There were no top-ranked matchups on the Wednesday night Big Ten men’s basketball slate, but it was still a schedule that delivered a great amount of entertaining hoops. Two of the three games featured a double-digit deficit comeback, creating endings that had fans on the edge of their seats. The USC Trojans forged a major comeback and a career performance from one player, but still came out on the losing side of things against Iowa. It could be worse; a team could be plummeting with seven straight losses like the Oregon Ducks.
Here are the scores and the rest of my analysis from Wednesday in Big Ten basketball:
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Iowa 73-72 vs USC
You could not ask for a better performance from recently signed graduate guard Kam Woods. Woods dropped 33 points, and he was the sole reason why the Trojans had a shot at winning this game. The Trojans were down 17 points in the second half, and that was where Woods had the bulk of his points, bringing his team within 3 points before the conclusion of the game. Woods’ late-game efforts were not enough to pull this game off, and instead of a career night for Woods, the biggest story is the heartbreaking loss this game was for USC. A lot of momentum heading into this matchup after beating Wisconsin, but some of that fleshes out with a loss like this. USC moves to 15-6 and falls behind Iowa in the standings. On the other hand, the Hawkeyes have now won 3 straight and have a great chance to keep that going Sunday with a favorable matchup vs Oregon.
Wisconsin 67-63 vs Minnesota
The Badgers could not buy a bucket in the first half and trailed 35-17 in the first half. Even with their porous offensive start, it was the Badgers’ defense that kept this game from getting way too out of hand. The Badgers’ defense really turned things around in the second half even more, and once the shots started falling, the Gophers’ lead began to be trimmed. The Badgers overcame a 20-point deficit and won this game 67-63. Brutal loss by the Gophers as they now keep the losing streak going to 6 games. Not only was it another loss to their rival in the last couple of weeks, but both losses to Wisconsin have resulted in a similar fashion. The Gophers proved once again that they cannot close out games. The Badgers got back on track with a win and proved that they have the star power and defense to overcome some very tough circumstances.
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UCLA 73-57 vs Oregon
Minus the great 24-point effort from Kwame Evans Jr., the Bruins outmatched their former PAC-12 counterpart. The Ducks have now lost 7 straight and have zero control left over this season. The Ducks were without 3 of their top 4 leading scorers on their team, and it showed. Tyler Bilodeau led the way with his 18 points, and he had quite a bit of help. 3 of the 4 other starters for the Bruins at least chipped in 12 points. The Bruins keep rolling and now have won 3 straight games, keeping themself in striking distance to make some noise in the Big Ten.
Overview
Iowa and the UCLA Bruins keep rolling and are looking to remain teams to keep an eye out for come time for meaningful games this season. The Trojans, right as they built up some momentum, let another potential win fall right through their hands, proving they aren’t there just yet. The Oregon Ducks, on the other hand, seemingly are getting dangerously close to throwing the towel in on any expectations of this season after a 7th straight loss and 3 straight double-digit losses.
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What’s next
The next two games up on today’s slate are Illinois vs a frisky Washington Huskies squad. The Huskies have given the best of the best in the Big Ten their best, and on a nightly basis, they are a tough out. Could the Big Ten deliver another big-time upset? The game following that teams in Penn State vs Northwestern. Both teams are sitting at 9-11 on the season and are looking to get the ball rolling and build some kind of momentum. With how chaotic the Big Ten has been, anything can happen in this slate of games.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Biggest winners and losers for January 28 in Big Ten men’s basketball
