Michigan handled Indiana on Wednesday night and Michigan State lost a low scoring thriller to Illinois on Tuesday. In that game, Green injured his knee, but he is expected to play on Sunday.

Branden Dawson is heating up for the Spartans with 42 points and 20 boards in his last three games.

This is the time of the year that John Beilein-coached teams start firing on all cylinders. We got a glimpse of it in the opening minutes against Indiana when the Wolverines blitzed the Hoosiers getting out to an early 28-8 lead. Michigan only turned the ball over 6 times against IU and shot 47.8% from the field.

I expect the environment at the Breslin Center to be the angriest and most hostile one the Wolverines encounter all year. That won’t rattle this Michigan team though, not with the leadership of Stu Douglass and Zack Novak combined with the savvy and poise of Trey Burke.

Here is Michigan’s starting 5 with a quick note on each player

Trey Burke: He is simply incredible, as Zack Novak told us a few weeks ago, “I run out of words to describe him.”

Tim Hardaway Jr.: He has been battling through a rough stretch, but appears to be on the verge of a breakout game. This game against MSU would be an ideal forum for that to occur.

Jordan Morgan: The X-factor, as I like to call him. He is really getting into a groove and Michigan plays really well when he is on the court.

Stu Douglass: I’m not sure there is a better defender in the Big Ten. Stu has been an absolute animal on defense.

Zack Novak: He isn’t known as the Chuck Norris of Michigan Basketball for no reason, this guy is a warrior on the court. There isn’t a loose ball out there that he doesn’t consider worthy of launching his body across the floor for.

Check out the Photo Gallery from the Indiana game.

Predictions: So far this season I am 17-6 and Joe is 16-7 predicting the outcome of Michigan games. We both have a hunch that Michigan gets their 4th straight over MSU.

Joe: Michigan 72-65
Rob: Michigan 68-64

You can connect with us on Twitter @isportsRob and @isportsJoe

Romero Osby scores 19 in the Sooner loss (Photo form Soonersports.com)

The Oklahoma Sooners headed into Wednesday night’s matchup aiming for their second consecutive road win against a ranked opponent.  The only problem, in order to achieve that goal, they would need to get through the Kansas Jayhawks, in Phog Allen Fieldhouse, a venue where they’ve fallen victim in the last ten matchups.  So it surprised no one when Kansas came out the victor by the dominating score of 84-62.

The game was very similar to the first meeting between the two conference foes.  Just like in the first game, for much of the first half, the Sooners were right in the hunt.  They were hitting their shots, making defensive stops, and at halftime found themselves down only a point, still with a realistic possibility of winning the game.  However, just like in the first game, all hope that the Sooners clung was aggressively stripped away by a barrage of Jayhawks baskets and dominating physicality in the 2^nd.

Thomas Robinson proved almost unguardable in the Jayhawk onslaught, the Sooners post defensive was but a minor hurdle to him on his way to a beastly 20 point and 17 rebound performance, increasing his National Player of the Year stock.

To be blunt, the Jayhawks were the Sooners’ superior in almost every single category you could possibly fit on a stat sheet.  Though, there was one area the Sooners held an advantage and that was three point percentage.  Oklahoma shot 75% from beyond the arc, which is almost always a recipe for success because it is extremely hard to stop a hot shooting team.  The problem then?  Limited shots.  Despite catching fire near the end of the 2^nd, the Sooners only dialed long range four times the entire game and an abrupt cessation to the long bombs started in the second.  Why the halt when they were doing so well?  It is indeed puzzling, and they might as well have at least tried, as much as they were down, because they certainly weren’t hitting anything else.  Ball control also proved an issue for the Sooners, who were forced by Kansas into 15 miscues tonight.

Among leading scorers for the Sooners were Romero Osby (19), Steven Pledger (17) and Andrew Fitzgerald (14) all of whom combined for 50 of the Sooners 64 points.  Osby has continued to show major progression over the last few games and is developing nicely for the Sooners, he also grabbed seven boards.  He is the Sooner Player of the Game. 

No one else managed to score more than four points for the Sooners, and the disparity in scoring is another reason the Sooners were unable to come out on top tonight.

The Sooners will look to rebound Saturday, when they return home to face the hot Iowa State Cyclones.

Want more Sooner hoops? Follow me on Twitter @ChandlerVessels

Doing their best Arkansas Razorbacks impersonation, Michigan jumped all over Tom Crean’s squad in the early going. The Wolverines started out with leads of 13-0 and 27-8 in a blistering first 12 minutes of action. Indiana regrouped and closed the half on a 14-6 run to stay alive. The second half saw IU claw back into the game and eventually get within 2 points before Michigan stretched it out during the game’s final 3 minutes.

Tim Hardaway, Jr. and Stu Douglass hit clutch 3’s down the stretch to open the lead back up and allow Michigan to seal the game from the free throw line.

Trey Burke

Burke continued his sensational play in what was an indirect showdown between he and Cody Zeller, two of the best freshman in the Big 10. Burke scored 18 on 5 of 9 shooting and added 4 boards, 4 assists, a steal, and a block. Zeller grabbed a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

The Freshman of the Year award will come down to these two young bucks.

Zack Novak and Hardaway scored 13 apiece for Michigan while Douglass dropped 9 and continued his sensational play on the defensive end of the floor.

The key stats to take away from this game were Michigan winning the turnover battled 6 to 14, they also had 7 blocks and steals combined to just 1 for Indiana. The Wolverines outshot the Hoosiers 52% to 43%.

More importantly, Michigan bounced back strong from a frustrating loss in Columbus. The win keeps Michigan directly in the hunt for the Big 10 regular season crown.

Jordan Hulls, a player that you have no choice but to respect, led Indiana with 18 points and 5 assists. He knocked down 4 of 5 from long range. The rest of the Hoosiers managed just 1 for 9 from beyond the arc.

Michigan was able to hold Christian Watford to just 8 points and 3 rebounds. Watford has historically given the Wolverines fits. Verdell Jones III injured his shoulder right before halftime and did not return.

Hardaway continues to struggle from the field as he was just 4 of 14 (29%) on the night and 2 of 8 from deep. The rest of the team picked up the slack and combined to shoot 18 of 32 (56%).

The Big 10 is turning into a conference where winning on the road is a large exception to the norm. Michigan has yet to lose in their own gym this year, going 13-0 thus far.

With 8 games left on the schedule, Michigan will be outside of the friendly confines of the Crisler Center for 5 of them. A team with aspirations of going deep into the NCAA tournament is going to be tested heavily down the stretch.

On tap for Michigan is a Sunday afternoon battle in East Lansing at 1 p.m. eastern. The Spartans have lost 3 in a row in this series and will be out for blood, with or without their injured leader Draymond Green.

Following us on Twitter would behoove you: I’m @isportsJoe and Rob is @isportsRob

“You guys smell something burning?” Roy Williams asked the media as he took his seat for Tuesday’s postgame press conference. He was greeted mostly by blank stares. “Well, we know it wasn’t the nets,” the head coach wryly observed.

Despite the bad shooting both Zeller, 18 points, a career high 18 boards (half of them on the offensive side) and three blocks, making this his 7th straight game with double digits scoring and Henson, 14 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks, got double doubles in the game. In all the team had ten blocks on the night, setting a season high for that category. But maybe what was the best thing for the Heels last night is that Harrison Barnes, who rolled his left ankle in the first half was able to head to the locker room, re-tape it, and come back to play for the rest of the game. This team can ill afford another lost, especially his, if they are going to make a deep run in March/April. After the game coach Williams said that his small forward would get some rest before the team heads to their next game.

“It’s in a lot of pain right now so we’re going to have to see where it is later,” Barnes said.

In the back court even Kendall Marshall did not have a great night by his standards, managing only six assists, while Reggie Bullock once again did have a good game on defense keeping the Demon Deacons’ best shooter under control for most of the night, but the shooting guard was also off when it comes to the offensive side of things. And while we can not blame too much the bench on a night where everyone was off, just three points coming off the pine is not going to help any of the starters get big breathers down the stretch. In all, with the exception of Barnes, all the five starters were in the game for 31 minutes or more, with Marshall topping 35.

While most will see this game and find many, but many, negatives I tend to look at the one positive that most of the fan base has always asked of their team: defense. This team seems to be sold on the fact that by playing it they can be a lot better overall. As Jay Bilas pointed out during the game this team can not score as easily as the 2009 version, as such they need to be able to learn how to be defensive minded as well. In the last three game they seem to have begun to buy into that, which can only make this squad better.

“It was an ugly game, and sometimes you have to win ugly if you’re going to have a great year,’’ UNC coach Roy Williams said.

In the end it was a win, the 19th of the season, the 600th in the conference for UNC, and it was also a test that this team could have failed, but they did not. Now for coach Williams’ squad there will be some time to rest and regroup before going on the road once again to face off against Maryland in four days. After that it’s the rivalry game everyone waits for each season, as North Carolina hosts Duke February 8th. And before I end this post, a small shout out to SCACCHoops for their 60 to 54 simulation of the game. Was not quite there, but it was close enough!

This loss might be the least of the Spartans worries, as Draymond Green, the team leader, leading scorer, and top rebounder, injured his left knee late in the 2nd half and never returned. Green, who spent most of the game in foul trouble, couldn’t put any pressure on his left leg as he hopped off of the court and took a seat at the end of the Spartan bench in agonizing pain.

Their has not been any confirmation on the extent of Green’s injury, but if he wasn’t able to return it would be safe to assume that it’s not looking good for the MSU senior.

This loss is the Spartans 3rd road loss in the Big Ten this season and 3rd loss in the past five games.

Illinois was suffering a three game losing streak before the Spartans entered Assembly Hall. This win also marks the Fighting Illini’s 2nd win against a top 10 team. Before they went on their three game slide, the Fighting Illini defeated the 5th ranked Ohio State Buckeyes at home. Victories against the Spartans and Buckeyes could be enough to put Illionois in the Big Dance come March if they are on the bubble.

The Fighting Illini were lead tonight by junior Brandon Paul who ended the game with 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. Paul was the only double-digit scorer for Illinois, as he continues to prove that he is one of the Big Ten’s best scorers.

Paul had an opportunity to extend the Illinois lead with under 30 seconds left in the game, but failed to convert on 1-and-1s twice.

Derrick Nix had a chance to tie the game for the Spartans with under a minute remaining, but missed wide left on the first free throw attempt.

The inability to make shots for both teams is the reason that this game was so close. The final score resembled that of a high school JV game, and their were times when both teams looked like such.

Illinois shot 32.6% from the field only hitting 15 of 46 shots, and were out rebounded by the Spartans 43 to 30.

MSU shot 24.1% from the field only connecting on 14 of 58 shots.

The Spartans found a way to keep the game close without little help from sophomore point guard Keith Appling and seniors Brandon Wood and Draymond Green who combine to only average 12 points and 11 turnovers.

Michigan State was led once again by the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Week Brandon Dawson, who finished the game with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

This raises the question, why didn’t Dawson take the last shot? I know, I know, you’re thinking who is this nerdy college student to question the great Tom Izzo’s play call on the final shot. But I’m still scratching my head on why Tom Izzo continues to put the game in the hands of his newly transitioned point guard, when it comes time to win the game. Izzo put the ball in the hands’ of Appling at the end of the Michigan game, and the young point guard put up a shot that ended up getting blocked by Jordan Morgan. Appling has struggled in the past two games shooting a horrific 2 for 19 form the field, so why does he have the ball in his hands when it’s time to win?

Dawson on the other hand has had two of the best games of his young career in the Spartans last two outings. The freshman is maturing right before our eyes, and with his big physique and athletic ability there are not many player that can successfully stay in front of him.

Maybe Izzo thinks that Dawson isn’t ready for that type of pressure, but then again, is Appling ready? He has had two chances this season to win the game for the Spartans and has come up empty handed. Appling came into MSU known as a scorer, and there have been times this season where he has been shut down offensively. His jump shot has been inconsistent, and I don’t think he strong enough yet to get to the bucket whenever he wants. I understand that he is only a sophomore, but when he is “on” the team is damn near unstoppable, and when he is struggling offensively the Spartans have a hard time scoring points.

Izzo decided not to get the ball in the hands of Dawson, the only player that was productive tonight, and I think it’s due in major part to the fact that Izzo does not think Dawson is ready. Izzo needs to incorporate Dawson into the offense more because that young man is definitely ahead of his time athletically.

Some teams, like VCU, will not be helped and could be hurt, by playing Northern Iowa. NIU is traditionally a good team and has scored upsets in the Dance…but not this year. A loss to NIU would really hurt VCU, who should make the tournament, but their seeding could be affected.  And there are others…but, that being said, let’s take a brief look at five interesting match-ups…

St. Mary’s (19-2; 10-0 WCC; 22 RPI, 114 SOS) at Murray State (18-0; 9-0 OVC; 35 RPI, 236 SOS):

This is one of the two best games of the bunch. Murray State has a dismal 236 strength of schedule, but is the ONLY unbeaten college in the country. The Gaels are winning the WCC and the Racers are on top in the OVC. This will be their toughest test of the season, as the Gaels are big and good. Both teams have outstanding point guards, and the game could affect seeding for both teams. Since both teams are going to the Big Dance, the only real drama here is to see if Murray State can win.  If the do, they’ll run the table into March.

Long Beach State (14-6; 9-0 Big West; 33 RPI; 69 SOS) at Creighton (20-2; 10-0 MVC; 17 RPI; 105 SOS):

This is the second of the best games scheduled. The 49ers are used to being away from home, so this should not worry them…much. They have already played at Kansas, Louisville, San Diego State, North Carolina, Montana and Pittsburgh. They played in Hawaii at the Diamond Head Classic. They feature star guard Casper Ware. For the Blue Jays, they own the top RPI (17) among the BracketBuster teams. They feature National Player of the Year candidate Doug McDermott. This would be a really nice March Madness match-up…West Coast vs. Midwest. Both teams should make the tournament, and a win here will enhance seeding if we are to believe the BracketBusters mean anything.

Wichita State (17-4; 9-2 MVC; 31 RPI, 75 SOS) at Davidson (14-5; 9-1 SoCon; 67 RPI; 144 SOS):

A return to the Carolinas for Shockers head man Gregg Marshall (formerly head coach at Winthrop University, located in Rock Hill, SC, a short drive south of Davidson). He has his team running and pushing, while the Wildcats like to take their time and play at a more deliberate pace. Davidson (67 RPI) needs to win against a Top-40 RPI team…and Wichita is that team. The SoCon is a good mid-major conference, and Davidson has the goods to win it. On the other hand, Wichita probably needs this win more because they are in a more-competitive conference (Missouri Valley), where they are currently second to Creighton. Both teams have good non-conference wins – Wichita beat UNLV at home and Davidson shocked Kansas in Kansas City, a virtual home game for the Jayhawks.

Nevada (16-3; 7-0 WAC; 59 RPI, 171 SOS) vs. Iona (17-5; 9-2 MAAC, 53 RPI; 142 SOS):

Nevada is unbeaten in the WAC…Iona is tied with Loyola (MD) and Manhattan for first place in the MAAC. Neither team is a lock to make the Big Dance if they don’t win their conference tournament, so you see the importance of getting a win in this one. If Nevada can travel thousands of miles and come away with a victory, it will go a long way in the minds of the selection committee. Expect an up-tempo game from both teams. Neither team has an outstanding non-conference win. Guard play will decide this one as both team’s feature outstanding players at that position. For the Wolf Pack, Deonte Burton averages 15.5 PPG and for the Gaels, Scott Machado averages 13.4 PPG, and has been mentioned as being one of the top four point guards in the nation.

UNC Asheville (13-7; 11-1 Big South; 127 RPI; 213 SOS) at Ohio (16-4; 5-2 MAC; 72 RPI, 187 SOS):

Several people I spoke to over the past few days at Asheville were really hoping to travel over to the Charlotte area to play Davidson. It would have brought Bulldog fans into Davidson’s arena and I think could have been a great place to play. Some of the players said they thought the Dogs would be travelling up to Butler to play at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse, but that was not to be. Instead, Asheville will travel to Athens, OH to play one of the four-best teams in the MAC, the Ohio Bobcats. This should be a good game if you like excellent guard play. Asheville’s dynamic senior guards, Matt Dickey and J.P. Primm, have been living up to pre-season expectations. Over the past two games, they have traded being high-scorers, with Primm (30 vs. High Point) and Dickey (31 vs. Campbell) both setting career-scoring marks. Ohio features D.J. Cooper, who is averaging 14 points a game. A solid, tough Asheville team…road-tested…and ready for anything…will give Ohio a battle. It would be great for Asheville to avenge a last-second loss to Northeastern in last year’s BracketBuster game…a game that did not help them come tournament-seeding time. Maybe this year will be different.

There are many, many other BracketBuster games, with the majority of them being played on Saturday, Feb. 18. Check your ESPN listings, as they are on the family of stations (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3) and try to see if you can find this year’s dark-horse candidate to make a run in the Big Dance!

Even if UNC has a lot better record than Wake does they are just 2-2 on the road this season, while the their opponents are 7-4 at home, which keeps the notion of a let down still a possibility unless the Tar Heels are not on their A (or close to) game tonight. The other factor that does worry me some is that coach Williams’ squad is playing its third game in six nights, which could make them a bit tired. On the other hand, North Carolina is once again going up against a weaker opponent, who can not match up with the NBA like front court that the Heels possess and does not have the ability to keep up with the speed that UNC has. Wake Forest is eleventh in the conference in both rebounding and offensive rebounding, and that does not bode well for them against the line up that Carolina has. Add to that the fact that coach Williams’ squad is now hitting well from the outside and play good defense and the worries that some might have, including me, should be dismissed.

As usual the Heels will focus on going inside first, to either Tyler Zeller or John Henson, and then start their offensive set from there. Both of the bigs on this team are capable of double double any games, and Harrison Barnes is always ready to go off for 20+ points per game, both from the outside and the inside. The backcourt, comprised of Kendall Marshall, who can dish out double digit assists, and Reggie Bullock, who is scoring well and also playing good defense, has also been playing well and is opening up the paint for the duo on the blocks. The one thing left for this squad to be ready for a deep run in the post season is the bench being able to give the same output as the starters when on the court. In the last game James McAdoo took a step towards that as well as P.J. Hairston, if they keep it up as the top two reserves, it will go a long way for this team. Also, the advancement of both Justin Watts and Stilman White as the ones replacing Marshall for a couple of minutes per half is going to be something to watch, as I am sure sooner or later the coaching staff will pick one or the other to do so on a permanent basis.

The Las Vegas insiders think that UNC is a 16 point favorite in this one. I will say that once again that is just a bit high, as Carolina will win by a dozen, just like their last outing, with the final being 84 to 72. ESPN’s AccuScore has them winning by 13, with the final being 82.1 to 69, while the web site SCACCHoops sees the Heels as a 60 to 54 winner.

Michigan lost on Sunday to Ohio State and that caused some fans to sound the alarm. It’s important to keep that loss in perspective. Ohio State has now won 38 straight home games and is arguably the best team in the country, led by one of the best players in the country.

Michigan has played 3 of the top 5 teams in the kenpom.com rankings (Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Michigan State). They are 2-1 in those 3 games which is not too shabby. Four of Michigan’s 6 losses come against teams ranked in the top 17 at kenpom (1. Ohio State, 10. Indiana, 13. Duke, 17. Virginia).

Michigan lost at Indiana earlier this season. It was game they fell way behind in, then stormed back and lost by 2 points. After going 12-0 in their non-conference schedule, IU has come back to earth in Big Ten play. They are giving up a lot of points on defense (73 per game which is good for 11th in the B1G) and allowing teams to shoot at a 47% clip from the field. Tom Crean’s squad also ranks last in the Big Ten in turnover margin.

After each of Michigan’s previous 5 losses this season they have won the next game. This tilt with Indiana will be played at Crisler Center (yes it is now called Crisler Center) where the Wolverines are 12-0 this season.

Tim Hardaway Jr.

Tim Hardaway Jr. has started to perk up. Against Purdue and Ohio State, Hardaway Jr. connected on 13-of-27 shots for a combined 34 points. That is good news for Michigan and bad news for the rest of the Big Ten.

I’ve been saying it for much of the season and I’ll keep saying it, Jordan Morgan is the X-factor for the Wolverines. Michigan struggled when he spent 17 minutes on the bench with foul trouble at Ohio State. When he sat in the 2nd half at Purdue, the Boilers stormed back to take the lead. When he came back in, Michigan regained control of the game. He is a backboard rattling, rebound corralling, beast. J-Mo ranks 2nd in the conference in field goal percentage (64.7) and 9th in rebounding (5.6). He will be a handful for the Hoosiers and should bring the house down with a few of his thunder-dunks.

Trey Burke will face his only competition for Big Ten Freshman of the Year in the form of Indiana’s Cody Zeller. Burke has been tremendous and is a huge reason that Michigan has been ranked all season. He is averaging 14.1 points per game and ranks 2nd in the B1G in assists (5.0 apg).

Sadly for senior leaders Stu Douglass and Zack Novak this is one of just 4 games they have left to play at Crisler. The contributions they have made to the program cannot be defined by stats or records. Although they have both made their mark on the school’s all-time three-point list and are battling it out for final positioning.

Predictions: So far this season I am 16-6 and Joe is 15-7 predicting the outcome of Michigan games. My unwavering belief in this team caused me to incorrectly pick a win at Ohio State on Sunday. Joe took the more level-headed approach in that game and accurately projected a Buckeye win. We both believe Michigan will defeat Indiana.

Joe: Michigan 71-66
Rob: Michigan 76-69

Don’t forget to vote for Zack Novak for the Lowe’s Senior Class Award

You can connect with us on Twitter @isportsRob and @isportsJoe

I know, I know, he took his 2004-2005 team to the national title game, and lost to a very good North Carolina team.  The problem is that he did not recruit any of those players; Deron Williams, Luther Head and Dee Brown were all upper-classmen brought on board by Bill Self.  That was a great team that made it far because of its talent, not coaching.

Illinois has lost double-digit games in each of their last five seasons, and have won a grand total of one tournament game.  They missed the NCAA’s twice in that time-frame.  Weber’s success has been limited as coach, and as long as he is in charge no one will be popping Champagne in Champaign.

This year is not much different.  Illinois had a pretty good non-conference season, but is now on a three game losing streak.  They sit at 15-6 (4-4); given the strength of the Big 10 and the softness of this year’s bubble, I would be floored if they missed the NCAA tournament.  However, another seven-ish seed and first weekend loss appears to be in the cards.  Get used to it Illini fans. Bruce Weber is like the NBA team that finishes around .500 each year, sneaks into the playoffs, and never gets a high lottery pick; mediocrity becomes the status quo.  He does just enough to keep his job every year, which means this program isn’t likely to vault to another level.

However, Assembly Hall can still be tough to play at.  MSU has lost their last two contests there, and four of their last six.  Illinois beat OSU there earlier this year, albeit on a crazy shooting night by Brandon Paul that defines the word ‘outlier’ in a statistical sense. Wisconsin won at Illinois on January 22nd.

Adreian Payne has the highest ceiling of any Michigan State player from a raw talent standpoint.  He needs to tap into it Tuesday night.

Over the last four games, AP has averaged only 16.8 minutes-per-game.  If MSU is gonna grab a win in Champaign, he needs to give 20+ quality minutes.

Point guard Brandon Paul may lead the Illini in scoring, but the team’s most dangerous weapon is center Meyers Leonard.  He is immature and overreacts to ‘bad’ calls, but man is he talented.  It is his lanky seven foot frame, as well as his impressive mobility and coordination, that has him shooting up NBA draft boards everywhere.

Last year, the Illini had talented senior big men Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale clogging up the middle.  Leonard only played eight minutes-per-game and didn’t stand out.  This season, he has made quite the leap.  He is averaging 13.4 points, eight rebounds and two blocks-per-game, all while shooting over 57% from the field.  He is coming off of back-to-back double-doubles, and his confidence seems to be growing by the game.

The best match-up MSU has for him is Adreian Payne.  Derrick Nix is playing great ball, but Leonard’s lateral quickness and ability to step out to the perimeter makes Payne a better defensive option for MSU.

As I mentioned earlier, Paul is the leading scorer for Illinois.  He is shooting 38.9% from the field, 33% from three, and has an assist-to-turnover ratio of .91.  If you take away his outburst against OSU, he is shooting 36.7% from the field and 27.9% from three.  He is terribly inefficient, and not a guy you want to be your #1 option.

His backcourt partner D.J. Richardson is a lanky two-guard who can do a lot of things.  He leads the Illini in minutes, averages 12.5 ppg and is a good, lanky defender.  Sam Maniscalco is a solid glue guy.  He transferred to Illinois and was able to play right away based on the same rule Brandon Wood took advantage of.  He provides good leadership and intangibles.

Other than Leonard, Illinois is a little short on size.  They play a lot of smaller lineups, so not having Travis Trice could hurt MSU.  Look for my boy Brandan Kearney to step in and play some big minutes, both a point guard and shooting guard.  This is a great opportunity for him to show what he can do and earn more clock the rest of the season.

The only person that really scares me on Illinois is Leonard.  They are not a good three-point shooting team, Paul is inefficient, and although I like Richardson’s and Maniscalco’s games, they aren’t great scorers.  The Illini are a good defensive team who can protect the rim and rebound.  MSU is slightly better than them in those areas, and vastly superior in most other aspects of the game.  Keep Leonard in check, and the Spartans should be able to grab a quality road W.

My prediction – MSU 66 Illinois 62

You can follow me on twitter @steve_miller04

The Heels ended the night hitting 10 out of 16 “trifectas” in this game, putting away, at least for this game, my worry that this team needs to improve in that area. But before anyone thinks that this is going to be the norm let’s remember that UNC had not hit more than five threes this season in any game. On the other hand the free throws are still a concern as UNC only hit 68% (17 for 25), with the starters being even worst with a 63.6% (14 for 22). Back to the positives, in this game the bench scored 22 points, led by freshman James McAdoo with nine and six boards, who played as well as he has all season in this game, and P.J. Hairston’s eight. Both of these players must contribute off the bench each night for this squad to go deep into March Madness. Senior Justin Watts and freshman Stilman White gave floor general Kendall Marshall breathers and both played well, and allowing the sophomore, who had seven points and 12 assists, to having to play just 31 minutes.

“I think middle school was the last time,” Marshall said in reply to when was the last time he opened a game with a made 3-pointer. “It got my confidence going. I think if I’m hitting that shot I’m helping my team out.”

The front court for North Carolina did an outstanding job as the trio combined for 53 points led by Harrison Barnes’ 23, who has been the Heels’ top scorer 12 in games this season. The sophomore also played a great defensive game as he and Reggie Bullock kept Georgia Tech’s top threat, Glen Rice Jr., scoreless in the first half and with just four points for the game. Tyler Zeller, who earned Tar Heel Performer of the Week honors thanks to his two performances last week, and John Henson keep playing great in the paint, finding each other for easy buckets and showing that the chemistry between them is growing with each game they play. For anyone that watched this game it was evident that UNC had the game under control early on and kept focus for about 35 minutes, or until the substitutions became a bit more liberal from coach Williams.

“When you’re playing with that point cushion you just got to learn how to put the hammer down sometimes,” Marshall said. “That’s a part of our game where we’re still growing as a team.”

In the end the team seems to be playing well, and the loss of Dexter Strickland is not being as much as some might have expected. The team will play once again tonight, on the road against Wake Forest, with tip off being at 9:00 p.m. EST (look for the preview this afternoon) in what will be the third game in six days for the coach Williams and his team.

Top 25

Photo Spruce Derden-US PRESSWIRE

1. Kentucky (21-1)
2. Ohio State (19-3)
3. Syracuse (22-1)
4. Missouri (19-2)
5. North Carolina (18-3)
6. Kansas (17-4)
7. Baylor (19-2)
8. Duke (18-3)
9. Michigan State (17-4)
10. Creighton (20-2)
11. UNLV (20-3)
12. Virginia (17-3)
13. Georgetown (16-4)
14. St. Mary’s (21-2)
15. Murray State (21-0)
16. San Diego State (18-3)
17. Wisconsin (17-5)
18. Florida (17-4)
19. Michigan (16-6)
20. Marquette (18-4)
21. Indiana (17-5)
22. Kansas State (15-5)
23. Mississippi State (17-5)
24. Florida State (14-6)
25. Gonzaga (17-3)

In: Gonzaga
Out: Connecticut

Top 12 Players

Photo Todd White - isportsweb

1. Thomas Robinson (Junior) Kansas: 17.5 ppg and 11.8 rpg
2. Doug McDermott (Sophomore) Creighton: 23.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg, and 50% 3FG%
3. Jared Sullinger (Sophomore) Ohio State: 17.1 ppg and 9.1 rpg
4. Anthony Davis (Freshman) Kentucky: 13.3 ppg, 10.3 rpg, and 4.7 bpg
5. John Henson (Junior) North Carolina: 14.2 ppg and 9.9 rpg
6. Marcus Denmon (Senior) Missouri: 17.7 ppg and 5.3 rpg
7. Kevin Jones (Senior) West Virginia: 20.9 ppg and 11.4 rpg
8. Draymond Green (Senior) Michigan State: 15.3 ppg, 10.4 rpg, and 3.7 apg
9. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Freshman) Kentucky: 12.7 ppg and 7.6 rpg
10. Harrison Barnes (Sophomore): North Carolina: 17.5 ppg and 4.6 rpg
11. Isaiah Canaan (Junior) Murray State: 18.7 ppg, 3.8 apg, and 3.1 rpg
12. Tu Holloway (Senior) Xavier: 16.1 ppg, 5.6 apg, and 3.1 rpg

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