Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, January 28, 2014

If you are a Big Ten hoops fan, then you wanna be in Iowa City tonight. That?s where Michigan State will play Iowa in what?s the best matchup of the week. Each squad is chasing Big Ten front-runner Michigan, which beat the Hawkeyes and Spartans last week. No doubt, playing at Iowa will be a big challenge for Michigan State.

In fact, I will be surprised if the Spartans come away with a victory, as they figure to play without Adreian Payne (foot). Branden Dawson (hand) is out.

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That's two really good players, and it all might be too much to overcome vs. a deep Hawkeyes club that is 11-0 at home. No other Big Ten team is unbeaten at home. For what it's worth, Payne is increasing his running, Izzo said, and he?s hoping he?ll start to do more later in the week. If all goes well, Payne could return for a Feb. 6 game against Penn State, before another huge one Feb. 9 at Wisconsin. His official Izzo status for Iowa is ?slim to none, to none.?

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Adding to the Spartans? woes: Guard Keith Appling is ailing, playing with a bad wrist. But, he?s gutting it out. And, he can?t afford to rest. Not with Payne and Dawson on the mend.

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Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press had a little fun here, dreaming of the possibilities of Michigan and Michigan State both being in the Final Four. Why not?

No doubt, this is becoming a juicy rivalry in which Michigan is closing the gap on MSU by winning five of the last seven meetings. Sorta like the inverse of what?s happening in the football rivalry between these schools. As Sharp points out, John Beilein is sorta like Mark Dantonio in more ways than one.

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The polls came out on Monday. And Ohio State was No. 24 in the AP and No. 23 in the coaches. The last time the Buckeyes were this low? When OSU lost its first two Big Ten games in 2009-10 when Evan Turner was out with a back injury and the Buckeyes fell from the polls.

It has been a long drop for Ohio State, which was 15-0 and No. 3 in the nation at one point this season. By the way: That 2009-10 OSU team won 13 of its last 14 games to make the Big Dance. How will this team do? I think it will be just fine.

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The Gophers loss at Nebraska over the weekend hurt. No, it wasn?t costly, as Richard Pitino?s squad still looks primed to earn an NCAA bid. But, it means Minnesota?s margin for error has gotten slimmer as we steam toward the midpoint of the Big Ten season.

Still, if the Cornhuskers? loss turns into another ? and then another ?, well. ? Ask Illinois what its six-game losing skid had done to its dreams. Still, looking at Minnesota?s upcoming schedule, I have to think success is on the horizon. Check it out: Northwestern; at Purdue; Indiana; at Wisconsin; at Northwestern; Illinois. That could be a 5-1 stretch for the Gophers. Go ahead and exhale, Goldy.

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This certainly isn?t good news for Nebrasketball: point guard Deverell Biggs has been dismissed from the team for repeated disciplinary issues. He was the team?s third-leading scorer.

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This is interesting: Someone thinks Northwestern?s 26-point loss to Iowa in Evanston over the weekend was a sign of progress for the Wildcats. Really.

You see, NU ?battled? Iowa for the first 23 minutes. The problem? The final 17 minutes of this 40-minute game belonged to the Hawkeyes. Still, I get the point. The first month or so, Northwestern didn?t look too good. But Chris Collins has this team playing well-and probably to its potential. That?s all anyone can ask.

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Here is a nice look at the future of the Nebraska defensive line. I know pundits say every year that the unit will be better. But, really, the Husker front should be improved in 2014.

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Gotta love players like Randy Gregory, Kevin Maurice, Vincent Valentine, Maliek Collins, among others. But the unit suffered a blow when it was announced Avery Moss won?t be part of the program in 2014.

TWEETS THAT MATTER

My take: An amazing improvement.

My take: So there is that.

My take: Good idea.

My take: A very impressive rise by the Wolverines.

My take: Tom Izzo is correct, of course.

My take: This isn?t good.

My take: You see: There is a market for Nelson. Good to see.

My take: So, those are your top players on Minnesota right now? I?m not gonna argue.

My take: Hmmmm. I supposed RPI isn?t ?dumb? for teams that rank highly in it.

My take: That certainly would help a struggling Indiana team.

My take: Amen to that.

About Tom Dienhart BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart is a veteran sports journalist who covers Big Ten football and men's basketball for BTN.com and BTN TV. Find him on Twitter and Facebook, read all of his work at btn.com/tomdienhart, and subscribe to his posts via RSS. Also, send questions to his weekly mailbag using the form below and read all of his previous answers in his reader mailbag section.

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