Around the Big Ten (Basketball): Week 5
As in-conference play begins in the Big Ten, teams are beginning to separate themselves from the pack. Among the notable powerhouses of the conference are the No. 17 Illinois Fighting Illini, who upset No. 2 Texas last time out.
Illinois has cemented itself as one of the scarier teams in the conference, beating the second-ranked Longhorns 85-78 in overtime. Leading the team in scoring was senior forward Matthew Mayer, who scored 21 points, going 8-for-10 from the field and 5-for-5 from 3-point land.
Illinois dominated defensively as well, shutting down Texas’ top shooter in senior guard Marcus Carr. Carr struggled to find open looks against a tight Illini frontcourt, going 3-for-14 from the field and only notching nine points.
The second big upset of the week also featured a Big Ten team in the Nebraska Cornhuskers, as they downed No. 7 Creighton on the road 63-53. Senior forward Derrick Walker led the way, scoring 22 points with eight rebounds, shooting 11-for-16 from the field.
The ‘Huskers were stout on defense as well, not allowing any Creighton starter to score over 10 points, and only allowing one Bluejay to score more than 15.
The theme of the conference is dominating offense in the paint, mixing in some shots from the perimeter and being stout defensively. That’s why the Big Ten plays one another so well and why conference play is so intriguing.
The Big Ten lived up to the hype, as unranked Northwestern traveled to East Lansing to take on the No. 20 Michigan State Spartans. The Wildcats came out of a stunner on top, winning their first game in-conference, 70-63.
Northwestern was buoyed by its senior guard Boo Buie, who dropped 20-3-5 on the night. The Wildcats shut down Michigan State’s top offensive threats in guard A.J. Hoggard and center Mady Sissoko, holding each to 12 points a piece.
The Spartans bounced back in a big way, however, downing the Penn State Nittany Lions on the road Wednesday night, 67-58. Penn State came in with the 13th-best three-point percentage, but struggled to shoot it all night.
Michigan State held the Nittany Lions to a measly 34.5% field goal percentage, and under 30% from the arc. The junior guard A.J. Hoggard bounced back in a big way, dropping 23 points and going 6-for-6 from the line. Hoggard was a big reason the Spartans were able to mount a double digit comeback, outscoring the Nittany Lions 32-23 in the second half.
Only a few hours from the Spartans, the Michigan Wolverines held their own in their first in-conference game Thursday, downing the Minnesota Golden Gophers, 90-75. Michigan started off hot and never faltered, having four different players score over 14 points and receiving playing time from every player on the roster.
The Wolverines were led by stud center Hunter Dickinson, who notched 19 points, four rebounds and a block on the night. Minnesota was able to match Michigan’s scoring output through the first half, but the 7-foot-1 Dickinson was too much to handle for the Gophers in the end.
One of the most notable Big Ten results from this week’s action took place between the No. 13 Maryland Terrapins and the unranked Wisconsin Badgers. Wisconsin played exceptionally well defensively, holding Terps guard Jahmir Young in check, and shutting down the inside shot— the Terps shot under 40% from the field.
The Badgers only received minutes from eight players on the night, but that was all they needed, getting just enough offensive production to upset Maryland. Sophomore guard Chucky Hepburn led the team with 13 points and four rebounds.
This weekend features more Big Ten action, including matchups between Penn State and No. 17 Illinois, as well as No. 4 Purdue and unranked Nebraska. A Big Ten versus SEC showcase is on tap Sunday night between No. 13 Maryland and No. 7 Tennessee.
Parker Silverman is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email pws5405@psu.edu.
