Big Ten Basketball January 13 Recaps, Previews, and Open Thread

Sunday's Games

Illinois Fighting Illini 75, Iowa Hawkeyes 69

MaximumSam: The Illini jumped out to a big lead early and then held off Iowa down the stretch. Illinois whipping boy Ben Humrichous played just 13 minutes, his lowest amount of the season. Perhaps Brad has heard the fans.

Kind of...: Easy game to learn too much from. Maybe stick to the following generalizations that sound too convenient, but are probably true. 1) Illinois is explosive and capable of beating anybody on the right day. 2) Illinois is more flawed than the 6-8 teams I considered likely national title contenders. 3) Iowa is pesky and has McCollum's system down cold. They're a tough out. 4) Iowa just doesn't have the talent level of the top 4-6 B1G teams. This team is obviously quite similar to last year's Drake team (a big better with Koch, Folgueiras, etc.) who were good enough to beat a flawed SEC team (Mizzou) in March, but not a good Big 12 team (Texas Tech). That feels like a reasonable March expectation for the Hawkeyes this year, too.

BoilerUp89: Agreed on the Illini. Absolutely talented enough to win any game, but least likely of the national title contenders. There are flaws and consistency issues.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights 77, Northwestern Wildcats 75 (OT)

PerpetuallyAggrievedWildcat: It is more over than it's ever been, and that just sucks.

Nick Martinelli is playing his ass off. That makes it all the more heartbreaking when it's his drives late in the game where the shot just won't fall, when the road warrior misses that late free throw to tie the game, when he can't singularly will the 'Cats over the finish line. 34 points in yet another losing effort. Northwestern is 0-5 in Big Ten play, just lost to dog-ass fucking Rutgers, and at this point you play out the string, get the kids some run, and figure out what you've got for next year. Even if the 'Cats cobble together an NIT- or Crown-worthy resume, they'll decline it, and however Martinelli goes out in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, that'll be it. Go kill it in EuroBasket, brother.

That's about all there is to it. Northwestern has now lost four games by five points or fewer, choking away late leads in--I think--each of those games. It's just not The Year.

BoilerUp89: All thats left to do is play spoiler to somebody. Might I suggest the next two games? Northwestern is at home for both.

Kind of...: There are still 15 conference games to go! But, yeah, I can understand the defeatism. KenPom has Northwestern #61, better than 5 B1G teams and shouting distance of Washington and USC. But he also projects them to finish 5-15, i.e., one game clear of last place. Translation: The Wildcats are better than their record, but they've already squandered three of the most winnable games on their conference schedule (vs. OSU, vs. Minnesota, @ Rutgers). If they get to five conference wins, we're probably looking at home games against PSU, Washington, Maryland and Oregon and...? Yeah, not fun times in Evanston.

Washington Huskies 81, The Ohio State Buckeyes 74

MaximumSam: The Buckeyes lost the game and center Christoph Tilly to a rib injury. Things are going great.

Kind of...: OSU's NET is 39, one spot ahead of Wisconsin. Rest assured it doesn't feel that way in Columbus (or Madison). Bracket Matrix says the Buckeyes are an 11-seed right now, headed to a play-in game. Given that the best win so far is @Northwestern, and there's a not great (but not too damaging) loss to Pitt on the resume, that seems fair. The conference has a mushy middle: Indiana, OSU, Wisconsin, UCLA, USC, Washington. At least three of those teams will probably make the tournament and there is plenty of time for any of them to distinguish themselves. But come Selection Sunday, OSU isn't getting the benefit of the doubt without picking up some solid wins. Buckeyes don't play again until Saturday. Needless to say, they'd do well to hold serve at home against UCLA and Minnesota in their next two.

Washington (NET: 57) is currently in the worst shape of the mushy middle, and they've been hammered by injuries. But it wouldn't be the first time a team rallied once there was a clearer pecking order, and fewer mouths to feed, on offense. No time like the present to get things figured out. Even 1-2 over the next three--vs. Michigan, vs. MSU, @Nebraska--would be acceptable. But lose all three and the Huskies are 2-6 in league play and probably cooked.

Today's Games

#35 Wisconsin Badgers (11-5, 3-2) at #68 Minnesota Golden Gophers (10-6, 3-2)

7 ET, BTN

MaximumSam: The Badgers are coming off a season changing win at Michigan. The Gophs are coming off a heartbreaking OT loss to USC. Every Win Matters now.

Kind of...: Any result seems possible here. Badgers haven't lost in Williams since pre-Covid and have won 8 of last 9 up there. But Medved has things pointing in the right direction. If USC can win there this year than Wisconsin can too. But a loss wouldn't surprise me either precisely because Wisconsin is part of that mushy middle, none of which can just get off the bus and assume a road win. Tell me the result and I (and everybody else) can supply the #narrative. But the fact that I'm not confident of what the result will be should counsel humility. (Except this is the internet.)

#20 Indiana Hoosiers (12-4, 3-2) at #13 Michigan State Spartans (14-2, 4-1)

8 ET, Peacock

MaximumSam: The Hoosiers got corn cobbed by Nebraska at home, and now they visit Sparty. Plus they still play Iowa, Michigan, and Purdue this month. Fellow corn cob victim Sparty has an easier month, though a January 30th date with Michigan looks like a banger.

BoilerUp89: Pretty important game for both teams I think. MSU needs it to keep pace in the conference race. At some point IU needs to beat a tournament team.

Kind of...: See above RE: mushy middle. Right now Indiana has the best NET (34), but that can change in a hurry. For the better with a win in Breslin. For the worse if the Hoosiers keep treading water. Next five: @MSU, vs. Iowa, @Michigan, @Rutgers, vs. Purdue. The Rutgers game can only hurt them. If they go 2-3 only beating Iowa, the pressure will start to build. (If they go 1-4, things could spiral.)

#80 Oregon Ducks (8-8, 1-4) at #19 Nebraska Cornhuskers (16-0, 5-0)

9 ET, BTN

MaximumSam: The Streak goes on the line again. Haven't seen anything on Jackson Shelstad being available. Oregon is pretty bad without him and pretty mid with him, so commence with the Corn Cobbin'.

BoilerUp89: Weird stuff happens in B1G play (look no further than PSU giving Illinois, Michigan, and Purdue all games), but Oregon has been bad and Nebraska is at home. The 4Pac has really struggled in the Midwest this year and at Nebraska is an unlikely place for that to change.

Kind of...: NATION'S LONGEST WINNING STREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's one exclamation point for each win. We don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but I know we're all tantalized by the thought of 20-0 Nebraska heading to Crisler for a top 10 (top 5?) showdown. All but the most extreme Husker Haters are hoping for this to happen. Take the first step tonight, people of the Corn.

HoustonBoiler: And looking ahead, this streak could easily continue as the next few games appear to be winnable for Nebraska.

#128 Maryland Terrapins (7-9, 0-5) at #58 USC Trojans (13-3, 2-3)

10:30 ET, FS1

MaximumSam: I could have sworn these teams just played, but apparently not. The Terps are 0-5 in the conference and have lost every game by double digits. Fly Buzz fly.

BoilerUp89: That was UCLA that Maryland played. Common mistake mixing up those two schools though.

Kind of...: USC can't afford a loss and a win won't help much. You stay up late if you want to; I'll check the boxscore tomorrow.

Non-B1G Games of Interest

#149 Kent State Zips (12-4, 3-1) at #160 Buffalo Bulls (13-3, 3-1), 6:30 ET, ESPN+
#12 Virginia Cavaliers (14-2, 3-1) at #17 Louisville Cardinals (12-4, 2-2), 7 ET, ESPN2
#39 Texas A&M Aggies (13-3, 3-0) at #15 Tennessee Volunteers (11-5, 1-2), 7 ET, SECN
#4 UConn Huskies (16-1, 6-0) at #40 Seton Hall Pirates (14-2, 4-1), 8 ET, truTV
#48 West Virginia Mountaineers (11-5, 2-1) at #8 Houston Cougars (15-1, 3-0), 8:30 ET, FS1
#6 Iowa State Cyclones (16-0, 3-0) at #18 Kansas Jayhawks (11-5, 1-2), 9 ET, ESPN
#56 Baylor Bears (10-5, 0-3) at #57 Oklahoma State Cowboys (13-3, 1-2), 9 ET, CBSSN
#72 Grand Canyon Antelopes (10-5, 3-1) at #44 New Mexico Lobos (13-3, 4-1), 9 ET
#10 Alabama Crimson Tide (11-5, 1-2) at #94 Mississippi State Bulldogs (10-6, 2-1), 9 ET, SECN
#11 Florida Gators (11-5, 2-1) at #76 Oklahoma Sooners (11-5, 1-2), 9 ET, ESPN2
#34 Saint Mary's Gaels (16-2, 5-0) at #102 San Francisco Dons (12-7, 3-2), 11 ET, ESPN2

BoilerUp89: Missed nothing of interest yesterday unless you are a true sicko that loves Southland basketball and wanted to see Nicholls at McNeese...

Wrote that before McNeese blew out Nicholls by 26. Better games tonight if you get bored with B1G action.

Kind of...: Navy lost @ American by 15, so nobody is running away with the Patriot this year. As for tonight, well Seton Hall has a helluva on opportunity to improve their at-large profile (currently 38 in NET, right ahead of OSU and Wisconsin). And Virginia/Louisville looks like a good game on paper, but, yeah, I'm probably B1G-exclusive tonight.

HoustonBoiler: There appears to be a few interesting games tonight, i.e., what appear to be close matchups: Kent State at Buffalo, Virginia at Louisville, Baylor at Oklahoma State, and Iowa State at Kansas. In the final of those, either Iowa State takes their first loss or Kansas drops to 1-3 in conference - that's a win-win.