Big Ten Basketball January 28 Recaps, Previews, and Open Thread

Yesterday

Michigan Wolverines 75, Nebraska Cornhuskers 72

MaximumSam: Down Rienk Mast, Nebraska jumped out and scored 50 points in the first half. Unfortunately, they only scored 22 in the second, which wasn't quite enough. I don't believe in anything anymore.

Kind of...: It's hard to be down on Nebraska given the fight they gave Michigan on the road while shorthanded. But, man, that game was there for the taking. Still, yes, even thought the win streak falls, nothing really changes. The Huskers are a legit team. Illinois' visit on Sunday should be a fantastic game, too, especially if Mast and Frager are back.

As for Michigan...70% from 2; 23% from 3 and you still shot almost as many 3s as 2s? Last night made very clear (to me, who is already convinced) how Michigan could crap out early. Cadeu might not have 8 turnovers again, but I think there are plenty of teams our there that can pressure Michigan's guards and will be happy to roll the dice that they can hit enough 3s (Nebraska was 11-32) to neutralize Michigan's interior advantage. Late February (2/21 vs. Duke; 2/27 @Illinois) will be fascinating for the Wolverines. We can talk more about this later, but their closing kick is merciless: Four of their last six are vs. KP top 10 teams, and one of the others is @Iowa. But, first things first: a visit to East Lansing.

HoustonBoiler: I thought Nebraska was going to get it done, but they came up short. No shame in losing a very close one to a top-5 team on the road. However, feel free to kick yourselves for missing the opportunity for the win. It was right there. That said, Nebraska is still very much in the running for the B1G regular season title.

Michigan State Spartans 88, Rutgers Scarlet Knights 79 (OT)

Kind of...: In the B1G, you take the road win and move on. But that was ugly. The "Sparty doesn't have enough offense to make a run" crowd was handed a lot of ammunition for the first 30 minutes. The, MSU rang up 42 over the last 15 minutes (24-26 from the line, most of that late, certainly helped). The game with Michigan Friday is fascinating. The top 2 defenses according to KP, but Michigan is 8 in offense while Sparty is 42 (though the difference is only 5 points per 100 possessions, i.e., 3 points in a 60 possession game...basketball is a game of margins). But MSU has size inside, and they have Jeremy Fears. Really looking forward to how things play out.

Indiana Hoosiers 72, Purdue Boilermakers 67

Kind of...: Have you ever seen a robot cry? If not, what explains the photo of the burned out hull of a car included with the note @AlmaOtter received informing him that he can take care of things while @BoilerUp89 "finds himself"?

Losing streaks suck, especially when they include a loss to your rival. Purdue definitely doesn't look like the best team in the nation, so, yeah, a disappointing season relative to preseason expectations. But Indiana played pretty well last night (besides the missed FTs late) and, frankly, Purdue had a better performance last night than Sparty did, about whom not so many people are asking questions.

I don't know the Boilers nearly as well as our Purdue readers (half the blog?) do, but I see the obvious things. 1) The defensive approach is leading to way too many open threes and too many teams have fourth and fifth options who can stick those shots today. 2) Loyer is in a funk. Maybe he works better as a 6th man? Yeah, tough move to make for a four year-starter. But you're a legend with Purdue's "we play the right way" fans if it feeds a turnaround. 3) Cluff was bad/invisible last night, but he's got the best ORtg in American, according to KenPom. He needs to see more activity.

Purdue is still #2 in offense. And only Iowa State and (just barely) USC have held them under a point per possession. As long as Smith is on the court, they'll find a way to score. Start with defense. You've got Maryland and Oregon next. Nobody was expecting this, but now is a much better time to need a tune up than a month from now. In a few days, two of the teams in front of you will have picked up a loss. Don't worry about the standings. Worry about playing better and the stuff you can control.

HoustonBoiler: Yes, losing streaks suck. Purdue has been in a bit of a funk of late, particularly on defense and effort appeared to be lacking at times as very evident in last night's and the previous few games. Perhaps it's the grind of a long season. What I don't understand is not being able to bring the intensity/fight for a rivalry game. Perhaps other teams have figured out Purdue, which goes to Kind Of...'s first point above. His second and third points regarding Fletcher Loyer and Oscar Cluff, respectively, are spot on. Purdue needs to work through some things as a very promising season appears to be slipping away.

Today

#50 USC Trojans (15-5, 4-5) at #20 Iowa Hawkeyes (14-5, 4-4)

7 pm, BTN

Kind of...: Iowa should win this. If they don't the doubters will be out in force point at the mismatch between their resume and what the analytics makes of their resume. Wisconsin couldn't slow down Chad Baker-Mazara despite having pretty good foot speed at guard. Bennett Stirtz is not fast. But Iowa has, you know, a system. And they'll use tempo to their advantage. Good measuring stick for both teams.

#63 Minnesota Golden Gophers (10-10, 3-6) at #33 Wisconsin Badgers (14-6, 6-3)

9 pm, BTN

Kind of...: Last time these teams met, Wisconsin sleepwalked for the first 25 minutes, went on a tear, then frittered away a 9 point lead in the last four minutes before John Blackwell drilled a walk-off three. In a nutshell, that's Wisconsin this year: capable of scoring explosions and extended periods of hero ball. Indifferent on defense and lacking situational awareness. It should still be enough to finish the sweep of the Gophers, especially with Sunday's home loss to USC as a wake-up call. But Niko's crew will make them earn it, and be ready to pounce on any openings.

HoustonBoiler: A rivalry game and you better believe Minnesota will remember what happened in the earlier matchup.

#43 UCLA Bruins (14-6, 6-3) at #81 Oregon Ducks (8-12, 1-8)

11 pm, BTN

Kind of...: Would be a great showdown except for all the injuries, especially, but not only, on the Oregon side. If UCLA--4-1 the last three weeks--has turned the corner, this should be a walk. But the Bruins have demonstrated an ability to make things tough on themselves, so if somebody gets hot early for Oregon, it could be interesting. And there's always another installation of "How many minutes will Xavier Booker get?"

Non-B1G Games of Interest

[Sorry, I, @Kind of..., don't have time to track down the Torvik rankings and records.... HB responds: You're welcome!]

#19 Tennessee (13-6, 3-3) @ #36 Georgia (16-4, 4-3), 7:00, SEC Network

#94 Northern Iowa (13-8, 5-5) @ #160 Southern Illinois (8-12, 2-7), 7:00, ESPN+

#77 Illinois State (14-7, 6-4) @ #96 Murray State (16-5, 8-2), 9:00, ESPN+

#3 Houston (17-2, 5-1) @ #47 TCU (13-7, 3-4), 9:00, ESPN2

#102 San Francisco (13-9, 5-4) @ #35 Santa Clara (17-5, 8-1), 11:00 CBSSN

Kind of...: My MVC bias is showing, but the schedule tonight is more quantity than quality. Murray State and Belmont are tied for first, two games clear of anybody else. But KenPom will tell you that UNI and Illinois State are the two best teams of the rest of the pack, even though both have been uneven. Tonight's a good night to see if either wants to assert itself.

HoustonBoiler: The Illinois State at Murray State game could be a good one.