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One of Illinois coach John Groce's biggest, or at least most interesting, challenges next season will be how he goes about replacing Brandon Paul. The senior guard had an up and down career, to be sure, and while his senior season was no different (P...

There are plenty of "sponsored" arenas in college basketball; it's not like college basketball is immune to the crass commercialization that once gave us Enron Field. Still, the Illinois' athletic department's Monday release -- that the school had s...

Two weeks ago, after his team's 51-49 loss to Illinois, Tubby Smith sat down at his news conference in the bowels of the United Center and tried to answer the same question -- differently phrased -- over and over: Why? He sighed and rubbed his tem...

The Big Ten was the nation's best conference in the regular season. But that doesn't matter. Fair or not, the conference's legacy will be judged by how well -- or poorly -- its teams do in the NCAA tournament.

CHICAGO -- Quick reaction to Indiana's 80-64 win over Illinois on Friday. Overview: When Indiana's offense is clicking, when it is breaking opponents down with spacing and fluid ball movement, there is no more entertaining and (for opposing defens...

CHICAGO -- Seriously: What's wrong with Minnesota? What is it, exactly, that allowed the Gophers to look like one of the best teams in the country for the first two months of the season, and utterly pedestrian for the final six weeks? Why can the ...

The Big Ten has been home to some of the best basketball we've seen all season. With several Final Four contenders and teams still on the NCAA tournament bubble, the league tournament in Chicago should provide more of the same.

There was a time in my college hoops writing career -- probably back when I was in college myself, actually -- where I took it upon myself, teller of hard truths, when and why college students could or could not rush the court following the end of a ...

Saddle Up is our semi-daily preview of the night's best basketball action. It remains blown away by "Paperman," no pun intended. Illinois at No. 13 Michigan State, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN At this point, you know the Illinois drill. The Illini began ...

Earlier today, I wrote about the eventful day in the Big East, as Villanova upset No. 3 Syracuse and Louisville dropped its third in a row in a loss at Georgetown. Here are a few other afternoon thoughts from around the college hoops landscape: 1....

Early in the season, Illinois State appeared to be one of the Missouri Valley's true hidden gems. Tucked away in a league that was supposed to be dominated by Creighton, and overshadowed by the more recent success of Wichita State and Northern Iowa, ...

Saddle Up is our semi-daily preview of the night's best basketball action. It is super psyched about conference play. No. 8 Minnesota at No. 12 Illinois, 9 p.m. ET, BTN: I love this time of year. We're off and running with all-out conference play ...

Here are yours truly's 10 big thoughts from the first January hoops Saturday of the year: 1. C.J. McCollum's injury looks like a real bummer. Before we eulogize McCollum's season, it's important to note that we don't know exactly what injury cause...

The last time Brandon Paul played Ohio State at home, he didn't have just a career game -- he had anybody's career game. That night, Jan. 10, 2012, Paul scored 43 points on 15 shots, including 8 of 10 from beyond the arc. More than a few of those ...

With the conference season set to get under way, Eamonn Brennan takes a look at what's in store for the Big Ten.

This is the final time I will construct a Big Ten power rankings post out of nothing more than nonconference games; Big Ten play begins Monday. That is good news for power rankings purposes, sure -- it is easier to rank teams when you have some he...