Around the Big Ten: Basketball

Story posted February 13, 2019 in

As the season heats up and tournament play is in the near future, host Jeremy Ganes alongside David Hadar and Matt Black discuss the state of the Big Ten conference: 

Yet another week of Big Ten basketball shake-ups. No. 24 Maryland’s dominance in the latter part of the season showed after a 14-point thrashing of No. 12 Purdue; No. 11 Michigan State snapped their three-game losing streak; Penn State upset Michigan for the first time since 2013.

The Big Ten is up for grabs and this past week proved it. There is less than a month to go in the regular season. Let’s look at the recap of last week’s action in the Big Ten.

Illinois (9-15, 5-8 Big Ten)
Illinois willed their way to a stunning upset over No. 11 Michigan State, 79-74, in its first game and then winning itssecond game against Rutgers, 99-94. Illinois has been playing with a lot of passion, winning its last three games in a row. They play their only game of the week against Ohio State.

Indiana (13-11, 4-9 Big Ten)
Indiana was swept in both its games last week, losing to No. 21 Iowa and then Ohio State. Both games were close, with combined defeceit total of eight points. They have hit a slump in the latter part of the season losing two straight. This week they play their only game against Minnesota.

Iowa (19-5, 8-5 Big Ten)
Iowa swept its schedule last week, beating Indiana 77-72, and coming back with seconds to go against Northwestern to win 80-79. They are holding strong and winning games in finishing fashion. They are winners of three straight contests. This week, they play their only game to Rutgers.

Maryland (19-6, 10-4 Big Ten)
Maryland won its only game last week against Nebraska, 60-45, with a dominating defensive effort. They won a very important game against No. 12 Purdue earlier in the week, 70-56. This win puts them in a good spot in the standings. They have another tough contest Saturday against No. 6 Michigan, who is the top seed in the conference.

Michigan (22-3, 11-3 Big Ten)
Michigan won both its games last week beating Rutgers 77-65, and winning a payback game against No. 20 Wisconsin, 61-52. This week, they had a stunning upset loss to Penn State, who sits at the bottom of the conference, 69-75. They play No. 24 Maryland on Saturday.

Michigan State (20-5, 11-3 Big Ten)
Michigan had an upset loss to Illinois last week, 74-79, but responded with a victory over Minnesota, 79-55. They beat No. 20 Wisconsin 67-59 earlier in the week to get back on the winning side. Their next game is against Ohio State on Sunday.

Minnesota (16-8, 6-7 Big Ten)
Minnesota was swept by two ranked teams last week. They lost to No. 20 Wisconsin 56-51, and lost their second game against No. 11 Michigan State 55-79. Minnesota is on a three-game losing streak. They play Nebraska and Indiana this week.

Nebraska (13-11, 3-10 Big Ten)
The cornhuskers has really been struggling, and it doesn’t seem like they’ve found an answer for its woes yet. They lost both their contests last week to No. 24 Maryland, 45-60, and No.12 Purdue, 81-62. Their games haven’t even been contested and they are flat out losing down the stretch. They play Minnesota then Northwestern this week.

Northwestern (12-12, 3-10 Big Ten)
Northwestern has been on a bit of a cold stretch and are losers of five straight contests. Last week, they lost to Penn State 59-52 to give Penn State its first conference win of the season and then lost to No. 20 Iowa, 79-80, after a game of the year comeback for Iowa. They lost to Rutgers earlier in the week, and are set to play Nebraska on Saturday.

Ohio State (16-7, 6-6 Big Ten)
Ohio State is on a three-game win streak and are battling to make it into the tournament conversation. Last week, they beat Penn State 74-70, and then beat Indiana 55-52. This week, they take on Illinois and No. 11 Michigan State.

Penn State (9-15, 2-11 Big Ten)
Penn State has never backed down all season and lead the league with the closest matchup losses for any team. Last week, they won their first game against Northwestern, 59-52, to claim their first conference win, but then dropped another tight game to Ohio State, 70-74. This week they already notched a stunning upset victory over No. 6 Michigan, 75-69. This was Penn State’s first win against Michigan since 2013. Next up for Penn State is a rematch against No. 12 Purdue.

Purdue (17-7, 10-3 Big Ten)
Purdue snapped its eight-game winning streak, as it lost to No. 24 Maryland 56-70 earlier in the week. Last week, they swept their opponents, beating Minnesota and Nebraska. Purdue has a rematch against Penn State next.

Rutgers (12-12, 5-9 Big Ten)
Rutgers was swept by the teams it played last week. They lost to No. 6 Michigan 65-77 and then Illinois 94-99. They won their game earlier in the week against Northwestern 59-56, snapping their three-game losing streak. They play No. 21 Iowa on Saturday.

Wisconsin (17-8, 9-5 Big Ten)
Wisconsin split their games last week, winning their first game against Minnesota, 56-51, but then lost their second game to No. 6 Michigan, 52-61. They lost their first game this week to No.11 Michigan State, 59-67. Wisconsin is on a two-game losing streak. They don’t have any games for the rest of the week.

 

 

Trent Fye is a Junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him email flintfootball53@gmail.com.