Around the Big Ten: Basketball – Week 4
Host Logan Bourandas alongside Jordan Hession and Ben Geller look back at some of the best games around the Big Ten. They also preview some of the best matchips happening over the next two weeks:
As the third full week of basketball is underway, the Big Ten is slowly showing why many people consider it the best conference in college basketball this year. Let’s take a look at past action and what is to come for the conference:
No. 3 Michigan State (3-1)
The Spartans got a huge win last week over Myles Powell and Seton Hall. In a back-and forth-game, the Spartans came out on top 76-73. Cassius Winston led the team with 21 points while Tom Izzo’s squad also got a big showing from Malik Hall off the bench.
The Spartans followed that game with a 94-46 win over Charleston Southern and proved why they started the season ranked No. 1. Michigan State will once again be tested as their next three games could be Virginia Tech, Kansas, and Duke.
No. 6 Maryland (4-0)
Maryland continues their dominant start to their season, with their closest game an 18-point victory. Sophomore Jalen Smith has been leading the way averaging 15 points and nine rebounds a game so far. Anthony Cowan Jr. and Aaron Wiggins have been running the show from the backcourt averaging 12 and 10 points respectively.
Maryland has a fairly easy schedule and should crack the top five of the AP poll with an undefeated record heading into conference play.
No. 10 Ohio State (4-0)
Ohio State hits the top 10 in the latest AP poll and have been deserving of the ranking to say the least. The Buckeyes followed up their 25-point win over Villanova with a 35-point win over Stetson. The Buckeyes continue their balanced attack and will prepare for their matchup with No. 5 North Carolina on Dec. 4.
Purdue (2-2)
Purdue bounced back from their two tough losses with an easy 93-49 win over Chicago State. Purdue will look to find a consistent scorer before their two big matchups with ranked teams, VCU And Virginia. Guard Isaiah Thompson led the team with 17 points against Chicago State.
Wisconsin (3-1)
Wisconsin got a huge win over in-state rival Marquette, 77-61. The Badgers dominated the whole game and got a huge win for their resume come March.
Greg Gard’s team have a very balanced attack and six players ended with double-digit points in the win. Wisconsin will look to build off the win with a couple of very winnable games ahead.
Michigan (3-0)
Michigan continues their perfect start with a 20-point victory over Elon. Michigan has shown they have depth and can be led in scoring by any of their starters on any given night. Without a real test yet, the legitimacy of the Wolverines won’t be shown until their clash with No. 2 Louisville on Dec. 3.
The Rest
Penn State (4-0): Defeated Bucknell 98-70, next vs. Yale (Nov. 23)
Indiana (5-0): Defeated Princeton 79-54, next vs. Louisiana Tech (Nov. 25)
Illinois (4-1): Defeated Citadel 85-57, next vs. Hampton (Nov. 23)
Minnesota (1-3): Lost to Utah 73-69, next vs. Central Michigan (Nov. 21)
Nebraska (1-2): Defeated South Dakota St. 90-73, next vs. Southern (Nov. 22)
Iowa (2-1): Defeated Oral Roberts 87-74, next vs. North Florida (Nov. 21)
Rutgers (4-1): Defeated SF Austin 69-57, next vs. NJIT (Nov. 26)
Northwestern (1-2): Lost to Radford 67-56, next vs. Norfolk St. (Nov. 22)
Charlie Knezevic is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email charlieknez@gmail.com.
About the Contributors
Jordan Hession
Junior / Broadcast Journalism
Jordan Hession is a junior from Annapolis, Maryland majoring in broadcast journalism. Jordan is the co-host of CommRadio’s longest running live radio show The Sin Bin with Kyle Cannillo. In the summer of 2020, Jordan interned at SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio as a sports programmer. When Jordan is not discussing sports, he is writing various articles for collegiate and professional sports leagues and teams. Jordan has a love for all sports but has a genuine passion to spread ice hockey and baseball globally. Away from broadcast journalism, Jordan enjoys lifting weights and cooking. Jordan’s role models in the broadcast journalism industry include Doc Emrick, Gary Thorne and Mike Lange. In the future, Jordan sees himself working as a producer or host in sports talk radio and potentially television. To contact Jordan, email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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).
