ESPN Men's Basketball

It hasn't been the best of offseasons for Michigan coach John Beilein. First the Wolverines lost their two leading scorers in Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims. Sims was a senior, but Harris' decision to enter the NBA draft especially hurt. Despite his apparent differences with Beilein, Harris was Michigan's most productive player, and his decision to go to the draft was unrewarded when Harris wasn't selected in either round last Thursday night.

Then Beilein lost a huge chunk of his coaching staff. Assistants Jerry Dunn and Jeff Mahoney left after the season. Graduate manager Patrick Beilein left for Dartmouth. And fifth-year assistant Mike Jackson left to take an assistant's position at Purdue.

Now there's more bad news to deal with: Laval Lucas-Perry, a redshirt junior expected to compete for Michigan's starting point guard spot, was bounced from the team thanks to a "violation of team standards," according to a Michigan press release. According to AnnArbor.com, Perry had the team standards "made clear to him on several occasions" and apparently didn't get the picture.

The move comes at a transparently bad time for Beilein and the Wolverines. Perry played in 32 games in 2009-10, starting 22 of them; his loss adds to the stark turnover throughout Michigan's program. That turnover will require Beilein to shift some personnel, probably resulting in more time at the shooting guard spot for either sharpshooter Zack Novak and Stu Douglass.

Fortunately, Beilein does have a pair of top 100 recruits on the way in 2010 -- power forward Evan Smotrycz and shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. -- but the recruiting class isn't nearly good enough to make up for Michigan's losses this offseason. If Beilein had the college coach's classic three-year rebuild in mind when he took over at Michigan in 2007, that plan is decidedly behind schedule.

In 2010, lots of people who'd be better off not entering the NBA draft are going to, with utmost certainty, be entering the NBA draft. Prepare yourself.

Why? Quite simply, the NBA's potential lockout looms over the 2011 season and the 2011 NBA draft like the big money-sucking vacuum out of that weird animated Goodyear commercial that's been on every tournament telecast since March 18. With the chance the draft won't be around next year, or, if it is, that teams won't be able to offer their draftees contracts until an ongoing dispute between owners and the NBA players' association is settled, pretty much everyone who has even an outsider's shot at the NBA this year is going to be testing those waters early and often.

Tommy Mason-Griffin started the trend. Yesterday, UTEP's Derrick Caracter continued it. Of course, this goldrush includes players like Cole Aldrich, likely lottery picks that should be going pro this year, guys whose best interests would be served by the draft even if it wasn't a lockout year. It will also include guys like Michigan's Manny Harris, who announced he was leaving John Beilein's program Monday. Harris is currently at the tail end of the second round of Chad Ford's NBA mock (Insider); there's a decent chance he'll go undrafted.

At some point, you wonder if doing the counterintuitive thing would be the best strategy. If there's going to be an NBA draft run this year, and you can afford to stick around for another year (two or more is better, but beggars can't be choosers), maybe you take the risk, stay in school, and hope the lockout thing works out? Maybe you boost your draft status simply by not being in the morass that will be 2010's overstuffed draft. It's has a higher ratio of risk to reward, but anything beats this 2010 draft. The bad decisions -- in so far as you can call them that -- are just going to keep rolling in.

INDIANAPOLIS -- If there were any doubts left about who should win National Player of the Year in college basketball, Evan Turner just extinguished them. He's the best. Case closed.

Turner's leaning 3-pointer from 37 feet away a flicker before the final buzzer lifted top-seeded Ohio State to a 69-68 win over No. 8 Michigan in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals. Officials reviewed whether the shot got off in time before ruling it good.

Ohio State remains alive for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament after a true escape job today against its archrival. The Buckeyes will face Wisconsin or Illinois on Saturday.

Michigan guard Manny Harris, who was brilliant in the second half with 22 of his 26 points, appeared to secure the upset on a fallaway jumper with 2.2 seconds left. The Wolverines spent the entire half clawing out of a hole they had created with a poor end to the first.

Watching Turner dribble up the floor, you have to question Michigan's defensive strategy on the last play. Everyone in the arena knew Turner was getting the ball, and he faced surprisingly little push-back as he crossed the half court stripe and launched the game-winner. After a strong first half, Turner struggled a bit in the final minutes, but once again, he came up big when Ohio State needed him most. David Lighty and William Buford also stepped up nicely for the Buckeyes.

You have to feel for Michigan, which ended an extremely disappointing season with one of its better efforts. Harris and guard Stu Douglass were brilliant in the second half as Michigan took its first lead since midway through the first half with 29.4 seconds to go. The Wolverines were a preseason top 15 team hoping to build on an NCAA tournament appearance, but they finish 15-17.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Michigan dictated the tempo early before Ohio State snapped out of its funk with ferocious defense and took total control in the final eight minutes.

Quick thoughts at the halftime break:

• Early on, Ohio State looked like a team that hasn't played since March 2. The Buckeyes were sloppy with the ball and seemed content to launch uncharacteristic 3-point attempts. How did they turn things around? Great defense, especially on Michigan forward DeShawn Sims, who scored the first eight points for his team before slowing down a bit. The Buckeyes recorded back-to-back steals on a 25-6 run to close the half. Michigan committed nine turnovers, most of them during the major slide.
• Michigan appeared more comfortable playing up-tempo in the first 12 minutes, as Sims found his shooting touch and guard Zack Novak attacked the basket with aggression. Sims swished three turnaround jumpers before Ohio State put Evan Turner on him. Manny Harris really needs to get more involved for the Wolverines.
• Turner was his typical brilliant self with nine points, but he really got his teammates involved as the half went on. The National Player of the Year front-runner fed Jon Diebler (eight points), David Lighty (seven points) and William Buford (five points), and Ohio State piled up 25 points in the final nine minutes. Turner recorded six assists and is well on his way to another double-double (at least).

INDIANAPOLIS -- Four quarterfinal matchups in the Big Ten tournament are on tap today.

Let's take a quick look at each one.

No. 1 seed Ohio State vs. No. 8 seed Michigan (ESPN, noon ET)

Records: Ohio State (24-7), Michigan (15-16)

Season series: The teams split two matchups, with Michigan winning 73-64 in Ann Arbor and Ohio State prevailing 66-55 in Columbus on Feb. 27.

Advancement: Winner faces Wisconsin or Illinois in Saturday's first semifinal (CBS, 1:40 p.m. ET)

What to watch for Ohio State: National Player of the Year front-runner Evan Turner makes his first appearance in the Big Ten tournament, as Ohio State eyes a possible No. 1 seed in next week's NCAA tournament. The Buckeyes could sneak in to the top line, but only if they win the Big Ten tournament. Turner had 18 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in the teams' last meeting after sitting out a Jan. 3 game at Michigan with a broken back. Ohio State ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring defense (60.4 ppg) and will try to contain Michigan star forward DeShawn Sims with Dallas Lauderdale.

What to watch for Michigan: The Wolverines need a complete performance to beat the surging Buckeyes, and they'll look for big things from guard Manny Harris, who looked good in Thursday's first-round win against Iowa (22 points, 9 rebounds). Michigan played stifling defense for most of the Iowa win and needs a similar effort against Turner, David Lighty and William Buford. The good news is U-M seems to match up decently with Ohio State this year. "We beat them for a whole game, beat them for a half," Wolverines forward Zack Novak said Thursday. "They got us for one half this year, so we’re confident going in."

No. 4 seed Wisconsin vs. No. 5 seed Illinois (ESPN, 25 minutes after Michigan-Ohio State)

Records: Wisconsin (23-7), Illinois (18-13)

Season series: The teams split two meetings, with each squad winning on the other's home floor. Illinois stunned Madison at the Kohl Center on Feb. 9, but Wisconsin surged to a 72-57 rout Sunday in Champaign.

Advancement: Winner plays Ohio State or Michigan in Saturday's first semifinal.

What to watch for Wisconsin: The Badgers might be the hottest team in this tournament, having won four consecutive games. It's no secret the surge has coincided with the healthy return of forward Jon Leuer, who won Big Ten Player of the Week honors last week. Leuer (14.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg) and forward Keaton Nankivil (8.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg) really balance out Wisconsin's offense and will put pressure on Illinois bigs Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis. The Badgers flustered Illinois star Demetri McCamey in Sunday's win and need a similar defensive effort from Jordan Taylor.

What to watch for Illinois: McCamey's sideline confrontation with head coach Bruce Weber generated plenty of national attention, and it will be interesting to see how the mercurial star responds today. Illinois needs its best player to be at his best against a jelling Badgers team. The Illini are only 1-5 since their win in Madison and need to find other ways to score if the outside shots aren't falling. They also must rebound better after Wisconsin crashed the offensive glass well in Sunday's game.

No. 2 seed Purdue vs. No. 7 seed Northwestern (Big Ten Network, 6:30 p.m. ET)

Records: Purdue (26-4), Northwestern (20-12)

Season series: Northwestern won the teams' only meeting, 72-64, on Jan. 16, which marked Purdue's last loss with a healthy Robbie Hummel.

Advancement: Winner faces Michigan State or Minnesota in Saturday's second semifinal (CBS, 25 minutes after first semifinal).

What to watch for Purdue: After a rough start in its first game without Hummel, Purdue rallied last week for two wins. The Boilers need a strong effort today from center JaJuan Johnson, who was a nonfactor before fouling out against Northwestern the last time the teams met. Senior guard Chris Kramer also had a rough outing in Evanston and needs to be a bigger factor on both ends of the floor. Purdue's suffocating man-to-man defense could be the difference tonight. "Instead of someone picking you up at 21 feet, they pick you up at 90 feet," Northwestern coach Bill Carmody said.

What to watch for Northwestern: The Wildcats actually match up well against Purdue. They have won two of the teams' last three meetings and choked away a big lead in the only defeat. Standout freshman wing Drew Crawford is very banged-up -- he had at least three ice packs on his body after Thursday's win -- so Northwestern needs production from other spots. Point guard Michael Thompson stepped up big against Indiana (16 points), but senior guard Jeremy Nash and sophomore center Luka Mirkovic need stronger performances today.

No. 3 seed Michigan State vs. No. 6 seed Minnesota (Big Ten Network, 25 minutes after Purdue-Northwestern game)

Records: Michigan State (24-7), Minnesota (19-12)

Season series: Michigan State won both meetings, but only by a combined eight points. After a 60-53 win in East Lansing, the Spartans needed a huge shot from Kalin Lucas to outlast Minnesota, 65-64, on Jan. 23 at Williams Arena.

Advancement: Winner faces Purdue or Northwestern in Saturday's second semifinal.

What to watch for Michigan State: The Spartans come off of a strong showing against Michigan on Sunday but will be without junior guard Chris Allen, who is suspended for the game. Allen ranks fourth on the team in scoring (9.1 ppg), and his absence will put a bigger burden on starting shooting guard Durrell Summers. Michigan State's front line has played better as of late and needs a strong performance against Minnesota bigs Damian Johnson, Ralph Sampson III and Colton Iverson. The Spartans haven't been great defensively this year, but they have held their last six opponents to just 57.2 points per game.

What to watch for Minnesota: After two blowout wins against bottom feeders, the Gophers can really boost their NCAA tournament hopes with a win today. They paced Michigan State in both games and endured one of several heartbreaking losses in the meeting at The Barn. If seniors Johnson and Lawrence Westbrook continue to answer the bell like they did Thursday, and if Devoe Joseph builds on a strong performance, Minnesota will be tough to beat. "Last time we played Michigan State we lost by one point," Joseph said, "and we made a lot of mistakes in the last four minutes, so I definitely think we can pull off the upset."

INDIANAPOLIS -- After a scare early in the second half and in the closing minutes, Michigan held off Cully Payne and Iowa, 59-52, to advance to the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals. The Wolverines will face top seed Ohio State on Friday (ESPN, noon ET).

Michigan got what it needed from its star players, particularly junior guard Manny Harris, who played a lot like he did early in the season. Harris was very aggressive on both ends of the court and finished with 22 points, nine rebounds and two assists. Wolverines senior forward DeShawn Sims continued to be a load in the low post, racking up 14 points.

Iowa never quit today, which is more than I can say for the Hawkeyes' last two outings -- historically bad losses to rivals Wisconsin (67-40) and Minnesota (88-53). The Hawkeyes carried over the momentum they built late in the first half, thanks to Payne, who scored a career-high 25 points. Iowa cut Michigan's lead to four points before a Sims block led to a Zack Novak 3-pointer. The Hawkeyes also took advantage of Michigan's sloppiness down the stretch, cutting the lead to five with a chance to get closer.

Payne surpassed his previous career best of 18 early in the second half. But other than promising forward Aaron Fuller (10 points, 13 rebounds), Payne didn't get much help from his Iowa teammates.

The Hawkeyes struggled to hang onto the ball, committing 14 turnovers in the loss.

There's a lot of buzz here at Conseco about the future of Iowa third-year head coach Todd Lickliter, which could be addressed in a matter of moments. Lickliter has four years remaining on his contract but owns a 38-58 record at Iowa.

Stay tuned ...

INDIANAPOLIS -- We've reached halftime here at Conseco Fieldhouse, and No. 8 seed Michigan has led the entire way against No. 9 Iowa.

Some quick thoughts:

• Michigan's defensive aggression and Iowa's sloppy ball-handling have been the difference so far. The Hawkeyes committed a five-second violation on the game's opening possession and finished the half with eight turnovers. When you're shooting as poorly as Iowa has been lately, you need to take care of the basketball. Michigan has done a nice job of that so far, committing only three giveaways.
• Manny Harris hasn't had the season he envisioned, but the Michigan junior guard looks very impressive so far. He's consistently attacking the rim but not taking silly shots, and he's getting his teammates involved. Harris has 12 points and five rebounds.
• Iowa guard Cully Payne is almost single-handedly keeping the Hawkeyes in this game. After a slow start, the freshman point guard has scored 13 of Iowa's 23 points, hitting 3 of 5 3-point attempts. He engineered a 12-5 Iowa run to close the half. Payne clearly is the type of player who fits well in Todd Lickliter's system, but he'll need more of his teammates to get hot in the second half.
• Michigan is still 3-point happy, but Iowa can't forget about DeShawn Sims down low. Sims, who had double-doubles in both meetings with Iowa this season, has been able to score fairly easily down low and boasts 10 points at the half.

Ekpe Udoh fell a block shy of his second triple-double of the season in Baylor’s 88-70 win over Texas Tech. Udoh finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 9 blocks. He would have been just the second Big 12 player with multiple triple-doubles in a season since the conference formed. Colorado’s David Harrison had a pair back in 2003. Meanwhile, Baylor clinched its third straight 20-win season with the win. The Bears only had three such seasons before Scott Drew arrived.

North Carolina only put up 51 points in a loss to Georgia Tech. That’s the fewest points of the Roy Williams era, and the fewest by a Tar Heels team since 48 against Duke in 2002. The Tar Heels shot just 32.2 percent from the field, their lowest since a 2003 win over Akron. North Carolina also had its worst performance from the line (41.7 percent) since 2003. The first half was particularly disastrous, as the Tar Heels nearly had more turnovers (15) than points (21).

Michigan came back from a five-point deficit with just 22 seconds remaining in regulation to notch an overtime win over Iowa. DeShawn Sims led the charge with six points in the final 15 seconds. Both Sims and Manny Harris put up 20-point, 10-rebound games in the win. It’s just the third time that Sims and Harris have had a double-double in the same game, and the first time both went for 20 and 10.

Northern Iowa got back to its defensive ways on Tuesday, clinching its first outright MVC regular-season title. The Panthers did so by holding Creighton to 52 points and a 37.5 field goal percentage. This came after giving up 68 points in Saturday’s loss to Bradley. Northern Iowa is second in the nation in scoring defense, allowing only 55.1 PPG. In conference play, that is down to 53.5 PPG, also second to Princeton. A big part of those low point totals is the fact that Northern Iowa does not send its opponents to the line. Panthers’ opponents attempt only 13.8 free throws per game, third fewest in the nation.

Speaking of Princeton, the Tigers improved to 6-1 in the Ivy League with a 58-51 win at Penn. The 51 points allowed represent just the second time that Princeton has allowed an Ivy opponent to crack 50 points. In seven games, Princeton has held conference opponents to just 46.6 PPG and 35.5 percent from the floor. Princeton is a perfect 5-0 in conference road games, and closes its conference slate with five of seven at home, though a test in Ithaca looms.

• The glory days of the Purdue-Indiana rivalry have long since passed, or are at least temporarily on hold. Both schools have had overlapping rebuilding eras in the past decade or so; when Mike Davis and Kelvin Sampson's teams were nationally competitive, Purdue was rebuilding, and now that Purdue is a contender again, IU is still digging out of its post-Sampson crater. But that doesn't diminish what the rivalry means to people in Indiana. In Indiana, you're either a Boilermaker or a Hoosier, and there's no room -- whether in the workplace, or at school, or on the troll-heavy comment threads of the state's major metropolitan newspaper -- for crossover. The best preview of the rivalry you'll read today comes by way of Purdue fan blog Hammer And Rails, which does a brief tongue-in-cheek history of the rivalry before closing with this totally reasonable thought: "This is still a rivalry though. I try not to view it with silly jokes (except for the above section), but with educated respect. We have won the battles in terms of the overall series, but they have won the war on the national scale. Until we win a title or two ourselves, it will be that way." It would be easy for Purdue fans to take this opportunity to stomp all over the struggling Hoosiers, a fan base that likes to remind Purdue loyalists of its five NCAA titles as frequently as possible. Instead, there's respect. Each fan base knows the history and the stakes. That's the mark of a true rivalry. Despite the product on the court in Bloomington tonight, it will still be worth your time.
• When Evan Turner plays Penn State at home, at least one thing should happen: an eye-popping line. The Villian delivered: 27 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Did your eyes pop? Because mine did. This line caused me to ask my Twitter followers for a good reason why Evan Turner shouldn't be player of the year, and the only good reasonable response I got was "He was playing Penn State." Fair point. But Turner has been doing this all season -- except during his back-injury absence, of course -- and with John Wall's recent struggles and the way Ohio State relies on Turner so heavily, doesn't Turner deserve more love? Turns out he's getting it: AnnArbor.com's staff polled its player of the year voters for an updated result, and Turner now trails John Wall by just seven first-place votes (25-18). There's still plenty of time to sort this all out, and John Wall will have plenty to say about it in the meantime, but it's hard to argue the fact that Turner is the most complete and valuable player of any in college basketball. If you can argue it, please do. But like I said: It's hard.
• West Virginia fans debate the behavior of those who threw junk onto the court, including a coin that hit a Pitt assistant coach, during last night's win over Pittsburgh. The consensus? Kick these idiots out. Though there is one dissenter: "I’m an advocate of throwing eggs, oranges or other produce, in addition to metal trashcans. Whatever was thrown didn’t come from the student section. Not sure there is any way to reverse course and become reputed as model fans now. Might as well embrace the dark side and make the Coliseum a house of horrors where ANYTHING goes." Ha. Metal trash cans. Funny stuff. Wait ... he's -- he's joking, right? You guys? Tell me he's joking.
• I did my best to summarize Dominique Jones' dominance in this morning's M.A.; now let John Gasaway discuss just how good the versatile, attacking guard really is. (One half-baked thought I just had about Jones: He sort of plays the way I assumed highly recruited Cincinnati forward Lance Stephenson would play -- physical, face-up, I'm-going-to-the-hole-now-try-to-stop-me sort of stuff. Stephenson has that potential, but Jones is already there.)
• Andy Katz is out in California, and reminds us that, believe it or not, UCLA is still somehow in the hunt.
• For the sake of mentioning it, Kalin Lucas' ankle is indeed merely sprained. He is listed as day-to-day.
• In other Big Ten-State of Michigan axis news, the current rumor is that Manny Harris might stay in Ann Arbor for another season. This strikes me as a particularly good decision, given how bad Harris and the Wolverines have been this year.
• The talk of a potential NCAA tournament expansion to 96 teams is still just that -- talk. But for the sake of fun, and as a handy way of putting into practice just who could hypothetically benefit from such an expansion, Rush The Court maps this year's 96-team NCAA tourney. The results are ... well, you'll see.
• Can anyone go unbeaten in league play? Who? Why or why not? Mike DeCourcy shows his work.

As always, follow me on Twitter to send me links and tips. They'll get used. Trust me.

And just in time for Michigan's trip to Ann Arbor Tuesday night, too. The quotes from Michigan's statement (via UM Hoops) are below:

“It is our hope that Manny will show tremendous growth from his suspension,” said Beilein. “We look forward to moving on and to having a great practice today.”

“I wanted to take this opportunity to apologize to the university, the coaching staff, my teammates and every U-M fan for not being able to help the team against Purdue,” said Harris. “I made a poor decision during last Friday’s practice which I regret very much. I fully accept the suspension from the coaching staff. It was the correct decision. I cannot tell you my disappointment for letting my teammates down and showing the lack of leadership that I normally try to provide. I love my teammates, the coaches, this program and especially all the fans who have continued to support me. I have learned a great deal from this situation and I don’t ever want to have it happen again.”

All right then. That's a suitable apology, and Harris has been known to play well after disciplinary action, so Michigan fans can be at least somewhat hopeful of a strong performance from their best player at Michigan State tonight. They'll desperately need it.

That's mere short-term stuff, though; Harris and Beilein need to start thinking about the future. Michigan is in a precarious position. The Wolverines are 10-9 with few, if any, signature wins. As of right now they're nowhere near the bubble. Despite some gaudy numbers, Harris hasn't played all that well. The decision tree for both has changed: Can Harris and Beilein find some sort of common bond in the face of overwhelming odds, one strong enough that Harris will want to stick around for his senior season? (Harris is projected as a mid-second-round NBA draft pick right now.) Or do they stubbornly feud until the season ends and Harris goes pro, ruining any chance of a postseason appearance this season? Michigan can still salvage something here, whether it's this year or next. But both coach and player need to figure out whether they're willing to try.

It's Monday, the Cats are the new No. 1 team in the country, and we're all just living in their shadow. Don't try to fight it. Do, however, send me links and posts via Twitter. Now, on with the links:

• As the last unbeaten team in the nation, today Kentucky officially ascends to the No. 1 spot atop both the AP and Coaches Polls. This has inspired several questions, not least of which is, "Is Kentucky actually this good?" and "When will Kentucky lose, if ever?" The first question is being pondered by the Cats fans over at A Sea Of Blue, which reasonably concludes that Syracuse, Texas, Kansas and Duke are all teams Kentucky would rightfully be an underdog to, while there are 10-to-15 teams capable of upsetting the talented Cats. Probably all true. Given that Kentucky's Pomeroy, Sagarin and Basketball State rankings all have Kentucky as either the No. 6 or No. 9 team in the country is reason enough for this distinction. Meanwhile the second question -- When will Kentucky lose? -- gets a treatment at The Dagger, where Matt Norlander outlines Kentucky's next major challenges on the road to its possible SEC title and NCAA tournament run.
• Wondering where Jim Calhoun was during Saturday's UConn win? Where else: Calhoun was at home watching the game. Calhoun thought about taking a mental break in Hilton Head, S.C., but instead decided to stay in Connecticut and rest at his house. I wonder how much resting went on after UConn beat the the No. 1 team in the country at home. Probably not very much. Meanwhile, Calhoun's return is still up in the air, a phrase I will never again be able to use without thinking of George Clooney talking to the mustachioed cowboy from The Big Lebowski on an airplane.
• Adam Zagoria zooms in on Villanova frosh Dominic Cheek, who is emerging during conference play as the McDonald's All-American star most recruiters thought he'd be.
• Bruce Weber is refusing to let his Illini players talk to the media. "Until they start talking and taking leadership, they're not talking to anyone else," Weber said. "I don't know when it will end. I hope it ends soon. Somebody's got to take this team and go with it, but right now, it's not happening." Losing by five at Northwestern wouldn't seem worthy of this sort of response -- that's not the worst loss ever, you know -- but Weber has been unhappy with his team's leadership for weeks, and he doesn't appear to have changed his mind.
• Former Fab Fiver Jimmy King says he can relate to Manny Harris' issues at Michigan, where Harris was suspended before UM's loss to Purdue on Saturday. King's quote on the matter: "In those situations, player to coach, you got to understand that the coach is the man and ultimately you’re the player so you can’t go against the coach regardless if you feel you’re right," he said. Vague? Yes. Disconcerting? Slightly. Meanwhile, UM Hoops says that Harris has played well in the wake of disciplinary action before.
• This is good news: Samford coach Jimmy Tillette, who suffered a seizure and a collapse during his team's 70-67 win over North Carolina-Greensboro on Saturday, is in stable condition.
• Last week, Luke Winn caught up with Virginia's Sylven Landesburg, who, much like his team, has been quietly succeeding under the tutelage of first-year coach Tony Bennett. The Cavaliers are 3-1 in the ACC after a loss at Wake Forest on Saturday.
• Finally, be sure to check out today's Weekly Watch, which wraps up this weekend's action with awards for UConn and Gonzaga's Matt Bouldin.

That's the word out of Ann Arbor, where Harris was disciplined during practice and will not play during Michigan's game at Purdue today. Via USA Today:

Michigan guard Manny Harris has been suspended for what his coach described as an act of unsportsmanlike conduct during practice. Coach John Beilein announced the suspension Saturday ahead of the Wolverines' game at Purdue. Beilein said in a statement that Harris "used poor judgment" on Friday and it would be "best for Manny's future" if he didn't play.

This seems, um, bad. (Trenchant observation, right?) Not only bad for Michigan in the near-term -- the Wolverines' odds of pulling off an upset at Purdue just got even longer -- but bad for Harris and John Beilein and Michigan in general for the rest of the season. Beilein says he will meet with Harris after Saturday's game and determine whether he can return to the team for Tuesday's game versus Michigan State. If that kind of meeting is necessary, this doesn't seem like a token Tom Izzo practice suspension. This seems bad.

Then again, Izzo's quasi-suspension of Kalin Lucas earlier this season sort of seemed like a big deal, too, and Lucas and Izzo have been just fine since. So maybe it's not a big deal. Cliché alert, but only time will tell.

The Big Ten's hope to actually make the Big Ten/ACC Challenge a legit challenge took a body blow late Tuesday night when Michigan State lost at North Carolina. Asking either Indiana or Iowa to win was a tall order, so it was up to the Spartans to keep the league on the winning side of the ledger. Instead, with MSU's third loss in 12 months to its nemesis, the Big Ten went from up 3-0 to a 3-3 stalemate.

But the conference still has a chance to win this thing for the first time since 1999. The critical games are Boston College at Michigan, Minnesota at Miami and Florida State at Ohio State. Wisconsin at home will be tough, but asking the Badgers to beat Duke is a tall order. Ditto Illinois -- the young Illini are still trying to regroup after losing to Utah and Bradley and winning at Clemson won't exactly be a cakewalk.

So that leaves it up to the Wolverines, Gophers and Buckeyes. Michigan and Minnesota both have received an early comeuppance, tumbling from their early-season rankings after disappointing losses. The Wolverines, who dropped two to Marquette and Alabama, need to be more than the Manny Harris show, especially against a BC team that is much better than people think.

The Gophers, in the meantime, looked great upsetting Butler, but struggled offensively against Portland and Texas A&M. Miami can score -- the Hurricanes put up 85 in their upset of South Carolina in the Charleston Classic - - so Tubby's boys will need to get the offense out of the 60s to win.

Finally, Ohio State is playing much better after its disappointing half against North Carolina two weeks ago. Double-double machine Evan Turner, David Lighty and Jon Diebler are making for a potent attack but the Buckeyes can't afford to get fat and happy at home. Florida State was the surprise winner at the Old Spice Classic, with Chris Singleton earning tourney MVP honors there.

The blueprint to winning this challenge exists for the Big Ten.

The question is: For once, can the league follow it?