Around the Big Ten (Basketball): Week 4

Story posted December 3, 2022 in CommRadio, Sports by Connor Fenix

Many Big Ten schools have found their way into the top-25 rankings, and after a productive Feast Week, jumped right into the Big Ten-ACC Challenge.

The Big Ten went 6-8 against the ACC, but many teams are still trying to find their rhythm and it’s still too early to tell who the real contenders are.

Ohio State dropped its first game in the Maui Invitational to No. 24 San Diego State, 88-77, and came back to defeat Cincinnati and then-No. 21 Texas Tech to earn the No. 25 spot in the rankings.

It was short lived, as the Buckeyes traveled to Cameron Indoor Stadium and fell short to the Duke Blue Devils, 81-72.

Meanwhile, Penn State is off to a 6-2 start after dropping a game in the Charleston Classic to Virginia Tech.

On Tuesday night, the Nittany Lions fell to Clemson 101-94 in double overtime in a game where Penn State trailed most of the time.

In the final seconds of regulation, Andrew Funk threw up an off-balance shot from beyond the arc and called bank to tie the game up at 71 a piece.

A tough shot selection and a cold period doomed the blue and white in the overtime periods, and now the Nittany Lions will return home for a huge matchup with conference foe and No. 20-ranked Michigan State.

On Monday night, two other Big Ten teams lost to ACC opponents, as Virginia Tech defeated Minnesota and Pittsburgh dominated Northwestern.

Maryland, Iowa, and Illinois all picked up wins, however.

The Terrapins defeated a struggling Louisville squad, 79-54, as senior forward Donta Scott dropped a team high 18 points while collecting five rebounds and two assists.

The Indiana Hoosiers are making a case to be the best team in the conference, as they arguably had the biggest win among the other schools.

The Hoosiers took down the former No. 1-ranked school in North Carolina, handing the Tar Heels their second-straight loss in a shocking 77-65 result.

Iowa is eyeing a top-25 appearance as the Hawkeyes are off to a 6-1 start with quality wins over Seton Hall, Georgia Tech and Clemson.

The Hawkeyes face a challenge as their next matchup is a trip to Cameron Indoor for a date with No. 17 Duke. This matchup will prove whether Iowa is a legitimate contender not only in the Big Ten but in the country.

Junior forward Kris Murray is averaging 21 points per game for Iowa after an impressive 31-point performance in the blowout win over Georgia Tech.

As stated earlier, Michigan State will face off against Penn State next Wednesday night in the Bryce Jordan Center.

The Spartans dropped their ACC matchup to Notre Dame, 70-52.

Michigan State is battle tested, however, as it has seen teams like Gonzaga, Kentucky, Villanova, Oregon and Notre Dame just eight games into the season.

The recent loss may drop the Spartans out of the top 25, but if Michigan State can recoup and earn a couple more quality wins, Tom Izzo and company have the pieces to put together a successful 2022 campaign.

Purdue is making a surge in the rankings after dismantling Gonzaga and Duke in dominant fashion.

The No. 5 Boilermakers took down Gonzaga and Duke by a combined 37 points and took care of business against Florida State in the ACC Challenge.

Zach Edey is already averaging 22.1 points and 11.4 rebounds per game, as the 7-foot-4 junior center is the catalyst to this potent Purdue offense.

Wrapping up with the Big Ten-ACC Challenge, Nebraska lost to Boston College, Michigan narrowly fell to Virginia, Wake Forest beat Wisconsin, Miami handled Rutgers and Illinois won big over Syracuse.

Despite a poor performance against the ACC, the Big Ten is shaping up to be a competitive, exciting conference this season.

As many Big Ten teams are beginning to play their first conference game, a lot more will play out and identities will be revealed heading into a pivotal part of the season.

 

Connor Fenix is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email cjf5726@psu.edu.