors cousin's memory in Rocky rout - Quad Cities Online
9/23: Rock Island's Randle busy whittling list - Quad-City Times
8/29: Random Thoughts, Analysis and Musings - Illinois Prep Bullseye
6/13: Doors opening for Chasson Randle - City/Suburban Hoops Report
6/9: 12 Athletes To Represent Nation At Inaugural FIBA Americas U16 Championship - USA Basketball
3/6: Randle leads Rocks to regional title - Quad-City Times
12/31: Class of 2011 Illinois Wolves Stars All Pick Up Big 10 Offers From Wisconsin - ChicagoHoops.com
10/29: Chasson Randle Comments on Wisconsin Visit - MouthpieceSports.com

The Verbal
No verbal commitment

The Hype
Bill Hensley Memorial Run 'N Slam: Day Two - Rivals (5/2/10)
POY Randle unselfish and unmatched - Quad-Cities Online (4/1/10)
Class of 2011 Stars Randle and Egwu named Co-MVPs - ChicagoHoops.com (8/1/09)
Chasson Randle looking toward state berth - GoCyclones.com (3/4/09)
Super soph Chasson Randle is Rock solid - Quad-Cities Online (2/19/09)
The State's Best Big Man Right Now - Illinois Preps Bullseye (12/14/08)
Chasson Randle a top Illini target - IlliniHQ.com (12/11/08)
Player Profile - MidStateHoops.com (2007)

Audio/Video
Highlights/Interview: Daniel Poneman chats with Chasson Randle (4/21/10) - YouTube
Interview: Chasson Randle talks recruiting (4/20/10) - YouTube
Highlights: Meyers Leonard vs. Chasson Randle Sweet Highlights (12/14/09) - YouTube
Highlights: USA Basketball DNT - Chasson Randle (11/4/09) - YouTube
Highlights: Chasson Randle of Illinois Wolves (8/5/09) - YouTube
Highlights/Interview: Shootout At The Hall (12/14/08) - HOI 19
Game: Rock Island 52, Morton 37 @ Rock Island (3/12/09) - QCTimes.tv

Stats
Junior: 2009-10 (Rock Island) - QC Varsity
International: 2009 FIBA Americas U16 Championship - USA Basketball
Sophomore: 2008-09 (Rock Island) - QC Varsity
AAU: Reebok Summer Championships (July 22-26, 2008) - Illinois Wolves U-17

Additional Info
2009-10 Schedule :: Quad City Times

Photos

Blog Poll - Week 3

In a hurry, I skipped right past posting last week's poll and managed to miss this week's deadline I think. That means you probably missed me handing a vote to Arkansas by accident instead of South Carolina, so I felt like I had to include the Gamecocks for one more week to make up for the transgression.

I didn't feel like knocking Oklahoma down since Blake Griffin did not play too much this weekend. And you will notice, I didn't give to much credit to Texas for winning that one either. The Pac-10 hurt themselves this week, while the rest of those teams in the teens and early 20s I feel are getting stronger.

I have high hopes for some traditional power matchups in this year's tournament since the mid-majors appear to be in a down cycle. However, that also means we are bound to see one or two huge upsets, since everyone is writing them off. Gonzaga certainly blasted it's last two opponents, remaining one of only two non-BCS schools (Xavier) that I've place in my Top 25 so far.

Rank	Team
1	Pittsburgh
2	Oklahoma
3	North Carolina
4	Connecticut
5	Michigan St.
6	Villanova
7	Duke
8	Marquette
9	Louisville
10	Memphis
11	Wake Forest
12	Missouri
13	Purdue
14	Arizona St.
15	Kansas
16	Washington
17	UCLA
18	Louisiana St.
19	Florida St.
20	Gonzaga
21	Clemson
22	West Virginia
23	Xavier
24	Illinois
25	South Carolina

Izzo's Green Outmuscles Ryan's Red

The best thing about Wisconsin's 61-50 loss to No. 6 Michigan State was that, as fans, our hearts were not so much ripped out as they were surgically removed.

In front for the entirety of the game, Wisconsin took a 41-29 lead midway through the second half on a Marcus Landry 3-pointer and things were looking peachy keen. Tom Izzo burned a timeout to stop the bleeding and suddenly a resurgent Michigan State squad emerged. The Spartans began to hit the glass like it was their last meal, which was the driving force behind the 32-9 run that Michigan State ended the game on. The Spartans won the rebounding battle, 37-25. [box score]

The Badgers (17-10, 8-7) managed only two field goals in the final 12:30. Read that again and hit the punching bag.

Credit the foes in green-and-white for locking down the Badgers defensively. Wisconsin's utter failure to touch the post on offense down the stretch was the nail in the coffin. The Spartans (21-5, 11-3) also turned the tables on a first-half pattern and forced the red-and-white visitors into sloppy play during the final 10 minutes.

Turnovers were a major storyline as expected. Wisconsin had five steals (Trevon Hughes had three) and forced Michigan State into 10 first-half TOs. But UW committed eight of their 11 TOs after the break, thanks in part to four Travis Walton steals. The result? After pumping out 30 shot attempts in the first 20 minutes, Wisconsin managed only 5-of-18 shooting from the field in the second half. Hughes finished with four steals and four turnovers.

At the same time, Wisconsin compounded matters with other mistakes too. Inside, UW made one silly foul after another to give Michigan State numerous three-point play opportunities. The solemn crowd came alive. Meanwhile, Wisconsin was missing bunnies around the rim again. Joe Krabbenhoft and Tim Jarmusz were two of the guilty parties as I recall. Sorry for jinxing you Joe!

This is where Jon Leuer needs to step up. He's got the biggest frame of the regulars and he should be using it, but he's just not strong enough yet. Landry's struggles against taller, longer players are well-documented. This is where a more seasoned Keaton Nankivil, Jared Berggren or token 7-footer (take your pick) would have come in handy. Ah, pipe dreams ...

As for the post-game festivities, I am a little perturbed. Ryan and Izzo engaged in what appeared to be a friendly moment, proving once and for all the Izzo is one of the sorest losers in the country. When he's on top, he is pumping his fists, fired up and gracious to the losing side. When he's down, Izzo cries like a baby, gets snippy and holds grudges. Is he bi-polar or just friends with Terrell Owens?

Takin' Care of Business

Both the Wisconsin Badgers and your author have been busy handling some business over the last 10 days. Since my last post, Wisconsin has tackled Ohio State in Madison and Indiana at Assembly Hall to continue it's march back up the Big Ten standings.

The Badgers have been able to avoid the letdowns that plagued the middle portion of the season. As a result, Wisconsin is beating those opponents they are expected to beat. The upperclassmen have continued to lead the surge. Marcus Landry did work inside versus Ohio State in a "must win" and paced the team with 18 points while adding seven rebounds. [box score]

Curiously, Thad Matta kept Buckeye big men Dallas Lauderdale and B.J. Mullens on the bench for much longer than necessary after early foul trouble. The duo combined to play only 34 minutes. It was great to see a Badger opponent changing the lineup to respond to UW going small. The Buckeyes were flustered.

Jason Bohannon has played great defense in the last two games, as he has drawn more favorable assignments (pure shooters) in Jon Diebler and Matt Roth. J-Bo's experience is showing. In addition, Trevon Hughes and Joe Krabbenhoft were both superb against Indiana in what turned out to be an easy victory. [box score]

Krabby posted another career-high with 18 points against the Hoosiers and continues to prove that his more aggressive (and competent) offensive repetoire is no fluke. That has probably been the highlight of the season so far for me. I have been critical of Krabbenhoft's offesnive approach over the years. However, in addition to being consistent in a season of ups and downs, Krabby has added reliable 3-point range and a willingness to look for his shot this year. He is now probably one of top five most complete players Wisconsin has ever had.

Next comes a date with the Michigan State Spartans on their home court this afternoon. There's no need to get up in arms over Spartan senior Goran Suton calling Wisconsin "dirty" (it sounds like it was a leading question and a quote with little substance). What I took from Suton's comments was validation of the Wisconsin-Michigan State rivalry:

"I like Michigan more than Wisconsin. That's pretty bad."

Tom Izzo got even more candid with the Detroit Free Press.

This is a very important game for both teams. Michigan State is eager to erase the memory of last season's meltdown in the Big Ten tournament. However, it is an even bigger game for the Badgers. A win would be the defining moment of the season, practically removing memory of the season's six-game losing skid by replacing it with a sixth straight win. It is a tough task, but then, it always has been. And as a Wisconsin fan, you know that every Bo Ryan team has as good a chance as anyone to win in East Lansing, where Northwestern and Penn State have already handed the Spartans home losses.

Traditionally, Michigan State's Achilles' heel has been turnovers. This could bode well for Wisconsin again because the Badger fingers have been a little stickier lately, averaging over six steals/game in the last eight contests while still limiting their own turnovers.



Now it is time to do it again Top Ten competition ... godspeed, Badgers.

Hawkeye Down

Iowa certainly delivered one of the lowest moments of Wisconsin's season in Iowa City, but the Badgers shot down the Hawkeyes for a measure of payback on Wednesday night. Wisconsin's upperclassmen took turns picking apart the Iowa defense, leading to an enjoyable 69-52 win.

Statistically Wisconsin led Iowa in every traditional category, including all three shooting percentage stats. The team was especially effective converting buckets after Iowa turnovers. [box score] And the best part about watching it from the comfort of my own home was that the totally worthless "stand up old people" chant by the student section was barely audible!

In the first half, the junior back court of Jason Bohannon and Trevon Hughes combined for 21 of the team's 36 points on a mercurial 8-of-13 shooting from the field (3-of-4 on treys) and five assists. Hughes finished with 6 assists, 2 steals and only 1 TO. Hard to believe, but the assist total was a career-high for Pop. Bohannon, on the other hand, has now nailed 14-of-19 (73.6%) from 3-point land in the last four games. Keep your fingers crossed for more of that.

After the halftime break, Marcus Landry came to life and Joe Krabbenhoft continued to put in a full day's work. The senior forwards totaled 16 of UW's 33 second-half points. Landry surpassed the 1,000-point plateau for his career, but it was Krabby's aggressiveness on offense that helped subdue any hopes Iowa had of pulling an upset. He finished with a team-high 16 points.

Jon Leuer looked really comfortable working the glass against Iowa's big men and grabbed eight rebounds.

Iowa seems to have uncovered a really nice player in sophomore Jake Kelly. Kelly is extremely quick with the ball; he shook Hughes on a few occasions. His 17 points were the bright spot for Todd Lickliter's crew.

Yesterday, the Wisconsin State Journal had a nice article on the progress made by the fifth upperclassmen in Bo Ryan's rotation: Kevin Gullikson. With the return of Keaton Nankivil, Gully is bound to see a decrease in minutes. However, unless his superior post entry passing ability magically transfers to someone else, Gullikson will still have a place on the floor from time to time.

: : :

I had to chuckle at a few whistles in this game. Two of Jordan Taylor's fouls were complete and utter whiffs by the officials. The first was when one of the Hawkeyes stumbled after getting an offensive rebound and JT just happened to be in the vicinity. The second time, Taylor was playing defense on a drive but did not appear to even touch the player in question. He left the floor amazed that he had to explain himself to Greg Gard.

In Iowa's defense, when Kelly (or was it Gatens?) dove to the floor to save the ball after it was stripped by Krabbenhoft he never hit touched the end line. The referee had a different idea.

Wisconsin's Basketball Rivals

It's "Rivalry Week" according to ESPN. All that really means is that Duke is playing North Carolina this week. Wisconsin happens to be hosting Iowa, a border rival, on Wednesday night.

While I don't put much stock in the Worldwide Leader's labels, I would consider the Hawkeyes decent rivals. Iowa has been within two spots of Wisconsin in the final Big Ten standings six of the last 10 seasons. Though it has not won the regular season Big Ten title in that span, Iowa's program has some history. These two teams have also shared some memorable Big Ten Tournament matches. Yet, despite upsetting Wisconsin earlier this year, Iowa has not been keeping up its end of the deal lately in this rivalry.

Only four teams have accounted for 13 of the 14 Big Ten champions in the last decade -- Illinois (4), Michigan State (3), Ohio State (3) and Wisconsin (3). Indiana was a part of the four-way tie in 2001-02. Because the Badgers have been so successful under Bo Ryan, it has been natural for Wisconsin's games with conference heavyweights like Michigan State and Illinois to take on more meaning to fans and players ... and certain coaches too.

The two biggest ingredients in a rivalry are that the games always matter and the teams are close in proximity. When it comes to conference rivals, I automatically discard five teams (Penn State, Purdue, Indiana, Northwestern and Michigan) which have not sustained the same level of success as UW. These contests simply have not been meaningful as often when you are talking about title chases. Some of these teams also have more natural rivalries of their own due to location.

Even though Wisconsin and Ohio State are two of the stronger programs in the league, Ohio State is just far enough away that any bad blood that develops simmers down in between games. The recruiting turf rarely overlaps and the fan bases do not deal with each other on a day-to-day basis. Conversely, Wisconsin shares its longest border with Minnesota and the Gophers will always be a big rival in most sports, so you have to throw them into the mix for "top rivalry." With the resurgence under Tubby Smith, Minnesota gets the nod over both Iowa and Ohio State. For the foreseeable, this will be a "homecoming" game for the handful of Badgers plucked from Minnesota.

That leaves Illinois and Michigan State. I have said many times that I look forward to the games with Michigan State the most. Since rivalries are based on a lot of emotion anyway, I am sticking with mine. Depending on what course the programs take over the next 10 years, though, I think the Illini are a better bet to remain a long-term rival. Thus, I consider Illinois to be Wisconsin's "Rival 1B". It is interesting to look back on the ebb and flow in the intensity of the competition between the Badgers and some of their Big Ten neighbors.

With that in mind, Marquette has to be considered Wisconsin's number one basketball rival. The public vs. private institution juxtaposition fuels spirited debates that boil over into hatred. Both schools are drawing form the same recruiting base and even have maintained contrasting playing styles lately, which only drives the intense "my dad can beat up your dad" pride on both sides even further. Whether the teams are both nationally ranked or not, this game always matters, at least to people in the state. And it will always be that way. Plus, without a football team, the Marquette community has to hold the annual clash in high regard.

Ranking UW's conference rivalries:
1. Michigan State
2. Illinois
3. Minnesota
4. Iowa
5. Ohio State
6. Purdue
7. Northwestern
8. Michigan
9. Indiana
10. Penn State

CBS Sports Blog Poll

I just submitted by my first set of picks for the basketblog poll hosted by CBSsports.com, which should debut this week.

Even though Illinois beat a weakened Purdue team, I replaced the Illini with the streaking Ohio State Buckeyes. Making the other picks were pretty tough for me this first time, but after finishing, there was no question in my mind that the Big East and the ACC are head and shoulders above the other conferences.

Individual teams that I seem to have a soft spot for this season are Oklahoma (hasn't played anyone in the Big XII yet), Louisville (fun to watch), Villanova (coached by George Clooney) and Missouri (don't ask). Now that Michael Redd (season), Andrew Bogut (2 months+) and Luke Ridnour (month) are all out, I am hoping the Milwaukee Bucks tank the rest of the season for a shot at Blake Griffin. Griffin posterized Colorado all night long this past Friday.

If you think my picks are wack, leave a comment.

Rank	Team
1	Connecticut
2	Oklahoma
3	Pittsburgh
4	North Carolina
5	Duke
6	Xavier
7	Louisville
8	Wake Forest
9	Michigan St.
10	UCLA
11	Villanova
12	Marquette
13	Memphis
14	Kansas
15	Washington
16	Missouri
17	Clemson
18	Butler
19	Miami FL
20	Gonzaga
21	Purdue
22	Florida
23	Minnesota
24	Arizona St.
25	Ohio St.

Ding-Dong, The Streak Is Dead

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow on Monday, predicting six more weeks of winter, but I am calling shenanigans. The "Deep Freeze of 2009" began to thaw tonight as Wisconsin closed out a big home win against Illinois to snap a ridiculous six-game losing skid.

I had a good feeling this week about the Badgers catching a break against the Illini due my reservations about Illinois' guard play. Those hopes were realized in a game where a Badger opponent was finally the one suffering from ice cold shooting. Illinois will have no complaints about the number of open shots it took. With center Mike Tisdale in foul trouble, Illinois had to rely on more outside shooting, which never materialized after a couple of early Demetri McCamey buckets. Illinois sank only 4-of-21 on threes. [box score]

You can attribute some of Illinois' 33% shooting to improved Wisconsin defense. For the most part, Wisconsin did a good job on the perimeter staying in front of penetration. McCamey was able to drive past Joe Krabbenhoft on a number of occasions, but the other Badgers picked up the slack to hold the Illinois sophomore to 12 points -- 13 fewer than he had in the previous meeting.

Wisconsin was impressive in the paint on both ends. With Keaton Nankivil sitting with a sore ankle, Jon Leuer got his first start. He and Marcus Landry combined to score 31 points and grab 12 rebounds. Jason Bohannon's hot start opened up the offense (funny how that works, huh?) so the post men could be aggressive going to the basket. This resulted in more free throw attempts for Wisconsin. More importantly, the Badgers made those bunnies that they worked so hard to get. Easy baskets and defense win games.

Though Wisconsin got pounded on the offensive boards, guys like Leuer, Landry, Krabby and Kevin Gullikson boxed out well so that those rebounds that Illinois did get were not automatically converted into gimmes around the rim.

If you compare the numbers from the Northwestern loss and this win, you realize that college basketball is just an odd thing. And it confirms that defense cannot really be measured, because Wisconsin did not all of sudden solve all of their defensive problems between these two games.




The Badgers shot better from the field and from the free throw line against the Wildcats than they did against the Illini. Wisconsin also outrebounded Northwestern, yet still lost. Really the only two areas where Wisconsin improved versus Illinois were turnovers and fouls.

The biggest bench contributions were Gullikson's post entries and Jordan Taylor's defense. Taylor also hit an important 3-pointer with about 12 minutes left to regain the momentum lost on J-Bo's missed dunk. If you count Tim Jarmusz, Bo Ryan went eight men deep. Rob Wilson saw three minutes and the team finally got to empty the bench again. A very good feeling ...

Big Ten Power Poll: 2/2/09

The weather is still cold in Madison, Wisconsin's win column is still frozen shut and now even more colleagues in the Big Ten are accumulating important wins for their tournament résumés.

While the Badgers are still hostages of the amazing "Deep Freeze of 2009", Penn State's upset over Michigan State means that Wisconsin can now at least claim one win against the Big Ten's top five teams. I never thought I would see UW in the bottom three of the conference with Bo Ryan at the helm, so I guess it's good that there is still half of the conference schedule left to improve.

Ohio State, Michigan, Iowa and Indiana are the remaining teams who have not yet knocked off one of the conference leaders (MSU, Purdue, Minn., Ill., PSU). This has been a rollercoaster year for most teams in the league. As long as Michigan State and Purdue stay the course, I think this bodes well for the league overall ... though you would like to see a third heavyweight emerge, I don't think there is one this year.

The Big Ten has the second-highest conference RPI thanks to the top strength of schedule rating. Conversely, the Big Ten seems pretty locked in at fifth among the big boys (ahead of the SEC) when it comes to Ken Pomeroy's method of ranking conferences by the average rating of their members.

	Rk	Team	Record (Conf)	Poll Avg (Feb. 2)	Pomeroy Rank	Key Wins
	1	Michigan State	17-4 (7-2)	13.5	21	Texas, Ill, @Minn, Kan
^	2	Purdue	17-4 (6-2)	12.5	11	BC, David, @Wis, @Minn
v	3	Illinois	18-4 (6-3)	22	24	Mizzou, OSU, @Purd, Wis
	4	Minnesota	18-3 (6-3)	19	34	L'ville, @Wis, Ill, OSU
	5	Penn State	17-5 (6-3)	30.5	57	@MSU, Mich, Purd
^	6	Ohio State	15-5 (5-4)	42.5	52	@Miami, ND, @Mich
	7	Northwestern	12-7 (4-5)	-	62	Minn, @MSU, Fla. St., Wis
v	8	Wisconsin	12-9 (3-6)	-	42	@VT, @Mich
	9	Michigan	14-8 (4-6)	-	82	UCLA, Duke, Ill
	10	Iowa	12-10 (2-7)	-	84	Iowa St., Wis
	11	Indiana	5-15 (0-8)	-	204	TCU