We get a lot of feedback here at Big Ten Geeks, and we read all of it. Much of the time, however, we can't help. We can't get your cable company to pick up the Big Ten Network, we can't do anything about your team's coaching, and we certaintly can't do anything about the officiating.

Dan Hanner at Yet Another Basketball Blog wrote to us yesterday, and mentioned something that we can change -- our tune. See, I had been guilty of proclaiming things like Northwestern would be "in good shape" on Selection Sunday if they merely beat the teams they are supposed to. In fact, as Dan pointed out, that's just not true. I've been basing my observations on the fact that the Wildcats will end up at 10-8 and 22-9 if they just win the games they're supposed to. On paper, with a down Pac-10, that just seems good enough. Is that analysis lazy? Yes, very, and there's a reason I don't hold myself out to be a bracketologist. There are others that do, however, and the best ones don't see the Wildcats making the cut. In fact, if you search around, you'll find that most bracketologists have the Wildcats on the outside looking in. Why is that? Is it because of Northwestern's low (and about to get lower) RPI? No, as Hanner explains:

A team's RPI is NOT a criteria used to select the teams. The RPI is used to group opponents faced during the season and that's it. But don't just take my word for it. If you want to read about the process, the NCAA has been trying to make it more and more transparent every year. Here are some articles I linked to a few years ago.

This is a key point. Whenever you see the graphic on the screen showing a bubble team's resume, and you see the RPI ranking, ignore it. They might as well show how the team ranked in the 2007 Mascot Power Rankings. It's beyond irrelevant. RPI only matters when talking about opponents, e.g., how Bubble Team X does against the RPI Top 50. It does not matter what Bubble Team X's RPI is.

That leads us to the problem with Northwestern's resume:

So to this Northwestern fan, I have good news. Your team won't miss the dance because of the RPI. But I also have bad news. Your team will likely miss the dance because they don't have enough quality wins. Northwestern is currently 1-5 vs the RPI top 50 and 2-2 vs the RPI top 100. Or to drop the RPI nomenclature, Northwestern basically has three quality wins this year. They beat Purdue, Illinois, and Notre Dame and that's it.

That's not a profile that will earn an NCAA tournament bid. And the six remaining games against inferior competition don't help. Those are no-win games. If they win, they are supposed to win. Truthfully, one or even two losses to the bad teams wouldn't matter. What Northwestern really needs is some more quality wins. They need to beat Minnesota, and they desperately need to win at Wisconsin to get a second Top 50 win. Otherwise a deep Big Ten Tournament run is the only hope.

If seven games sounds like an awfully small number of games against top 50 teams, it is. Sure, your mid-majors will generally have even fewer, but keep in mind that Northwestern gets six of those games by virtue of its conference season. That's right -- Butler was the Wildcats' only top 50 non-conference opponent, and they lost. At home. Compare that with other bubble teams like Illinois, who played 4 such non-conference games (winning 2 of them). Even Minnesota played two top 50 non-conference teams (winning one, against Butler).

The point is, Northwestern's scheduling didn't do them any favors. This is especially true considering the Wildcats played Purdue and Ohio State just once each in the conference season. Allow me to make a parallel here to the 2008-09 Florida Gators. Florida finished the regular season at 22-9 and 9-7 in SEC play. They also went just 1-6 against the RPI top 50. Sound familiar? Billy Donovan's team ended up in the NIT. Northwestern looks like they're on the same track. But what can the Cats do to fix this?

• Win the Big Ten Tournament: This is the easiest and most obvious way to the Dance, and it is part of what makes college basketball special. Up through mid-March, every team in the country can win the National Championship. All it takes is to win your last 9 or 10 games. But let's assume for the moment that Northwestern comes up short.
• Pick up top 50 wins: The only one left on the schedule is Wisconsin, and that's at Kohl. It might actually be easier to win the Big Ten Tournament. However, there are other ways to pick up top 50 wins, discussed below.
• Don't lose any more top 100 games: Or more specifically, don't lose to Minnesota this Sunday, as it's the only remaining top 100 game (other than the aforementioned Badgers) on the schedule.
• Root for Notre Dame: That's probably painful for Northwestern fans to think about, but the Fighting Irish are ranked at #59 in the RPI. And they still have games against Louisville (42), Pittsburgh (23), and Georgetwon (8), as well as some other fringe top 50 teams. In other words, there's room to move up here. And if the Irish move into the top 50, well, suddenly the Wildcats have another top 50 win.
• Root for Minnesota, except on Sunday: The Gophers are in a similar spot as Notre Dame (61), with games left against Wisconsin and Purdue. Minnesota can still sneak into the top 50 as well, which would net Northwestern another top 50 win if they win on Sunday. Of course, that also adds a top 50 loss. I think on balance, however, the win is more valuable than the loss is hurtful, marginal utility and all. But there's a big downside here -- if the Gophers beat Northwestern and finish strong, that's two top 50 losses, and that might stick a fork in the Wildcats' chances.

What we have here is a case of mistaken identity. The Cats are not strolling their way to an NCAA title berth as many have been proclaiming (myself included). Quite to the contrary, the alarm should be sounding in Evanston. There's a lot of work to be done, and there's not much more time left to do it.

In non-Northwestern news, Purdue visits East Lansing to take on Michigan State tonight (8 PM CT, ESPN). It's still uncertain if Kalin Lucas will suit up for the Spartans, which obviously could have a huge impact on the outcome of the game. Wisconsin hosts Illinois as well (6 PM CT, Big Ten Network), and if the Badgers are able to hold serve, they could share the lead with MSU after tonight. But even if the Spartans pull out the victory, the Badgers are still the class of the conference.

- Josh

As the aerial shows, Wisconsin has taken hold of the conference away from the Spartans. Michigan State is now firmly back with the pack. Northwestern, about which I'll have plenty to talk about later today, still is not playing a lick of defense. And though they have similar efficiency margins, it strikes me that Michigan and Minnesota have swapped places this season.

- Josh

Thanks to Lawrence Westbrook's buzzer beater, Minnesota's tournament hopes remained alive with a 66-64 win over Penn State. The Gophers probably could not afford to lose this one, and thanks to their numerous free throw trips, they didn't. Minnesota attempted 25 free throws against just 45 field goal attempts. Despite the win, however, these Gophers continue to be underwhelming. Sure, Tubby's team held Penn State to under 1 point per posssession (0.99 on Saturday), but then again, PSU is averaging 0.96 PPP against conference opponents. In other words, it was another below-average defensive performance for Minnesota. Minnesota hoops blog From the Barn surmises that the defensive struggles can be traced to a lack of size on the court. There might be some truth to that, but I don't think it's quite that simple. After all, the Gophers are still blocking a lot of shots. But more size probably can't be a bad thing. In addition to closing down the lane, it might add some rebounds. For all his defensive abilities, Damian Johnson does not rebound like a power forward, but that's where he plays much of the time.

For Penn State, the frustrations continue. While it's still likelier than not that they win a conference game, this was a good opportunity to pick one up. Frankly, I'm starting to think we're looking at the best-ever power conference team to go winless in the conference slate. It certainly does not help that PSU played Iowa and Indiana just once this season. Neither does the fact that Penn State now ranks dead last in Pomeroy luck. I blame John Gasaway.

David Jackson had 18 points on just 7 shots to go with 6 rebounds, and Ralph Sampson III posted a 13/10 double-double. Box score.

Also keeping its at large chances alive was Illinois, which defeated Michigan State 78-73 in a 66 possession game. This was a big win for Bruce Weber's team for a few reasons, perhaps chief among them was that it meant another quality victory. The fans no doubt knew how important this game was, as Assembly Hall was an absolute zoo. But the real star of the evening was point guard Demetri McCamey, who scored 22 points on 12 shots, and dished 11 assists as well. McCamey's play of late is deserving of placement on the All Big Ten first team, but I think his fate will be tied up with the Illini's. Statistically, however, he's among the top five players in the conference in my book.

McCamey's performance overshadowed a great game by Draymond Green for Michigan State. The sophomore forward had a 17/16 double-double, and he led MSU in plus-minus with +8. From the beginning, it was clear that Tom Izzo did not have anyone on his roster capable of replicating Kalin Lucas' careful ballhandling. The ability to consume possessions without turning the ball over is often overlooked, but it's extremely important. In Lucas' absence, Chris Allen and Korie Lucious took over point guard duties, but they combined for 10 turnovers. It's not surprising that MSU does not have a spare Kalin Lucas sitting around, but I thought it was surprising that Green was still coming off the bench with Lucas out. One thing that makes Green different is the fact that he's an excellent ballhandler for his position. You'd think that Izzo would want as many ballhandlers as he could out there. Box score.

With the Spartan loss, the Big Ten race is far from over. MSU has three games remaining against Purdue and Ohio State, and I don't think a sweep is likely, especially if Lucas misses this Tuesday's matchup against the Boilers. Seeing as Wisconsin has zero games remaining against OSU, MSU, and Purdue, I think the Badgers are suddenly the favorites. They sure played like it on Saturday, when they demolished Michigan 62-44 in a very slow 50 possession game. I'm not sure when the last Big Ten played a slower game, but I know it didn't happen last season. But Wisconsin showed that you can play good offense at any speed, especially when you shoot the lights out. The Badgers posted an unreal 67.1 effective field goal percentage. When a team shoots that well, it's pretty much unbeatable. In addition to all that good shooting, Wisconsin also controlled the glass on both ends. Jason Bohannon led the way with 18 points, which matched DeShawn Sims' total. Box score.

You have to feel bad for John Beilein's crew, because of all the expectations coming into the season. It doesn't get any easier next year, either, as they'll try to survive without DeShawn Sims, and possibly Manny Harris as well. The Badgers, on the other hand, just keep on rolling. At this point, Bo Ryan's crew has played the best in conference play. The scary part is that they've done so without their best player. Details about Jon Leuer's return have been hard to come by, but it's starting to look like he'll be back sooner rather than later. That's not good for Purdue, Ohio State, and MSU.

Sunday brought a pair of easy wins for the home teams. First, Ohio State took care of Iowa 68-58 in a 57 possession game. Remarkably, the Hawkeyes actually outshot OSU, which was definitely not the expectation. Coming into the game, OSU was the best shooting team in the Big Ten, and Iowa was the worst. Despite the role reversal, the Hawkeyes were not really close in the second half, thanks to OSU's superior ballhandling and frequent trips to the free throw line. Evan Turner had a huge day with 32 points on 22 shots, to go with 7 rebounds and 5 assists (0 turnovers). Oh, and he had 4 steals too. And I'm pretty sure I saw him selling popcorn out there as well. Thad Matta played only 6 guys in this one, and four of them went the distance. I'm surprised we didn't at least see Jeremie Simmons log some action. Eric May led the Hawkeyes with 16 points on 10 shots. Box score.

In the weekend's final contest, Northwestern pounded a sleepwalking Indiana 78-61 in a 63 possession game. A letdown was probably expected of the Hoosiers after their tough loss against Purdue, but, wow. The Hoosiers couldn't throw it in the ocean (37.2 eFG) and they compounded that by hacking Northwestern relentlessly. IU sent the Cats to the free throw line 26 times against 48 FGAs, and Northwestern isn't exactly known for drawing fouls. Five players scored in double figures for Northwestern, led by John Shurna's 16. Verdell Jones had a great game for Indiana with 28 points on 14 shots. Box score.

This wasn't a signature win for the Wildcats by any means, but it keeps them in good shape for an at-large bid. Northwestern won 17 games last season, and they're already at 16 this year. And that's with Kevin Coble sidelined from the very beginning. Certainly Bill Carmody deserves some coach the the year consideration just for getting his team this far.

The conference takes the night off on Monday, before returning on Tuesday with a couple of good ones -- Illinois at Wisconsin and Purdue at Michigan State.

- Josh

Last night's game between Purdue and Indiana was a matchup between one of the best teams in the conference and one of the worst, but you wouldn't know it from watching the game. This was a seesaw battle throughout, and frankly the Boilers are a little lucky to get out of Bloomington with a 78-75 win. Both offenses were explosive, given that this game was played only at 65 possessions. This was especially true in the first half, where the teams combined for 90 points. Credit good shooting and careful ballhandling for that, which is especially uncharacteristic for the Hoosiers. The difference, however, was with Indiana's defensive Achilles' heel - fouls. The Hoosiers sent Purdue to the line 28 times, and that proved to be the difference. Indiana has struggled with fouls throughout the conference season, as they send opponents to the line 46 times for every 100 field goals opponents attempt, easily tops in the Big Ten.

Still, even with all of the fouls, Indiana could have very easily won this game. Within the last five minutes, the Hoosiers missed three front ends of a 1-and-1, and each resulted in an empty possession. Because of the missed opportunities, and because it was Purdue of all teams, this loss might be the most painful for Tom Crean's squad. Verdell Jones led the way with 22 points on 17 shots, and Devan Dumes chipped in 11 to go with his plus-minus of +12. Purdue's big three of E'Twaun Moore, JaJuan Johnson, and Robbie Hummel combined for 56 points on 38 shots, and 21 rebounds. Plus-minus whipping boy Chris Kramer actually led the Boilers in that stat with +11. Box score.

This weekend, Penn State looks for its first conference win at home against Minnesota (Saturday, 1 PM CT, Big Ten Network); Wisconsin tries to stay in the conference title hunt with a road win at Michigan (Saturday, 3 PM CT, CBS); Ohio State will defend its floor against the Hawkeyes (Sunday, 11 AM CT, Big Ten Network); and Northwestern looks to take care of business at home against Indiana (Sunday, 1:30 PM CT, Big Ten Network). The highlight, however, will be when College Gameday visits Champaign for the matchup between Illinois and Michigan State (Saturday, 8 PM CT, ESPN). Kalin Lucas looks to be a game time decision, and whether he plays will no doubt have a big impact on the final score.

- Josh

As Club Trillionaire Mark Titus can attest, Thad Matta does not reach very far down his bench. The same can be said for Penn State coach Ed DeChellis. So it shouldn't have been surprising that Ohio State's 75-62 victory over the Nittany Lions feature 5 players who logged over 35 minutes. In fact, 3 Buckeyes played the entire game, while Talor Battle left the game for 30 seconds, presumably because he got lost. However, the reasons why Ohio State and Penn State have such little depth could not be more different. For the Buckeyes, it's because they have a very talented starting lineup. DeChellis, on the other hand, is lacking for quality players, and needs to squeeze every minute from his five best that he can. That said, this was a much closer game than the final score indicates, as Penn State pulled within 3 points with under 2 minutes remaining. Alas, Ohio State closed the game with a 10-0 run to refuse PSU its first conference victory. The Buckeyes won this contest as they typically do, by shooting the lights out (57.0 eFG). Penn State also managed to break the 1.0 points-per-possession threshold thanks to a big night from Talor Battle (24 points on 18 shots, 7 assists, 9 rebounds). Evan Turner led the Buckeyes with 27 points (15 shots), 6 assists, and 10 rebounds. Box score.

The Nittany Lions have a couple of games at home to try and lock up a conference win, and with Minnesota struggling, that might be as good an opportunity as any. Ohio State, meanwhile, gets Iowa and Indiana before taking on Illinois in Champaign. Depending on how Michigan State fares without Kalin Lucas, the Buckeyes could be back in the title hunt by then.

Speaking of Illinois, the Illini took care of business at Iowa, winning 57-49 in a 58 possession game. This is going to sound simplistic, but Iowa might have had a chance if they could have managed to put the ball in the hoop more often. The 37.0 eFG posted by the Hawkeyes marked the second game in a row they failed to reach the 40.0 eFG mark, and the third such occurrence in the conference season. In fact, in each of its two games against Illinois, Iowa has posted a 37.0 eFG. Give credit to Illinois' defense, as it allows conference opponents to shoot just 29 percent from 3 (as Iowa did last night). Demetri McCamey led Illinois with 15 points (12 shots), 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. He also led the Illini in plus-minus on the evening (+13). Iowa was led by Matt Gatens' 12 points (12 shots), and big man Jarryd Cole was the only Hawkeye with a positive plus-minus (+5). Box score.

With the win, Illinois completed the easier portion of its conference slate, and things get considerably rougher starting with Michigan State on Saturday. Six of their final eight games come against the top 4 teams in the conference (MSU, OSU, Purdue, and Wisconsin), and the other two are against the dangerous Michigan and Minnesota teams. Bruce Weber's squad will likely determine their postseason fate over this stretch. I think if they hit .500 or better, they're going dancing. Anything less than that, and they'll have some work to do in the conference tournament.

Tonight, Purdue takes on Indiana in a big rivalry game that could be dangerous for the Boilers (6 PM CT, ESPN). Yes, Purdue is the much better team, but it's tough to win on the road in the Big Ten, and especially so in the raucous atmosphere expected in Assembly Hall.

- Josh