The Big Ten had a full slate of action on Monday, highlighted by a marquee matchup for Washington against an old Pac 12 foe in Utah. Teams like Michigan and Purdue impressed as well.
Let’s take a look at what happened.
Game of the Night:
–Washington Huskies 74, Utah Utes 65
It’s been a bizarre couple of weeks for the Huskies. Washington opened the month with a crushing loss to UCLA at home to UCLA, but followed it up by shocking USC on the road and then taking care of Southern Utah at home. Unfortunately, Washington took a step back from that by falling
to Seattle in a cross-town battle. Fans were hoping the group would get back on track on Monday at home against Utah.
It ended up being a great game that went most of the distance. Washington controlled for most of the evening, but Utah consistently did enough to keep the final result in doubt. Zoom Diallo led the way for the Huskies, finishing with 24 points, seven assists, and three rebounds. Desmond Claude also had a nice showing with 21 points.
The win pushed Washington to 9-4 overall and wraps up non-conference play for the Huskies. The team will now prepare for a brutal start to Big Ten play with Indiana on the road on Sunday and then Purdue on the road on Wednesday. Even a split would be a major accomplishment for Washington.
The Rest:
–No. 20 Illinois Fighting Illini 90, Southern Jaguars 55
Illinois took care of an inferior Southern squad in this one, earning a 35-point win at home. Keaton Wagler led the way with 11 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds. Tomislav Ivisic also had 11 points and seven rebounds. The win pushed Illinois to 10-3 overall. The group will now prepare for a road trip to Philly to face off against a desperate Penn State squad on Saturday.
–No. 25 Iowa Hawkeyes 90, UMass Lowell River Hawks 62
Iowa continues to take care of business at home, taking care of a flawed UMass Lowell squad in convincing fashion. Bennett Stirtz led the way with 22 points and eight assists. Cam Manyawu also had 14 points and nine rebounds in the win. The victory pushed the Hawks to 11-2 overall. The team will now prepare for an important matchup against UCLA at home on Saturday.
–No. 2 Michigan Wolverines 112, McNeese State Cowboys 71
This looked like a relatively intriguing game heading into tip, but the Wolverines had other ideas, blasting what’s projected to be a decent McNeese squad. Michigan jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, eventually pushing that margin out to an absurd 52 points before the team’s starters went to the bench. Morez Johnson led the way with 24 points and 11 rebounds. It marked Michigan’s seventh (!!!) 100-point game already this season.
Michigan improved to a perfect 12-0 with the win. The team will now prepare for USC at home on Friday. KenPom puts the margin around 19 points. Can the Trojans keep it close? We’ll have to wait and see.
–No. 9 Michigan State Spartans 114, Cornell Big Red 97
This one got a bit testy in the first half, but Michigan State overcome those early missteps and cruised to a double-digit win in the second half. Jeremy Fears led the way with 21 points and 11 assists. Coen Carr also had a nice showing with 19 points. The win pushed Michigan State to 12-1 overall. The team will now prepare for a massive showdown with Nebraska on the road on Friday.
–Minnesota Golden Gophers 60, Fairleigh Dickinson Knights 43
The Gophers scored a comfortable win here, thanks to 19 points and three rebounds from Bobby Durkin. Jaylen Crocker-Johnson also had 17 points. It was largely a defensive-led game, with neither team breaking a point a possession. The win left Minnesota sitting at 8-5 overall. The group will now prepare for Northwestern on the road on Saturday. Expect a tight one.
–Penn State Nittany Lions 90, North Carolina Central Eagles 67
The Nittany Lions got some momentum back in this one, snapping a three-game skid. While it was against a horrid Eagles squad, a win is still a win. Kayden Mingo led the way with 19 points, five assists, and three rebounds. Eli Rice also had 18 points. The result left Penn State sitting at 9-4 overall. The team will now prepare for a huge matchup against Illinois in Philly on Saturday. A win would be huge for keeping the team’s postseason hopes alive.
–No. 5 Purdue Boilermakers 101, Kent State Golden Flashes 60
But for Michigan’s win above, this probably would have been the most impressive win of the night for the league, as Purdue bullied a respectable MAC squad in Mackey. Jack Benter turned some heads in the win, finishing with 20 points and five rebounds. Fletcher Loyer also had 19 points. Purdue improved to 12-1 overall with the win. The group will now prepare for a tricky road trip to Wisconsin on Saturday.
–Rutgers Scarlet Knights 65, Delaware State Hornets 50
This was a relatively unimpressive showing for the Scarlet Knights against one of the nation’s worst teams in Delaware State. Still, Rutgers managed to get the win. Dylan Grant led the way with 18 points and 10 rebounds. The team’s offense continues to struggle, finishing with just 0.97 points per possession. Rutgers now sits at 7-6 overall and will prepare for Ohio State at home on Friday. It feels like a “must win” if the Scarlet Knights are going to accomplish anything this season.
