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Five in double figures For the first time since last year's Big Ten Tournament win over Nebraska, the Boilermakers placed five different players in double figures in Saturday's 89-73 win over Minnesota. In that win over the Cornhuskers, Anthony Johnson came off the bench to score a career-high 17 points in the 79-61 win in the first round game played at Bankers' Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The last time Purdue had five starters score in double figures in the same game was March 2, 2002 in a 92-57 home win over Penn State. It was senior day as well in that contest 11 years ago. — Alan Karpick No. 7 Purdue Minnesota was great at home — winning seven of its nine conference games — but managed to take only one of the nine games away from home. That includes a loss in Evanston, Ill., the closest the Gophers played to Chicago this season. and D.J. Newbill picking up the offensive load, Penn State still badly needs Tim Frazier in the lineup to truly compete consistently. No. 10 Nebraska Jeff Meyer, an assistant coach on John Beilein's staff at Michigan and a former assistant at Purdue under Coach Lee Rose from 1979-80, was the target of Indiana coach Tom Crean's ire on the court after the Hoosiers defeated Michigan on Sunday to win the Big Ten title outright. In front of CBS' cameras, Crean walked up to Meyer after the game and shouted "you helped wreck our program." Meyer was an assistant for Kelvin Sampson when IU was under investigation and ultimately penalized by the NCAA prior to Crean's arrival. Crean's outburst drew a lot of attention on the Internet on Monday. No. 5 Michigan Tom Campbell Anthony Johnson's career-best 17 points helped Purdue place five players in doublefigures in last year's opening-round Big Ten Tournament win over Nebraska. Purdue duplicated the effort on Saturday against Minnesota. The Boilermakers could be the tournament's dark horse, considering their play of late. But that'd mean getting past Ohio State in the second round, a team that has dominated Purdue of late. That could prove problematic, considering the matchup nightmares Ohio State's perimeter players present. An inspired effort to close the Devaney Center by beating Minnesota was about as good as the Cornhuskers could muster during league play. It'd be surprising if it got out of the first round especially since Purdue won the only meeting to date this year in Lincoln. No. 8 Illinois Wisconsin must find its shooting touch from the perimeter if it wants to make a run in the tourney. A missed tip-in in the final seconds against the Hoosiers sent the Wolverines from tying for the regular-season title to the fifth seed in the tournament. But with league Player-of-theYear candidate Trey Burke (19.2 ppg) leading an offense that's the second-highest scoring in the league, the Wolverines certainly have a chance at the tournament title. tournament. Among its nine league victories, the biggest was against Wisconsin at home. But the progress the Hawkeyes made with a freshman point guard and center bodes well for their future. No. 11 Northwestern Even with a new coach, the Illini were their enigmatic selves in 2012-13. Illinois had a stretch of five consecutive victories in February, including one over IU, but ended the season with a whimper, losing three of four on the road. Who knows which team will show up this weekend. Due to multiple injuries, the Wildcats are reeling heading into the tournament, having lost eight consecutive games. Their last victory was Feb. 2 against Purdue. A first-round exit would seem likely, considering Northwestern has lost twice to Iowa this season by a combined 34 points. No. 12 Penn State their first .500-or-better finish Both of the Nittany Lions' Big in league play since 2005-06 No. 9 Minnesota Ten victories came over the last and their first 20-win season The Gophers largely under- couple of weeks, and they nearly No. 6 Iowa achieved, namely because they beat the Badgers on senior day. The Hawkeyes (20-11, 9-9) since 2006-07. Still, Iowa doesn't seem couldn't win on the road. Even with Jermaine Marshall reach the tournament after ready to make a run in the Former Purdue assistant target of Crean Making buckets Terone Johnson feels like some of his performances have been overshadowed by losses this season. Count his best in that category. GoldanDBlack express • volume 23, express 25 • 24