Big Ten Basketball: February 21

Purdue Boilermakers 93, Indiana Hoosiers 64

MaximumSam: About what you would expect for a basketball school playing a football school.

Kind of...: Hoosiers have lost their last two games by a combined 49 points. Those are the sorts of results that lead the analytics to better match up with the results profile. Which is bad news for Indiana. 37 in KP, 41 in NET. Still in the field, but not safe. And play-in game adjacent.

HoustonBoiler: Purdue came out with a lot of energy and played well - out rebounding Indiana (30-15), limiting their turnovers (7), and generally smothered Lamar Wilkerson until the game had been decided, which was by halftime. Purdue also shot the ball very well, including making 10 of 18 3-pointers. This is how Purdue needs to play going forward.

Today's Games

#134 Rutgers Scarlet Knights (11-15, 4-11) at #52 Minnesota Golden Gophers (12-14, 5-10)

Noon ET, BTN

MaximumSam: We may not have the Race to 15th, but the bottom four teams do have to play each other in the Big Ten Tourney, so we might as well follow that. Currently neither of these teams are in the Bottom Four, but a Rutgers loss puts them on the bubble.

Kind of...: I noted this yesterday, but Rutgers' only wins are against the bottom four. But they're 4-0 against them, which is good enough to NOT BE in the bottom four. Besides this, Rutgers still has Washington and PSU at home, and Maryland on the road. Pretty decent shot that on Wednesday at the BTT Rutgers and USC will split the travel distance to play in Chicago. Need to do a "maps" commercial that tracks one team's travel for the whole conference season.

HoustonBoiler: I will add that this is one where Minnesota has an opportunity to show everyone the progress they've made this season. They should win this game though they still have to prove it in the Barn.

#132 Penn State Nittany Lions (11-16, 2-14) at #11 Nebraska Cornhuskers (22-4, 11-4)

2 ET, BTN

MaximumSam: The Nits are in Last Place and underdogs in all their remaining games. You can probably pencil them in the First Four of the BTT (or should that be the last four?). The Huskers are trying to get in the top four to get the triple bye. A win here puts them tied for third with Purdue, and they have a pretty manageable schedule to end the season.

Kind of...: Nebraska has H2H over Sparty, and MSU still has road games at Purdue and Michigan. If Huskers don't get the triple bye, Hoiberg might have pacemaker problems and for reasons other than a camera being stuck in his face.

HoustonBoiler: Nebraska needs to put the Iowa game behind them and get back to playing the type of basketball that they're capable of. This afternoon's game presents them the perfect opportunity to do so.

#46 Washington Huskies (13-13, 5-10) at #124 Maryland Terrapins (10-16, 3-12)

3 ET, Peacock

MaximumSam: Big game for the bottom. The Terps are currently in 15th place and still have games against Illinois, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. So here and and a home tilt against Rutgers are their best chance to escape the bottom.

Kind of...: Maryland's path to 14 is win this, beat Rutgers, and hope Rutgers loses out to an easier remaining schedule than Maryland has (or hope to win the tiebreaker that I'm too lazy to look up if Rutgers losing at home to PSU seems like a stretch). Because it's unlikely Maryland is beating Illinois at home or Nebraska or Wisconsin on the road.

No comment on Washington. I've wasted enough space trying to talk you into thinking they're better than they are. I think Maryland wins comfortably today.

HoustonBoiler: Torvik says Washington is better than their record, but by this point in the season, you pretty much are what your record says you are. Both teams need this in their attempts to stay out of or escape the bottom 4.

#95 Oregon Ducks (9-17, 3-13) at #51 USC Trojans (18-8, 7-8)

4 ET, FS1

Kind of...: USC needs this win, and in a "needs to win to not fall off the bubble," not "needs this win to improve their profile" sort of way.

#1 Michigan Wolverines (25-1) v #5 Duke Blue Devils (24-2)

Washington, DC
6:30 ET, ESPN

MaximumSam: Gross.

Kind of...: Gross, but a lot of top-10 matchups (add UConn and Kansas) would be gross, and this is 1 vs. 2, so also quite compelling. If you hate Michigan so much you'd rather see Duke win...well, I salute your commitment, but that's not a bridge I'm willing to cross.

HoustonBoiler: Ewww! That said, it's one of two top-5 matchups today with the other being #3 Arizona at #2 Houston (3 pm ET, ABC).

#4 Illinois Fighting Illini (22-5, 13-3) at #42 UCLA Bruins (17-9, 9-6)

8 ET, FOX

Kind of...: Props to Underwood for being so subtle while sticking in the knife. Makes me sad he doesn't seem to realize that everything he's involved in is fake. But anyway...

SOMEBODY NEEDS TO GIVE MICK CRONIN THESE TRAVEL TIPS!!! IT WOULD REALLY HELP OUT UCLA. OH WAIT.

Maybe he just likes to complain?

Maybe he's a thin-skinned a-hole?

And a bully to boot?

[Sub-head: "Mick is the only coach I know who doesn’t film his practice. You know why? He doesn’t want evidence."]

The man is an embarrassment.