Get Gamm - Week Five...
Finally, the home teams are starting to take control. Last week (conference battles only), home teams went 8-2 and now stand at 25-14 overall. This is still pretty shocking however, as past seasons have seen even great home court domination. Maybe we're finally to that point, and right as the race heats up.

Indiana is alone at the top but what will a home court loss to an undermanned UConn team do to its psyche? We'll see when the Hoosiers hit Madison for what should be an epic clash at the Kohl Center (Thursday). Purdue is the brow-raising team thus far. Full of youth, the Boilers were supposed to be spoilers this year, not contenders. But alas, they are firmly entrenched with rival IU, Wisconsin and Michigan State as a bona fide Big Ten title contender.

As for Get Gamm, three of us went 10-1 on the week and we all got the tiebreaker wrong. Phats was closest on the total points, however, and gets to pick again this week. Phats, you know the drill. Games in bold below are the ones to give me commentary on...

Schedule:
1/29 - Ohio State at Penn State
1/30 - Iowa at Purdue
1/30 - Texas Pan AM at Northwestern
1/30 - Illinois at Michigan State
1/31 - Minnesota at Michigan
1/31 - Indiana at Wisconsin* (Tiebreaker)
2/2 - Purdue at Illinois
2/2 - Ohio State at Iowa
2/2 - Michigan State at Penn State
2/3 - Northwestern at Indiana
2/3 - Wisconsin at Minnesota

Our Picks...
1/29 - Ohio State at Penn State
Gamm says - OSU 73 - PSU 61.
Phats says - OHIO STATE 66 penn state 51

1/30 - Iowa at Purdue
Gamm says - Iowa is playing decent basketball right now, but Mackey is no picnic and the Boilers are brimming with confidence. Purdue 68 - Iowa 58.

Phats says - The big win over Wisconsin means little or nothing if they can't follow it up with a win against the Hawkeyes at home. Mackey Arena's environment too much for the Hawks. PURDUE 67 iowa 60

1/30 - Texas Pan AM at Northwestern
Gamm says - Northwestern 64 - TPA - 57
Phats says - NORTHWESTERN 68 texas pan am 59

1/30 - Illinois at Michigan State
Gamm says - Don't look know but Illinois is starting to play better. The Illini are off to a rough start but have played most of the big boys and few of the bottom feeders. This is always an intense, physical game. MSU's guard play makes the difference. Michigan State 71 - Illinois 62.

Phats says - MSU looked pretty good against their rivals from Ann Arbor, Illinois coming off an easy win over the Wildcats. This will be a closer game than most think. In the end though Spartans too much. MICHIGAN STATE 69 illinois 61

1/31 - Minnesota at Michigan
Gamm says - Minnesota 68 - Michigan 64
Phats says - MICHIGAN 64 minnesota 63

1/31 - Indiana at Wisconsin* (Tiebreaker)
Gamm says - Purdue, Michigan State and of course Wisconsin are all pulling for the Badgers to get the main pack at the top back to even. Indiana was stung at home by an undermanned UConn. Teams are figuring out - kinda sorta - how to slow Eric Gordon. Wisconsin doesn't lose at home, especially in the big games. Wisconsin 68 - Indiana 65.

Phats says - This game lost a little luster after this past weekend. Everyone in the Big Ten race still is pulling for Wisconsin. Indiana has yet to show they are capable of beating good competiton. I see 1 of 2 things happening, a long night for the Hoosiers or a nailbiter. I'll go with the first option, Badgers roll WISCONSIN 71 indiana 53

2/2 - Purdue at Illinois
Gamm says - a tough road test for Purdue. Illinois is playing better and will be coming off a tough one at MSU. Purdue is young and remember, despite big wins also has a loss to Wofford! Illinois 64 - Purdue 60.

Phats says - Purdue finally plays a road game on a Saturday. Hopefully my Boilers will keep the ball rolling. This will not be easy, but I like the way we are playing and we'll squeak out another road victory. PURDUE 64 illinois 62

2/2 - Ohio State at Iowa
Gamm says - Ohio State 67 - Iowa 61.
Phats says - IOWA 73 ohio state 70

2/2 - Michigan State at Penn State
Gamm says - Michigan State 80 - Penn State 64
Phats says - MICHIGAN STATE 80 penn state 58

2/3 - Northwestern at Indiana
Gamm says - Indiana 77 - Northwestern 60
Phats says - INDIANA 77 northwestern 56

2/3 - Wisconsin at Minnesota
Gamm says - This is a toss up. Rivalry game, at the Barn. Minnesota has slipped of late but these teams match up well. The place will be rocking and the home teams are picking up steam. Minnesota 65 - Wisconsin 64.

Phats says - Gophers have seen their nice start to the season hit a road bump lately. They have a chance for the upset here, but I think Wisconsin just a little too tough. Close one in the barn. WISCONSIN 68 minnesota 64

Get Gamm - week four...
Congrats to Dan Meyer and Phats for going 10-1 on the week. Phats wins by virtue of the second tiebreaker (total points) since they were both the same amount away from the margin.

Phats, get me your thoughts on the games in bold and scores on the others ASAP. I hope to get my thoughts, updates, etc. on line tonight...

This week...
1/22 - Michigan at Wisconsin
1/22 - Illinois at Ohio State
1/23 - Purdue at Penn State
1/23 - Iowa at Indiana
1/24 - Michigan State at Northwestern
1/26 - UConn at Indiana* (Tiebreaker)
1/26 - Wisconsin at Purdue
1/26 - Penn State at Iowa
1/26 - Minnesota at Ohio State
1/27 - Michigan at Michigan State
1/27 - Northwestern at Illinois

Our picks...
1/22 - Michigan at Wisconsin
Gamm: Wisconsin 72 - Michigan 52
Phats: WISCONSIN 66 michigan 56

1/22 - Illinois at Ohio State
Gamm: Every game is a must-win for the Illini right now if there is any hopes of making a run at the NCAA Tournament. The same can be said for OSU, despite having a better overall record. These games are HUGE when it comes to March. I like OSU at home despite the 3-game losing streak. Ohio State 70 - Illinois 66.

Phats: Interesting game for sure. If the Illini could have put two halves together they would head to Columbus on a 2 game winning streak, luckily for my Boilers they didn't. I'll take the home team in a close one. OHIO STATE 70 illinois 67

1/23 - Purdue at Penn State
Gamm: Purdue 69 - Penn State 65
Phats: PURDUE 68 penn state 62

1/23 - Iowa at Indiana
Gamm: Indiana 73 - Iowa 56
Phats: INDIANA 65 iowa 58

1/23 - Michigan State at Northwestern
Gamm: Michigan State 69 - Northwestern 51.
Phats: MICHIGAN STATE 70 northestern 54

1/26 - Connecticut at Indiana
Gamm: Both of these teams are on top of their games right now. Connecticut is young and hungry... IU has a blend of youth and experience. The home court in this game is huge. The Hoosiers haven't been truly tested in a while. A team with any measure of talent would have beaten the Hoosiers and their 26 turnovers at Minnesota by 20. Indiana passes this test - in overtime. Indiana 80 - UConn 77.

Phats: Uconn just destroyed a pretty good Marquette team, and I am still not convinced how for real IU is, I mean their schedule has just been awful. This will be their first test since Xavier and we all know how that ended up. However, and this pains me, it's played at Assembly Hall so UConn will walk in 10 down and never recover. INDIANA 68 uconn 64

1/26 - Wisconsin at Purdue
Gamm: The game of the week in the Big Ten. Is Wisconsin for real? This is the first decent test for the Badgers who have feasted on the lower tier teams thus far (five wins - not counting the early week prediction - against teams that are a combined 6-22). Purdue is young but will be a factor in the race this year and right in the thick of it in the years to come. Purdue is tough at Mackey... Purdue 64 - Wisconsin 61.

Phats: Wisconsin at Purdue- So, do I pick with my head or my heart? Purdue has been playing really well lately and Mackey was as loud as I have heard it in sometime Saturday vs Illinois. It will be close, and the homecourt advantage helps the young Boilers pull it out PURDUE 69 wisconsin 67 (Of course I pick with my heart :)

1/26 - Penn State at Iowa
Gamm: Iowa 60 - Penn State 58
Phats: IOWA 62 penn state 57

1/26 Minnesota at Ohio State
Gamm: Ohio State gets two homes games this week right when they were in dire need. Minnesota scraps with the best of them. Gophers are a tad short on talent and that is the difference as the race for the fourth and/or fifth slots are in full tilt... Ohio State 72 - Minnesota 64.

Phats: The Gophers are in a tough stretch of games right now, and I don't see them winning this one. That NCAA bid that looked promising might be slipping a little. OHIO STATE 68 minnesota 59

1/27 - Michigan at Michigan State
Gamm: This hasn't been much of a rivalry of late, like on the gridiron but with the opposite team handling the other. Michigan is well coached - for a change - and slowly getting better, but this will be another rough one in a season of bumps and bruises. Neitzel and Co. torch the 1-3-1 zone for a big win that boosts them heading into the meat of the slate. Michigan State 81 - Michigan 63.

Phats: A rivalry game usually you can throw out the records. UM is just not that good this year, and well MSU is, Spartans roll at home. MICHIGAN STATE 77 michigan 60

1/27 - Northwestern at Illinois
Gamm: Illinois 66 - Northwestern 60
Phats: ILLINOIS 76 northwestern 53

Get Gamm Basketball - week three...
Just a quick post for now to get the schedule up there. No one beat me (7-3 was the best record - most of us were there) so I will pick solo again. Picks are due by 7pm Tuesday. More thoughts on last week and other ramblings a bit later tonight...

1/15 - Ohio State at Michigan State
1/15 - Wisconsin at Penn State
1/16 - Purdue at Iowa
1/16 - Michigan at Illinois
1/17 - Indiana at Minnesota
1/19 - Illinois at Purdue
1/19 - Ohio State at Tennessee (Tiebreaker)
1/19 - Iowa at Michigan
1/19 - Northwestern at Wisconsin
1/20 - Penn State at Indiana
1/20 - Michigan State at Minnesota

Realized last night that I still had my picks in draft mode, so I posted the first two to the message board. Here are the picks. If I ever get time to actually sit and write and share thoughts, I will!

MSU 65 - OSU 60
PSU 68 - Wisconsin 66
Purdue 67 - Iowa 61
Illinois 73 - Michigan 58
Minnesota 71 - Indiana 69
Purdue 65 - Illinois 61
Tennessee 81 - OSU 70
Michigan 66 - Iowa 56
Wisconsin 70 - Northwestern 53
Indiana 88 - PSU 70
MSU 67 - Minnesota 66

Get Gamm Football Winner...
Reminder to get those hoops picks in by tip of the first game tonight.

OSU pulled another teenage boy move last night - start strong end fast... too bad. Now we have to endure another year of "SEC is king" rubbish.

Congrats to St. Louis Jeff who was strong all season, faltered late and rebounded with a solid 7-1 bowl slate to take the prize. Jeff, you get $25 to spend in the TFS Fan Shop (link to the right of the page).

Get Gamm - Big Ten Basketball, Week 2...
Well, no time like the present to get to the week's bball picks. OSU is again laying an egg after an electric start. What a shame. I thought they would get it done this year.

Since we're late in the game with Tuesday starts, I'll keep this brief. Picks are due by the tips on Tuesday. Look for updated standings on Tuesday as well, as well as final Get Gamm Football Standings.

Observations...
What a crazy first week in the Big Ten. Home court rules in this conference and yet the friendly confines were not so much in the first four games of league play. Home teams went 0-4 to start last week and wound up 4-5. That will change at some point. It's just not that easy to win on the road in this conference.

One team who really felt that heat? Illinois. The Illini got beat not once but twice at home. Ouch.

Team of the week? Penn State. Two road wins for a team surging and getting it together.

Player of the week? Hard to argue Big Ten.org picks Geary Claxton and Raymar Morgan. Both were HUGE in wins for their teams last week.

The Games...
1/8 - Indiana at Michigan: Indiana is young but also experienced where it counts. Michigan is going to struggle all season long. IU rolls. Indiana 81 - Michigan 63.

1/8 - Purdue at Michigan State: The Izzone is back, Purdue is young and very up and down. I don't see MSU playing as poorly in two straight. Michigan State 74 - Purdue 62.

1/9 - Iowa at Ohio State: Good battle between old friends. Iowa is gutsy but OSU has more talent. Will be better and closer than it might first appear. Ohio State 71 - Iowa 65.

1/9 - Northwestern at Minnesota: 'cats gave it a run in Columbus, Minnesota had Michigan State against the wall in E.L. Minny is better than I thought they'd be - by far. Minnesota 75 - Northwestern 58.

1/10 - Illinois at Wisconsin: Can you picture a sub .500 season for the Illini? You might have to. After digging a hole at home, the Illini go to Wisconsin where the Badgers just don't lose that often. Wisconsin 69 - Illinois 59.

1/12 - Minnesota at Penn State: I love how the Nits are playing right now. An underrated game and one to watch if you get the Big Ten Network. Penn State 73 - Minnesota 72.

1/12 - Ohio State at Purdue: Another good Saturday tilt. Two young teams that need more signature wins. Games like this will go a long way come March... Purdue 68 - Ohio State 65.

1/12 - Michigan at Northwestern: These teams might be fighting to stay out of the cellar all season. Northwestern holds serve at home. Northwestern 67 - Michigan 66.

1/12 - Michigan State at Iowa: First road test in conference play for State, who opens with two in a row at home for the first time since 1986. This won't be easy, but I like how the Spartans are playing. Michigan State 67 - Iowa 62.

1/13 - Illinois at Indiana: CBS wishes Illinois was a lot better than they are. This is an Eric Gordon grudge match! Illinois will play as well as they have all year, but E.G. will get them in the end. Indiana 72 - Illinois 70.