It is becoming more and more evident that there is no such thing as a layup game in Big Ten basketball. Some of the best teams in the conference are learning that very valuable lesson, such as the Purdue Boilermakers. The Indiana Hoosiers are continuing to find ways to win, and it looks like they have a star in Lamar Wilkerson.
Here are the scores and the rest of my analysis from Wednesday night in Big Ten basketball:
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Indiana 84-66 vs Maryland
The Indiana Hoosiers cruised to a convincing win over the Maryland Terps behind a dominant Lamar Wilkerson performance. The Hoosiers were able to get a pass for a slow start against a bad Terps team, but with how good Wilkerson was, it did not matter. The Hoosiers were able to separate themselves late in this game with the help of Tayton Conerwat’s 19 points, Conor Enright’s efficient 16 points, and Reed Bailey’s 15 points off the bench. This Hoosiers team does not have much time together, but they have been able to string wins and build continuity on the fly. On the flip side, the Terps continue to look like the worst team in the Big Ten to start the season.
No. 5 Purdue 81-73 vs Washington
The score of this game does not tell the full story. The Purdue Boilermakers were the clearly better team in this matchup, as expected. Purdue did everything to make this game closer than it should have been. Washington came into this game already defeated, but they put up a good fight. They were down 20 points in this game at one point, but they did not let injuries or a player wearing his shorts backwards keep them down and overmatched in this game. Braden Smith was special in this game and a big reason why the Boilermakers were able to ultimately pull away and cruise to victory at the end with his 23 points.
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Top performers of the night
There are not too many more exciting players in the Big Ten other than Lamar Wilkerson. Wilkerson had his 4th straight 20-point performance of this season, and he is really finding his groove. Indiana was just up by 5 points at halftime versus the Terps, but it was a core of explosive scoring led by Wilkerson that helped this team secure yet another win. With Wilkerson continuing to shine, the Hoosiers should be confident they have a shot against anyone in the Big Ten. Wilkerson finished the night with 24 points and 6 rebounds against the Terps.
Braden Smith finished the game versus Washington with 23 points, and shooting 10-15 from the field. Smith became the Big Ten’s all-time leader in assists prior to this game and instead he displayed he can score just as well as he dish out passes to his teammates against the Huskies. Smith still finished with 7 assists on the night.
Overview
Wednesday night and Tuesday night in the Big Ten both showed that even the top contenders in this conference could be taken to the brink of an upset, but the worst teams in the Big Ten. If you are the National Title-contending team, Washington, Penn State will give you their best on any given night. I suppose that does not apply to Maryland; they are in their own little bubble. These top teams in the Big Ten can not take a night off. The Indiana Hoosiers, each game, are looking more and more like they can get into that conversation with the upper echelon teams in the Big Ten.
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What’s next
Northwestern vs Michigan State will be the first game in Thursday’s slate. The Spartans come in as heavy favorites and are looking to get back on the right track with a second straight win heading into a battle against Indiana on Tuesday. The Fighting Illini will follow with a road game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. They are looking to make it 4 straight wins heading into their game against Iowa on Saturday. The Final game tonight will be Ohio State versus Oregon. Even with the Buckeyes’ hit start, the Ducks still enter as 3.5-point favorites. Bruce Thornton will definitely have something to say about that.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: January 7 games in Big Ten basketball feature Indiana, Purdue wins
