It was an exciting Tuesday night in the Big Ten. UCLA got a thrilling upset win in the Big Ten, something many have been waiting for the Trojans to do. It might be a long wait for that. Iowa sleepwalked to a victory, and the cream of the crop in the Big Ten minus Purdue handled opponents with ease.
Here are the scores and the rest of my analysis from Tuesday in Big Ten basketball:
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Ohio State 82-74 vs Minnesota
Ohio State continues its dominance over the Gophers, and this time around, they get the win in thrilling fashion. It was not Cade Tyson that led the show for the Gophers, it was Jaylen Crocker-Johnson who led the Gophers in scoring with his 3rd straight 20 point night. Unfortunately, it was not enough as the Buckeyes’ big 3 were present once again. John Mobley Jr. and Bruce Thornton both were lights out, and both had 20-point nights. In overtime, that is when Devin Royal came up the biggest. 5 of his 16 points came in overtime, and the scoring punch of those three Buckeyes was too much for the Gophers, which very well could be a trend that continues this season against other teams.
No. 3 Michigan 86-72 vs Indiana
The Wolverines used all of their advantages to benefit them in this matchup as they dominated the glass, winning the rebound battle 40-22. Lamar Wilkerson had another down night and was not his usual elite scoring self. Michigan started this game with a 17-point lead and had a 25-point lead in the second half. There was no doubt they were the vcelar better team in this contest. It took until 5 minutes left in the first half for the Hoosiers to get their first bucket. It was a completely dominant performance by the Wolverines’ defense. On offense, it was a pretty efficient night all across the board, as Elliot Cadeau led the way with 19 wins. This was a great win for Michigan and just yet another tough blow for the Hoosiers, who have now lost 4 straight.
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Iowa 68-62 vs Rutgers
The Hawkeyes took quite some time to get the ball rolling. The first half, Iowa started off slow and then lost momentum and started off slow again in the second half. The one spark for this team came off the bench from Tate Sage. He was amazing, and he energized this team when he touched the floor. Sage was 4-6 from three and finished the game with 17 points. Bennett Stirtz finished with 20 points as well, but he uncharacteristically went 0-6 from 3. Iowa was good enough to pull off a victory, but this was not a win that sparks any confidence, minus Tate Sage looking very impressive.
No. 10 Michigan State 68-52 vs Oregon
Carson Cooper Jr. puts on his cape and posts career highs with 19 points and 4 blocks. Michigan State started off slow in the first half, but everything was flowing for the Spartans, and they separated themselves with ease from Oregon. Coen Carr was also an impressive 3-5 from 3, a career best, resulting in a 15-point night. Good teams find ways to win, and that is exactly what the Spartans did.
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UCLA 69-67 vs No. 4 Purdue
A huge upset by the UCLA Bruins snapped a 9-game Purdue Boilermakers winning streak. Purdue had their way in the first half and was leading the game by double digits. The second half was a different story, and the Bruins went on a 17-5 run to make this game too close for comfort. It was a collapse by Purdue, and the Bruins made them pay. Donovan Dent led the Bruins with 23 points, and Tyler Bilodeau hit the game-winning shot beyond the arc with 8 seconds left to ensure a Bruins win. Great win for the Bruins, and this was exactly what they needed to get things back rolling after their loss to Ohio State. On the other hand, Purdue loses the control it had as the 1 seed along with Nebraska.
Overview
The Big Ten continues to deliver upsets and continues to be a conference where teams can not take games off. UCLA gets a much-needed win and a win that proves they belong in the Big Ten, while Ohio State’s big 3 continues to be a nightmare for opposing defenses. Michigan gets back to winning games convincingly, but Indiana unfortunately continues to lose their grip on this season.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Biggest winners and losers from January 20 in Big Ten men’s basketball
