The Big Ten had four games on Wednesday night, highlighted by a marquee matchup between Illinois and Alabama in Chicago. Unfortunately, the Crimson Tide came ready to play.
Let’s take a look at what happened.
Game of the Night:
–No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide 80, No. 8 Illinois Fighting Illini 86
After burning through its first four opponents, Illinois fans were hoping the team could keep things rolling on Wednesday night in Chicago against Alabama. It figured to be a major resume opportunity for the team in what projects as a loaded non-conference slate.
Unfortunately for Illinois, things wouldn’t go according to plan.
Things started well enough for Illinois, but Alabama steadily gained momentum as the game approached halftime and never looked back. By the final buzzer, things were firmly in Alabama’s control thanks to 24 points from Labaron Philon. The Crimson Tide finished with 1.14 points per possession. Andrej Stojakovic led things for Illinois, finishing with 26 points and three rebounds.
The loss dropped Illinois to 4-1 overall. The good news is that it won’t do much damage to the team’s resume, considering Alabama’s pedigree coming into tip. However, it will cool fans’ hopes, at least for the immediate future. We knew Illinois was a good team, but we weren’t sure where the group was a top 10 unit or something modestly lower. That question remains outstanding. We’ll see how the team responds when it returns to action on Saturday at home against LIU.
The Rest:
–Maryland Terrapins 95, Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers 90 (OT)
The Terps played the team’s first game without Pharrel Payne and things didn’t go well. While Maryland came out on top at the final buzzer, it needed 41 points from David Coit to escape an upset bid against Mount St. Mary’s at home. The game eventually went to overtime, where the Terps got just enough to win.
Maryland improved to 4-1 overall with the win, but the team’s statistical profile kept fading, as the Terps dropped to 65th nationally on KenPom. It’s a 31-spot drop from Maryland’s preseason rating and has the team projected to go .500 through the regular season. Fans will hope Buzz Williams can figure out some things before Maryland returns to action on Monday in Vegas against UNLV.
–No. 7 Michigan Wolverines 86, Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders 61
This one was a bit sloppy in the first half, but Michigan pulled away after halftime to earn a 25-point win at home. Yaxel Lendeborg led the way for 25 points and 12 rebounds in what was likely his best performance as a Wolverine to date. Elliot Cadeau and Aday Mara also each had 10 points apiece.
Michigan improved to 4-0 with the win. The team will now prepare for a trip out west, where it will open up against San Diego State in Las Vegas on Monday. The Wolverines will then get Auburn on Tuesday.
–Penn State Nittany Lions 84, Harvard Crimson 80
This projected as Penn State’s toughest game to date and it certainly played out that way, as Harvard put plenty of pressure on the Nittany Lions. Fortunately for Penn State, Kayden Mingo had a big night, finishing with 24 points and three assists. Josh Reed also had a nice performance with 14 points and five rebounds. It was just enough to lead Penn State to a win in the closing minutes of the matchup.
The win pushed Penn State to 5-0 overall. The team will now prepare for Providence in Connecticut on Saturday. KenPom as the Nittany Lions as underdogs in the matchup. We’ll have to see if Penn State can pull off an upset.
