"Thursday night wrap-up"

College Basketball
I know this is ridiculous, the fact that I'm getting excited about college basketball, when the biggest college football game in years (at least for Michigan fans) is about to be played, but I can't help it. All signs, in these young days of the college basketball season, point to an unpredictable, wild year - just like last season.

Thursday night's evidence? Michigan State - unranked to begin the season because of the loss of all but one key player - defeated Texas 63-61 in the semifinals of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. Drew Neitzel, the only key returning player for the Spartans, hit the game-winner with just over 2 seconds remaining.

Nothin' like a little pre-Thanksgiving college hoops excitement, is there? With that said, here's a look ahead to how I think the Big Ten standings will look come March.
*NCAA tournament qualifier

*1. Wisconsin - Badgers return five starters, including potential Big Ten Player of the Year Alando Tucker.
*2. Ohio State - Greg Oden will be a bit rusty when he hits the court in January or February, which is why the Bucks are No. 2 and not No. 1.
*3. Michigan - Toughest pick to make. The talent is there, but will Courtney Sims and others avoid collapse? And will Lester Abram stay healthy? Questions abound.
*4. Michigan State - Despite returning just one starter, something tells me Tom Izzo will get this group to overachieve.
*5. Illinois - Rich McBride will light up scoreboards and Bryan Randle will fill in nicely for departed James Augustine.
6. Purdue - Despite 9-19 record last year, Boilers return two talented guards - David Teague and Tarrance Crump - who missed last season and two frontcourt players in three-guard lineup averaged 25 ppg combined last season.
7. Indiana - New coach, new players. There's talent here, but it'll take a little while for everyone to jell. Plus, no player in starting lineup averaged 10 points last year.
8. Penn State - Nittany Lions are only getting better. Lost just one key player from last year, and two senior guards will lead the way.
9. Iowa - Should be a down year for the Hawkeyes, which might make Steve Alford wish he chose to take the Indiana job.
10. Minnesota - Returning just two starters from an NIT team doesn't bode well. Not even Williams Arena will save 'em this year.
11. Northwestern - Wildcats should never be taken lightly on a given night, but this year they won't be much of a threat on most nights.

The Big Ten is very weak this year. Wisconsin and Ohio State are the only teams that could do some damage in the Big Dance. But that won't take away from the excitement of the season. Should be interesting to see who finishes in the 3, 4 and 5 spots. Can the Wolverines finally make the tournament? I'm showing some confidence, but I won't pencil anything in until March.

NBA
The injury bug is already hitting a couple teams pretty hard. Denver has lost Kenyon Martin for the season due to his knee injury. This is devastating for the Nuggets. Reggie Evans can play big minutes and bang with anyone in the league, but he's no scorer like Martin (he's averaging 8.5 ppg). So, basically, Carmelo Anthony is going to have to carry this team. And he might just do that. They still have a shot at the playoffs, and Anthony, who's playing extremely well (30.6 ppg), will make a run at the scoring title.

Milwaukee lost Charlie Villanueva for four-to-six weeks with a bum elbow. For a team struggling, this was not what the doctor ordered. The Bucks (3-6) have lost five of six, and unless Michael Redd goes on a terror (one of those Kobe streaks - like 40 points in eight straight games) - Milwaukee could find itself near the bottom of the East come Christmas time when Villanueva returns.

In an off-the-court matter, Allen Iverson is paying for the funeral of a man who was shot in 2003 and died Tuesday morning. The man was shot because he wouldn't give up his AI jersey. He was paralyzed, in a wheelchair, and eventually on a ventilator before being taken off life support. Anyone can criticize AI for being a poor role model and for his incidents with the law - he once threatened a family member with a gun - but I think he's sincere when he talks disgustedly of the frequent gun slayings in his city: "It's just terrible, what's going on in Philadelphia." Hopefully the 31-year-old is maturing and will perform more deeds in the future that will prevent killings from occurring.

Yao Ming is living up to his tall expectations this season. The Rockets are 6-3 and Yao's averaging 26.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.88 blocks a game. I've said it before: If Yao and T-Mac stay healthy, the Rockets will do some things in the playoffs.

All right, I'm out. Enjoy a crapload of NBA games tonight.