The approach of finals usually means it is the season of in-state non-conference battles. For mid-majors, these games are the biggest on their schedule. For the state powerhouses, they are like filling a prerequisite before they can start their tough conference schedule.
While the Wisconsin Badgers passed their first two in-state tests against, UW-Green Bay and Marquette, other Big Ten schools were not as successful. Indiana fell to Indiana State 72-67 Tuesday night while Iowa struggled against Northern Iowa and lost 67-63.
Indiana was able to rebound Saturday with a big 79-53 victory over Kentucky, but Iowa was not as lucky. The Hawkeyes lost their second straight game to an in-state opponent by falling to Iowa State 72-60 Friday night.
'You look around the country, San Francisco beat Texas Tech, and Northwestern State beat Oklahoma State,\ Indiana head coach Mike Davis said. 'Anybody can beat you. I don't see a team that is so talented that you can say they are going to win every game.'
In-state non-conference battles are often used to fill up the home schedules for Big Ten teams. The Badgers usually play other Wisconsin schools at the Kohl Center, with the exception of their games against Marquette, which shift between Madison and Milwaukee every year.
""It has to do with scheduling. We need X number of home games every year,"" Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan said.
No matter where the games are played, they mean a lot to teams like Indiana State and Northern Iowa. A lot of the players know eachother from playing against one another in high school, and a lot of them are seeking revenge for not being recruited by the big state school and settling for a mid-major program.
Indiana State and Northern Iowa got the rare opportunity to host their rivals this season, and took advantage of the opportunity. They used their loud, small gyms as intimidation and used their motivation to suffocate both the Hoosiers and Hawkeyes on defense.
The Badgers still have one more in-state contest coming up, and UW-Milwaukee should be their toughest test of the three games.
Duke senior guard J.J. Redick and Gonzaga junior guard Adam Morrison have been touted as the two best players in college basketball early in the season, and the battle between them for player of the year has been heating up every game.
This weekend was only another episode in a bout that will last the entire season. No. 1 Duke's showdown with No. 2 Texas turned out to be a Blue Devil blowout as Redick scored 41 points to lead his team to the 97-66 victory.
As a freshman and sophomore, Redick was said to be only a shooter, with no ability to drive and get his teammates invovled. Now in his senior season, the only player in the country that could be compared to Redick is Adam Morrison at Gonzaga.
In Saturday's contest against Oklahoma State, Morrison led a late comeback and capped it off by banking a three high off the glass with two and a half seconds remaining. The shot put the Bulldogs up for good, 64-62.
