Unlike most prep stars, local three-star guard Verdell Jones III chose to wait until after the smoke had cleared to select a school. And it wasn't the school most people were expecting him to choose.

The Champaign Central product will be suiting up for a seriously depleted but newly helmed Indiana squad under the direction of Tom Crean.

Despite the fact that the team faces sanctions and only returns three scholarship players, Jones said it was "the best situation for me. They expect me to come in and make a big contribution." He also noted that part of his decision was looking at how well Crean developed his guards at Marquette, a school long known for its outside-the-arc performers.

It might not have been how he was hoping it would happen, but J Leman is still going to try out for a slot on football's biggest stage: the NFL.

After injuring his ankle in the Rose Bowl and having to sit out the East-West Shrine game and the NFL combine, the All-American from Champaign had dropped some stock in the past three months since he led the Illini to their first winning season in six years. After he wasn't picked up in the NFL draft over the past weekend, he was signed as a free agent by the Minnesota Vikings, a team that has no need for any new linebackers at the moment. Leman's position in college, middle linebacker, is firmly held by E.J. Henderson, the Vikings' leading tackler.

Bill Self brought glory back to Lawrence, KS last night as the Jayhawks performed a miracle comeback against the Memphis Tigers, eventually sealing the victory in overtime with strong play from Mario Chalmers, the Final Four's MOP. It was Kansas' first title since 1988 when Danny Manning (and the Miracles) defeated Oklahoma 84–79.

How does this relate to us in the cornfields of Illini Nation?

Somewhere, there is a group of people currently discussing what went wrong. Boards, points in the paint, 3-point shots, dribble penetration, free throws, officiating, coaching, hustle, turnovers — all of it perhaps.

They might be Wisconsin fans. They could very easily be Michigan State fans. Certainly, Indiana fans are scratching their heads. Illinois fans have already made their scalps bleed.

This is the current state of Big Ten basketball. It’s a head-scratcher, as they say. In the last decade, there has not been a time when the conference was so completely written off by the media — and then proved the media right on the court. Both Michigan State and Wisconsin lost in the Sweet 16. And they not only lost, they got handled.

Next year will different, though. No doubt about it.

Two teams down. Two teams move on. And Wisconsin's Bo Ryan is ready to dance.

Let's just be absolutely clear: This is not the Big Ten's year. At least, according to some.

It's hard to not assume that the selection committee had made up its mind about that fact long before Purdue dropped a shocker to the Illini or before Blake Hoffarber performed Miracle Number Two for Minnesota on Indiana's dying team. It's hard to believe that the committee would also leave out Thad Matta's Buckeyes but sneak in Arizona, Villanova and Baylor. It's hard to swallow the fact that the Big Ten champion, both regular season and in the tournament, was given a #3 seed despite being ranked in the Top 5 nationally, residing in the Top 12 in the RPI rankings and simply having not lost to anyone except Purdue since December 8.

This is hard to fathom, yet it's all true.

I’d like to report to you that we are looking at a conference tournament that was going to be chock full of surprises. I’d like to tell you that, with the right wins, the Big Ten will be sending six or even seven teams to the Big Dance. I’d like to say that the teams playing this Sunday in the final contest of the Big Ten season are going to be fighting for a number one seed two hours later on the Selection Sunday special on CBS.

I would like to tell you all these things. But let’s face it, the Big Ten Conference this year is just like the economy: in a recession.

On Sunday afternoon, Dan Dakich said the right things, politically.

"They played great and we did not and that's my fault," Dakich said. "If I'm going to be the guy that everybody pats on the back when things go well, then I'm going to be the guy that accepts it when things don't."

Bold words for a new coach that has been thrust into center court for what might become the greatest challenge in the history of college basketball: reviving the Indiana Hoosiers from their darkest hour.

Let’s not beat around the bush here. The Big Ten is a wholly different conference this week than it was last week. Kelvin Sampson has been given a $750,000 buyout to walk away from Indiana University with no strings attached. As Illinois fans, there is a feeling here that is purely visceral, given the state of the ’07-’08 campaign. I’d like to hear you sound off about it here.

Please.

Discuss.

This week’s predictions after the jump.

I assume that the Sampson household is similar to yours and similar to mine. And while it might be a tad larger than ours, I am betting that it functions in the same ways for the most part. A television to zone out to, a dining room table with a centerpiece, a kitchen with utensils and a telephone (cell phones to be exact) to call friends up and greet them warmly.

I am wondering whether the sound of the dull vibrating buzz against the solid granite counter top sounds a bit different to Sampson these days? I am curious as to whether or not the sight of his cell phone makes him a tad squeamish, the way a recovering alcoholic gets chills when he sees a friend nursing a whiskey or the way an addicted gambler sweats a bit every time he sees an ad for a budget vacation to Vegas.

In a fair and just world, Illinois would have walked away from last week’s slugfest against Indiana with a W — and with a lot of respect to go along with it considering their less than successful season. Instead, they are among the biggest disappointments in college basketball, dropping ten of their last twelve games, and fast becoming the laughing stock of the league, keeping company with the likes of Northwestern and Penn State.

Welcome to February. The home stretch. The final frontier. It’s the last chance for some teams to put together a winner — and for others, it’s a chance to start anew and make something of a slow start. Teams come together and teams fall apart. ESPN.com reporting becomes far more frequent. Joe Lunardi updates Bracketology twice weekly and Rivals Week nationwide foreshadows the types of contests yet to come in the conference tournament and, for some, in the Big Dance. It’s the month where everything gets real. Nothing left to do except win your way into the post-season.

Unfortunately for the Big Ten, most teams don't really even have that option.

I tend to not flout my ability as a college basketball prognosticator. After all, this is really my first year as a sports writer, let alone as a fan-turned-journalist who predicts the outcome of Big Ten games. Thus far, I’ve been trying to report the facts of the games and some of the history, mainly recent, that has been the driving force behind who the teams are now.

Last week, however, was an exception.

Coming into the season, it was clear that there was simply no heir apparent for the Big Ten regular season title. That sentiment remains, with Indiana and Wisconsin undefeated and Michigan State and Purdue close behind with just one loss; over a third of the season cashed and the standings look as locked up as the predictions did in October (save for a strong surprise start from the Boilers).

Indiana seemingly looks to be the most impressive thus far in that they have lost just one game overall, as opposed to Michigan State and Wisconsin, who have each dropped a deuce. But looks can be deceiving — especially when you have a known cheater for a coach. Let’s take a look at the three obvious choices for Big Ten supremacy this season.

Matt Painter will be keeping his job this year, and he may even have it for the next three, at the least. Ten weeks into his third assignment at Purdue, there is a palpable buzz in West Lafayette — and it’s no fluke: This team, with literally the youngest starting five in the nation, are bound to disrupt top teams in the Big Ten this year and potentially be the team to beat in years to come.

When Tubby Smith stepped down from the most illustrious coaching job in college basketball — you know, the University of Kentucky — he had to have known that the next place to hire him would be sympathetic to his plight:

“We don’t want you to feel any pressure.”

“We think that this could be a long term relationship.”

“Set your own pace — we know that you are worth trusting.”

“What did you say you needed in signing bonuses?”

The ticker on the bottom of this screen shot is clear: Minnesota lucked out in a big way when they sold Tubby Smith on their cold, Midwestern program.