IU turned in what I generally would consider its best effort in several weeks, but allowed the Badgers some key offensive rebounds down the stretch and fell 57-50, for IU's ninth straight loss to Wisconsin and eleventh straight loss in Madison. Is there anything more frustrating as a sports fan then to see your team play below its potential and drop a couple of games that it should win, and then play much better against a tougher opponent, yet not well enough to win? That's how I feel about last night's game. If IU had shown the same defensive commitment against Minnesota or Nebraska, IU would have won both of those games comfortably. I hope the overall performance is a sign of things to come, but it's still frustrating.

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Got a chance to swing over to Covenant Christian High School last night to check out Hanner Perea and La Lumiere take on Trader’s Point Christian Academy (TP) in a rematch of last Friday’s game where Perea threw down that monster dunk posted on the site a few days prior. Overall it was a pretty entertaining game for one that finished as a double digit win for LaLu. TP is rocking two players that will be attending Northwestern next year and a third that will likely end up in the Big Ten with Northwestern as well. First, let’s discuss how Perea looked.

The kid is absolutely as good and as bad as advertised, but let’s first discuss the things that can be coached. He is an athletic monster. I have never seen an individual so athletically gifted as Perea. He comes from the Dwight Howard School of "we’re going to need a bigger basket". His ability to get off the ground is beyond impressive and the ease with which he does it would make any player jealous. He is also much longer than originally thought. His wingspan is probably close to 7’ and he’s probably right at the commonly cited 6’8" mark. He could definitely benefit from a college weight coach but he has the frame to hold it without sacrificing athleticism. The broad shoulders despite a pretty slender build suggests the ability to hold extra size is there.

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When IU last won in Madison, Dick Bennett was the Wisconsin coach and Bob Knight and Myles Brand still got along with each other. Andrae Patterson and AJ Guyton were the Hoosiers' two double-figure scorers in that one. Let's hope that the Hoosiers can re-establish their previous tradition of playing well in Madison. Go IU!

Wisconsin Badgers

Current record: 16-5 (5-3)
Current RPI: 32 (IU is #20)
Current Sagarin: 8 (IU is #11)
Current Pomeroy: 3 (IU is #11)
2010-11 record: 25-9 (13-5), lost to Butler in NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
2010-11 RPI: 16
2010-11 Sagarin: 12
2010-11 Pomeroy: 7
Series: IU leads 94-63
Last IU win: 1/31/2007 (71-66 in Bloomington)
Last Wisconsin win: 3/3/2011 (77-67 in Bloomington)
Last IU win in Madison: 1/25/1998 (69-59)
Pomeroy scouting report
TV: 9 pm Thursday, ESPN2

Blog: Bucky's Fifth Quarter

Indiana tries to end two long losing streaks to Wisconsin when the Hoosiers travel to the Kohl Center tonight. When I say two losing streaks, I mean this: first, IU has lost 8 in a row to the Badgers. It's been nearly five years since IU beat Wisconsin, and because this is the only regular season meeting between the teams, it likely will extend to six years if IU doesn't win tonight. The last time IU had a 9-game losing streak against a Big Ten opponent? Against Purdue from 1929-1935. That's the first streak. The second is that IU has lost 10 in a row in Madison since the Hoosiers won at the Kohl Center for the first and only time in 1998. Bring back the Fieldhouse! This is a remarkable turn in a series in which IU won 31 in a row from 1980 through 1996. Before the current 10 game losing streak in Madison, IU's 10 previous losses at Wisconsin came in 1997, 1980, 1978, 1971, 1968, 1963, 1959, 1955, 1947, and 1943. IU's losing streak in Madison is second only to the long drought in East Lansing.

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This news came out a week ago, but I thought now would be a good time to address it with Wisconsin’s big men coming up tomorrow. Cody Zeller has matched and exceeded all expectations put on him so far and it is making an impact on the national scene. Zeller is currently one of the 25 finalists for the John R. Wooden Award. The Wooden Award is similar to football’s Heisman Award, except in basketball there are 5 similar national awards (Naismith, AP, Rupp and Robertson). Sometimes all five go to one guy but usually the top three or so players split the five awards. Anyway it is still quite an honor to be nominated for any of them.

Zeller’s season to date has him with the nation’s best players as one of them and that should be honor enough. ESPN’s Andy Katz claims he has no chance at actually winning the award and I would agree, but as Katz stated, "it’s amazing he is on the list". Katz for the record also puts Zeller on his second team of mid-season All-Americans. That I would lean towards agreeing with as well. Now, let’s take a look at what Zeller has done to get himself this recognition so far.

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It's true! The Big Ten is a really tough conference, from top-to-bottom. Coaches are noting that there are no "get-well games" and that teams are truly beating up on each other. Don't celebrate your big win over a ranked team too much, for another ranked awaits right after your trip to Evanston, or Happy Valley, or Lincoln - where a capable team is waiting to ruin your week. So, will this constant competition breed toughness in March? Let's hope. Rankings, commentary, and conference Statistics of Intrigue await below the jump:

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