It was a humbling weekend for some contenders in the Big Ten, and other top teams took full advantage of lesser opponents. Iowa is continuing to prove more and more that it cannot be trusted, and Ohio State may have sealed its tournament fate this past weekend. With each week and each slate of games, the Big Ten is setting up for a very interesting end to the season.
Here is an overview and scoreboard for the Big Ten men’s basketball weekend:
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Here are the scores from Friday:
Wisconsin 92-71 vs No. 10 Michigan State
The Wisconsin Badgers stars show up as Nick Boyd and John Blackwell combine for 53 points to lead the Badgers to a 20 point victory over the Spartans. The Badgers were lights out from downtown shooting 45% from 3 and winning the turnover battle. Two of the biggest factors for this win. Humbling loss for the Spartans and exactly what the doctor ordered for the Badgers.
Here are the scores from Saturday:
No. 2 Michigan 86-56 vs UCLA
Michigan steamrolled the Bruins in a victory that puts Michigan in a perfect position to be the #1 team in the country. Another win that shows what this team is capable of when they are laser-focused.
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No. 7 Nebraska 68-49 vs Northwestern
Pryce Sandfort looks every bit of a star in Nebraska’s victory over the Wildcats as he scores 29 points and shoots 46% from beyond the arc.
Oregon 83-72 vs Penn State
The Ducks finally get their top scorers healthy and clicking on all cylinders. Ducks take care of business first, bottom team in the Big Ten, with 22 points from Nate Bittle and Takai Simpkins.
No. 13 Purdue 78-57 vs Iowa
It has been a tough stretch of games for the Hawkeyes recently, as they have suffered two straight devastating losses. Not the perfect time to be playing as they have. Purdue looked like the better shooting team in this game and the better team in just about every category. The scoreboard reflected that.
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No. 15 Virginia 70-66 vs Ohio State
Bruce Thornton drops 28 points, but it isn’t enough against the respectable Cavaliers. With yet another loss, things are getting even more complicated for the Buckeyes chances at the tourney.
Washington 69-57 vs Minnesota
The Huskies finally play up to their expectations and make it to 500 on the season. Hannes Steinbach drops 26 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. A complete star performance. Guard Zoom Diallo perfectly complements that with 17 points, and only misses one shot. The Huskies display their potential and could go on a run in the next stretch of games.
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In the last slate to close out the weekend, here is how things played out on Sunday:
Rutgers 68-57 vs Maryland
Tariq Francis shines for Rutgers as his 21 points lead the Scarlet Knights to a win over Maryland. The Terrapins’ turnovers, early and terrible 7-30 shooting from beyond the arc, proved too costly for them to complete a comeback and win this game. After two straight big wins in the Big Ten, the Terrapins return to playing like one of the worst teams in the Big Ten. Rutgers took full advantage of that.
No. 8 Illinois 71-51 vs Indiana
David Mirkovic puts up an efficient 25-point showing, shooting 10-16 from the field and 3-6 from downtown. Illinois’s unsung hero stepped up big in this game, and Keaton Wagler was right behind him with 18 points. The Fighting Illini humbled the Hoosiers in a 20-point win.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Biggest winners and losers for February 13-15 in Big Ten basketball
