There were two Big Ten games last night: one with a surprising result, and one that was more predictable. The latter was Ohio State's 70-48 suffocation of Iowa. This one was ragged from start to finish, with turnovers on nearly a third of the game's possessions, but the Buckeyes didn't let that keep them from another blowout. Ohio State did everything well on the defensive end--Iowa shot 44 percent on twos, 14 percent on threes, and earned just four free throws--with the end result being a 0.68 efficiency for the Hawkeyes, a season worst.

That Ohio State was able to score a point per possession was remarkable when you consider that their turnover rate matched their three-point accuracy (29 percent on each). The Buckeyes used their advantage inside to shoot 59 percent on twos, with an unexpected contribution from Dallas Lauderdale (4 for 4). David Lighty finished with 18 points on just 7 shots, William Buford scored 15 points on 11 shots, and Jared Sullinger chipped in 13 points and 9 rebounds. Aaron Craft struggled with 5 turnovers, but he tried his darndest to get each of those back and then some (7 steals).

The lone bright spot for Iowa was a career night for Andrew Brommer. The 6-9 junior posted 12 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 assists, as well as drawing 4 charges by my count. It would be big for the Hawkeyes if Brommer could become a solid presence, as Melsahn Basabe will need someone to join him down low next season in the absence of Jarryd Cole.

Iowa is now 0-6 in Big Ten play, and there appears to be clear separation between them and the rest of the conference. The Hawkeyes should still win a couple games, but a home loss on Sunday to Indiana would make a winless season more possible.

The night's other game was much more interesting, as Penn State went to Purdue and hung tough. The Boilermakers appeared to have control of this game in the early going, leading by as many as 14 points in the first half, but Penn State used some strong play from Jeff Brooks to cut it to six points at the break. They had weathered Purdue's hot start (55 percent on first half threes) and looked poised to make this a game.

After intermission, the momentum stayed with the Nittany Lions, as they surged to a three point lead on four straight made jumpers. Matt Painter's team was able to restore order and start hitting shots again, and the Boilermakers slowly built a lead that would top out at seven points. At that point of the game, it looked like this would follow the same script that we've seen so many times before--Purdue lets an opponent stay close but just squeezes the life out of them defensively down the stretch. Penn State was struggling to run anything resembling an offense, but a Talor Battle three--with a defender in his face--got them right back into the game.

From there, Penn State was back in business, and they chipped away at the lead with perfect free throw shooting and two David Jackson threes. His second bomb gave the Lions a one-point lead with 19 seconds remaining, and it would take just one more stop to secure the huge upset.

Purdue looked to run a play for JaJuan Johnson, but Penn State did a fantastic job denying him the ball, forcing E'Twaun Moore to hurriedly drive into the lane, losing the ball in the process. Replays appeared to show Moore touching the ball last, but it was a very close call. The officials awarded Purdue the basketball, giving them one last chance. Purdue used that chance to get JaJuan Johnson a good look, and he buried the jumper. Penn State's final full-court pass was intercepted, and Purdue survived the upset bid by a 63-62 score.

Anytime somebody tries to tell you that luck isn't a factor in close games, you can point to the finish of this one as an argument to the contrary. The final out-of-bounds call was truly a coin flip that went Purdue's way. If Penn State is given the ball, they most likely win the game after some free throws. Note that I'm not faulting the officials here--that would be a very tough call to make in real-time--but this just shows that some results come down to chance. If the coin comes up heads instead of tails, people are talking about Penn State as a possible darkhorse contender in the Big Ten (as crazy as that seems).

Regardless, it was an impressive effort from Penn State, and it removes most of the suspicion that their wins over Michigan State and Illinois were flukes. This is a solid team, and it's really a shame that they didn't put it together during the nonconference season. Those losses to Maine and--to a lesser extent--Mississippi might be enough to keep them out of the Tournament even with a 9-9 Big Ten record, which looks like about the best Penn State can reasonably expect. Still, they don't look like they will be an easy win for anybody going forward.

For Purdue, this game raises more doubts about just how good they are. The last two conference games (a close loss to Minnesota, a close win over Penn State) place them as more of a mid-level Big Ten team than a title contender, and their defense in those games was not impressive at all. Of course, it's not wise to let two games outweigh the rest of the season, and the Boilers had played very well up to that point. Purdue's home game against Michigan State this Saturday should give us another good barometer--if Purdue wins by more than a couple points, they're back on track to challenge for a Big Ten title.

Tonight, Northwestern gets a break from the conference grind with a game against SIU-E (5:30pm CT, BigTenNetwork.com), and Wisconsin hosts an Indiana team coming off an impressive performance (8pm CT, ESPN).

- Posted by Mike Portscheller