By: Angelique S. Chengelis (The Detroit News) —
Something had to change. Maybe this was it, maybe it wasn’t, but the Ohio State Buckeyes had lost three straight in the Big Ten, and something had to change.

Ohio State dropped from a tie for third place in the Big Ten to seventh after losing three close games — by five points at Wisconsin, three at Northwestern and then on a last-second basket at home to Illinois.

Still, Ohio State continues to have friends in the world of mock selection brackets, so it is considered alive and breathing in terms of the NCAA postseason. Beating Penn State Tuesday at home certainly helped a lot.

Ohio State has created a four-way tie for fourth in the league with Penn State, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
So what got OSU back in the win column?

For starters, point guard Jeremie Simmons asked OSU coach Thad Matta if he could take a break from starting.

“Jeremie just said, ‘Hey, look, I can play better, I want to play better, and I’d like to try coming off the bench,’ ” Matta told the Columbus Dispatch. “It says a lot about him.”

Simmons hit back-to-back 3-pointers late in the game to rally Ohio State (18-8, 8-7) in a 73-59 victory. Simmons scored 14, including a career-best four 3-pointers. P.J. Hill started in place of Simmons and had 13 points in his first start.

For the Buckeyes, it was a key win at a critical time. They had not won in 17 days.
Second-half surge

Robbie Hummel ’s back continues to be an issue for the Purdue Boilermakers, but he has played in three straight games and wants to be there this final stretch of the regular season.

When the forward plays, the Boilermakers are 9-1 in Big Ten games. When he hasn’t been available, Purdue has gone 1-3.

Purdue plays at Michigan tonight.

Hummel’s back injury continues to make him a game-day decision.

“You would like to have all of your weapons,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said in the Lafayette Journal-Courier. “But it doesn’t work that way. … Rob Hummel isn’t 100 percent, but he is getting better.”
Where’s Legion?

Suddenly, Detroit native Alex Legion has been a no-show for Illinois.

In four of the Illini’s first five Big Ten games, Legion averaged 21.7 minutes, and he combined for 37 points in three of them.

But in the last five games, he has played a total of 23 minutes and didn’t play at all against Ohio State Sunday.

“He has to make shots,” Illinois coach Bruce Weber told the Sun-Times. “He’s 2-for-19 (on 3-point tries in his last 10 games), and he’s not guarding. He has to come back in practice and prove he deserves a chance. He’ll get another chance somewhere in here.”
By the numbers

11: Points needed by Michigan’s Manny Harris to become the sixth active player in the Big Ten with 1,000 career points

13: Big Ten players who have had multiple double-doubles this season

23: Big Ten games decided by five points or fewer this season
Sophomore power

Eric Lacy’s rankings

1. Purdue: Chris Kramer sets a tenacious tone for the Boilermakers.

2. Michigan State: Through 26 games, offensive consistency is still a problem.

3. Illinois: Huge March games with MSU and Penn State to end league play.

4. Ohio State: B.J. Mullens looks more confident and aggressive than earlier this season.

5. Penn State: Game next week against Illinois crucial for postseason hopes.

6. Minnesota: Gophers lost four of their last six and could miss the Big Dance.

7. Wisconsin: Remember the name John Leuer, he could be all-conference in 2010.

8. Iowa: Hawkeyes improving defensively but have been short-handed most of the year.

9. Michigan: Don’t underestimate impact of Manny Harris’ overtime benching at Iowa.

10. Northwestern: With their quirky style, Wildcats will be a pain to play against in the NIT.

11. Indiana: The good news is that Tom Crean’s season is over in about two weeks.
Consistent coaches

Minnesota coach Tubby Smith has now won at least 20 games in 16 straight seasons, the longest active streak in the nation and the third-best all-time. He joins elite company:

1. Dean Smith: North Carolina — 27 consecutive 20-win seasons (1971-97)

2. Lute Olson: Arizona — 20 consecutive 20-win seasons (1988-2007)

3. Tubby Smith: Tulsa, Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota — 16 consecutive 20-win seasons (1994-2009)

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