Big Ten Basketball November 12 Recaps, Previews, and Open Thread

All numbers via Torvik. All predictions not financial advice.

Last Night's Games

Michigan Wolverines 85, Wake Forest Demon Deacons 84 (OT)

MaximumSam: Heck of a game. Michigan couldn't shoot straight from three, but a big effort from Aday Mara brought them home. He led them in points and rebounds and changed the math for Wake Forest on anything close to the basket.

Kind of...: Good news/bad news for Michigan. Bad news: guards still matter and there appear to be plenty of teams with better guards than Michigan. Good news: their situation might be good enough anyway.

BoilerUp89: This is why I was so high on Mara. Completely changed the game for Michigan. Wake wanted nothing to do with challenging him. It was enjoyable seeing Colvin play well for Wake.

THE Ohio State Buckeyes 75, App State Mountaineers 53

Kind of...: Might not be until December before we can get a read on the Buckeyes. If it's any sooner, that's bad news for OSU.

MaximumSam: Terrible start for the Bucks as they were down 22-10 in the first half. Things went a lot better from there, led by Brandon Noel of all people. Fun fact, Noel is from my very tiny hometown, Lucasville, Ohio. It is mostly known for having a maximum security prison, so if he wants it to be known for something else, I'll support him.

Penn State Nittany Lions 80, Navy Midshipmen 71

Kind of....: Potentially worst team in B1G dispatches potentially best team in Patriot. Sigh.

misdreavus79: Came about a point away from covering, which is good when you consider how awful this team was supposed to be. Two more wins and they'll match the worst projections I saw on the internet at large!

BoilerUp89: I like Navy's chances of going dancing. A win is a win for PSU.

Maryland Terrapins 84, Alcorn State Braves 64

Kind of...: By this time in two weeks, the Terps will have played Marquette and Gonzaga. Let's chat then.

misdreavus79: I mean they already lost to Georgetown so we can chat now. Fuck Buzz Williams.

BoilerUp89: Maryland didnt look great in this one. They finished with a 20 point lead but this was a 12 point game with 6 minutes remaining.

Nebraska Cornhuskers 69, Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks 50

Kind of...: True story: the Huskers have the longest win streak in the nation. The winners of last years other postseason tournaments--Florida, Illinois State, and Chattanooga--all have registered losses already this year.

Illinois Fighting Illini 81, Texas Tech Red Raiders 77

Kind of...: JT Toppin might be the best college play in the country. Illinois just has more good players. The Illini are going to drop a few 24-3 and 18-0 zero runs this year that will be breathtaking.

MaximumSam: Pretty good win for the Illini and they were missing two starters. They are going to be a tough out.

BoilerUp89: Illini are terrifying.

AlmaOtter:

Wisconsin Badgers 86, Ball State Cardinals 55

Kind of...: Badgers had a lot of turnovers and were only average from three. But shooting 69% from two can cover a lot of sins. Tune in a week from Thursday to see how this offense looks against real competition (BYU).

Today's Big Ten Games

#186 Milwaukee Panthers (2-1) at #27 Indiana Hoosiers (2-0)

7 ET, FS1

Kind of...: Early chance to check in on what Darian DeVries is building. So far, seems ahead of schedule. At halftime, switch over to...

BoilerUp89: How does IU react coming off a big win? Milwaukee could make this a game if IUs shooting has a cold night.

#70 Minnesota Golden Gophers (2-0) at #31 Missouri Tigers (3-0)

8 ET, SECN+

Kind of...: Switch over...if you have SECN+, which you probably don't. Anyway, great chance for Gophers to prove they're ahead of schedule. KenPom has them losing by 7, which already indicates that they are, really.

BoilerUp89: Early on Medved has taken care of business against overmatched opponents. How do the Gophers look on the road against a probable tournament team? Mizzou is off to a hot shooting start with a 42% three point shooting display.

#151 South Dakota State Jackrabbits (2-1) at #33 Oregon Ducks (2-0)

9:30 ET, Peacock

Kind of...: Oregon might be the conference's most underwhelming team so far. But this squad of Jackrabbits doesn't appear to be up to the level attained by most of the last 15 years' teams, so an upset here still seems highly unlikely.

BoilerUp89: They aren't that far off from Henderson's SDSU teams and are roughly equivalent to Hawaii and Rice. Keep an eye on this one.

Wednesday's Non-Big Ten Games of Interest

#105 Saint Joes Hawks at #72 Virginia Tech Hokies, 7 ET, ACC Extra
#140 Siena Saints at #130 St. Bonaventure's Bonnies, 7 ET, ESPN+
#175 Oakland Golden Grizzlies at #1 Houston Cougars, 8 ET, ESPN+
#91 North Texas Mean Green at #113 Oregon State Beavers, 9:30 ET, ESPN+
#139 UC San Diego Tritons at #212 Fresno State Bulldogs, 9 ET, Not Televised
#136 Southern Illinois Salukis at #117 Nevada Wolf Pack, 10 ET, Not Televised

Kind of...: Sorry, but last night was full of watchable hoops. Unless one of these games really turns into something, tonight might be more casual for me. Good luck Greg Kampe, it's almost over. Just go to your happy place for a couple of hours tonight, and a matchup with um Defiance, awaits in a few days.

BoilerUp89: I included Oakland and Houston solely because it may be interesting for Purdue and Michigan fans as a comparison. Definitely a let down from last night's games. How hard is it for TV execs to space stuff out?