Thanks for playing.

This post goes out to the Iowa and Illinois men's basketball teams for the kind gesture of at least attending their conference games Thursday night. However, both teams could have used help from the Nerdlucks. I can't wait to see which team (if either) shows up to play Sunday afternoon in Champaign, but for now, here is a recap of Iowa's 71-56 loss to Michigan State.

Before the game even started, things weren't right for the Hawkeyes. As starting lineups were introduced, half of the arena's seats were empty (with respect to the nearly full student section) and the Hawkeyes first possession ended when David Palmer ran over and through Jake Kelly like a train. Fans around me, including myself, felt embarrassed by the Hawkeyes' performance and the inability of fans to make the game by tip-off.

Watch what Spartan's coach Tom Izzo and Iowa coach Todd Lickliter had to say after the game.

I could ramble, but I would rather make a few distinct points and give some of Iowa's players their newly deserved nicknames.

◊ It took more than 4 minutes for Iowa to get on the board, and they were also held scoreless or the last 4 1/2 minutes of the game.

◊ Iowa was out-rebounded in the first half 23-9.

◊ The Spartans went into halftime with 38 points, two more than they scored the entire game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Jan. 12, 2008. Iowa won the game 43-36.

◊ In a game against a national powerhouse, the seats should have been filled. 1860 Tickets were not sold, and I am not even sure how many seats I should estimate as being empty by the time there was 10:00 left in the second half.

◊ 2,600 students attended the game for free, most of which would like to be reimbursed for parking costs.

◊ The loss at home for Iowa was only the second in the last seven against the Spartans.

◊ Heading into Champaign, Iowa is on a six game losing streak, and will play the next three of four contests on the road. Yes, Iowa fans, keep tugging at your collars.

Now, for the nicknames I promised you:

- David Palmer will now be referred to as David "the steel train" Palmer (via first possession).

- Jarryd Cole will now be referred to as Jarryd "I take 9000 steps with the ball" Cole. Hyperbole? I think not.

- Matt Gatens will now be referred to as Matt "the pinball wizard" Gatens for whipping the ball off the pole of the hoop, ricocheting it into the crowd.

- Jermain Davis will now be referred to as Jermain "why do I keep limping all over the court" Davis. Can you explain?

- Jake Kelly will now be referred to as Jake "moment killer" Kelly. Self-explanatory.

- Devan Bawinkel will now be referred to as Devan "wow I should have stayed at West Va." Bawinkel. Or perhaps Devan "where's my sidekick Racky" Bawinkel.

- Jeff Peterson will now be referred to as Jeff "why does it NOT surprise me that I'm the only one trying to rebound under the basket, even though I'm the smallest guy on the court and I have a broken wrist" Peterson. Thanks for the big doughnut under the "rebound" statistic Palmer.

*Note: New nicknames and/or variations to be discovered later in the season.

Looking for 'memory recall' on Thursday.

By late December 2005, I had received acceptance letters to attend the University of Iowa and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I grew up an Illini fan and even dressed as Chief Illiniwek for multiple trick-or-treating experiences as a toddler. Both my father and oldest brother attended Illinois and I knew that campus like the back of my hand. I had experienced the winning tradition of Illinois basketball, albeit from the nosebleeds in Assembly Hall, and I had attended every home football game at Memorial Stadium including the Sugar Bowl against LSU in 2002.

However, my uncle who lives in Cedar Rapids was keen on converting at least one of my dad's three boys into an Iowa Hawkeye. I visited the campus on many occasions, each colder and snowier than the last, but I had never been present at Kinnick Stadium or Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

On Jan. 4, 2006, I still considered myself an Illini fan for life and was leaning heavily toward attending school in Champaign, and that's when my uncle called me. Two tickets, located in the fifth row at half court, became available to me and my dad for when Dee Brown and the undefeated, No. 6 Fighting Illini were to put their 15-game win streak on the line in Iowa City on Jan. 7. I couldn't pass up the offer, even though the deal was I had to wear an Iowa basketball T-shirt to the game. It was a chance to see Dee Brown and James Augustine (a graduate of my high school) play up close, and it was my first glimpse inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Feeling as awkward as possible for cheering the Illini on in a black and gold shirt, I remember walking in and thinking, "not a bad seat in this place." The lights went dim, fans stomped the ground sending thunderous echoes throughout the arena, and then I reached my seat. By the time the game ended, Illinois has been handed their first loss of the season, but more importantly, I had undergone a transformation in that electrifying, sold-out crowd as the Hawks pulled away. I couldn't be happier where I'm at, but I could go for seeing crowds like that at every game.

Since that day, I have attended nearly every home basketball that I could, but I have not felt as if I were in any crowd similar to my first game. On paper, things don't look up for the Hawks coming off a 63-59 loss at Penn St. after blowing a 14-point second half lead. On Thursday night, I anticipate Carver-Hawkeye Arena to be a hostile environment as ninth-ranked Michigan State rolls into town, but I can only hope that the crowd and student sections are just as electrifying. More so, I should hope that the Hawks can pull off a fourth straight regular season victory at home over the Spartans.

I've decided to conclude this blog with a video clip I took of Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor sinking a three-pointer at the buzzer to force overtime in the Hawks' win over the Badgers on Jan. 21, 2009.

Thanks to a fan for choosing my ear to yell in.

For a few recent articles you may have missed on Hawkeye hoops:

Ankle injury continues to sideline Tate

Seeking hoops fans

Time to get stout, not pout

Mac on hoops

Cheers.

Introduction Blog: Welcome, a quick ten, and a sports fan.

Prior to conference play, Big Ten men's basketball looked like the most improved conference as teams compiled a winning percentage of .809 (106-25). Please, allow yourself to take a moment of time to thank the Indiana Hoosiers and their nine wonderful scholarship athletes for compiling nearly 30 percent of those losses.

Of course there were the typical non-conference poundings received from hardwood powerhouses such as ACC wonders North Carolina and Duke, as well as Gonzaga, Connecticut, and Texas, but the Big Ten had its moments too. Fighting Illini fans are popping corks in Champaign, Ill., after the team's 12-1 start sparked by the 7'1'' frame of sophomore center Mike Tisdale . And how about the Michigan Wolverines upsetting then-No. 4 UCLA – the first time they have beaten a top-5 opponent since 1997 (No.1 Duke) – before losing to Duke in the championship of the 2K Sports Classic. The Wolverines bounced back two weeks later against Duke handing the then-No. 4-ranked Blue Devils their only loss in the 2008-09 campaign. Hell, the Big Ten even came within a game of winning the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Since the start of conference play, the Big Ten has been fairly typical as teams beat each other up on their home courts, the bigger dogs seem to decide when the want to show up to play or not, and Ed Hightower is still making me crave a job where I would only have to get things right one-third of the time. Looking back at the Big Ten conference, whose winning percentage is now around .700, I've been thinking about the player who has made the most impact on each team. In the spirit of giving (otherwise known as there actually being 11 teams in the conference), I have composed a list of the most important role player from each team over the course of the season thus far. Go ahead and agree/disagree/agree to disagree if you must.

◊ Illinois: Mike Tisdale, C, sophomore.
◊ Indiana: N/A
◊ Iowa: Matt Gatens, G, freshman.
◊ Michigan: Manny Harris, G, sophomore.
◊ Michigan State: Kalin Lucas, G, sophomore.
◊ Minnesota: Damian Johnson, F, junior.
◊ Northwestern: Kevin Coble, F, junior.
◊ Ohio State: Evan Turner, G-F, sophomore.
◊ Penn State: Talor Battle, G, sophomore.
◊ Purdue: Robbie Hummel, F, sophomore.
◊ Wisconsin: Marcus Landry, F, senior.

I'd now like to take a moment to talk about my blog for the spring semester. It is as advertised in the title, however, there will be periodic ramblings, rants, and debatable topics posted as well, some of which may occasionally stem from or have nothing at all to do with the Big Ten. I encourage those of you who take interest in my blog to provide input through comments. Finally, I will try to conclude all of my entries with a "sports fan of the day," but it will be left up to you as to whether it belongs in the ranks of the best or worst sports fans.

Check out today's sports fan here

Cheers.