Around the Big Ten (College Basketball): Week 10
The Big Ten has always been a menacing conference when it comes to basketball, and this year is definitely no exception.
Ever since conference play began, Big Ten teams have been beating up on one another, leading them to fluctuate in and out of the top-25 rankings.
Purdue responded strongly after its one-point loss to Rutgers at home, rising up to defeat Ohio State in Columbus and battling back to defeat a tough Penn State squad in a hostile neutral environment.
We’ve seen as many as six Big Ten teams ranked in the top-25 but as of right now, only two teams in the Big Ten have that honor — No. 3 Purdue and No. 18 Wisconsin.
This past week brought a lot of action, starting with Penn State versus Purdue in the legendary Palestra in Philadelphia.
Penn State led by six points heading to the locker room against the then-ranked No. 1 team in the country, but the battle-tested Boilermakers showed why they are one of the top teams in the nation, outlasting the Nittany Lions, 76-63.
However, Penn State bounced back a couple days later and showed that it could be a legitimate contender to make an NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time since 2011.
The Nittany Lions dominated the Indiana Hoosiers on Wednesday evening at the Bryce Jordan Center, crushing them in all facets en route to a 85-66 victory.
There hasn’t been much consistency overall in the Big Ten, as Maryland earned a win against then-ranked Ohio State at home, Iowa crushed Rutgers on the road and Northwestern got a huge victory over then-ranked Indiana on Sunday.
Michigan State is making a bid to find itself back in the top-25 rankings after the Spartans picked up a huge ranked victory on the road against Wisconsin on Tuesday evening.
Illinois has a similar plan, as the Fighting Illini dominated Nebraska 76-50 to move to 11-5.
Michigan State and Illinois will battle it out on Friday evening, a game that could push at least another Big Ten team into the rankings.
This isn’t uncharted territory for Tom Izzo and company, but Michigan State’s true identity will be revealed in their clash against Purdue coming up on Monday evening in East Lansing.
Continuing with Wednesday’s action, Rutgers narrowly defeated Northwestern, 65-62.
Rutgers has come off as one of the sneakier teams in the conference, holding a 12-5 record while also handing Purdue its first and only loss so far this season.
The Scarlet Knights have also picked up wins against Iowa and Maryland, and their next matchup is this Sunday at home against Ohio State.
Speaking of Ohio State, it hasn’t been the first half of the season the Buckeyes could have hoped for.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers marched into Columbus on Thursday evening to take down the Buckeyes on their home court, 70-67.
Ohio State is currently 11th in the conference standings, with a 2-3 conference record and a 10-6 overall record after just being ranked last weekend.
Iowa was able to outlast Michigan at home in overtime on Thursday, defeating the Wolverines 93-84 to move to 11-6 while Michigan fell to 9-7.
With tournament season rapidly approaching, Big Ten play is in full swing, and it will be exciting to see if the inner-conference competition continues because with all of the conference records, the Big Ten is as neutral and equal as it gets — and the best is yet to come.
Connor Fenix is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email cjf5726@psu.edu.
