Around the Big Ten Basketball: Week 13

Audio/Story posted January 30, 2020 in CommRadio, Sports by Ethan Cook

Host Logan Bourandas and analysts Jeremy Ganes and Luc Greene look back at some of the best games from the Big Ten last week and look ahead at some of the best games taking place this week.

The stacked Big Ten will continue conference play this week, as Monday’s, Tuesday’s and Wednedsay’s games were filled with energy. The struggles away from home continue, as road teams are 25-59 overall in the Big Ten.

On Sunday, the Ohio State Buckeyes bounced back from a home loss to Minnesota with a road win over the Northwestern Wildcats 71-59 at Welsh Ryan Arena. D.J. Carton led the Buckeyes in points with 17 on the day, while Kaleb Wesson lead the team with 10 rebounds. Northwestern’s struggles continue, as the Wildcats fall to 6-13 overall, while the Buckeyes improve to 13-7.

On Monday, the Wisconsin Badgers were up by 12 in the second half at Iowa. However, Luka Garza led the Iowa Hawkeyes to rally back to a 68-62 victory. Garza led Iowa with 21 points and 18 rebounds. Garza was also 6-for-17 from the field and 9-for-13 from the free-throw line. The Hawkeyes improved to 15-5 overall while the Badgers fell to 12-9.

Despite their recent struggles, the Michigan Wolverines were able to snag a road win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers 79-68 in Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Wolverines were able win despite senior captain Zavier Simpson being suspended for the game following a violation of team rules. Eli Brooks led the team with 20 points and nine rebounds. The Wolverines improved to 12-8 overall with a 3-6 record in conference play.

Rutgers held off Purdue on Tuesday night 70-63 at home. Caleb McConnell led the team with 16 points, seven rebounds and two assists. The Scarlet Knights remain undefeated at home with a record of 15-0 at the RAC this season.

The Penn State Nittany Lions (15-5) defeated the Indiana Hoosiers (15-6) 64-49 on Wednesday night at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions were able to continue their winning streak after coming off of two back-to-back wins over Ohio State at home and Michigan on the road. The Hoosiers were hoping to bounce back from a one-point home loss to Maryland, but Lamar Stevens and the Nittany Lions had other plans.

Minnesota will battle Illinois on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 7:30 p.m. The Golden Gophers are looking to rebound from a 70-52 home loss at the hands of Michigan State Spartans last Sunday.

Overall, it’s hard to argue that any other conference is deeper than the Big Ten. There are 12 teams that are in serious contention for an NCAA Tournament bid, as well as a few teams that are looking to end tournament droughts this year, namely Penn State, Rutgers, Illinois and Indiana.

 

Ethan Cook is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ejc5565@psu.edu.

About the Contributors

Ethan Cook's photo

Ethan Cook

Senior / Broadcast Journalism

Ethan is a play-by-play announcer for CommRadio who is aspiring to be a college football analyst for either a major sports network or a college radio station.

Jeremy Ganes's photo

Jeremy Ganes

Senior / Journalism

Jeremy Ganes is an aspiring sports broadcaster and journalist at Penn State. He writes articles, produces broadcasts, and announces games for the CommRadio sports department. He also co-hosts an NFL-focused talk show called 4th & Long that airs live on CommRadio, alongside DJ Bauer. In addition to CommRadio content, Jeremy also assists in production and serves as an on-air personality to the PSNtv show Penn State Sports Night, where he covers sports such as baseball and football. He is also a reporter and producer for the Centre County Report. He can be contacted at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Logan Bourandas's photo

Logan Bourandas

Third-Year / Broadcast Journalism

Logan Bourandas is a third-year broadcast journalism major from Long Island, NY. He is a the news director for CommRadio and the host of Ducks on the Pond, which is an all-baseball talk show on CommRadio. He is also a sports writer, broadcaster and podcaster for CommRadio. He got his start as the station manager for his high school radio station WPOB in his hometown of Plainview, NY, where he hosted numerous radio shows and was involved in sports broadcasts. You can contact him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).