Republic of Open Threads: January 10th Basketball
Trojans Nip Gophs; Indiana Tries to End the Streak
Yesterday
USC Trojans 70, Minnesota Golden Gophers 69 (OT)
MaximumSam: The Gophs were oh so close to getting their fourth conference win. Unfortunately, they couldn't do much with Chad Baker-Mazara, who dropped 29 and the game winning free throws.
HoustonBoiler: Who could have guessed that a barn-burner would be played in the Barn? The most exciting B1G sporting event last night (for non-Indiana fans) occurred in Minneapolis where the Trojans and Gophers staged an epic battle. This game featured 14 lead changes though USC had a 13 point lead roughly midway through the second have, but Minnesota came back to tie the game with 45 second remaining in regulation. OT was back and forth. Minnesota took a 1 point lead with 27 seconds to play, but then was called for a foul with 10 seconds to play.
#21 Nebraska Cornhuskers (15-0, 4-0) at #19 Indiana Hoosiers (12-3, 3-1)
12 pm, BTN
MaximumSam: The Streak gets a big test today in Indiana. Nebrasketball is ranked 10th in the AP poll, which as far as I can tell is their highest ranking since 1966. I should talk to some of the OffTackleRepublic writers from that era.
#43 Wisconsin Badgers (10-5, 2-2) at #1 Michigan Wolverines (14-0, 4-0)
1 pm, CBS
MaximumSam: Michigan looked downright mortal in their last game at Penn State. Can Wisconsin make them look mortal at home? Wisconsin's outside shooting has been a bugaboo - nationally they are taking them at a pretty high rate but only 225th in making them. Feels like they can be better at that.
#118 Penn State Nittany Lions (9-6, 0-4) at #2 Purdue Boilermakers (14-1, 4-0)
2 pm, BTN
HoustonBoiler: Overall, Penn State has not been great but they did almost beat Michigan the other night. If they play like that, they could give Purdue a game. On the other hand, Purdue needs to continue to rebound, limit their turnovers, and contain dribble penetration. If they do, Purdue should win this one.
#124 Maryland Terrapins (7-8, 0-4) at #42 UCLA Bruins (10-5, 2-2)
8 pm, FOX
MaximumSam: I've been sad about how rough the Buckeyes have looked, but UCLA has also been pretty mediocre. Xavier Booker played one minute against Wisconsin in a loss, and they are back to their no center defense, which isn't much defense at all. Luckily, the Terps struggle to score in an open gym.
