Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick says that although Notre Dame still would like to maintain their independence, they may be forced to accept Big 10 expansion due to finances and other conferences expanding.

In town to attend the Big East basketball tournament, Swarbrick and new football coach Brian Kelly met with a small group of reporters Tuesday morning. Calling the current college landscape "as unstable as I've seen it" in 29 years as a sports executive, Swarbrick said, "You could each invent a scenario that would force our hand."

"You have two conferences [the Big Ten and SEC] that have separated themselves economically and you've got all the other conferences lined up for their [upcoming television] renegotiations," said Swarbrick. "The bar has been set so high, and the [current] media market is so tepid, that it creates a lot of tension."

Swarbrick reiterated Tuesday that, "while we're paying attention [to realignment], we're trying like heck to maintain our football independence. It's good for college football and it's great for Notre Dame. That's our goal."

Moved here.

[Bumped. 25 rebounds in his last two games. -KJ]

Raymar Morgan posted 16 points and 11 rebounds to lead Michigan State over No. 3 Purdue in a critical road contest on Sunday. The performance marked Morgan’s second double-double in conference play this season and his highest scoring output since netting 20 tallies against Michigan on Jan. 26.

"There might not have been a need for a list except that Michigan State, a school that Johnson really liked, didn’t have a scholarship available."

Dang.

His Facebook page says the ankle feels great.

my brother-in-law just posted this article - a back-and-forth debate about whether the U-M NCAA violations are worse than the MSU fighting, etc.

check it out, and comment if you'd like

my2fish

Via Mgoblog, a short interview with John Gasaway. Includes the info that Dean Smith is responsible for tempo-free stats and that the Grinch is one of the most receptive head coaches.

[Bumped. Also see here. -KJ]

Sources close to the Purdue men’s basketball team are saying junior forward Robbie Hummel tore his anterior cruciate ligament Wednesday night against Minnesota and will be out for an unclear amount of time.

A press release from the Purdue Athletic department confirming the injury is expected today.

Certainly bad news for Purdue fans and Big Ten fans, as Purdue looked like the team most likely to make a deep run, but this news certainly puts that in doubt.

Here's a recent NW Indiana news article talking about G/F Branden Dawson. Dawson is a big-time 2011 recruit (Rivals Top 20) who could help deal with the loss of Durrell Summers.
Though this article attempts to update his recruitment in general, it talks about MSU's involvement a lot. Izzo was recently in Gary after the Wisconsin loss to meet with him. This is a recruitment to watch.