The Big Ten’s top four players will rank among the nation’s top 10 at the end of the season. Michigan guard Trey Burke, Ohio State forward Deshaun Thomas, Indiana center Cody Zeller and Indiana guard/forward Victor Oladipo all are competitive for first-team All-American honors. All four are almost assured of landing on the top two [...]

IOWA CITY — Iowa coach Fran McCaffery considered changing his starting lineup but decided against it entering the Hawkeyes’ game Sunday at Purdue. Freshman center Adam Woodbury has struggled offensively, scoring just two points in each of Iowa’s last four games. Junior center/forward Melsahn Basabe, who has 52 career starts, played a season-high 27 minutes [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio – In the wake of a 72-63 loss Tuesday at No. 14 Ohio State, Iowa players and coaches were frustrated by their performance but encouraged by their resolve. Iowa trailed the Buckeyes by 24 points with 12:49 left in the game. The Hawkeyes (13-6, 2-4 Big Ten) then rallied possession-by-possession to cut its [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Melsahn Basabe was in no mood to celebrate a valiant, yet futile comeback attempt in a 72-63 loss at No. 14 Ohio State on Tuesday night. The Hawkeyes trailed by 24 points with 12 minutes, 49 seconds left in the game, then chipped away at the Buckeyes until the deficit reached four with [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio — There’s nothing Deshaun Thomas can’t do on a basketball court, and Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery will do everything in his power Tuesday to slow down the Ohio State forward. Thomas scored 28 points in the No. 14 Buckeyes’ 59-56 loss at Michigan State on Saturday. Thomas played all 40 minutes, scored 28 [...]

Iowa has beaten Wisconsin three straight for the first time since 1992-93. Coincidentally, Chris Street played in two of those games before he was killed in a car accident. The Hawkeyes lead the Badgers now 79-77 all-time. The teams began playing one another 104 years ago. Iowa (13-5, 2-3 Big Ten) was the first team [...]

ILLINOIS Games against Iowa — March 5 in Iowa City Recent Action vs. Iowa — Iowa snapped series-worst 7-game losing streak in Big Ten Tournament. Illinois has won series-record 3 straight in Iowa City Who’s Back? — Wings Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson are explosive scorers who fit with new coach John Groce’s system. PG [...]

The Big Ten made a big deal out of competitive equality when it split into divisions for the 2011 football season. Competition was the No. 1 component in balancing divisional play, and rightly so. The newest member, Nebraska, was part of an acrimonious geographical split when the Big Eight morphed into the Big 12 back [...]

ILLINI ARE BACK No. 22 Illinois perpetually is the Big Ten dark horse because it always has talent. When coaches can put it together, like Bill Self a decade ago, the Fighting Illini are a national player. When they can’t, like Bruce Weber recently, they end up mediocre. Right now, it looks like the 8-0 [...]

The Big Ten’s best team won’t compete for the league championship, a Rose Bowl berth or a national title. Instead of scarlet and gray invading nearby Indianapolis this weekend, it will be a whole lotta red. Nebraska secured the Legends Division championship invitation with a 13-7 win at Iowa on Friday. The Cornhuskers received the [...]