The Big Ten has four games on Saturday. The biggest one involves a massive battle between Illinois and Purdue and a road trip to Nebraska.
Let’s see what happened.
–No. 11 Illinois Fighting Illini 88, No. 4 Purdue Boilermakers 82
Earlier this week, we wrote about how Illinois could be the most underrated team in the country. Despite a solid record and impressive analysis, Illinois only gets a portion of the coverage and discussion that other Big Ten powers like Michigan and Purdue get. It all sets the stage for a big game against Purdue on Saturday as the Boilers look to protect their home court and stay in step in the Big Ten title race.
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The game itself is pretty good. Purdue started strong, but the team’s defense faded in the final period and struggled to contain rookie star Keaton Wagler, who finished the afternoon with 46 points and four assists. Illinois scores 1.39 points per possession, an incredible number against a team like Purdue on the road. Brayden Smith also had a good performance with 27 points and 12 assists, but it wasn’t enough to win.
With the win, Illinois improves to 17-3 overall and 8-1 in the Big Ten. More importantly, however, the organization made a statement regarding their situation in the Big Ten. Illinois has now won nine straight since early December and is clearly good enough to win the conference title. While the team’s closing roster was brutal, it’s hard to imagine a tougher environment than what the team saw on Saturday. If Wagler keeps playing like this, Illinois could be a major player in the big dance.
Purdue, on the other hand, fell to 17-3 overall and 7-2 in the Big Ten. It was the team’s second straight loss following Tuesday’s loss on the road to UCLA. While losing to an opponent like Illinois in a vacuum might not be terrible, it would be devastating to Purdue’s conference title hopes. The Boilers return from Nebraska for an afternoon game and now find themselves in a two-game jam. Perhaps more concerning, however, is that the group also now trails Illinois, Michigan and Michigan State in the conference standings. Closing this deficit will be a considerable challenge.
Illinois will now prepare for Washington at home on Thursday. Purdue will face archrival Indiana University on the road on Tuesday.
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–10 Michigan State Spartans 91, Maryland Terrapins 48
It looked like a mismatch, and it turned out to be that way, with Michigan State beating a strong Maryland team. The game was never competitive. Jeremy Fiers scored 17 points and had 17 assists. Carson Cooper also had a good performance, scoring 14 points and 8 rebounds.
Michigan State improved to 18-2 overall and 8-1 in the Big Ten with the win, while Maryland fell to 8-12 overall and 1-8 in the Big Ten with the loss. The Spartans will now prepare for their road game against Rutgers on Tuesday. Maryland will host Purdue on February 1st.
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–7. Nebraska Cornhuskers 76, Minnesota Golden Gophers 57
Going into the final stretch, this was a potential trap game for the Huskers. However, Nebraska performed well and posted a 19-point victory on the road. Price Sandford scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Jamak Lawrence also had 14 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds.
Nebraska improved to a perfect 20-0 and 9-0 in Big Ten play with the win, while Minnesota fell to 10-10 overall and 3-6 in Big Ten play with the loss. The Huskers will now prepare for a massive road game against Michigan State on Tuesday. Minnesota will try to get back on track Wednesday on the road against archrival Wisconsin.
–UCLA Bruins 71, Northwestern Wildcats 64
Tyler Bilodeau had 18 points and 4 rebounds for the Bruins. UCLA’s defense also held Northwestern to just 1.0 points per possession. No one outside of Nick Martinelli on the Northwestern side has done much in that regard.
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The win moved UCLA to 14-6 overall and 6-3 in Big Ten play, while Northwestern fell to 9-11 with the loss and 1-8 in Big Ten play. The Bruins will now prepare for Oregon State on the road on Wednesday. Northwestern hosts Penn State on Thursday.