Firstly, kudos to Villanova and Kansas for impressive road triumphs on Monday night. Both demonstrated their class in very challenging spots. Good stuff.

Conference Table

The outcome of Tuesday night’s Big 10 battles will weigh heavily on the league’s final order of finish. Michigan State will entertain Purdue at the Breslin Center, and Wisconsin will face off against Illinois in Madison. Currently there are five teams separated by 1.5 games in the standings with a multitude of heads up confrontations remaining. Let’s delve deeper into the conference’s top contenders:

Michigan State Spartans- 19-5, 8-2 B10 (RPI 14, SOS 31) The injury to point guard, and team leader, Kalin Lucas has loomed large for MSU. The team is now 0-2 without their orchestrator, suffering back to back road losses to conference rivals Wisconsin and Illinois. Depth at the PG position is non-existent for the Spartans, who will likely be without Lucas’ services once again Tuesday night. They will need to rebound and defend at maximum capacity, as offensive execution and ball movement have been shaky without Lucas at the controls. Forward’s Draymond Green and Raymar Morgan will need to step up and use their muscle inside. The Spartans key out of conference win came versus Gonzaga on their home floor.

Wisconsin Badgers- 18-5, 8-3 B10 (RPI 9, SOS 12) While not always aesthetically pleasing, Wisconsin usually finds a way to come out on top. Bo Ryan and the Badgers possess an indefinable quality- a quality that leads to W’s. There are no questions about team identity on the defensive side of the ball and they run their offensive sets as well as any team in the country. Sophomore point guard Jordan Taylor has run the show masterfully, with a 3.6 assist/turnover ratio. Forward Jon Leuer suffered a wrist injury (out indefinitely) in early January, but the team has not skipped a beat. However, in the long run, the Badgers will miss Leuer’s post skills. They rely to heavily on the three point shot and lack creators. Wisconsin has impressive out of conference victories over Maryland in Maui and Duke at home.

Ohio State Buckeyes- 16-8, 8-3 B10 (RPI 38, SOS 79) Since do-everything guard Evan Turner’s return from injury, the Buckeyes have played inspired ball winning eight of ten. Amazingly, Turner has played better than ever since recovering from broken bones in his back. He is without a doubt a frontrunner for the Wooden Award. Joining Turner in the backcourt are three point gunner Jon Diebler and electric scorer William Buford, forming one of the most explosive groups in the country. Ohio State’s aggressive 1-3-1 zone gives opponents all kinds of problems and leads to a convincing edge in points off turnovers. A lack of quality depth will be this team’s Achilles heel. The Buckeyes have a showdown with Illinois in Columbus on Sunday the 14th. Their resume is padded with out of conference wins over Cal at MSG and Florida State at home.

Illinois Fighting Illini- 16-8, 8-3 B10 (RPI 72, SOS 80) The Illini notched a massive win over Michigan State on Saturday evening, pulling within a single game of the conference leader. Combo guard Demetri McCamey has taken this young team on his broad shoulders. They look to McCamey in all late clock situations to either knock down a clutch trey or to create for teammates. The Fighting Illini have a pair of bigs who prefer to take their games outside on the perimeter in Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale. Both are automatic from mid-range, but are soft around the bucket. Illinois gets significant backcourt minutes from two freshmen, but both have shown maturity. A road game at Wisconsin and home bout versus Ohio State will surely test their mettle. Illinois has stellar non-conference wins at Clemson and home vs. Vanderbilt.

Purdue Boilermakers- 19-3, 7-3 B10 (RPI 11, SOS 41) After losing three straight in conference play, Purdue has stepped up winning five in succession. Head Coach Matt Painter has his Boilers playing their patented hardnosed, in your face man-to-man defense. Senior guard Chris Kramer’s relentless play epitomizes Purdue’s style. In E’Twaun Moore, Robbie Hummel and JaJuan Johnson, the Boilermakers can also boast three experienced offensive weapons. Albeit, at 6’10 215 pounds, Johnson is built like a toothpick and often struggles against strength inside. Purdue will visit Kalin Lucasless Michigan State on Tuesday night with a great opportunity for a road win and a chance to leap up the standings. The Boilers sport influential out of conference victories over Tennessee on the Virgin Islands and at home over West Virginia.

The Outsiders: Minnesota Golden Gophers- 14-8, 5-5 B10 (RPI 61, SOS 45)

Northwestern Wildcats- 16-7, 5-6 B10 (RPI 66, SOS 71)

Marquee Matchups for Tuesday

7 PM EST Virginia Commonwealth @ George Mason- Important contest between two perennial CAA powerhouses. Red hot VCU and Larry Sanders have won 4 in a row including a decisive victory over Old Dominion on Saturday. They will face a tough challenge against a young, but talented George Mason squad. Edge to the Patriots with some home cooking (10-1) coming off back to back road defeats at Georgia State and Drexel.

7 PM EST Tennessee @ Vanderbilt- Battle of 6-2 teams in the SEC East Division, both a game behind conference leading Kentucky. Vanderbilt is coming off a tough loss at cellar dweller Georgia after leading at halftime. Expect an awesome matchup at the SF position between the Vols Scotty Hopson and the Commodores Jeffery Taylor. Edge to Vanderbilt with their size, depth and unusual home court advantage. Note: Tennessee center Brian Williams has been reinstated and could play a major role containing 'Dore big A.J. Oglivy.