Last week it was Michigan, this week it's Purdue.
After racking up 13 straight wins, taking the Big Ten lead in the process, the Wolverines came back to earth last week, losing two road games to Illinois and Minnesota.
Luckily for Michigan they'll have time to regroup. The Wolverines don't play again until Saturday, when they'll take on Iowa at home.
"I thought we played very hard in difficult circumstances, but unfortunately we came up short in both games," Michigan men's basketball coach Tommy Amaker said. "We're looking forward to the rest this week, hopefully getting completely healthy if we possibly can."
Purdue seized the Big Ten lead by beating Ohio State in a close game at home and then taking out Iowa on the road in overtime on Saturday. The Boilermakers now stand at 6-1 in the league.
"We had been losing those games the last couple of years where we'd get in a tight overtime game or a two-pointer," Purdue men's basketball coach Gene Keady said. "So it's good to get back on on the winning track again, especially on the road."
We need a little controversy
If you weren't watching Dany Heatley score four goals in the NHL All-Star game on Sunday, you could have watched one of the most exciting Big Ten basketball games of the season.
Michigan State, which struggled early in the season, beat No. 14 Illinois at home, even though the Spartans were down 15-2 just six minutes into the game.
The Spartans came all the way back, and won the game by out-scoring the Illini 9-3 over the last five minutes, making the final score 68-65.
But the game was marred by controversy over a first-half, buzzer-beating three-pointer by Michigan State guard Alan Anderson. Replays showed that time had already expired before Anderson released the ball, but the officials ruled the shot was good.
By rule, only plays at the end of the second half and overtime can be reviewed on a television monitor. Illinois men's basketball coach Bill Self thinks that the rule needs to be changed.
"I didn't know the rule until yesterday, and I totally understand why they didn't go to the monitor to look at it," Self said. "The thing about it is, at the end of the half, it would only take a minute or two to correct a call."
In a game decided by just three points, that call made the difference. Michigan State has now won two straight games, both against ranked opponents to bring its Big Ten record to 4-4.
Deane player of week (again)
Purdue senior guard Willie Deane was named Big Ten player of the week for the second time this season. Deane put up some monster numbers while leading the Boilermakers to two big wins and the conference lead. Deane filled up the box score by averaging 24.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game. In addition, he increased his Big Ten scoring average to 20.3 points per game, but still trails Illinois' Brian Cook (20.9 ppg). The Boilermakers will face more tests this week, as they host Wisconsin tomorrow, and then travel to Minnesota on Saturday.
