Quick Recap
Michigan regained some control of the Big Ten by beating both Nebraska and Michigan State this week, although Illinois has something to say about it.
Michigan State was incredibly close to going 0-2 this week, but they were able to comeback and force OT against Rutgers before winning. Jeremy Fears had an incredible week and has played himself into All-American talks.
Purdue continued their slide in the Big Ten, dropping a road game to Indiana.
Indiana now sits on a 3 game winning streak after beating both Purdue and UCLA. For a team that essentially had no good wins prior to this week, it was a big time few days for them.
Wisconsin started slow in both of their home games this week, but they were able to get the win in both. They now sit at 16-6 overall and 8-3 in Big Ten play.
Illinois sits on an 11 game winning streak after beating Washington at home and Nebraska on the road. Keaton Wagler has continued his All-American campaign.
Penn State got their first Big Ten win of the season, and only their 3rd win since December 1st by beating Minnesota by 2 at home off of a Kayden Mingo game winner.
Minnesota has now dropped 7 straight games. This includes 2 overtime losses, a loss by 2 points, 3 points, and 4 points, a game against Illinois where they were tied at half, and a game against Nebraska where they led at half.
Score recap (Away Team - Home Team)
Michigan State 88 - Rutgers 79 (OT)
Nebraska 72 - Michigan 75
Purdue 67 - Indiana 72
USC 72 - Iowa 73
Minnesota 63 - Wisconsin 67
UCLA 73 - Oregon 57
Penn State 73 - Northwestern 94
Washington 66 - Illinois 75
Michigan 83 - Michigan State 71
Ohio State 82 - Wisconsin 92
Indiana 98 - UCLA 97 (2OT)
Washington 76 - Northwestern 62
Purdue 93 - Maryland 63
Minnesota 75 - Penn State 77
Illinois 78 - Nebraska 69
Iowa 84 - Oregon 66
5 Trends and Observations
1.) Michigan showed why they're elite
After having a "down stretch" in which they barely beat Penn State, lost to Wisconsin, and then won 4 in a row by "only" 10-14 points each, there was at least some slight concern growing around whether Michigan was going to get back on track.
They answered in the biggest way possible - beating Nebraska and then going on the road and beating Michigan State in one of the most anticipated matchups in the rivalry's recent history.
The Wolverines showed their versatility between the two games and how they can win games in pretty much anyway you want.
Against Nebraska, Michigan had 6 players score between 7 and 11 points, and only Morez Johnson (17 points) had more than 11. It was a balanced, team effort offensively.
Skip ahead to the Michigan State game, and it was the stars showing out. Yaxel Lendeborg had 26 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assists, 2 blocks, and 0 turnovers. Elliot Cadeau had 17 points, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds while taking over down the stretch to get Michigan a win.
Not that it truly matters or will guaranteed stay this way, but Michigan did move back up to #1 in overall Kenpom and #1 in Kenpom defense. Against Nebraska and MSU, the Wolverines gave up roughly 1.0 points per possession, and although it wasn't stifling defense for 40 minutes of either of those games, their defense executed when needed.
Michigan has a bit of an easier stretch of their schedule upcoming now as they play Penn State, @ Ohio State, @ Northwestern, and UCLA before playing Purdue, Duke, Illinois, Iowa, and Michigan State in 5 of their final 6 games. This Wolverines squad has positioned themselves for a 1 seed in the tournament, and they have the ability to try and create some separation in the Big Ten race shortly.
2.) Purdue's trend
2 weeks ago I wrote about how Michigan and Purdue didn't look nearly like themselves, but they were still able to win games. Michigan responded by getting two of the biggest wins in the Big Ten. Purdue responded by dropping 3 straight games.
They lost @ UCLA by 2 points, Illinois by 6 points, and then @ Indiana by 5 points.
UCLA was able to win by their two man game of Donovan Dent and Tyler Bilodeau. Illinois won by Keaton Wagler going for 46, but also Illinois hit 18 threes in the game. Indiana won while shooting 12/33 from 3 and 11/17 from 2.
This was a tweet by Caitlin Cooper a couple years ago about the Indiana Pacers. (Side note - if you like basketball at all and want to become smarter at watching basketball, go follow Caitlin. I truly believe she is the best writer in the world at explaining the nuances from basketball. I've learned a lot).
This tweet currently defines this Purdue team.
Here is their current schedule, sorted from top to bottom by defensive efficiency. Unsurprisingly, their worst defensive performances coincide with the losses, outside of the Penn State game.
Why this team just needs to be good enough defensively is outside of the Iowa State game, Purdue has had the offense needed to be able to win. This offense is incredibly elite, and most of the time it can carry them to wins. However, they need just a bit of support defensively in case their offense is only at their C game. Their offensive performance against Indiana was their 3rd worst offensive game of the season, yet, they still had every chance to win because the offense can be that good.
It was against, Maryland, so it doesn't mean that Purdue is back, but it was good to see Purdue look like Purdue once again as they beat Maryland by 30.
3.) The Kam Woods game
USC trailed 66-52 on the road against Iowa. Kam Woods then went on a personal 12-0 run to will USC back into the game, one that ultimately they should've won but lost because of a last second foul.
In this game, Kam Woods put up 33 points while shooting 10/13 from 2, 2/4 from 3, adn 7/8 from the free throw line. It was a career high for Kam Woods, who is at his 6th team in 6 seasons.
That in itself isn't a super big story at first glance, but we have to remember, Kam Woods was literally not on a roster until halfway through December. After entering the transfer portal last off season, no team picked him up. Now after USC dealt with injury after injury, the Trojans decided to go get him from the portal as a mid-season transfer. Woods has turned into a starter and someone who can play 30+ minutes a night.
Still, the 33 point outburst was shocking to say the least. Woods has played 10 games for the Trojans. Here is his breakdown of points per games
- 0 points - 3 times
- 2 points - 1 time
- 4 points - 1 time
- 5 points - 1 time
- 6 points - 1 time
- 8 points - 2 times
- 33 points - 1 time
There's a pretty big jump from Woods' second highest scoring game this season to his highest.
It was an incredible performance from Woods against Iowa, single handedly carrying the Trojans to having any sort of chance in the game. He hit 2 threes, his only 2 he's made all season. He got into the lane seemingly at will and demanded the ball every time down the floor. Although it ultimately ended in a loss, it's still one of those performances we'll recall 5 years from now when discussing random sports players with friends and family.
4.) The Mid Ten Growth
Throughout this season in these Round-Ups, we've discussed there not being a great "middle class" of the Big Ten. Although I still think that's largely true, the benefit of having a bigger middle class with not a lot of separation early on is that these teams have to play each other. Then, by default, all it takes is for one of these teams to get one big win and then just beat some teams of similar caliber.
Wisconsin is one team that fits this category. They currently sit at 16-6 overall and 8-3 in Big Ten play. They have arguably one of the best wins in the country with their road win over Michigan. However, they only have two other wins against top 50 Kenpom teams, beating both UCLA and Ohio State at home. Both of those teams are bubble type teams. That's where it's been really important for Wisconsin to take care of business against the teams they've played, and the home loss to USC is the only reason they're not on a 8 game winning streak.
However, we'll find out who they really are over the next couple weeks. Their upcoming schedule includes @ Indiana, @ Illinois, Michigan State, @ Ohio State, Iowa. They also have their final game of the season at Purdue. This is a team with tournament level talent offensively, but they do need to figure more out defensively to be able to consistently compete against the top tier teams.
Indiana is starting to become another team that fits the category from above. They currently sit at 15-7 overall and 6-5 in Big Ten play. Before this week, their best win was a home win against Washington. Their next best win was a home win against Kansas State. Neither of those teams are tourney teams. But not add in this week, and Indiana looks right back on track. They knocked off Purdue at home before going on the road and winning a 2OT thriller against UCLA. Their next three games are @ USC, Wisconsin, Oregon. Getting even 2 of those puts them at 17-8 overall and 8-6 in Big Ten play.
The last team that fits this is Iowa. They currently sit at 16-5 overall and 6-4 in Big Ten play. Their issue is that their only two higher quality wins are a road win at Indiana and a home win against UCLA. Their losses are @ Michigan State, @ Iowa State, @ Minnesota, Illinois, and @ Purdue. Iowa has beaten who they're supposed to beat and largely loss to the teams they were supposed to lose to. Looking at how the schedule breaks, they have matchups against Purdue, Nebraska x2, and Michigan remaining. Those are good opportunities to get big wins and really boost their resume.
5.) Illinois controls the driver seat
As the calendar has somehow already flipped to February, it seems like Illinois is in the driver's seat for winning the Big Ten. (Michigan is also essentially in the driver's seat here given their record and dominance, but they're probably being like a backseat driver right now in this scenario).
Michigan and Illinois both sit at 10-1 in the Big Ten. After beating both Purdue and Nebraska on the road in the span of the week, here is Illinois' remaining schedule.
Don't get me wrong, a road game at Michigan State is incredibly difficult, and having to play Michigan at all isn't fun. But the Illini get the Wolverines at home, and if you look at the schedule outside the Michigan and MSU games, Illinois will be heavy favorites. They do have their west coast trip left though, which can always throw a wrinkle into things.
Above is Michigan's remaining schedule. They still have to go to Purdue, Illinois, and Iowa, have a home game against Michigan State, and although it doesn't count for Big Ten standings, still have a matchup with Duke in the middle.
All signs are pointing to the February 27th matchup between Illinois and Michigan potentially deciding the Big Ten race.
This isn't to rule out Michigan State or Nebraska either though. Nebraska's remaining schedule includes a home game against Purdue, and a home + away game against Iowa. However, Nebraska had their schedule much more front loaded, and it's feasible that they end with only 3 Big Ten losses.
Michigan State still has Illinois, at Purdue, and at Michigan. Don't ever rule out Tom Izzo, but the Spartans have one of the tougher remaining schedules in the Big Ten.
(Purdue in theory could also make a run, but that'd probably involve them winning out. It's possible, but they have a 5 game stretch of at Nebraska, at Iowa, Michigan, Indiana, and Michigan State that seems unlikely they make it through unscathed.)
Team of the Week
Michigan Wolverines
Michigan went 2-0 this week, beating both Nebraska and Michigan State. That's a pretty easy decision for team of the week.
Player of the Week
Jeremy Fears - Michigan State
@ Rutgers
- 35 minutes - 29 points - 9 assists - 4 rebounds - 3 turnovers
- 5/8 2s (62.5%) - 1/4 3s (25.0%) - 16/17 FTs (94.1%)
Michigan
- 35 minutes - 31 points - 7 assists - 5 rebounds - 4 steals - 2 turnovers
- 8/15 2s (53.3%) - 1/5 3s (20.0%) - 12/14 FTs (85.7%)
Week Schedule
Note - All times listed are in Eastern Standard Time
Game(s) of the Week
Illinois @ Michigan State - Sat 2/7 - 8:00 - FOX
Tuesday, February 3rd
- Rutgers @ UCLA - 9:30 - Big Ten Network
- Indiana @ USC - 10:00 - Peacocok
Wednesday, February 4th
- Michigan State @ Minnesota - 7:00 - Big Ten Network
- Northwestern @ Illinois - 9:00 - Big Ten Network
- Iowa @ Washington - 11:00 - Big Ten Network
Thursday, February 5th
- Penn State @ Michigan - 6:30 - FS1
- Ohio State @ Maryland - 8:30 - FS1
Saturday, February 7th
- Nebraska @ Rutgers - 12:00 - Big Ten Network
- Wisconsin @ Indiana - 12:00 - FOX
- Oregon @ Purdue - 1:00 - CBS
- Illinois @ Michigan State - 8:00 - FOX
- Washington @ UCLA - 10:00 - FS1
Sunday, February 8th
- USC @ Penn State - 12:00 - Big Ten Network
- Michigan @ Ohio State - 1:00 - CBS
- Maryland @ Minnesota - 2:00 - Big Ten Network
- Northwestern @ Iowa - 3:00 - FS1
