As Big Ten basketball season gets going, the best teams in the conference are revealing themselves. The Michigan Wolverines look like the cream of the crop in the Big Ten and the country. The Purdue Boilermakers are trying to prove they are just as dominant. Nebraska is trying to establish itself as a dominant team in college basketball with its hot start.
Here is my overview of how things played out in the Big Ten this past weekend in college hoops:
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Here are the scores from Friday:
No. 2 Michigan 96-66 vs No. 24 USC
Michigan has been on a tear this season against ranked opponents, as the Trojans are the third-ranked opponent that has fallen to the Wolverines by 30 points or more. The Trojans get outmatched in just about every category and the Wolverines earn their #2 ranking.
Oregon 64-54 vs Maryland
Center Nate Bittle and guard Takai Simpkins power the Ducks to a big victory over Maryland, jumpstarting a two-game winning streak after the crushing Gonzaga loss.
Ohio State 80-73 vs Rutgers
Bruce Thornton’s efficient 20-point outing propels the Buckeyes to a close win over Rutgers.
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No. 13 Nebraska 58-56 vs No. 9 Michigan State
Forward Rienk Mast takes on the scoring load once again with 19 points, but Braden Frager’s 9 points off the bench prove to make a big difference in comparison to the Spartans, who had just 3 points off the bench. Cornhuskers get a big upset over the Spartans.
Here are the scores from Saturday:
Minnesota 84-78 vs Northwestern
Cade Tyson and Nick Martinelli put on a show, both lighting it up with 20 points each, but the Gophers got more crucial production from their starting 5, leading to a 4th straight victory.
No. 25 Iowa 74-61 vs UCLA
Bennet Stirtz puts on his best Steph Curry impression with a performance that included a 4-6 from the 3-point line and 8-10 from the field as a whole. He could not miss, and his 27 points really separated Iowa from UCLA. Stirtz’s stellar 3-point shooting this season continues as he is shooting from 43.4% from the field this year.
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No. 20 Illinois 73-65 vs Penn State
The Fighting Illini gets high-level production from 4 of its 5 starters and dominated the glass against Penn State, leading to another Big Ten victory.
No. 5 Purdue 89-73 vs Wisconsin
Fletcher Loyer leads the show, and the rest of the starting 5 follow as the Boiler Makers have each of their starters put up double-digit points. Wisconsin could not match that scoring outburst by Purdue; only Nick Boyd and Nolan Winter could find their rhythm.
In the final game of the week on Sunday, here is how things played out:
Indiana 90-80 vs Washington
Lamar Wilkerson and Tayton Conerway both take turns getting buckets as both studs put up 20 points versus Washington. Conerway was an impressive 4-4 from downtown, and Wilkerson had another big scoring game, leading to a double-digit victory over the Huskies.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Michigan Wolverines and Purdue Boilermakers dominate Big Ten rivals
