It was an exciting day in college hoops in the Big Ten. There was an upset, and the undefeated Michigan Wolverines were on the brink of a shocker against one of the worst teams in the Big Ten. It was a night that proved in the Big Ten, there is no such thing as a gimme game. Who would have guessed that Penn State would be the Wolverines’ toughest game this season so far?
Here are the scores from Tuesday night in Big Ten basketball:
Advertisement
No. 2 Michigan 74-72 vs Penn State
Michigan is undefeated, but they proved last night that they are human and they are beatable. One of the worst teams in the Big Ten, Penn State, gave them a run for their money. Michigan led for the whole game, but they were able to beat Auburn, Gonzaga, and USC all by 30, but they only beat Penn State by 2. What a great day it was for the rest of college basketball. This game for the Wolverines took scoring production from everyone other than one player in their 9-man rotation. While the Wolverines should have cruised to victory in this one, this was still a great game to get experience in winning close games. The defense from Yaxel Lendeborg and Nimari Burnett helped lessen Penn State’s scoring runs late, and both players provided necessary scoring. This was exactly what the Wolverines needed moving forward after their amazing start to the season.
Minnesota 70-67 vs No. 19 Iowa
The Minnesota Gophers get a huge upset over the hot Iowa Hawkeyes. Iowa came into this game winning its last 4 games, and the Gophers punched them in the mouth. Minnesota controlled this game until a late rally by the Hawkeyes forced things to get more intense. It was players like Langston Reynolds who were able to combat dominant scorer Bennett Stirtz’s scoring production, as Reynolds had his best game of the season with 22 points on efficient shooting. Cade Tyson was also as impactful as he has been all season long. The Gophers brought their best to this game, and they were able to pull off a big upset against a high-quality team.
Advertisement
Wisconsin 80-72 vs UCLA
Nick Boyd puts on a show and leads the Badgers to a huge win in conference with his 20-point night. The Bruins continue to be a very disappointing team this season, and now have become a get-right game for many teams already. Wisconsin was able to have an efficient scoring night while the Badgers couldn’t buy a bucket from deep, going a whopping 1-17 from the 3-point line. One of the many things that went wrong in a very poor showing by the Bruins. The Badgers steal a very much-needed win as they prepare for a battle against Michigan on Saturday.
Overview
While Michigan has been dominant as can be, the Wolverines really showed some holes for other top teams in the Big Ten to exploit. This is a team that can be beaten; if Penn State had not beaten itself, it would have pulled off the biggest upset of the season. All of UCLA’s high expectations should never be brought up again. This is a team that is close to spiraling, and their schedule coming up soon, when they face the upper echelon teams in the Big Ten, will not make things any better.
Advertisement
What’s next
Following this surprising day in the Big Ten, Indiana and Maryland will match up to start the Wednesday slate. The Indiana Hoosiers will be looking to keep their hot streak going, and Lamar Wilkerson will look to take advantage of a struggling Maryland Terps squad. He should be in line for another dominant scoring night.
The last scheduled game of the night will be Washington vs Purdue. Hannes Steinbach will have to be at his best to lead his Huskies to a competitive showing versus the deep and well-oiled machine, the Purdue Boilermakers. He has had 3 straight 20-point games, and he will need that and then some against Purdue.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Biggest winners and losers from Big Ten basketball on January 6
