Friend of the podcast and now recurring guest Ben (@kicknyrgios) joins us to discuss the scene in Welsh-Ryan Arena for Northwestern-Illinois and Boo Buie's status as one of the best players in college basketball.

Babar also shares why he thinks Purdue is "worse" than last year, and delivers us the Bordeaux Zone Tasting Menu for a truly brutal Saturday schedule in the Big Ten.

Twitter: @gamesonpod, @tommy_crimes, @babaresq, @ChrisSchutte3

Music: Sports FM by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

It's the much awaited return of Tommy Crimes!

Things aren't getting any better for the Big Ten as Purdue, Wisconsin, and Illinois comfortably rest atop the conference while the rest of the teams struggle to survive on a night-to-night.

The biggest story in the league is Terrance Shannon's return to the Illinois lineup amid an ongoing investigation related to a rape charge in Kansas, which becomes a grosser story with each passing week. The pod shares their thoughts on the situation and the duty that those who cover college basketball have when discussing similar situations. It's frankly not a fun topic, but a necessary one as it has major implications on the Big Ten race.

Twitter: @gamesonpod, @tommy_crimes, @babaresq, @ChrisSchutte3

Music: Sports FM by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Did your favorite Big Ten team play two games this week? Chances are, they lost the road game but won the home game. Despite a few upsets like Maryland's improbable win over Illinois and Nebraska's throttling of Purdue in Lincoln, it was more of the status quo as most of the league went .500 on the week.

Chris and Babar also break down Purdue's upcoming week of road tests, the teetering status of Illinois and Ohio State, and discuss the viability of a Big Ten broadcaster's alternate career as a sommelier.

Twitter: @gamesonpod, @tommy_crimes, @babaresq, @ChrisSchutte3

Music: Sports FM by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

The calendar has flipped to 2024 and unsurprisingly, the Big Ten is still impossible to figure out.

Chris and Babar run through the Big Ten standings with two months to play, including discussion of whether Wisconsin can give Purdue a run for the Big Ten title, plus the impact of Terrance Shannon's suspension on Illinois's ceiling.

Twitter: @gamesonpod, @tommy_crimes, @babaresq, @ChrisSchutte3

Music: Sports FM by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

It was a monster weekend for the Big Ten as Purdue, Michigan State, and Nebraska spearheaded some marquee wins for the conference. And with the holidays rolling around and non-conference play coming to a close, Chris and Babar run through what each team should be hoping Santa brings them for Christmas. Plus a live update from on old podcast favorite.

Twitter: @gamesonpod, @tommy_crimes, @babaresq, @ChrisSchutte3

Music: Sports FM by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

God's conference continues to disappoint after another weekend of letdowns against marquee competition. Is it worth putting your faith in anyone other than Purdue? Probably not!

Also, could we be nearing the end of Juwan Howard's tenure at Michigan? And is he the only coach in the Mitten State that might be ready to call it quits?

Twitter: @gamesonpod, @tommy_crimes, @babaresq, @ChrisSchutte3

Music: Sports FM by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

It's like Groundhog Day for the podcast as we discuss Purdue's struggles against Northwestern, Maryland's general disinterest in playing basketball, and more thoughts on the opening slate of Big Ten league games.

Plus, some ramblings on The Muppet Christmas Carol, because why not.

Twitter: @gamesonpod, @tommy_crimes, @babaresq, @ChrisSchutte3

Music: Sports FM by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Feast Week was in fact a feast for the Big Ten as Purdue, Ohio State and Wisconsin all picked up big wins, among others.

This week also marks the return of The Bardo Zone as league play tips off, which is extremely gross to think about. There's also brief discussion about which Founding Fathers could hoop.

Twitter: @gamesonpod, @tommy_crimes, @babaresq, @ChrisSchutte3

Music: Sports FM by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

This one got kind of off the rails. We'll do better next week.

Twitter: @gamesonpod, @tommy_crimes, @babaresq, @ChrisSchutte3

Music: Sports FM by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

After a long offseason in the lab, the boys are back to discuss the first week of the college basketball season and the season's outlook for the Big Ten.

Is it time to hit the panic button on Michigan State and Indiana? Does anything Purdue does before March matter? How bad are the vibes at Maryland? The game is back on, so we're diving back into the slop.

Twitter: @gamesonpod, @tommy_crimes, @babaresq, @ChrisSchutte3

Music: Sports FM by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com