GAME NOTES: The ninth-ranked Indiana Hoosiers are heavily favored in today's Big Ten Conference clash with a Penn State team that just lost its best player for the rest of the season. Not only did Penn State drop an ugly 80-55 decision to Wisconsin in front of the home crowd on Tuesday, but senior Geary Claxton tore his ACL in that contest, ending the career of the All-Big Ten performer. The loss was the second straight for the Nittany Lions, who are now 2-2 in conference action after a surprising 2-0 start. Indiana carries an 11- game winning streak into today's contest, as the club suffered its only loss to Xavier back in November. The Hoosiers had a fight on their hands against Minnesota on Thursday, but they showed a great deal of toughness to emerge from that road tilt with a 65-60 win. Indiana holds a commanding 26-3 advantage in the all-time series with Penn State, and the Nittany Lions have never won in 14 trips to Bloomington.

Claxton started all 16 games for Penn State, and there is no question that he will be missed tremendously. The standout was averaging 17.5 ppg and 8.4 rpg, and replacing that level of production seems impossible at this point. Jamelle Cornley is netting 12.1 ppg and pulling down 6.3 rpg for Penn State, and he immediately becomes the go-to guy at the offensive end and the only double- digit scorer on the roster. The Nittany Lions are scoring 70.7 ppg this season while allowing 64.8 ppg, but expect that positive differential to disappear in a hurry with Claxton gone. In the 25-point home loss to Wisconsin earlier this week, Cornley scored 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field. The rest of the team combined to shoot 16-of-50, including 6-of-24 from three-point range. The Nittany Lions suffered a 41-22 rebounding disadvantage and were simply dominated at both ends of the court.

Although just a freshman, Indiana's Eric Gordon may be the best guard in the nation. An explosive scorer who can pass and rebound, Gordon was held in check for a change by Minnesota on Thursday, as he finished with 12 points and seven turnovers. Fortunately, the Hoosiers have plenty of other talented performers in the lineup capable of picking up the slack. D.J. White scored 17 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead the charge, and Jordan Crawford netted 16 points. The fact that Indiana won despite committing 26 turnovers, 15 more than Minnesota, is hard to believe. A 42-26 rebounding advantage certainly helped the cause. Heading into that clash against the Gophers, Gordon was averaging 23.0 ppg to lead the Big Ten, and there is no obvious weakness to his game. He and White form one of the best frontcourt/backcourt duos in the nation.

Today's game could get ugly in a hurry. Indiana was already superior to Penn State before the Claxton injury, and now this matchup just seems unfair. Gordon is a sensational talent, who will likely bring his talent to the NBA in the not-so-distant future.