After Ohio State lost to Wisconsin it appeared that it would be very tough for them to win the Big Ten this year. With an ugly win over Northwester following the loss to the Badgers it looked like Ohio State would be in for a nasty trip to the Breslin Center in East Lansing against a hot Michigan State team that had run out to an incredible 11-0 home record.

When the game started, however, the Buckeyes looked nothing like the team from the previous two games. They erupted in a three-point barrage to jump out to a quick 14-5 lead and looked poised to end Sparty's Big Ten title hopes. Just as quickly as the lead was built it was taken away. Michigan State clamped down defensively and started getting into the paint off of dribble penetration far too easily. When half time rolled around the Spartans had taken a three point lead and the Breslin Center was rocking. Things did not look good for the kids from Columbus.

When the second half started the Spartans extended their lead to seven and looked ready to run the Buckeyes out of the building yet again. The Buckeyes had not won in the Breslin Center since 1992, and the streak looked like it was going to continue.

Then a funny thing happened. The three-point shot that had gone cold for the Buckeyes suddenly began to heat back up. With Dials having a dominant game inside and the guards starting to flex their muscles, the game began to swing back into Ohio State's favor. Ohio State clamped down defensively and started forcing turnovers and blocking shots. Seemingly in an instant the Buckeyes had reclaimed the lead and never looked back. Jamar Butler began hitting clutch shot after clutch shot to help seal the game even with Dials sitting out the final four minutes with foul trouble.

When the final buzzer sounded the Buckeyes had finally done something they had not done in almost fifteen years: they beat Michigan State in the Breslin Center in front of the Iz-Zone and the rest of their raucous fans by an impressive score of 79-68, avenging their only loss at home this season: a double-overtime loss to Michigan State.

The Buckeyes now sit atop the Big Ten standings along with Iowa. The final games are home against Michigan, at Northwestern, and home against Purdue. Ohio State should be favored in all three games and have already defeated Michigan and Northwestern once each this season.

If Ohio State wins out they can do no worse than tie for first place in the Big Ten which should get them at least a two or three seed in the NCAA Tournament depending on how much noise they make in the Big Ten Tournament.

Here are just some thoughts running through my mind about current happenings in the NBA:

Isiah Thomas once again has proven himself to be the worst GM in the NBA. Why on earth would a team with Stephon Marbury add a player like Steve Francis? Is he talented? Definitely. Is he worth the headache? Not a chance. He is a selfish point guard who does not make his teammates better...kinda like Marbury. Obviously two selfish point guards on the same team will improve it. Larry Brown has to be wishing he were still in Detroit right now.

Suns GM Bryan Colangelo is reportedly headed to Toronto to be the Raptors' new GM. At first glance this looks like a terrible decision. Why would a GM leave the contender he created from the ground up for one of the worst teams in the NBA? Easy. He wants to prove that he can do it again. Imagine if the Raptors become title contenders in a few years. Colangelo would be hailed as one of the greatest GMs of all time. With Chris Bosh to work around, it might not be that tough to imagine.

The NBA draft this year looks to be pretty weak. I see only two players who look like franchise players: Rudy Gay from UConn and Adam Morrison from Gonzaga. They are both extremely versatile and have the ability to completely take over a game. Everyone else seems like real hit-or-miss prospects to me. Next year's draft could be loaded if Greg Oden goes pro. If not then the one two years from now could end up being the most loaded draft in recent memory with Oden, OJ Mayo, Bill Walker, and many others all possibly going pro at the same time.

I think the T-Wolves should trade Kevin Garnett to a contender. I see KG as a player who is supremely talented but just does not have that quality that makes a player a winner. I just do not think he will ever win a championship by carrying a team. If you pair him with a proven winner, however, then you have the makings of a truly unstoppable team. Imagine KG paired up with Tim Duncan or Jason Kidd. Scary, isn't it?

Speaking of Kidd and the Nets, they are one big man away from being unstoppable. As it stands they are just an exciting team with no real shot at the title. They should be doing everything in their power to acquire a quality big man. I think Jefferson is expendable if they get someone like Garnett in return.

That is all I have for now kiddies. Peace.

Here are some observations I made about tonight's NBA All-Star Game:

LeBron James is the best player in the NBA. All year I've said LeBron and Tim Duncan were the co-best players in the NBA, but with injuries and age catching up to Timmy I must now give that honor to LeBron alone. He does everything.

Chris Bosh is for real. I had my doubts about Chris Bosh this year. Sure he was putting up terrific numbers, but he was doing so for a bad team so maybe those numbers were misleading. Well after watching him hold his own against the likes of Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, and Elton Brand to name a few I can honestly say this kid is right up there with Amare Stoudemire and Dwight Howard as the best young big men in the NBA. His dunk in the first half after getting fouled was truly spectacular.

Tracy McGrady still has it. Even with all of the injuries this year T-Mac showed that he is still one of the most talented players in the NBA.

That's all for now kiddies. I'll post more observations when I'm not so sleepy.