Scouting: NU, NIU, Depaul
Iowa (14-14, 4-11) at Northwestern (15-11, 6-9)
When: 1 p.m. at Welsh-Ryan Arena
TV: Big Ten Network Radio: WGN 720-AM
Skinny: The Wildcats ended 41 years of frustration at Indiana with Wednesday's 22-point road win. Now comes the chance to erase a more recent frustration. NU played one of its worst games on Feb. 7 when it lost 56-51 at Iowa - a maddening affair in which the Hawkeyes kept snagging offensive rebounds and hitting 3-pointers. Iowa hasn't won any Big Ten road games this year and hasn't won many admirers with its pokey pace of play. According to Basketball State, the Hawks rank 342nd nationally (that's next-to-last in Division I) with just 58.3 possessions per game. The Wildcats aren't much better. They're 320th nationally with 62.6 possessions per game, but that's good for eighth in the Big Ten. NU will honor seniors Craig Moore, Sterling Williams, Patrick Houlihan and Marlon Day before the game. The school's 25th Hall of Fame class will be introduced at halftime.
St. John's (13-15, 4-11) at DePaul (8-20, 0-15)
When: 11 a.m. at Allstate Arena
TV: Channel 23 Radio: WSCR 670-AM
Skinny: It's the Blue Demons' final home game and their best chance to avoid their goose egg in the Big East win column. If DePaul can retain the level of fight and intelligence it showed on Thursday against Villanova, then chances are good as Norm Roberts' Red Storm haven't won any true road games this year. Six-foot-3 sophomore guard Paris Horne (14.6 ppg) and 6-6 soph swingman D.J. Kennedy (13.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg) are St. John's top players, but DePaul ought to have a size advantage. The Demons just won the battle of the boards for the third time in Big East play. If they can make it a fourth, then this game could be theirs. Don't forget to check out the pregame senior ceremony featuring Matija Poscic and Jabari Currie, then the Hall of Fame halftime ceremony that includes David Booth, Stephen Howard and perpetually underrated men's basketball secretary Patsy Burns.
Ball St. (13-13, 7-6) at Northern Illinois (9-17, 4-9)
When: 2 p.m. at the Convo Center Radio: WSCR 670-AM
Skinny: After hampering Western Michigan's bid for the MAC West title with Wednesday's remarkable defensive performance - the Broncos made just 2 of 20 field goals in the first half - the Huskies have a chance to derail the West-leading Cardinals in their final home game. West Aurora grad Billy Taylor, in his second year at the helm, has remodeled Ball State quickly. The Cards' unexpected run to the top of the West was kickstarted with a 60-54 home win over NIU on Jan. 13. The Huskies are trying to send out lone senior Sean Smith on a high note. The junior-college transfer from Gary, Ind., has served as NIU's fourth-leading scorer (8.2 ppg) and rebounder (3.1 rpg) while shooting 46 percent on 3-pointers.