Around The Big Ten: Week 2

Story posted November 13, 2018 in

The Big Ten has a combined record this season of 26-1. Ironically, the only loss was by Michigan State, which is arguably the best team in the conference, against formerly No. 1 Kansas.

The Spartans bounced back against Florida Gulf Coast University Sunday in a 106-82 victory in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan State is now the highest AP-ranked school in the Big Ten at No. 11 in the nation.

In the same state, the Michigan Wolverines sit at No. 18 after a 2-0 start with wins over Norfolk State and Holy Cross, both by a margin of 19 points. It will be interesting to see how Michigan moves in the ranks as they will face two top-10 ranked teams in Villanova and North Carolina.

With Michigan State ranked No. 11 and Michigan ranked No. 18, that makes the Purdue Boilermakers the only other Big Ten team in the AP Top 25. The No. 21 Boilermakers won both of their matchups this season with a 33-point victory over Texas Tech and a 19-point win over Ball State.

Junior guard for Purdue, Carsen Edwards had an impressive 2017-18 season and is looking to take the Boilermakers to the next level this season with his 26 points per game through the first two games.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers' performance in their first two games this season warrant some major attention. Although Nebraska went up against smaller programs in Mississippi Valley State and Southeastern Louisiana, there is something to be said about the fact that they won by an average margin of 60.5 points.

The Cornhuskers possess some big-time talent in players like James Palmer Jr. and Isaiah Roby and could be a dangerous team in the Big Ten moving forward.

Penn State is another Big Ten team that has had a strong start to the season with two home victories over North Florida and Jacksonville State. Junior forward, Lamar Stevens, has been building on his strong sophomore season last year.

Stevens could be one of the top players in the Big Ten this year if he keeps up his superb two-way performance of 23.5 points per game along with 9.5 rebounds, one block and one steal.

On the east coast, Maryland has the longest winning streak this season so far in the Big Ten with three victories over Delaware, Navy and North Carolina A&T. The Terrapins could extend their record to 4-0 on Friday when they face the Hofstra Pride.

Wisconsin could find itself in an interesting situation after a 1-0 start with a 22-point win over the Coppin State Eagles. A matchup Tuesday against a talented Xavier team could potentially boost the Badgers into the AP Top 25.

None of the Big Ten schools have faced off against each other yet this season, but when they do expect some frequent movement in the national rankings, as well as the Big Ten standings.

 

 

David Green is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email davidrgreen95@gmail.com.