There was a shocker in the Big Ten that went final moments ago. Kevin Coble (left) scored 31 points to lead Northwestern to a 70-63 victory over No. 7 Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich.
The Spartans had won 28 straight games at home and had 85 consecutive home wins over unranked opponents. Those impressive streaks are over. It was also the first Big Ten loss for Michigan State, now 5-1 in the conference.
This is a huge break for a host of Big Ten teams. Illinois and Minnesota, both 4-2 in league play, are now only a game back of the conference lead. Purdue (14-4, 3-2) and Wisconsin (12-5, 3-2), currently in action at Iowa, also just got a little bit closer to the top of the conference thanks to the shocker pulled off by the Wildcats (10-6, 2-4).
UPDATE: Wisconsin loses 73-69 in overtime at Iowa. The Badgers blow a golden chance to pull into a second-place tie.
I guess I don't have to be ashamed about the Gophers losing to Northwestern. Northwestern did something Illinois could not do, which is beating Michigan State. The Minnesota win along with Michigan State win should help Northwestern's chances of being in March Madness.
Not many teams are going to win in East Lansing this year. It wouldn't surprise me if Northwestern ends up being the only team to get out of there with a win all season. Michigan State didn't win 28 in a row in that building on accident.
That said, I don't think Northwestern is getting in the NCAA tournament. I think they'll make the NIT, which would be a good year for them.