In a matchup of teams holding onto slim Big Ten title hopes, Purdue beat Wisconsin at their own game in a 70-62 win. The Boilermakers used Bo Ryan's area of expertise--a miniscule 6.6 turnover rate--to post 1.16 points per possession, the second highest output allowed by Wisconsin all season (Illinois scored 1.21 ppp against the Badgers back when they were making shots like crazy). Purdue didn't shoot particularly well--48 percent on twos and 31 percent on threes--but shot maximization is a powerful thing.

Wisconsin wasn't all that careless with the ball either (16.6 turnover rate), but their outside shooting was much colder. The Badgers went 3 for 19 from three (16 percent) and scored just 1.03 points per trip. This was Wisconsin's fourth lowest output of the conference slate, and they've won just once when scoring this poorly (at Iowa in overtime). The Badgers are clearly a team that relies on their offense to carry them, and Purdue did an excellent job of neutralizing it.

First and foremost in this effort was Lewis Jackson, who outplayed the potential Big Ten Player of the Year. Jackson's defense limited Jordan Taylor to 15 points (9 shots), 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 turnovers--certainly not a bad game--while Jackson himself put up 18 points (9 shots), 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and no turnovers. Purdue owes much of their success this season to the surprising play of Jackson, who has made this Geek a believer after much doubting.

Jon Leuer played a fine game with 23 points on 18 shots, but JaJuan Johnson was better (20 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks). E'Twaun Moore shot well from three to score 19 points on 19 shots.

Purdue can now look forward to their big Sunday home game against Ohio State, in which they can really make this a race. A win would give the Boilermakers about a one in three chance of finishing 15-3, and it would leave the Buckeyes with about a 50/50 chance of finishing with that same record. Ohio State would still control their own destiny, but the pressure would be on.

Wisconsin can probably give up on any Big Ten title hopes, but this loss doesn't make them any less dangerous. They have four very winnable games leading up to their season-ending tilt in Columbus, so the Badgers can still make some hay and work on that seed.

In a game rife with bubble implications, Illinois survived a terrible second half to defeat Michigan 54-52. Heading into halftime, Illini fans had to be feeling like their team was finally back. Demetri McCamey had shaken off his slump to score 13 points on 9 shots. After a hot start, Michigan had finished the half with a 31.7 effective field goal percentage, including 1 of 9 from three. The Illini led by 10 and it seemed all was right in Champaign.

Then the second half happened. Illinois reverted to the sloppy ballhandling that has plagued them for stretches this season; at one point, the Illini had turned it over on nearly a third of their second half possessions. When they did get a shot up, it was too often a missed three, despite their great success inside the arc all night (56 percent on twos). Everything looked broken.

While the Illinois offense was bumbling along, Michigan kept running their system, refusing to turn the ball over. The Wolverines went over 16 minutes of clock time with just one turnover, during which they shrunk the lead as small as one point on multiple occasions. To Illinois' credit, they never quite let Michigan get over the hump, getting buckets when they needed them to preserve the lead.

With 3:19 remaining, Mike Davis put in a layup to give the Illini a 53-50 lead. From there, it was a battle of attrition: Illinois went 0 for 2 from the field and 1 for 3 from the foul line, while Michigan would shoot 1 for 6 down the stretch, including two shots on the final possession that could have tied or won the game. With neither team making plays down the stretch, the Illini won this game almost by default.

Still, a win is a win, and this was one Illinois desperately needed. It preserves their clearest path to nine conference wins (with home games against Iowa and Indiana remaining) and leaves the possibility of more, starting with their trip to Michigan State on Saturday. Perhaps getting that "close game" monkey off their back will help the Illini's confidence.

For Michigan, this was another missed opportunity. Much like in the Syracuse and Kansas games, the Wolverines had held their opponent to 0.90 points per trip but just shot terribly. Michigan still has a greater than 20 percent chance to reach nine conference wins, but a win in Champaign would have boosted those odds to more like 60 percent. This could have been a season-changing victory for John Beilein's team, but instead they'll have to take it as encouragement and move on. Saturday's game at Iowa is a must-win.

Tonight, Minnesota faces an important game as they visit Penn State (6pm CT, ESPN). This is probably the toughest game remaining on the Gophers' schedule, but it's also imminently winnable. With a very toss-uppy looking stretch run, Minnesota could conceivably finish with anywhere from seven to 11 conference wins. A victory tonight would be a great start to securing that at-large bid.

At 8pm CT, Iowa visits Northwestern (BTN). The Wildcats can probably forget about an at-large bid (barring a five game winning streak that would go through Madison), but they do have some winnable upcoming matchups. With a roster that returns most of its important pieces (save for Michael Thompson), a strong finish could be a springboard into next season. Iowa still has a good chance to beat out Indiana as the #10 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, which would be a nice accomplishment in Fran McCaffery's first season.

- Posted by Mike Portscheller