How the mighty have fallen.
With two of the top three preseason Big Ten favorites at or below .500 in the conference, the focus has shifted from Iowa and Illinois to Indiana and Ohio State.
The Buckeyes (16-3, 7-1 Big Ten) took a big step toward claiming a Big Ten title Tuesday night when they defeated No. 12 Illinois 78-67 in Columbus, Ohio.
Before the game, Illinois coach Bill Self called the matchup “almost a must-win.”
But the Illini (15-6, 4-4) weren’t able to grab the road victory, as the Buckeyes’ Brent Darby scored 22 points to Frank Williams’ 16.
Indiana head coach Mike Davis said he was surprised at the success both his Hoosiers and the Buckeyes have had this season.
Ohio State was the last undefeated team in the Big Ten before falling to Minnesota on Saturday. But the team still leads the conference in wins.
While Davis wasn’t expecting the Buckeyes’ success, some of his peers aren’t that shocked. Coaches around the league have known about Ohio State from the start.
Count Purdue coach Gene Keady among the converted: The Buckeyes beat his Boilermakers 79-71 on Jan. 2.
BIG MAN ON CAMPUS: Indiana’s Jared Jeffries is no longer a freshman, and this season he has matured into one of the top players in the nation.
The reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year is third in the league in scoring at 17.4 points per game, second in rebounding at 7.8, fifth in steals with 1.95 and 10th in blocks with 1.21.
The sophomore is on the short list for the Big Ten player of the year – or at least his coach says so.
“I think Jared Jeffries is the best player in the Big Ten,” Davis said. “By him establishing himself offensively and defensively, he is really helping the guys around (him).”
Jeffries poured in a career high 28 points against Notre Dame earlier this season.
Jeffries was named the player of the week for Jan. 21, the third time he has been so honored.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: Dick Vitale would be proud of Michigan State.
While the perennial powerhouse is struggling this season, it has two of the top four freshman scorers in the Big Ten – “diaper dandies” Chris Hill and Kelvin Torbert.
Hill, at 11.6 points per game, and Torbert, at 10.2, have had to take on responsibility for the team after it lost four starters from last season.
“I’ve been very pleased with the development of our young players,” Spartans’ coach Tom Izzo said. “I’ve saddled them with an insurmountable task to not only win games in the Big Ten and our tough nonconference schedule, but also to do it with very little experience to lead them.”
And it’s just getting worse for Michigan State.
The Spartans (11-8, 2-4) lost Adam Wolfe in a Jan. 19 victory over Penn State.
The sophomore suffered a torn right hamstring and will miss the rest of the season. Before the injury, Wolfe was averaging 9.4 points per game.
TRUTH BE TOLD: Former Minnesota head coach Clem Haskins has filed legal motions against the university to counter the school’s lawsuit against him.
Haskins’ contract was bought out for $1.5 million in 1999 amid allegations that the coach had paid for course work for more than 20 players in the 1990s.
Minnesota is suing Haskins for more than $1 million of the contract, saying the former coach lied to obtain the money.
The new documents allege that Minnesota knew about the scandal before the buy-out. A trial date is set for April 22.
