The Big Ten continued its high efficiency ways last night, first in a 98-55 Northwestern drubbing of SIU-E. To get an idea of just how overmatched the Cougars were in this game, consider that Michael Thompson and Drew Crawford combined for fewer minutes than Nick Freundt and Reggie Hearn, and John Shurna didn't even play (a precautionary measure)--and the Wildcats still ran wild. Northwestern shot 64 percent on twos and 48 percent on threes, and they rebounded almost half of their infrequent misses. The resulting 1.42 efficiency was easily the best posted by the Wildcats this season, though it surprisingly was only the third-highest efficiency SIU-E has allowed (Iowa scored slightly better on the Cougars back in November).

Crawford scored 16 points on 10 shots, while Fruendt, Hearn, and Ivan Peljusic combined for 28 points on 20 shots.

In a much more competitive game, Wisconsin outlasted Indiana by a 69-60 score. Indiana came out playing very well offensively, especially Jordan Hulls who scored 10 early points in the blink of an eye. The Hoosiers were aggressive with the ball, always attacking Wisconsin's defense, and it paid off to the tune of a 1.31 first-half efficiency. Indiana took care of the basketball and shot lights-out, but they were still only up four points at the break. You see, Wisconsin does those things as a matter of course, and it's never easy to out-Wisconsin Wisconsin.

In the second half, Indiana couldn't quite keep up as their shots stopped falling. Still, they were in this game until Jon Leuer literally threw a shot into the basket while getting fouled. The ensuing free throw gave Wisconsin a seven point lead with a minute remaining, and that, as they say, was that.

The final result aside, this was another encouraging performance for the Indiana offense--the Hoosiers are now scoring 1.09 points per possession in Big Ten play, fifth in the conference. That is a welcome jump from the offensive ineptitude of the past two seasons, but the defense remains a major problem. The Hoosiers are allowing 1.18 points per possession to Big Ten opponents, better than only a struggling Michigan squad. Indiana's most glaring defensive issue--putting opponents on the foul line--was evident last night as well, as the Badgers outscored them 16-8 at the charity stripe.

Jordan Hulls finished with 16 points on 12 shots, while Verdell Jones contributed 15 points on 12 shots and 6 rebounds. Jordan Taylor won the battle of the Jordans, posting a line of 28 points (15 shots), 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and just 1 turnover. Taylor has just been fantastic all season, and he's not slowing down in conference play. Jon Leuer took care of most of the rest of the scoring with 20 points on 18 hoists.

This weekend holds some very interesting games, with the big ones being Ohio State at Illinois (11am CT Saturday, CBS) and Michigan State at Purdue (8pm CT Saturday, ESPN). We'll have a bit more clarity about the real direction of the Big Ten race after this weekend. Oh, and I hear there's some football game happening in Big Ten country too, if you're into that sort of thing. Me, I'm a hoops man.

- Posted by Mike Portscheller