BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK : Michigan State Comes of Age in Big 10 Race

A Michigan State recruiting class that two years ago was considered one of the nation’s best is coming on quickly in the Big Ten Conference basketball race.

The timing is exquisite. Michigan State’s emergence coincides with a Purdue mini-slump. The race could tighten even more when Michigan plays at Minnesota on Thursday. The Gophers are 12-0 at Williams Arena in Minneapolis this season.

Purdue, once the unchallenged leader, has come back to the pack at 9-2, but still leads the league. Michigan State is 9-3 and Michigan 8-3. Minnesota is 7-4.

Boilermakers coach Gene Keady put his fist through a blackboard in his team’s locker room after Melvin Newbern’s 12-footer beat Purdue 73-72 Sunday in Minneapolis. Meanwhile, Michigan State coach Jud Heathcote celebrated in his team’s locker room Monday night after the Spartans won 80-70 at Iowa. The conference road victory was the fifth for Michigan State.

Illinois coach Lou Henson says Michigan State “is playing as well as anybody in the league right now. Not only are they winning on the road, they’re winning big.”

The Spartans have won three in a row to keep the heat on Purdue, and now they’ll be home in brand-new Breslin Center for three in a row. They meet Illinois on Saturday, Indiana on Feb. 25 and Michigan on March 1. The spacing is perfect. Heathcote has more than enough time to prepare for each game.

“We’re in a position to do something,” Heathcote said. “We hope we can keep the run going.”

The Spartans’ late-season spurt is due mostly to the return to form of Steve Smith, a 6-foot-6 scoring whiz at guard, and 6-10 Mike Peplowski.

Peplowski, a 270-pounder, has been battling a damaged knee for two years. He’s put the pep in Michigan State. Smith played the early part of the season with a broken bone in his left hand.

“Smith is back 100 percent on offense,” Heathcote said. “We’re elated about Peplowski. The last two games he’s been able to play 25 minutes apiece. He’s a space-taker. He’s not a force offensively. We don’t go to him much. We don’t have time to work on pivot moves. What we tell him is ‘be in the right place at the right time.’ His shots will come seldom, but when they do they should be of a high-percentage type. He can make a difference for us. He gives us a big player in there that we’ve lacked.”

After the Michigan game, the Spartans play at Minnesota and at Northwestern. They finish at Breslin against Purdue in a game that could settle the title. The Boilermakers have four of their final seven at home.

Tourney Talk: Iowa coach Tom Davis, recalling the circumstances of last season, said: “Our best team from the conference in the NCAA Tournament may not be the champion.

“There are two different races going on -- one for the title and one to see who can make the best run from the Big Ten to the Final Four. The team that stays healthiest has the best chance of getting to the Final Four.”

Indiana was the Big Ten champion last season. Illinois, the runner-up, wound up with the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Regional and represented the conference in the Final Four along with Michigan, which placed third in the conference. The Wolverines then knocked off Illinois and Seton Hall to win the national title.

Quotebook: Michigan State Coach Jud Heathcote on the Big Ten race: “There are a lot of key games yet. I still like Minnesota’s depth. I like Michigan’s awesome size inside. I don’t think we’ve got a great team in the league this year. I thought we had two or three last year.”