Last week, Ohio State (17-5, 7-4) faced a challenge of playing two ranked teams back-to-back and they nailed it. In the process, a basketball smart sophomore from Chicago named Evan Turner put Ohio State on his back and, en route, garnered the mantle of the Big Ten’s best for the second straight week. Barring a collapse of epic proportions, Ohio State has earned its seat at the table for the March Dance.  After a much-needed week off, Turner and the Buckeyes head to Dane County to take on Bo Ryan and his resurgent Badgers (15-9, 6-6) this Saturday. (more…)

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Come February in a conference as competitive as the Big Ten, the passion for the game oozes off the chins of players and coaches thick as tobacco juice.  Show up in another time zone and you’ll get drilled as Minnesota was against the Spartans.  Show up with less than your full arsenal of players and you run the risk Purdue ran against Ohio State.  There are no easy marks, definitely not Northwestern or Penn State. Not even Indiana, which finally finished a game by knocking off Iowa. It’s a great time to be a Big Ten fan. (more…)

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The train you hear rolling down the track is the biggest week in Ohio State’s (15-5, 5-4) season. On Tuesday night, Purdue (17-4, 6-2), winner of six straight steams into Value City Arena and on Saturday night the Buckeyes play Minnesota (18-3, 6-3). Win both and the Buckeyes earn their place at the bar with the Big Ten’s upper tier.  Two losses, however, and the Buckeyes find themselves knee deep. (more…)

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We’ve watched for the better part of five seasons as Thad Matta recalibrated Ohio State basketball.  With spacing on offense at times reminiscent of Duke and a defense evoking shades of North Carolina, Matta has stockpiled a string of 20+ win seasons.  But, deep into his tenure, the Buckeyes still lack discipline on the offensive end and chemistry all around.  The soothsayers point to gaudy winning percentages and a series of highly regarded recruiting classes as testament to Matta’s genius.  Fair enough, but Hoopraker remains unimpressed.  (more…)

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After blowing a home game against Ohio State this weekend, Michigan (13-5) heads into State College tonight to play Penn State (14-5). Both teams are tied at 3-3 in Conference and with February games looming against the top tier of the Big Ten, Penn State needs to protect the Bryce Jordan Center, which will be hopefully stuffed with Lions. Illinois, on the heels of a hard-fought loss to Michigan State, hosts Ohio State in yet another critical, tough game. (more…)

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Six games into the Conference season, here’s an indiscriminate collection of players we enjoy watching without sole regard to their individual numbers.  Some are stars, some will be stars, some are glue.  All make their teams better, which at the end of the day is all that really matters. (more…)

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Ohio State escaped Louis Orr’s Bowling Green team 61-57 on Monday night in Columbus.  They played poor perimeter defense against players named Jakubowski and Clements and, most glaringly, they demonstrated a desperate need for a replacement to Jamar Butler at the point. (more…)

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With a belly full of prime beef lathered with Roquefort cheese and washed down by a crisp Old Speckled Hen from the Spotted Pig, Hoopraker will witness the season begin in earnest for Purdue tonight in Madison Square Garden against Boston College, the red-headed step-child of the ACC.  After Wisconsin was rudely awakened to the reality of competitive basketball by UConn, the Big Ten looks to its premier team to Boiler Up. (more…)

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