It’s too bad for fans that the cost of admission to a Big Ten basketball game isn’t somehow linked to the total number of points scored. If that were true, no family of four — even in these tough economic times — would have difficulty paying for courtside seats to see the Illini or Nittany Lions play.

Wednesday’s 38-33 Penn State victory at Champaign’s Assembly Hall was difficult to watch, even for basketball diehards. The two teams combined to shoot less than 30 percent from the floor, and the only thing that made the outcome interesting was senior guard Talor Battle’s ability to knock down four free throws in the final seconds. Hmm, come to think of it, Battle accounted for more than 10 percent of his team’s total score in just 16 ticks.

Battle is the conference’s leading scorer, but on Wednesday he took part in Penn State’s lowest scoring output in more than a half-century. See if that one sticks to his resume.

In all seriousness, there was nothing funny about the Illini-Nittany Lion snail race, or Big Ten offense in general this season. Wednesday’s game may have been the worst such example, but it’s not the only example.

• Illinois had another big blunder this year in a 59-36 loss to Minnesota (at least that was on the road!)

• Indiana … let’s give them a free pass, shall we?

• Iowa is the conference’s lowest scoring team this season, having averaged just 60.6 points per game (just 56.6 in conference play).

• In a contest against its bitter in-state rival, Michigan managed just 15 first half points in a recent loss to Michigan State.

• Entering Wednesday’s contest, Penn State had been kept under 50 twice already in the month of February.

Basketball purists may argue that all of this has to do with the Big Ten’s physical, disciplined-style defense, but that doesn’t explain why the league has experienced so many poor shooting nights.

The worst problem: all of these low scores are starting to make Big Ten fans yawn. Rumor has it they are starting to attend wrestling matches to get their fix of points.

Rising team: Purdue

The Boilermakers were happy to leave Iowa with a win this week, even if it was a 49-45 squeaker. That win set them up for a home date against a Michigan State team that appeared to have taken the Boilermakers lightly. The Spartans were never really in the contest, as Purdue produced its best performance to date in its most important game of the year. The Boilermakers committed nine fewer turnovers than the Spartans in the 72-54 win. Thanks to their two wins this week Purdue is now just one game behind Michigan State — a considerable improvement from where they were only a short time ago.

Falling team: Ohio State

Ohio State tripped twice in the past week, and both losses were ugly. The loss in Madison was key because it allowed Wisconsin back into the Big Ten race while sending the Buckeyes spinning. The after-effect resulted in a 72-69 “oops” to Northwestern on Wednesday. The Wildcats should not have been on the same floor, but Ohio State squandered a 12-point lead and allowed freshman John Shurma to sink the game-winning three-point basket with 3.3 seconds remaining. Now in a desperate situation after starting the month of February with such promise, Ohio State must hold home court against Illinois and Penn State this week.

Player of the week: E’Twaun Moore, G, Purdue

Saturday’s win over Iowa was probably too close for comfort but Moore was the glue that kept Purdue focused: 16 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. In the Boilermakers’ key victory against conference-leading Michigan State, Moore had another nice performance, with 13 points and six rebounds. In a season in which injuries and a few mishaps have knocked Purdue out of the national spotlight Moore has remained the team’s guiding force.

Freshman of the week: Devoe Joseph, G, Minnesota

In Minnesota’s only game of the past week Joseph exploded for 23 points on eight of 11 shooting (seven of those baskets came from beyond three-point range). Unfortunately it came in a losing effort against Penn State. Still, it was a considerable jump for Joseph, who had scored in double digits on just two other occasions this season, never more than 11. The Gophers are struggling as they enter the season’s final month but the team’s younger players, like Joseph and Ralph Sampson III, have shown glimpses of promise.

Stats of the week

92.3: Free throw shooting percentage of Iowa’s Matt Gatens — a freshman.

7: Hoosier players who saw the floor in the team’s 65-52 loss to Illinois.

3: Minnesota players that rank among the top five in the Big Ten in blocks per game — Damian Johnson (2.14), Ralph Sampson III (1.56), Colton Iverson (1.40).

They said it

“Naismith probably rolled over several times,” — Penn State coach Ed DeChellis after his team’s ugly 38-33 win over Illinois on Wednesday.

Key upcoming games

Thursday, February 19
Minnesota at Michigan
These teams will meet twice yet with five games to go apiece. The first meeting is in Ann Arbor, which is bad news for Gophers fans; their club has lost its last three on the road.

Sunday, February 22
Wisconsin at Michigan State
The Spartans must regroup after a tough loss to Purdue, but Wisconsin is a tough matchup to cure a hangover with, especially considering how well Bo Ryan’s club has been playing as of late.

Tuesday, February 24
Penn State at Ohio State
Maybe the best game of the week, this matchup will feature two of the best guards in the Midwest, and two of the conference’s top three scorers — Penn State’s Talor Battle and Ohio State’s Evan Turner.

Mike Beacom covers the Big Ten for Athlon

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