No clear leader in Big Ten title race

Nearly a third of the way through the Big Ten schedule it appears there is no true front-runner for this year's title.

Last season's champion, Minnesota (7-9, 0-5 Big Ten), has yet to garner a conference win and should have a tough time ridding itself of the "goose egg" in a matchup at No. 16 Michigan (14-4, 4-1) at 7:30 tonight on ESPN. However, the recent return of senior guard Sam Jacobson from a back injury coupled with a game against co-cellar-dweller Ohio State on Thursday night could spark some life into the Golden Gophers.

Current leaders of the pack Iowa, Michigan and Michigan State boast 4-1 conference records. Purdue, the preseason favorite to win the Big Ten title, stands at 3-2.

Indiana freshman phenom Luke Recker and Michigan State sophomore Mateen Cleaves were named Big Ten players of the week.

Recker, Indiana's Mr. Basketball in 1997, recorded 22 points in the Hoosiers' 18-point win over Northwestern. The 6-foot-6 guard netted 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a big win over intra-state rival Purdue.

Cleaves, a 6-foot-2 guard, poured in a career-high 27 points in a 68-64 Spartan victory over Illinois. Cleaves also scored 19 in a win over Minnesota.

Michigan State (11-4, 4-1) travels to No. 12 Iowa (15-2, 4-1) tomorrow night to battle for the top spot in a wide open conference race. If Michigan defeats Minnesota tonight, the winner of the Spartan-Hawkeye matchup will share the first-place lead with the Wolverines.

Cleaves is playing outstanding basketball for the Spartans, but it won't be enough to beat Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game will be the fourth consecutive road game for Michigan State, and the traveling may just catch up to the Spartans. The Hawkeyes are off to their best start since the 1988-89 season when they went 13-2 before losing to Ohio State.

Pick: Iowa 72 Michigan State 66

The Wisconsin Badgers owe a debt of gratitude to schedule-makers of the Big Ten. The University of Wisconsin recently completed the construction of the new 17,142-seat multipurpose facility named in honor of United States Senator Herb Kohl.

The opening of the Kohl Center brought an end of an era of basketball at the UW Field House. Isn't it ironic that whenever a sacred arena closes after years and years of existence, as the Field House did after 68 years, the team officially closes it with a game against a lesser opponent? Coincidentally, the very same team opens its new home with a game against another opponent of equal or lesser caliber.

The Badgers can thank the Big Ten scheduling committee for this one. Wisconsin closed the Field House with a 76-57 victory over Penn State, only to open the Kohl Center two days later with 56-33 win over Northwestern.

The television contract between ESPN and the Big Ten guarantees each team will receive at least one live broadcast of a game on the original ESPN network. It just so happens that Penn State and Northwestern will appear for one time only, this Thursday night at 7:30 on ESPN.