Purdue

If there was one area of concern for Wisconsin going into their game against Minnesota on Tuesday night it would have been rebounding given the Golden Gophers' size up front. And sure enough Minnesota won the battle convincingly, out-rebounding the Badgers 42-24 and scoring 16 second-chance points (34-12 edge in points in the paint) on the night. But the Gophers also shot just 39% from the field, and with Wisconsin turning the ball over just two times (and going 17-18 from the foul line) it proved to be too much for the visitors at the Kohl Center.

Sometimes freshmen tread lightly at the start of their collegiate careers, so as not to upset the balance and tick off the upperclassmen. But Duke point guard Kyrie Irving isn't your typical freshman point guard and the many reasons why were on full display in the Blue Devils' 84-79 win over Michigan State on Wednesday night. Irving scored 31 points while also grabbing six rebounds, handing out four assists as well as blocking two shots and making two steals.

Wednesday is the final day of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, and with a 4-2 lead following Tuesday's action all the Big Ten needs in order to win the competition for a second consecutive season is two victories. Will one of those two wins come at Cameron Indoor Stadium? That's the question that the Michigan State Spartans hope to answer in the affirmative in the marquee game of the event. Tom Izzo's team won two of three at the Maui Invitational (losing to eventual champion Connecticut), returning home to beat Tennessee Tech with an effort that left the coach less than pleased.

Overall Rank: #11

Duke

Kansas St

Kentucky

Michigan St

Purdue

Other (Ohio St, Pittsburgh, Villanova, etc)

Back in April, I posted my 2010-11 "Super-Early" Top 50 Ranking.  Now that the Draft has passed and more recruits have found a home, it's time for an update.

 

Like every year, I had a lot of fun putting together the annual early Top 50 ranking. It might seem too early to rank teams, but I nailed all four of this year's Final Four participants in last April's ranking: Duke #1, Michigan St #5, West Virginia #9, and Butler #10. It goes without saying that a lot can change in coming weeks as final Draft decisions are made and the final recruits get "hired" by their respective programs. A Brandon Knight or a Josh Selby could put a contender over the top..

#1 Duke Blue Devils

Team Preview

Up 65-50 with 12:42 remaining following a Durrell Summers three pointer, Michigan State looked to be a safe bet to advance to the Sweet 16, despite losing starting point guard Kalin Lucas to an apparent Achilles' tendon injury. But the turnovers, nineteen in total, began to catch up with the Spartans as Maryland made their furious charge back into the game. Thanks in large part to senior Greivis Vasquez the Terps held an 83-82 lead with seven seconds remaining as Vasquez knocked down a driving basket.