Around the Big Ten (Basketball): Week 1
It was a pretty successful start to the season for most Big Ten teams during the first week of play as only two teams in the conference have lost a game so far.
Starting out with the highest ranked team in the conference, the No. 6 Michigan Wolverines were able to go 1-0 on Wednesday as they won their first game against Buffalo.
In the 88-76 win, center Hunter Dickinson had a great start to his sophomore season as he put up 27 points and six rebounds finishing as the team's leading scorer.
Another team with high expectations this season is the No. 7 Purdue Boilermakers and they lived up to it in game one with a 96-67 win over Bellarmine.
Senior Sasha Stefanovic led the way for the Boilermakers as he finished with 23 points on an efficient shooting night where he made six of his eight shots which included five 3-pointers.
Moving away from the top ten, the No. 11 Illinois Fighting Illini were able to get their first win despite not having their best player in center Kofi Cockburn due to a suspension.
In the 71-47 win over Jackson State, it was senior guard Jacob Grandison who led the team in the scoring category as he picked up 20 points making seven of his ten shots on the night.
Unlike all the previous teams, the No. 17 Ohio State Buckeyes struggled to get their first win but were just able to prevail as they pulled off a 67-66 win over Akron.
Zed Key came through for the Buckeyes as he hit a game winning layup with two seconds left to get the win while junior E.J Liddell led the team with a double-double as he secured 25 points and 11 rebounds.
Looking at the last ranked team in the Big Ten, the No. 21 Maryland Terrapins enter Friday as the only 2-0 team in the conference with wins over Quinnipiac and George Washington.
While the Quinnipiac win was by 14 points, the Terrapins’ game against George Washington on Thursday saw a 71-64 final as junior forward Qudus Wahab recorded a double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds.
Action will continue to pick up for Big Ten teams next week with some intriguing matchups including Seton Hall taking on Michigan and No. 19 UNC traveling to take on Purdue.
Things are just getting started for both the new college basketball season and for the Big Ten as it should be a fun season ahead.
Logan Bourandas is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email lxb5412@psu.edu.
