The Big Ten had a loaded slate on Tuesday, highlighted by games in Champaign and Detroit. And while most of the games ended up being decided by double-digits, the one in Detroit came down to the wire.
Let’s take a look at what happened.
Game of the Night:
–No. 6 Michigan Wolverines 85, Wake Forest Demon Deacons 84 (OT)
The Wolverines were riding high after last week’s opening win against Oakland. Michigan looked nearly unbeatable in the outing, rolling what’s generally a pretty feisty Grizzlies squad. The team looked good, but at least our site cautioned that Michigan would be unlikely
to keep up that pace.
Well, it only took one game.
While Michigan took an early lead in Tuesday’s outing against Wake Forest and seemed in control for large segments of the game, it could never put together enough to put the game away. The Deacons kept doing enough to keep the game in doubt until later on, when the team thoroughly outplayed the Wolverines in the second half and forced overtime. Michigan eventually escaped in a sloppy overtime session, where the teams combined for just nine points in five minutes of action.
Michigan improved to 2-0 with the win, even if fans aren’t feeling great about the performance. Aday Mara impressed throughout, finishing with 18 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, and five blocks. Roddy Gayle also had a solid game off the bench, finishing with 13 points on the evening. However, Yaxel Lendeborg only had nine points in 33 minutes of action, which was certainly a contributor in Michigan finishing with a pedestrian 0.99 points per possession. The team also shot a horrid 16 percent from three-point range.
The Wolverines will get a few days off before returning to action on the road against TCU on Friday. The team will have to play better if it hopes to win that one.
The Rest:
–No. 14 Illinois Fighting Illini 81, No. 11 Texas Tech Red Raiders 77
Like Michigan above, Illinois impressed in its first week of the season, leveling two mid-majors at home. It had fans hopeful about the season, though a bit hesitant to buy in until the group showed that level of play against a team with a pulse. After all, doing it against teams outside the top 200 on KenPom is one thing and doing it against elite competition is another.
Well, Illinois got their answer on Tuesday.
While Illinois didn’t run Texas Tech off the floor, the Illini took care of business and outplayed the Red Raiders for much of the evening. Kylan Boswell led the way with 22 points, three assists, and two rebounds. Andrej Stojakovic also had a fantastic game off the bench with 23 points, as Illinois secured an 81-77 win. Illinois had no answer for Tech’s JT Toppin, but it didn’t matter at the final buzzer.
This is a huge win for Illinois for a variety of reasons. To start, Tech projects as an upper seed in March, so winning is certainly going to be valuable on Selection Sunday. Moreover, it will inject Illinois and its roster with confidence as it moves into the heart of a brutal non-conference slate in the month ahead. Belief is a powerful thing and Illinois will have that in spades moving forward. The team will now get a few days off to celebrate before facing Colgate at home on Friday.
–Maryland Terrapins 84, Alcorn State Braves 64
The Terps bounced back from Friday’s roughing outing, scoring a 20-point win at home against Alcorn State. Pharrel Payne led the way again with 22 points and seven rebounds. Maryland’s offense generally had a good outing, finishing with 1.17 points per possession. Maryland improved to 2-1 with the win and will now prepare for a road trip to Marquette on Saturday.
–Nebraska Cornhuskers 69, Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks 50
This should have been a blowout and Nebraska largely delivered, scoring a 19-point win at home. Sam Hoiberg led the way with 18 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Pryce Sandfort also had 19 points in the win. Nebraska improved to 3-0 with the win. The team will now prepare for rival Oklahoma on a neutral court on Saturday. Expect some fireworks in that one.
–Ohio State Buckeyes 75, Appalachian State Mountaineers 53
There wasn’t quite as much offense in this one as Buckeye fans saw over the first two games, but Ohio State still got the job done with a 75-53 win. Brandon Noel led the way with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Bruce Thornton had 13 points and three assists. Ohio State improved to 3-0 with the win. The team will now prepare for Notre Dame at home on Sunday.
–Penn State Nittany Lions 80, Navy Midshipmen 71
The Nittany Lions entered this one as comfortable favorites and the game mostly played out that way, with Penn State scoring a nine-point win at home. Kayden Mingo had a nice game with 16 points and seven rebounds. Freddie Dilione V also had 19 points off the bench. The team will now prepare for La Salle in Philadelphia on Saturday. It’s another opportunity for Penn State to score a win away from home.
–No. 24 Wisconsin Badgers 86, Ball State Cardinals 55
There isn’t much that needs to be said about this one — Wisconsin hosted an overmatched opponent at home and cruised to a 31-point victory. Nolan Winter led the way with 19 points and 10 rebounds in just 20 minutes of action. Braeden Carrington also had a nice showing with 12 points and four rebounds. Wisconsin improved to 3-0 with the win and the team will now prepare for SIUE at home on Monday.
