After the two afternoon contests were both hotly contested down to the final minute, tonight's games between Michigan State and Purdue and Wisconsin and Penn State are sure to be fantastic games as well.
Michigan State is still on the bubble after clawing past Iowa last night, and now must face the No. 2 seed Purdue Boilermakers, who just blew them out in East Lansing, with their tournament hopes on the line.
Purdue's senior standouts JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore were both named First Team All Big Ten earlier this week, with Johnson earning player of the year honors, and are out to win the Big Ten Tournament Championship and reestablish themselves for a two seed in the NCAA tournament, after losing to Iowa in their Big Ten finale last Saturday.
For Michigan State, Kalin Lucas and Draymond Green must try and match the intensity of Purdue's powerful twosome, and hope to slow down an offensive attack that beat the Spartans by 20 during their last game. Green's 24 points and 14 rebounds were crucial in the Spartan's win over Iowa last night, but the Hawkeyes don't have JaJuan Johnson, and unfortunately Purdue does.
The last time we saw Purdue in this tournament, we should point out, was when they scored a mere 11 points in the first half before ultimately losing to Minnesota 69-42. There is no doubt that the Boilermakers will be looking to make a statement with the Spartans.
Should Tom Izzo and his team manage this upset, his team will be firmly reestablished in the field of 68, with a shot at another highly ranked team. Should MSU lose, they may end up in the tournament, but certainly wont be with the comfort Spartans fans have come to expect on Selection Sunday.