By Marc ZarefskyThe Daily Northwestern
The battle between Ohio State and Wisconsin on Sunday lived up to its hype, as the Buckeyes outlasted the Badgers 49-48 in the first-ever meeting between No. 1 and No. 2 nationally ranked teams from the Big Ten.
With the win, not only did Ohio State lock-up No. 1 in both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN coaches poll, it also wrapped up the 2007 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Championship.
“We’re all very fortunate to have the kids that we have, which is a tribute to Ohio State and what this university offers,” Ohio State coach Thad Matta said. “It’s a blessing to be a part of it.”
The Buckeyes also won the men’s basketball championship last year, and were a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament before falling in the second round to seventh-seeded Georgetown.
“Winning a conference championship in any sport, people don’t truly understand how hard that is to do,” Matta said. “To have it for two straight years is really, really amazing.”
COACHING STRUGGLES
Illinois coach Bruce Weber could use a day off.
The Fighting Illini’s season has been marred with distractions on and off the court. From injuries to Brian Randall and Chester Frazier to the DUI charges handed down to Rich McBride and Jamar Smith, Weber has dealt with a litany of issues in a short amount of time.
Add to that the long-standing debate over the appropriateness of the team’s mascot, Chief Illiniwek, who danced at his last home game Wednesday, and the broken promise of prize recruit Eric Gordon, who spurned the Illini for Indiana, and it’s a wonder how Weber has kept the team composed.
“It’s obviously been difficult,” Weber said. “We’ve been through so much and had to deal with many ups and downs, it’s brought us a little bit together as a team. It’s also built some toughness within the team, and I didn’t know if we had that at the beginning (of the season).”
Despite the wide range of drama they’ve faced, the Fighting Illini (21-9, 9-6) appear poised to be dancing in March in the NCAA Tournament.
“With the distractions of some off-the-court incidents, you take that on top of injuries and it is very tough to go out and win basketball games there, and he’s been able to do that,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “This is probably his best coaching job since he’s been at Illinois.”
SPARTANS STREAKING
After losing four straight games, Michigan State is riding a four-game winning streak and developing momentum heading into the conference tournament and what could be the school’s 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament.
The Spartans knocked off then-No. 1 Wisconsin in East Lansing, Mich., last Tuesday, and then to show the win was not a fluke, came back at home from a dismal first-half performance against Indiana to beat the Hoosiers 66-58 on Saturday.
With fewer than five minutes remaining in the first half against Indiana, the Spartans had more turnovers (13) than shot attempts (12). Michigan State trailed by 12 at one point in the first half, and finished with a season-high 23 turnovers, including eight from Drew Neitzel.
Trailing 30-20 at halftime, the Spartans bounced back with 46 points in the second half, led by Neitzel, who scored 15 of his 17 points after the intermission. That performance, along with his game-high 28 points against Wisconsin, earned the junior guard player of the week accolades along with Ohio State freshman Greg Oden.
Reach Marc Zarefsky at [email protected].
