Gophers dismiss player as tourney approaches

Minnesota guard Russell Archambault went for a walk the night before his team's game against Illinois on Feb. 4 and after coach Clem Haskins found out, he told Archambault to keep on walking.

Haskins dismissed the sophomore from the team for leaving the hotel after the Golden Gophers' final meeting of the night.

"I have very specific rules that all players in my program must adhere to," said Haskins in a news release. "Russ made some mistakes and it is unfortunate that it came to this. I will help him in any way I can and wish him the best of luck in the future."

Archambault reportedly left the hotel with a teammate, Eric Harris, to go to the store and buy snacks. Harris was benched for the Illinois game, breaking his streak of 83 straight starts.

People have questioned why the two players were given different punishments but Haskins has refused to talk about the incident since giving his original comments.

Archambault played in 19 games this season and averaged 4.5 points per game for the Gophers.

He is the fourth member of last year's Final Four team to leave Minnesota prematurely. Charles Thomas transferred to Eastern Kentucky and Kevin Loge left the Gophers to go to North Dakota State. Courtney James quit school after being found guilty of domestic assault last summer.

Tonight's game between No. 21 Michigan and No. 13 Michigan State has everything a basketball fan could ever ask for. It will feature state rivals meeting for the second time on national television with more than bragging rights on the line.

For the Spartans it's a chance to avenge their 79-69 loss to the Wolverines in January. A victory also keeps them in the thick of the Big Ten title chase.

Michigan simply needs this one to show it belongs among the contenders and not the pretenders in the league. The Wolverines have handled the lesser teams in the conference but have foundered against the league's top teams.

Tonight's game on ESPN is also an opportunity for Robert Traylor and company to show the NCAA Tournament selection committee they belong in the Big Dance.

Last time, Michigan dominated the Spartans and were led by Maceo Baston's 23 points. Baston chipped a bone in his right foot last week and won't play against the Spartans tonight. Michigan will surely miss its third-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder.

Michigan will also miss having another body in uniform to contend with Michigan State's waves of players. The Spartans are the deepest team in the league and will wear down the Wolverines.

Pick: Michigan State 69, Michigan 68

The inaugural Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament begins in two weeks. The tournament starts on March 5 and is being held at the United Center in Chicago.

If the tournament began today here's what the pairings would look like: March 5 -- Minnesota vs. Wisconsin, Penn State vs. Northwestern and Iowa vs. Ohio State. March 6 -- Michigan vs. Indiana, Michigan State vs. Minnesota/Wisconsin, Purdue vs. Penn State/Northwestern and Illinois vs. Iowa/Ohio State. March 7 -- Semifinals. March 8 -- Final.