Just yesterday, some idiotic Geek (me) speculated that Northwestern had staked claim to being the sixth-best team in the conference, and that no more than six Big Teams were likely to make the NCAA Tournament. I'm used to being wrong, but it usually takes more than 24 hours for it to surface. Last night, Minnesota showed that they are in this discussion for the long haul with a sizzling 70-67 win over Purdue.

This game started with both teams knocking down shot after shot--Minnesota mostly from the paint, and Purdue mostly from midrange. JaJuan Johnson had a fantastic shooting night, hitting consistently from distance, usually with a Gopher's arm nearby. It seemed like Minnesota was defending well, but Purdue was making an unusually high percentage of midrange jumpers. Minnesota's early play was remarkable for how well their guards handled Purdue's pressure. Some of it was a concerted effort to push the ball before Purdue's defense could set up, and it was working beautifully. The Gophers turned it over only twice in the first half and went into the break with a 41-40 lead.

The second half brought more of the same for Minnesota--steady ballhandling and high-percentage shooting--but Purdue went cold. After intermission, the Boilermakers shot just 36 percent on twos and 17 percent on threes. A perfect performance at the foul line helped keep Purdue close during their struggles, including a surprising 6 of 6 from Lewis Jackson (61 percent coming in), but in the end it wasn't enough. JaJuan Johnson finished with 29 points (21 shots) and 11 rebounds, a great performance against an NBA-sized front line. Jackson continued his fine play of late with 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. E'Twaun Moore struggled mightily, scoring just 5 points on 14 shots, and Ryne Smith showed that he is human after all (1 for 4 from three, mostly well contested).

Some people will see this result and think it confirms the idea that Purdue can't beat a good team without both of its stars performing well, but I don't buy that premise here. Even without Moore scoring, Purdue's offense was very good (1.16 points per possession). The problem was Purdue's normally stingy defense, which inexplicably allowed Minnesota to score 1.21 points per possession. For some perspective, Purdue's previous worst came against Northwestern (1.05 ppp), so this blows that one out of the water. This was just the third time all season that the Boilers allowed over a point per trip. There's a decent chance that nobody else will score at this level against Purdue, and that's the real reason the Gophers won.

Blake Hoffarber was sensational, scoring 26 points on just 15 shots. With Ryne Smith guarding him, he was nearly automatic, showing the Purdue junior what he can aspire to become. Hoffarber went 4 of 6 from three, but he scored at all three levels. Early in the second half, Terone Johnson was sent in to guard The Hoff, seemingly with the instructions to not allow him an open perimeter look at all costs. Johnson did a good job, forcing a couple contested misses, but he also got beat off the dribble for a layup. Hoffarber has turned into such a complete player his senior season, and Minnesota can beat anyone when he plays like he did last night. His backcourt mate, Al Nolen, also had a fantastic game with 13 points and 8 assists against just 1 turnover.

This one game doesn't change the outlook much for Purdue--the numbers still say they are the Big Ten's second-best team and a Final Four contender. It will, however, be interesting to see how this team performs as they get into this meatier part of their schedule, as things don't get any easier with a Sunday visit to West Virginia.

For Minnesota, this one game does change their outlook. This result gives them a much better shot at a 9 or 10 win season, and it could end up being the signature win that pushes them from the bubble into the Tournament. The Gophers are clearly in the hunt, despite what some Geek said yesterday.

This weekend brings a full slate of Big Ten action. On Saturday, it's a quadruple-header on the Big Ten Network, starting at noon CT. On Sunday, we get the Big Ten's last important nonconference game, the aforementioned Purdue at West Virginia clash (12:30pm CT, CBS). Capping off the weekend will be the Sunday 5pm CT start of Iowa at Minnesota (Big Ten Network). Should be a great weekend of hoops.

- Posted by Mike Portscheller