Minnesota junior-to-be Joe Coleman was granted a release from his scholarship, the Gophers announced Wednesday afternoon.  Coleman, who averaged 7.2 points and 3.3 rebounds in two seasons in Minneapolis, will seek a transfer. The guard will have to sit out next season due to NCAA transfer rules.

At its spring meetings in Chicago, the Big Ten may discuss if it should have divisional play in basketball, as Rutgers and Maryland are set to join the league in 2014 to make the conference a 14-team entity. My advice: The Big Ten should take a lead from the other major conferences—ACC (12 teams), SEC (14), Pac-12 (12), old Big East (15), Atlantic 10 (16)–and not have divisional play.

It’s time to talk the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The event might be six-plus months away, but the 2013 matchups were released Wednesday afternoon.

Stephen Bardo needs no introduction to Big Ten fans. A key cog to Illinois’ 1989 Final Four team, dubbed the “Flyin’ Illini,” and a respected broadcaster since his retirement, Bardo is about to become even more synonymous with Big Ten hoops. That’s because the Illini product is BTN’s newest hire, and he’ll serve as one of our basketball analysts. Read our Q&A with the Illini product in this post.

The 2013 NBA Draft isn’t until Thursday, June 27, but our “Journey” producers have compiled several of the show’s best feature stories on the Big Ten’s top draft eligible players. From Illinois’ Brandon Paul to Ohio State’s Deshaun Thomas, check out all of the well-done stories on the Big Ten players who are now preparing for the draft.

What to do on a cold, wet May day? How about answering some reader mail. Lots of nice emails this week, including a bunch of good questions on the Big Ten Conference’s announcement to have new football divisions in 2014. Remember that you can always email me on this page, or find me on Twitter (@BTNTomDienhart). Keep those cards and letters coming, America! And be safe out there.