It's crunch time in college basketball right now and the bulk of the Big Ten is duking it out for potential spots in the NCAA tournament. Every game seems to matter more this time of year, when there's a sense of both excitement and desperation for a lot of teams sitting on the bubble.

Some quick thoughts as I look around the Big Ten:

Best team of the week: Ohio State. Will they ever not be the best team of the week from here on out? The Buckeyes won two this week – including a strong win at Wisconsin's arena -- to stretch their win streak to six.

Worst team of the week: Nebraska. The Huskers' best shot at pulling into the pack was sneaking wins against Northwestern and Minnesota at home. Instead they lost both and solidified their place in the basement with Penn State.

Player who impressed: Reggie Hearn. The Northwestern guard may not get as much attention as teammate John Shurna, but the junior has been key in the Wildcats' recent success. The former walk-on – who finally has a scholarship – finished with 20 points against Nebraska and played a big role in helping Northwestern get away from the Huskers in the second half on Thursday, and on Sunday paced the team in the first half against Illinois when Shurna was struggling.


Three observations:

1. Illinois has to be the most erratic team in the Big Ten. Yes, even more so than the Gophers. One day, they're looking clutch against Michigan State; the next day they're crumbling against Northwestern. Coach Bruce Weber talked Monday about the team's consistency problems. "We just couldn't get over the hump," he said of the Northwestern game. "I was almost pleading with them, 'come on guys, we can win this thing. Come together. Make plays. Don't play not to lose.' But we just didn't have that emotional zip that we needed to get a win, that we had at Michigan State. The look in the eyes, it was not the same."

2. Draymond Green is a beast. Just more than a week ago, when Green went down in the final minutes of a Michigan State loss at Illinois, it looked like Green could have a season-threatening knee injury. Five days later – after telling reporters that only "death" could keep him out of the Michigan matchup - Green was back on the court, scoring 14 points and adding 16 rebounds. Ridiculous. "Coaches are always trying to make guys tougher," Spartans coach Tom Izzo said. "And not play with any injury that is threatening, but playing with the bumps and bruises you get in athletics -- and he demonstrated that to the fullest."

3. Ohio State can play any style. Facing an up-tempo, running team? Fine. A stifling defensive zone? Bring it. A pace-halting team like Wisconsin? Not a problem either. In fact, the Buckeyes are probably the best team in the Big Ten when it comes to adapting on the fly, and converting whatever style they take on better than the original. "I've always said I think to win in the Big Ten, you've got to be able to play a couple different styles, because to me there's 11 contrasting styles and that's one of the difficulties of coaching in this league and playing in this league," coach Thad Matta said.