My Two Cents: Stunningly and Suddenly, Big Ten Title Race Still Alive For Indiana

No. 1-ranked Purdue got beat again on Sunday, losing at Northwestern, and suddenly Indiana is just two games out of first in the Big Ten race. Can winning a title really be a real thing?

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Now THAT'S when it's OK to storm the court!

Northwestern students did just that on Sunday when the Wildcats closed out  their game with No. 1-ranked Purdue on a 12-1 run, shocking the Boilermakers 64-58. It was the first time EVER that Northwestern has beaten a No. 1 team.

Storm away.

It was the second straight weekend that the suddenly beatable Boilers scurried off to their losing visitor's locker room while students stormed the court. It happened last Saturday at Indiana, despite the fact that it was the 91st time that Indiana had beaten Purdue all-time.

But what a week it's been. With Purdue losing twice and Indiana reeling off three straight wins against the No. 1 Boilermakers, No. 24 Rutgers and at Michigan, the Big Ten race is suddenly still in play.

Or is it?

Here's a snapshot of the Big Ten standings through Sunday's games:

The Big Ten men's basketball standings through Sunday's games

Purdue is 12-3 in the league, with Northwestern and Indiana just two games back. The Hoosiers were once four games behind Purdue, but that lead has shrunk quickly in the past nine days.

Can the Hoosiers catch them? Sure, but they still need to have a huge finish to the season, and they're going to need some help. Indiana can make up one of those games themselves on Feb. 25 in West Lafayette, but someone else needs to beat Purdue, too.

Are there other potential upsets? A few. Here is Purdue's remaining schedule:

• Thursday, Feb. 16 — at Maryland, 6:30 p.m. 
• Sunday, Feb. 19 — Ohio State, 1 p.m. ET
• Saturday, Feb. 25 — Indiana, 7:30 p.m. ET
• Thursday, March 2 — at Wisconsin, 9 p.m. ET
• Sunday March 5 — Illinois, 12:30 p.m. ET

Indiana fans know that winning at Maryland isn't easy. The Terrapins beat Indiana 66-55 two weeks ago, and are 7-0 at home so far in Big Ten play. They also just played Purdue on Jan. 22 in West Lafayette, and held the Boilers to 58 points. It wasn't enough, losing 58-55, but the Terps have been much better at home offensively and could be an issue for Purdue, who most certainly will fall from No. 1 this week despite not doing so last week after the Indiana loss.

Purdue has just one other road game, and that's at Wisconsin in the final week of the season. I can't see Purdue losing there, because the Badgers are a mess right now, losing eight of its past 11 games. 

But it's still a Big Ten road game, so you never know. Illinois on the final day might be a better option.

All this talk doesn't mean a thing, of course, if Indiana doesn't run the table. They more than likely would have to finish 15-5 to win or share the Big Ten crown, though I suppose 14-6 might be an option. That's happened before.

Last year, Illinois and Wisconsin shared the title at 15-5 after Purdue collapsed down the stretch, losing at Michigan State and Wisconsin in the final week of the regular season to miss out on the title at 14-6.

In 2020, Wisconsin, Maryland and Michigan State all finished 14-6 to share the title, so it can be done. I just can't see Purdue getting to six losses. Heck, if I'm being totally honest, losing five is hard to see, too.

But you're telling me there's still a chance.

Indiana has six games left, and none of them are easy, Here's Indiana's schedule

• Wednesday, Feb. 15 — at Northwestern, 9 p.m. ET
• Saturday, Feb. 18 — Illinois, Noon ET
• Tuesday, Feb. 21 — at Michigan State, 9 p.m. ET
• Saturday, Feb. 25 — at Purdue, 7:30 p.m. ET
• Tuesday, Feb. 28 — Iowa, 7 p.m. ET
• Sunday, March 5 — Michigan, 4:30 p.m. ET

Indiana probably WON'T be favored in those three road games, which doesn't really mean anything. They were underdogs at Illinois and won, and they were underdogs on Saturday night at Michigan — and won, too.

But win them all? That's a tall order.

Indiana has been playing ''best in the country'' great at home, winning five straight games — three over ranked teams — by an average of 11.6 points per game. Say they can take care of business with Illinois, Iowa and Michigan. That's 12 wins. 

They play at Northwestern on Wednesday, and the Wildcats are the only team to win in Bloomington all season. But Indiana might be catching them at the best time possible, after this ''first ever'' win over No. 1 Purdue. Maybe that hangover carries on for a day or two too long.

Winning at Michigan State isn't easy, either. The Spartans are good, and Indiana's win on Jan. 22 in Bloomington got a little chippy. Michigan State players were very loud in postgame interviews about looking forward to a rematch with the Hoosiers at the Breslin Center. That's going to be a brawl.

Indiana hasn't been all that great on the road all year, but they've at least continued to find a way to win. They didn't play well at all in barely beating last-place Minnesota and dug one out Saturday night at Michigan despite only scoring 62 points.

Winning six games in a row is asking a lot in the Big Ten. But so is winning eight of nine league games, and the Hoosiers have just done that.

The Hoosiers need forward Race Thompson back, at least for 18-20 minutes a good of solid defense and experience. They also need point guard Xavier Johnson back in a few weeks, to make sure Indiana can have a quality point guard — or two — on the floor for all 40 minutes. 

It's a reach to be talking about this, of course. But, at least we get to have the conversation.

Isn't it lovely? 

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• GAME STORY: Indiana didn't allow a point in the final 5:12 and stole a huge road win at Michigan on Saturday night, winning 62-61 with a great defensive effort and 28 points from Trayce Jackson-Davis and 21 from Jalen Hood-Schifino. CLICK HERE
• WHAT WOODSON SAID: Indiana held Michigan scoreless for the final 5:12 of the game on Saturday and got a huge Big Ten road win to move into second place. Hoosiers coach Mike Woodson was thrilled with the win and talked all about it after the game. Here's the full video of his postgame press conference, plus the transcript. CLICK HERE
• WHAT PLAYERS SAID: Trayce Jackson-Davis and Jalen Hood-Schifino were a two-man wrecking crew on Saturday night, helping No 18 beat Michigan 62-61. The two Hoosiers stars met with the media after the game. Here's the video of their press conference, plus the full transcript. CLICK HERE
• PHOTO GALLERY: Indiana traveled to Ann Arbor for a critical Big Ten matchup with Michigan on Saturday, and came away with a 62-61 victory to move into second place in the league standings. Here's our photo gallery, with nearly two dozen great images. CLICK HERE
• WATCH INDIANA DEFENSE ON FINAL PLAY: Michigan had the ball with a chance to secure a much-needed win, but the Indiana defense stood strong to escape with a 62-61 win. Here's the video highlight. CLICK HERE
• WATCH JACKSON-DAVIS DUNKS ON DICKINSON: Trayce Jackson-Davis caught an alley-oop from Jalen Hood-Schifino and dunked the ball through a foul from Hunter Dickinson. Here's the video highlight. CLICK HERE
• WATCH JACKSON-DAVIS OPEN GAME WITH DUNK: Trayce Jackson-Davis continued his strong play on Indiana's first possession of the game with a two-handed slam dunk. Here's the video highlight. CLICK HERE