Purdue and Wisconsin claimed top ten victories, while Maryland and Ohio State came up just short against ranked opponents.
The college basketball world is going to feed off of early season overreactions from Friday night’s results for at least another week or two, when the Maui Invitational, Battle 4 Atlantis and other mid-season tournaments will become the new hot topic. But with a slate of big time games in the Big Ten, the conference as a whole did itself a favor on Friday night. Sure, Ohio State lost to Texas A&M and Maryland blew a chance to claim a top-15 victory, but the conference more than held its own. Wisconsin taking down Arizona was a massive shock, and, although the consensus was that Alabama could deal with the pressure of playing at Mackey Arena, Purdue defended its home court as it always seems to do.
Add in more under-the-radar victories like Penn State’s demolition of Virginia Tech on a neutral court, Michigan’s quality win against TCU, the debut of Ace Bailey at Rutgers and a Sunday win for Indiana against South Carolina, and you have a test of the conference’s overall strength that the Big Ten clearly passed. Grading the weekend for the Big Ten, I’d say it was a B+, with the bottom of the conference weighing the top teams down.
Purdue – No. 3 Seed (No. 10 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 4 seed (No. 16 overall)
Purdue beat No. 2 Alabama 87-78 at home on Friday night in an exhilarating game, led by Trey Kaufman-Renn’s 26 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Expecting the Boilermakers to be as dominant as they were in the Zach Edey era heading into the season would be foolish. Or would it be? Purdue has earned at least a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament every season since 2016-17 and, early on, the Boilermakers are in position to do that once again. Purdue moved on to take on No. 15 Marquette on the road last night, but suffered its first loss of the season. All things being equal, a 76-58 loss to Marquette on the road isn’t surprising, and a 1-1 week for Purdue is a decent result considering the opponents they played.
Indiana – No. 4 Seed (No. 15 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 4 seed (No. 15 overall)
You can say all you want that South Carolina is not nearly the same caliber of team as it was by the end of last season when the Gamecocks earned a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but the Hoosiers’ 87-71 win on Saturday against them was a statement. Led by Myles Rice’s 23 points, every starter (and Trey Galloway off the bench) scored in double-digits except Oumar Ballo, but he had 13 rebounds and six blocks. Indiana can win in many different ways, and the Hoosiers look poised to keep doing exactly that in their next few games.
Illinois – No. 5 Seed (No. 18 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 6 seed (No. 21 overall)
Illinois finally showed some signs of slowing down on offense in its 66-54 victory against Oakland, but given the talent on this Fighting Illini roster, that seems more like an off-day than something that will become regular. Illinois cannot afford another off-day in its next game, however, as the Fighting Illini will take on No. 8 Alabama at a neutral site in Birmingham, Ala. tomorrow with the chance to become the second Big Ten contender to upset the Crimson Tide in a span of less than a week.
Wisconsin – No. 6 Seed (No. 24 overall)
Previous seeding: First Four Out
What a weird week for the Badgers, huh? Over the weekend, I thought I’d be writing about a triumphant Wisconsin team after pulling off a 103-88 upset over then-No. 9 Arizona. But just one game after the crazy, court-storm inducing victory, the Badgers looked like one of the worst teams in the Big Ten. Wisconsin eked out an 87-84 victory against UT Rio Grande Valley on Monday night, and the Badgers are still too reliant on getting offensive production from the free throw line (Wisconsin has shot a whopping 26.4 free throws per game thus far). Despite some potential exploitable flaws that could emerge later in the season, we’re here to talk about where each of these teams stand this week, and Wisconsin is 5-0. With that record and an impressive victory, the Badgers are easily the biggest riser from the Big Ten contingent in the field this week.
Ohio State – No. 7 Seed (No. 28 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 6 seed (No. 22 overall)
Ohio State took on No. 23 Texas A&M on the road on Friday, and the Buckeyes, albeit predictably, suffered their first loss of the season. The Aggies were in full control throughout their 78-64 win, but Ohio State still has the season-opening victory over Texas to help it secure a solid seeding in the bracket. The Buckeyes responded to their first loss of the season by trouncing Evansville 80-30 at home, and upcoming games against Campbell and Green Bay shouldn’t pose a threat to Ohio State either. They fell down a seed line, but there’s no need to panic in Columbus.
Maryland – No. 8 Seed (No. 31 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 7 seed (No. 28 overall)
Even though the Terrapins lost 78-74 against No. 15 Marquette, Maryland looked great against a team with a lot more existing team chemistry. The Terrapins stayed close throughout the entire game with the Golden Eagles, and Marquette solidified itself as an elite team with its 76-58 win against No. 6 Purdue. There are a lot of positives to take away from Maryland’s loss, especially the poise of freshman phenom Derik Queen who scored 24 points on 9-for-13 shooting. Maryland responded to its first loss of the season with a 108-37 win over Canisius and will look to continue the positive momentum against a struggling, but very talented Villanova team.
Michigan State – No. 8 Seed (No. 32 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 8 seed (No. 31 overall)
Michigan State beat Bowling Green 86-72, but the final score was slightly misleading. The Spartans won that game behind two massive runs at the end of each half: a 15-3 run to tie the game at 43 at the half; and a 30-8 run in the final 10:53 to close things out. Michigan State won 83-75 against a decent Samford team on Tuesday night, but the real chance for the Spartans to pick up some quality victories will be in the Maui Invitational. The Spartans start action in Maui on Monday against Colorado and then play either Memphis or No. 2 UConn depending on each teams’ results in the first round.
Rutgers – No. 9 Seed (No. 34 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 9 seed (No. 36 overall)
Ace Bailey made his long-awaited debut on Friday night, and he made an immediate impact. Bailey had 17 points, six rebounds and two steals in 30 minutes, and fellow freshman Dylan Harper pitched in 20 points, six assists and five rebounds of his own in a dominant 98-81 win over Monmouth. The Scarlet Knights will face their first power-conference opponent of the season when they take on Notre Dame, which is 3-0 this season and coming off an 84-63 road win against Georgetown. That duo will need to be dynamic once again if the Scarlet Knights will move to 5-0 before the litmus test against Notre Dame.
Michigan – No. 9 Seed (No. 36 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 10 seed (No. 38 overall, Last Four Byes)
Last week, I said Michigan needed to clean up two issues to get big wins in the future: turnovers and defensive rebounding. In its 76-64 win against TCU, Michigan turned it over 21 times and gave up 13 offensive rebounds, and those two failures allowed the Horned Frogs to stay within striking distance. The Wolverines then turned it over five times in the first four minutes against Miami (OH) before eventually cleaning it up in the second half and winning 94-67. If they can stop coughing up the ball, the Wolverines will become a force to be reckoned with in the Big Ten, but the turnover issue might have already turned into a habit for Michigan. If that is the case, this team won’t ever play up to the full potential of its talent.
Oregon – No. 10 Seed (No. 37 overall, Last Four Byes)
Previous seeding: No. 10 seed (No. 37 overall)
After tumbling towards the bubble last week following an overtime battle with Portland, the Ducks bounced back this week. Troy is not a world-beater, but an 82-61 victory against the Trojans is still a good look for Oregon. Keeshawn Barthelemy was the leading scorer on Sunday night with 15 points, and four of his teammates also had double-digit scoring outputs. The Ducks stay in the tournament field for now, but Players Era Festival matchups with No. 23 Texas A&M and San Diego State will give fans real insight into how good this team actually is.
Penn State – No. 11 Seed (No. 42 overall, Last Four In)
Previous seeding: Next Four Out
Penn State faced its first real test of the non-conference schedule, and the Nittany Lions passed with flying colors. Penn State dismantled Virginia Tech 86-64 in a neutral site clash in Baltimore, allowing them to launch into the projected field. Ace Baldwin, Jr. led the way with 19 points, 10 assists and three steals, and Zach Hicks added 19 points, five rebounds and three steals of his own in a statement victory for Penn State. So far, it doesn’t look like this team will come close to replicating the bottom four of the Big Ten performance it put up last season, and, if anything, the Nittany Lions look like a team capable of at least making the Big Dance.
Iowa – First Four Out
Previous seeding: First Four Out
Iowa had a very positive week overall, and the Hawkeyes barely missed the cut for the NCAA Tournament field. With a 76-66 win against Washington State and an 83-58 win against Rider, the Hawkeyes look great. Unfortunately, Iowa still remains the first team out of my projected field because of bubble teams, such as Penn State and Pitt, who got even more impressive wins and were in similar positions on the bubble entering the last week, but the Hawkeyes will likely move into the field sooner rather than later.
Northwestern – Next Four Out
Previous seeding: No. 11 seed (No. 44 overall, Last Four In)
Northwestern barely escaped with a 67-58 overtime victory against Eastern Illinois on Friday night. Jalen Leach led the way with a season-high 27 points, including a three-pointer that put the ‘Cats ahead 58-56 with 1:03 left before Eastern Illinois sent the game to overtime. The transitive property isn’t a reliable way to compare teams in college basketball, but it is worth noting that Illinois beat this same Eastern Illinois team 112-67 and Indiana beat them 90-55 earlier this season. Brooks Barnhizer returned to action on Tuesday night against Montana State, but the ‘Cats won 72-69 in a game that was uncomfortably close. Northwestern falls out of the bracket because of a true lack of any quality victories paired with too many close calls.
UCLA – In Consideration
Previous seeding: No. 11 seed (No. 43 overall, Last Four In)
UCLA finally got the dominant offensive performance it has been looking for throughout the early portion of the season when it mollywhopped Lehigh 85-45. The Bruin big men led the way on Friday night as Tyler Bilodeau scored 15 points in 19 minutes, Aday Mara scored 16 points in 13 minutes and Eric Dailey Jr. had a 17-point double-double. UCLA’s guards need to step up if this team wants to become a serious threat in the Big Ten, but the Bruins still look like a team that will be in consideration for the tournament by the end of the year. They aren’t currently in the field as a result of too many undefeated teams with quality wins while the Bruins have a loss already to another team that fell out of the bracket this week (New Mexico).
Nebraska – Out
Previous seeding: In Consideration
Even though Nebraska lost 77-74 to Saint Mary’s on Sunday, that performance by the Cornhuskers was somewhat encouraging depending on what you think about their opponent. If Saint Mary’s is going to be a borderline top-25 team this year, Nebraska might be a solid team in the middle of the pack within the Big Ten, but if the Gaels truly are a step behind their normal selves (I have them in the Next Four Out), then Nebraska definitely isn’t a tournament team.
USC – Out
Previous seeding: First Four Out
USC’s repeated close victories to open the season were bad omens heading into its first power-conference matchup with Cal, and the prophecy was fulfilled Sunday night. The Trojans fell 71-66 at home against a Golden Bears team who lost by 16 to Vanderbilt on the road earlier in the week. Currently, USC has a very weak resume, but the Trojans have a lot of talent on their roster and certainly could rebound in the future.
Washington – Out
Previous seeding: Out
Washington just hasn’t looked good enough this year. The most recent chapter in the Huskies’ story was a hard-fought 74-69 win over a UMass Lowell team that isn’t terrible, but shouldn’t be posing any real threat to any team with hopes of competing in the Big Ten. Washington won’t be able to truly flip the script until conference play either. For now, the Huskies are on the outside looking in, but are probably a mile away from the window that allows a team to see the tournament picture.
Minnesota – Out
Previous seeding: Out
Any team worthy of tournament consideration would have started the season 5-0 against Minnesota’s schedule and could have done so in comfortable fashion, but the Golden Gophers do not look like a tournament team. North Texas walked into the Barn and claimed a 54-51 victory over Minnesota before the Golden Gophers rallied to squeak by Yale 59-56 in another rock fight. On Tuesday night, Minnesota beat Cleveland State 58-47, but that Vikings team lost 101-53 to Michigan in its season opener, so the eye test for the Golden Gophers still looks pretty rough compared to the rest of the conference.