Around the Big Ten

Story posted January 10, 2018 in CommRadio, Sports by Camden Tofil

As conference play in the Big Ten is fully underway there are several matchups to watch for this week. The Big Ten is one of the most competitive conferences in college basketball and that should show this week.

Even though there are only two ranked teams in the Big Ten, No. 4 Michigan State and No. 5 Purdue, all the teams have a record of .500 or better. Teams like Maryland, Ohio State, and Michigan have been very good this season and have even beaten some of the top teams in the country this year.

The top game this week in the Big Ten is on Tuesday night as Purdue travels to Ann Arbor to face the Wolverines. Purdue is one of the top teams in the country and could be on upset alert against Michigan.

Michigan has been a quiet 14-3 this season and will look to make some noise if they can knock off the No. 5 team in the country. Junior guards Charles Matthews and Moritz Wagner are the best players for Michigan as they lead the team in scoring.

If Michigan is able to beat the Boilermakers Tuesday night, they will have a huge chance to jump up in the rankings on Saturday as they face rival Michigan State in East Lansing. If the Wolverines can beat Purdue and Michigan State they would surely be in the Top 25 and would shake up the Big Ten standings.

Other games to watch this week include Maryland vs. Ohio State, Nebraska vs. Penn State, and Purdue vs. Minnesota. With the Big Ten being so close and competitive, every game has meaning.

With only two teams being undefeated in conference play, Purdue and Ohio State, there is a chance that at least one if not both of those teams lose this week. Purdue has a tough game at Michigan on Tuesday and Ohio State has to battle Maryland.

The only teams that have really struggled in conference play have been Illinois and Iowa. Illinois is 0-4 in the conference, while the Hawkeyes are 0-5. Both teams have lost close games so far, but have shown to be the bottom of the Big Ten.

While Miles Bridges garners a lot of the attention, there are several other players that have been dynamic this season in the Big Ten. Keita Bates-Diop for Ohio State, Jordan Murphy for Minnesota, and Tony Carr for Penn State are the three leading scorers in the Big Ten this season.

Murphy, in particular, has been spectacular for Minnesota as he ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring and first in rebounding at 12.7 per game. Murphy is the leader for the Golden Gophers as they look to live up to their preseason hype.

This should be an intriguing week in the Big Ten as several of the top teams will battle.

 

Camden Tofil is a freshman majoring in advertising. To contact him, email camdentofil@gmail.com.