Hoopraker

On Sunday the Buckeyes humbled what had appeared over the course of the conference slate and the previous three days to be a worthy if not equal foil. The Badgers of January, belying the deceptively close final score, soundly beat the Buckeyes at the Kohl Center. Two weeks ago, it took a front end miss by Kammron Taylor and a suspect no-call in Columbus to keep them from the season sweep. The Badgers of Friday sent a rapidly maturing, tournament ready Michigan State team to the showers with a double digit loss. And Saturday saw them exploiting every inch of the Illini team’s inadequacies en route to another thorough whipping. (more…)

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Sequestered in the United Center, winter has parted in earnest and a March spring has emerged in the Midwest. After nine games in three days, four salted pretzels, three bags of Twizzlers, and two tired performances of Quick Change, one big game remains. We’ve come to know our concession stand workers by first name (thanks for the refill JoAnn) and most of the people in Section 122 have become more familiar than mere faces in a crowd. On Day Four, we’ll bear witness to a game where two top 5 teams will battle for a Big Ten Trophy and NCAA Seeding.  At the conclusion of the Ohio State Wisconsin game, it’s possible we’ll have seen two Number 1 seeds and a National Champion in waiting. (more…)

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The ridiculous talent level of the Buckeyes often forgives their casual, almost bored approach to the game as it did Friday, but it may not be quite so profitable beginning today against Purdue or next week in the big brackets. If Penn State, as Matta asserted a few weeks ago is one the best bad teams in the country, then his Buckeyes are among the worst good teams. (more…)

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Today’s menu at the house Jordan built and Jerry Reinsdorf cost-cutted into architectural banality is a feast for every fan. For the fan who likes his teams ranked number one in the country and wearing corporate logoed spandex tops and pantaloons, there are the Ohio State Buckeyes. For the fan who enjoys watching a former golden boy player turned coach fret and sweat over his job security, there is Amaker and his Wolverine product line. For the fan who appreciates a coach who has transformed a team that had a single digit win total to a squad one win away from this year’s NCAA tournament, there is Purdue. For those appreciative of Big Ten seniors reaping the benefits of four years of development, take Adam Haluska and his Hawkeyes. And those are just the appetizers. (more…)

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Amid the tepid base of fan support in the United Center on Thursday afternoon, Michigan, Michigan State and Illinois all churned out needed wins. Aside from the import of the victories, at least one cogent thought can be garnered from Day 1 (other than the importance of ensuring your car windows are closed before you walk away from a Southside parking lot): if Northwestern, Minnesota and Penn State are the worst teams the Conference has to offer, the Big Ten is on the cusp of being top to bottom competitive. (more…)

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The Hoopraker charter was in Chicago airspace before the sun this morning. Oblivious to the ice blue lake below and the crisp skyline, we were already eagerly anticipating today’s tournament slate. For the next four days our home office is 1901 West Madison, Chicago. Look for our firsthand accounts of the weekend’s play. (more…)

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