Tag Archives: Jordan Taylor

>Illinois at Ohio State

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>Illinois at Ohio State

   After starting the season 24-0, Ohio State has gone on a bit of a rough patch, losing two of their last three, to Wisconsin and Purdue, on the road.  It has been the doings of a red-hot guard that has done them in each time.  Jordan Taylor did it for Wisconsin and E’Twaun Moore for the Boilermakers. Now Illinois is hoping a third guard (Demetri McCamey? Brandon Paul?) will cause the Buckeyes some more problems as they head into their matchup in Columbus.

   I seem to write this every time, but this game is of importance to the Illini, especially after their loss Saturday to Michigan State.  They need at least a split in their final four games (OSU, IA, PUR, IND) to pretty much guarantee them a bid.  One problem for the Illini has been winning on the road in conference, as they have dropped five of seven of those contests. Prediction: Ohio State wins 77-70

>Wisconsin vs. Purdue

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>Wisconsin at Purdue (Purdue is a 4.5 pt favorite)

Wisconsin is coming off of the win of the year, after derailing Ohio State’s route to an undefeated season.  Their 32-10 run was one of the more impressive runs you’ll see all year.  Now they’re stuck with a tough road game and it will be interesting to see if they regain focus or the high from the upset is still there.

With the win over the weekend, the Badgers have now won eight of their last 10 games, including a seven-point home win over the Boilermakers 15 days ago.  Two players, Jon Leuer and Jordan Taylor, are still the only players averaging double figures in scoring, with Leuer at 19 and Taylor at 18.  Taylor has been playing like one of the, if not the, top guards in the nation lately, scoring 30 and 27 points in two of the last three games, respectively.

Purdue’s next two games will most likely determine how they finish in the Big Ten, as they host Wisconsin and Ohio State this week.  They have yet to lose at home this season and will be looking for that home court advantage to fuel them to two upsets.  As has been the case all season, JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore lead the team, with pint-sized point guard Lewis Jackson coming on strong as of late.  Prediction: Purdue 79-78