Some teams made one last good impression before conference play, while others couldn’t win some tight games.
Many fan bases walked away unhappy this week. Rutgers, UCLA and Michigan lost by four combined points, but Purdue was the only team that didn’t look competitive, and you can even cut the Boilermakers some slack because they played a very dominant Auburn team. In terms of positive results, Northwestern and Oregon came away with blowout wins in potential trap games, and Ohio State made headlines with a 20-point win against No. 4 Kentucky. Overall, it was a positive week for the Big Ten in the conference’s last chance to play marquee matchups before conference play continues.
Oregon – No. 2 Seed (No. 6 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 3 seed (No. 9 overall)
Oregon continued its amazing start to the season with a 76-61 win against Stanford on Saturday night. The Ducks’ 73-71 loss to UCLA remains the sole flaw on an amazing tournament resume that now includes six wins against Quad 1 and 2. Kwame Evans Jr. was the Ducks’ leading scorer with only 13 points, but Oregon’s ability to get balanced scoring outputs is definitely a major strength for the team that — for the moment — has claimed the title of the best team in the Big Ten.
Illinois – No. 5 Seed (No. 19 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 8 Seed (No. 29 overall)
Illinois claimed its second Quad 1 win of the season with a nail biting 80-77 win in the Braggin’ Rights rivalry game against Missouri. The Tigers had not lost since their season opener against Memphis, but Illinois was able to snap that winning streak and add to its resume with an impressive neutral court victory. The Fighting Illini are now 3-3 in Quad 1 and 2 games this season, and paired with favorable rankings in predictive metrics, Illinois’ resume is now starting to match up with a team that clearly passes the eye test and has the talent to finish near the top of the Big Ten.
Michigan State – No. 6 Seed (No. 21 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 6 seed (No. 23 overall)
Michigan State beat FAU 86-69 at the Breslin Center to continue another strong season for the Spartans. Michigan State’s two close losses against Kansas and Memphis are definitely not losses that will ruin a tournament resume, while the Spartans’ neutral court wins against North Carolina and Colorado and their destruction of Nebraska at home continue to bolster a strong resume. Michigan State is on solid footing heading into one final non-conference matchup against Western Michigan.
UCLA – No. 6 Seed (No. 23 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 5 Seed (No. 17 overall)
UCLA narrowly escaped with a 57-54 victory against Arizona last week, but this week the Bruins couldn’t come up with enough clutch baskets to seal a victory. North Carolina defeated the Bruins 76-74, but don’t let a 7-5 record fool you. The Tar Heels started off the week with a 90-84 loss to then-No. 7 Florida and have been on the wrong end of close games against great teams all season. While UCLA held a 40-32 lead at the half, and any loss isn’t ideal, this loss won’t affect the Bruins’ resume long-term. UCLA does need to bounce back quickly; however, because the Bruins’ next four games are against Quad 1 opponents, including a clash with No. 14 Gonzaga before the start of conference play.
Purdue – No. 6 Seed (No. 24 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 6 Seed (No. 21 overall)
Purdue has now lost two games in a row after dropping a game in Birmingham against No. 2 Auburn 87-69. As expected, the Tigers dominated the Boilermakers from start to finish. Auburn looks nearly unstoppable this season, so neither this loss, nor the margin of defeat, will haunt Purdue later in the season. Purdue’s wins against Ole Miss and Maryland came by a combined margin of seven points, and, although both of those opponents will be tournament teams, the Boilermakers were only a few possessions away from losing five straight games. Fortunately for Purdue fans, an early-season win against Alabama combined with holding on for those narrow victories means Purdue still holds a solid 3-4 record against Quad 1 opponents. The Boilermakers might not be as dominant as they have been in the past, but they are still a good team.
Maryland – No. 7 Seed (No. 26 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 7 seed (No. 28 overall)
Maryland against Syracuse is a classic matchup with a lot of brand value, but this year Syracuse (currently Quad 3) is just not a quality opponent. The Terrapins still put up a strong performance in the Gotham Classic, hammering the Orange 87-60. Selton Miguel scored a game-high 24 points on 6-of-9 shooting from behind the arc, while Julian Reese (11 points and 13 rebounds) and Ja’Kobi Gillespie (17 points and 11 assists) both posted double-doubles. The ‘Terps remain a hard team to seed as they have played seven of their first 12 games against Quad 4 opponents. They are 1-2 against Quad 1 and 1-0 against Quad 2, and metrics like the NET and Kenpom remain extremely optimistic about the course of Maryland’s season, despite lacking a signature win to date.
Wisconsin – No. 8 Seed (No. 30 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 9 Seed (No. 33 overall)
Wisconsin beat Detroit Mercy 76-53 on Sunday afternoon. Unlike most of Wisconsin’s games where John Tonje tends to lead the way for the Badgers, it was the big men who carried the heavy load on Sunday. Nolan Winter posted a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Steven Crowl scored 15 points of his own. The Badgers also emptied the bench, as 16 different players logged minutes against the Titans. Wisconsin doesn’t play a game until the calendar rolls over to 2025, so the Badgers will be well rested for the remainder of conference play.
Ohio State – No. 8 Seed (No. 32 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 12 seed (No. 45 overall, Last Four In)
Ohio State struggled all season to claim a true signature victory, but that all changed Saturday afternoon. The Buckeyes defeated then-No. 4 Kentucky 85-65 at the CBS Sports Classic to improve their Quad 1 record to 2-4 this season. Aaron Bradshaw was back in action, and the Buckeyes looked like a brand new team. Ohio State’s losses to Texas A&M, Pitt, Maryland and Auburn can all be viewed as “quality losses,” and, considering the Buckeyes have a top-10 Strength of Schedule, their strong rankings in the NET and Kenpom outweigh the 8-4 overall record.
Michigan – No. 9 Seed (No. 36 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 7 seed (No. 27 overall)
Michigan took another close loss on a neutral court in a Quad 1 game. This time, the Wolverines led 68-57 with 9:55 left but allowed then-No. 14 Oklahoma to stage a comeback. After trailing 82-78 with 3:21 left, Michigan went on a 6-0 run to retake the lead but failed to extend it beyond a score of 86-83. Then, with 11 seconds left, Jeremiah Fears converted on a four-point play to give Oklahoma a one-point lead, and Michigan missed two shots in the waning seconds of the game, walking away with an 87-86 loss. The Wolverines quickly bounced back with a dominant 89-58 victory against Purdue Fort Wayne on Sunday, but even though the metrics didn’t change too much, Michigan nonetheless dropped to a No. 9 seed.
Penn State – No. 11 Seed (No. 43 overall, Last Four Byes)
Previous seeding: No. 10 Seed (No. 39 overall, Last Four Byes)
Penn State beat Drexel 75-64 on the road on Saturday, with Yanic Konan Niederhauser’s 18 points leading the way. The Nittany Lions still only have one win against Quad 1 and 2 opponents, but with Purdue continuing to descend the NET rankings, that one big win is looking less impressive. Penn State still has a relatively clean resume in terms of avoiding bad losses, but none of its wins jump off the page enough to boost the Nittany Lions’ seeding so far.
Iowa – No. 11 Seed (No. 45 overall, Last Four In)
Previous seeding: Next Four Out
Iowa still does not have a Quad 1 win this year, but the Hawkeyes claimed a high Quad 2 win this week with a 95-88 victory against Utah on a neutral court. Iowa’s offense continues to operate at an extremely high level this season, but the Hawkeyes’ defense still has plenty of room for improvement. Payton Sandfort’s 24 points and eight rebounds led Iowa on a night where every starter tallied 12+ points. Iowa moves into the field after some slip ups from bubble teams and continues to add to a decent resume before the start of full-time conference play.
Nebraska – First Four Out
Previous seeding: No. 12 Seed (No. 47 overall, Last Four In)
The Cornhuskers are currently playing in the final MTE, the Diamond Head Classic, in Hawai’i. If Christmas in Hawai’i doesn’t sound enticing enough, Nebraska beat Murray State 66-49 on Sunday, and pulled away from Hawai’i in the second half on Monday to get a 69-55 win. The Cornhuskers will play in the championship game of the event against Oregon State in a standalone Christmas Day game later tonight with the opportunity to claim a low Quad 1 win. Nebraska is currently the first team out of the field, and, with a win tonight, the ‘Huskers would jump right back into the field.
Northwestern – Next Four Out
Previous seeding: Next Four Out
Northwestern did a great job of outperforming expectations this week by manhandling Depaul in an 84-64 win. After the Blue Demons scored the first two points of the game, the Wildcats responded with a 20-0 run. Nick Martinelli and Brooks Barnhizer led the way for Northwestern on the offensive end, with Martinelli scoring a game-high 23 points and Barnhizer stuffing the stat sheet with 21 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, four steals and three blocks. While it will only go down as a Quad 3 win, margin of victory matters, and the ‘Cats’ performance this week certainly passed the eye test for a potential tournament team. With razor thin margins separating teams on the bubble, Northwestern is only one decent win away from being in the tournament field.
Indiana – In Consideration
Previous seeding: In Consideration
Indiana beat Chattanooga 74-65 on Saturday. Unfortunately, close wins against Quad 4 opponents aren’t going to move the needle for a tournament resume. Indiana remains in consideration, but the Hoosiers will need to finish at or above .500 in conference play to get an at-large bid. That doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibilities at this point, but Indiana starting the conference season out with a road loss to Nebraska wasn’t too inspiring either.
USC – Out
Previous seeding: Out
USC picked up two lopsided wins this week. The Trojans started off the week by defeating Cal State Northridge 90-69. Although at first glance it doesn’t look like USC played anyone great on paper, CSUN is actually ranked higher in the NET than Cal, who USC lost to earlier in the season. The Trojans finished off the week with an 82-51 victory against Southern. USC has gained some momentum in recent weeks, but sustaining that momentum will be essential as the Trojans have an uphill battle to contend for a tournament appearance.
Rutgers – Out
Previous seeding: Out
Last week, Rutgers narrowly avoided a disastrous Quad 4 loss to Seton Hall. This week, the Scarlet Knights failed to close out a win, losing 83-82 to Princeton. Rutgers now has a 1-2 record in Quad 3 games, which are blemishes teams cannot afford to have without balancing them out with big wins. Unfortunately for the Scarlet Knights, they are just 2-3 in their four games against Quad 1 and 2 combined. Rutgers might have 12 or 13 opportunities in Big Ten play to get Quad 1 wins, but this team has shown no signs of being able to win enough of those games against top-tier opponents to make a run at an at-large bid.
Washington – Out
Previous seeding: Out
Just when you think Washington makes some progress, the Huskies undo the progress immediately. Washington won 89-73 against rival Washington State to start the week, picking up a Quad 2 win. But against Seattle U, ranked No. 145 in the NET despite a 3-8 record against Division I opponents, Washington lost 79-70. The Huskies are just lucky that Seattle U is not a Quad 4 game, but it was still a really bad loss after a decent win.
Minnesota – Out
Previous seeding: Out
It was a rough one, but Minnesota got the job done, beating Fairleigh Dickinson 74-60 at home. The Golden Gophers trailed the Knights 21-20 at the half, but a 54-point second half sealed the victory. Minnesota still ranks outside of the top 100 in every important metric, meaning the Golden Gophers need to shatter expectations in Big Ten play to garner any serious tournament consideration.