Scouting: Northwestern, UIC, NIU, Loyola
Penn State (8-16, 0-12) at Northwestern (17-8, 6-7)When: 7:30 p.m. at Welsh-Ryan ArenaTV: BTN; Radio: WGN 720-AMSkinny: There are six Division I teams with no conference wins this season: Penn State, LSU, Dartmouth, Fordham, Toledo and Bryant. Just don't try to tell NU coach Bill Carmody the Nittany Lions belong on any list with losers. During their 12-game streak, they've fallen by 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 points. "I was rooting for Penn State the last 10 days," Carmody said after Sunday's win over Minnesota. "They're playing everybody close, right down to the wire." Penn State's Talor Battle leads the Big Ten in scoring (19.5 ppg) and leads his team in rebounding (5.3 rpg), passing (3.9 apg) and steals (1.2 spg), but here are a few stats that should excite the Wildcats: Penn State ranks last in the Big Ten in 3-point shooting defense (37.2 percent) and 3-pointers allowed per game (7.4). An NU victory sets the school's regular-season wins record.UIC (6-19, 2-13) at Butler (23-4, 16-0)When: 6 p.m. at Hinkle FieldhouseNet: horizonleaguenetwork.tvAudio: espnchicago.comSkinny: The No. 18 Bulldogs are 2 wins away from becoming the first Horizon League team to go undefeated since 1995-96, when Wisconsin-Green Bay turned the trick while the league was known as the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (bonus trivia: Northern Illinois won the conference tournament that year to get the NCAA automatic bid). Butler pounded UIC 84-55 on Jan. 23, so this'll take a monstrous effort from the Flames just to get close. Sophomore forward Gordon Hayward owns the best stat profile of the Bulldogs (16.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg), but every Butler starter is near the top in some Horizon League category. UIC senior Spencer Stewart leads the Horizon League in assists (5.1 apg) while junior Robo Kreps owns a slight edge in free-throw shooting (86.9 percent).Northern Illinois (8-16, 4-8) at Western Michigan (13-12, 5-7)When: 6 p.m. at University ArenaTV: Comcast SportsNet PlusRadio: WSCR 670-AMSkinny: When the Huskies bounced the Broncos 87-77 on Jan. 13, everything looked great for NIU. It marked win No. 4 in a six-game streak. Now, of course, the Huskies are stuck in an eight-game rut. WMU hasn't been much better, but at least it defeated Buffalo and Bowling Green. If you're looking for a reason to tune in, check out the MAC's top two scorers in WMU senior guard David Kool (21.0 ppg, 52 3s) and NIU junior swingman Xavier Silas (19.5 ppg). They must be hard to guard because they're 1-2 among MAC players in free throws and free-throw attempts, too.Loyola (14-11, 5-10) at Valparaiso (14-14, 9-7)When: 7 p.m. at Athletics-Recreation CenterTV: Channel 56; Radio: WAUR 930-AM, WNTD 950-AM, WLUW 88.7-FMSkinny: The Ramblers need to sweep their final three Horizon League games to open the postseason tournament at home, but that requires a big turnaround from their first encounter with the Crusaders. Valpo earned an 86-67 win on Jan. 23 at Gentile Center - the most points Loyola allowed in a league game this year. Though the Ramblers just put up 80 points against UIC, they're suffering from a rare statistical phenomenon: There's not a single player on their roster shooting 50 percent or better from the field. Conant grad Geoff McCammon, who hit UIC with 26 points, has the best profile as he's shooting 47 percent overall and 45.6 percent on 3-pointers. The latter number puts him in a virtual tie with Valpo's Brandon McPherson for the Horizon lead.-