So back in January I mentioned that college basketball wasn’t doing much at that point to fill the void I inevitably feel at the conclusion of college football season. I’m sure I meant it at the time, although I’m equally sure the dearth of other fun winter activities was a huge factor in my post-holiday gloom.

We’ve gotten one of those straightened out — I think I might have mentioned something about skiing? — and college basketball season has just skipped past the “interesting” stage and headed straight to “hysteria.”

OK. Maybe not hysteria; That’ll come as we get deeper into in March. But Ohio State just kicked the crap out of Michigan State in East Lansing, in a building where visitors DO NOT WIN. The victory leaves the Bucks in a tie with Iowa for first place in the conference and, with three games left — home against Michigan, on the road against Northwestern and home against Purdue for the finale — in a position to do no worse than a tie for the regular season title if they win out.

Let’s look at that remaining schedule again: Home games against Michigan and Purdue and at Northwestern. That should be three wins, boys and girls, although the road game is a little scary considering that Northwestern’s version of basketball is an ugly stepchild of Dr. Naismith’s game, one that can force good teams to wilt out of sheer boredom. They almost did that to us in Columbus a couple of games ago, and they’ll be tougher in Evanston.

And then you look at the Hawkeyes. On Saturday, they travel to Illinois … and that’s a loss. They then host Penn State, a game they should win, and close out at home against Wisconsin, who’s always scary.

Another thing that could make it tough for Iowa is the incessant questions Steve Alford and his team are going to have to endure about the Indiana job. That can’t make those last three games — and the subsequent Big 10 tournament — any easier.

We’re not immune from that, I should add; after Mike Davis announced his resignation, a poll by an IU fan site named Thad Matta as the favorite, over Alford, to lead the Hoosiers next year. And while Matta has said he isn’t going to let outside speculation about the IU job be a distraction for the rest of this season, he hasn’t said he isn’t interested.

With the recruiting class he has coming to Columbus next fall — and with the fact that it’s unlikely the NCAA will hit OSU with another postseason ban as a penalty for Jim O’Brien’s, um, “loan” to that Serbian guy he, um, wasn’t actually recruiting — I don’t think Matta is going anywhere. Still, it would be nice if he would put it to rest.

But that’s all stuff for after the end of the season. We’re allowed to play in the dance in 2006, and it could be that Ohio State will be playing for a while.