There was something in the Illinois air last night, as both Big Ten schools from the Land of Lincoln dropped big-time offensive performances on their visitors from the northeast. First, the Illinois Fighting Illini got back to their shot-burying ways in a 71-62 triumph over Michigan State. The Illinois offense was a thing of beauty for much of the first half, as the Illini used sharp cuts and great ball movement to get open looks and dunks. It was a familiar script for Bruce Weber's team, as they shot lights-out (73.1 effective field goal percentage), turned it over a little too much, and did almost nothing on the offensive glass or foul line. Still, when the shots are falling, it's a formula that works: even with some late sloppiness, Illinois finished the first half with 41 points on 32 possessions--a sparkling 1.28 efficiency against a good Spartan defense. Unfortunately for the Illini, they weren't stopping Michigan State much at the other end, and the Illini held just a four point lead at the break.

In the second half, Illinois used a different tact. Their defense tightened considerably, although some missed open looks from the Spartans certainly contributed. Also, while Michigan State's overall turnover rate wasn't bad at all, the Spartans still made some maddening mistakes. To wit, the Spartans had a five on four situation early in the second half, with Demetri McCamey laying on the floor at the other end following a missed layup, and Kalin Lucas promptly threw the ball out of bounds. A move like this would be applauded if he did it on purpose while playing soccer, but in college basketball it serves only to drive Tom Izzo crazy.

Offensively, the Illini went relatively cold in the second half (2 of 8 from three), but they were saved by a miniscule turnover rate and lots of free throw attempts. This is a positive sign for Illinois, as they were still able to post 1.08 points per possession in a half when their outside shots weren't falling--against a good defense to boot.

All told, Illinois scored 1.19 points per possession, the highest output allowed by the Spartans all season (Duke scored 1.13 ppp). Demetri McCamey controlled the game with 15 points and 11 assists (3 turnovers), while Mike Davis played his role efficiently (11 points on 6 shots, 11 rebounds). The Illinois bench was spectacular, most notably in the first half when Brandon Paul went nuts. Paul and Jereme Richmond combined for 34 points on 19 shots. When those two guys are playing well, this Illinois team can beat anybody, including a visiting Ohio State squad this Saturday. Pomeroy's ratings now have the Buckeyes as just a two point favorite in that matchup, which could have major implications for the Big Ten race.

For Michigan State, it was a frustrating night of missed shots and lax defense. Kalin Lucas and Durrell Summers combined for 28 points on 26 shots, while Draymond Green posted 12 points (14 shots), 6 rebounds, and 4 assists (no turnovers). The playing time of Korie Lucious continues to confound this Geek: the junior shot 1 for 8 and the team was -12 in his 24 minutes. I know there aren't a lot of backcourt alternatives for Tom Izzo, but Lucious really isn't doing anything positive on the court right now. Spartan fans can't be looking forward to the possibility of Lucious starting next season.

In the night's other matchup, Northwestern's offense ran all over Michigan in a 74-60 win that wasn't as close as the final score indicated. As you'd expect in a matchup of these teams, it came down to shooting, and Northwestern knocked down 42 percent of their many threes while Michigan hit just 29 percent from deep. The Wildcats also made 53 percent of their twos (thanks to Luka Mirkovic) and hung 1.26 points per possession on the Wolverines, only slightly less than the number just posted by Indiana in their drubbing of Michigan.

John Shurna returned to early season form with 24 points (14 shots), 8 rebounds, and no turnovers, while Mirkovic chipped in 13 points and 8 boards. Michael Thompson had an extremely efficient night: 10 points, 7 assists, and no turnovers.

Through six conference games, Michigan is now allowing 1.21 points per possession, a troubling figure for a defense that looked downright stingy in the nonconference slate. Just a few weeks ago the Wolverines had some  glimmering hope of an NCAA Tournament bid, but now they may do well just to avoid the Big Ten cellar. Stu Douglass and Darius Morris combined for 33 points on 22 shots.

Northwestern got themselves an easy win that, on paper, looked like it would be quite a bit tougher. They get a tuneup game against SIU-E on Thursday, but the sledding gets rougher from there (Wisconsin, at Minnesota, Ohio State, Illinois). This two week stretch contains all but two of Northwestern's remaining top 50 win opportunities, with three of them at home, so a victory or two is crucial to their Tournament hopes.

Tonight, it's another Super Wednesday on the Big Ten Network, and we'll again be liveblogging the games. At 5:30pm CT, Iowa visits Ohio State, followed by Purdue hosting Penn State (7:30pm CT). Drop by, ask us a question or ten, and supplement your hoops enjoyment with some pure Geekiness.

- Posted by Mike Portscheller