The Big Ten had a plethora of games on Monday night. And while none were marquee matchups, they provided some interesting insight on the season ahead.
Let’s take a look at what happened.
Game of the Night:
-No. 12 UCLA Bruins 80, Eastern Washington Eagles 74
This one was too
close for comfort, as a top 15 UCLA squad nearly got upset by Eastern Washington on Monday night. While the Bruins eventually came out on top, the team struggled to stop what projects as a rather underwhelming Eagles squad. Eastern Washington finished with 1.04 points per possession and four players finished in double-figures. Fortunately for Bruin fans, Donovan Dent was able to do enough to get the win, finishing with 21 points, nine assists, and four rebounds. UCLA will hope for a better showing against Pepperdine at home on Friday night.
The Rest:
-No. 17 Illinois Fighting Illini 113, Jackson State Tigers 55
This game was never competitive, as Illinois cruised to a lopsided win over Jackson State. Six Illinois players finished in double-figures. Tomislav Ivisic led the way with 21 points and four rebounds. Ben Humrichous also had 21 points off the bench. Illinois will now prepare for Florida Gulf Coast at home on Friday, who projects as a tougher test than Jackson State. Still, the win bumped Illinois in the top five on KenPom, which certainly has to be viewed as a positive by fans.
-Maryland Terrapins 83, Coppin State Eagles 61
The Terps look pretty solid in this one, as the team grabbed a 22-point home win to open the season. Pharrel Payne led the way with 21 points and six rebounds. Maryland’s defense was also impressive, grabbing 11 steals and holding Coppin State to just 0.90 points per possession. The Terps will now prepare for Georgetown at home on Friday in what figures to be a marquee rivalry game.
-No. 7 Michigan Wolverines 121, Oakland Golden Grizzlies 78
The Wolverines entered the season with the team’s highest preseason hopes since (at least) 2021, when Michigan was coming off an Elite Eight appearance. And if opening night was a sign of things to come, Wolverine fans have to be excited, as Michigan blasted what is typically a feisty Oakland squad. Morez Johnson and Aday Mara led the way, combining for 36 points and 15 rebounds down low. Michigan also set a program record for first half scoring. The team will now prepare for Wake Forest in Detroit on Tuesday.
-No. 22 Michigan State Spartans 80, Colgate Raiders 69
The Spartans performed decently in this one, earning an 11-point win at home against Colgate. Jaxon Kohler led the way with 16 points and 15 rebounds. Jeremy Fears also had 14 points, 10 assists, five steals, and five rebounds in a great all-around game. The only real letdown was the team’s defense, which allowed Colgate to finish with a point per possession, and allowed the game to be closer than some would have wished. Michigan State will now prepare for a pretty good Arkansas squad at home on Saturday.
-Minnesota Golden Gophers 87, Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs 60
Nike Medved and his squad had a nice showing in their first game, cruising to a 27-point win at home. Cade Tyson led the way with 30 points in just 28 minutes of action. Langston Reynolds also had 14 points and nine rebounds off the bench. The win pushed Minnesota to 1-0 on the season. The team will now prepare for Alcorn State at home on Saturday in what should be another win.
-Nebraska Cornhuskers 86, West Georgia Wolves 53
Nobody was quite sure about what to expect from Nebraska this season with the team’s turnover. However, opening night was encouraging, as the Huskers scored a 33-point win. Braden Frager had an impressive game off the bench with 22 points and five rebounds. Jamarques Lawrence also had 18 points and six assists. Nebraska will now prepare for FIU at home on Saturday.
-Northwestern Wildcats 70, Mercyhurst Lakers 47
The Wildcats scored a comfortable win in this one. Arrinten Page led the way with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Nick Martinelli also had 17 points and five rebounds. Northwestern will now prepare for Boston University at home on Friday. KenPom favors the Wildcats by 17 points in that one.
-Ohio State Buckeyes 118, IU Indianapolis Jaguars 102
This was a wild one, as both teams went off offensively. Ohio State finished with a blistering 1.37 points per possession and the Jags weren’t far behind with 1.19. Christoph Tilly led the way for the Buckeyes, finishing with 28 points and nine rebounds. Bruce Thornton also had 26 points in the showing. Four Buckeyes finished in double-figures, including three with 22 or more. All told, Ohio State was able to do just enough in the second half to grab a 16-point win. The team will now prepare for Purdue Fort Wayne at home on Friday. Buckeye fans will hope for a bit better defense this time around.
-Penn State Nittany Lions 76, Fairfield Stags 68
This wasn’t a particularly great showing for Penn State, as the Nittany Lions narrowly held off a flawed Fairfield squad at home. Fortunately, Penn State got a great game from freshman Melih Tunca, who finished with 19 points, six assists, and four rebounds. Kayden Mingo also had 15 points and five rebounds. Fans will have to hope the freshmen keep progressing. Otherwise, things could get rough. Penn State will return to action on Saturday on the road against New Haven.
-USC Trojans 94, Cal Poly Mustangs 64
It’s been a rough few years for the Trojans, but the team got off to a positive start on Monday night, rolling past an overmatched Cal Poly squad at home to improve to 1-0 on the season. Jacob Cofie led the way with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Rodney Rice also had 21 points and eight assists. USC will hope to keep things rolling at home on Sunday against Manhattan.
-Washington Huskies 94, Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions 50
The Huskies beat down a hapless Golden Lions squad at home on Monday night to improve to 1-0 on the season. Hannes Steinbach led the way with 21 points and seven rebounds. Wesley Yates also had a good showing with 14 points and seven rebounds. Washington will now prepare for Denver at home on Thursday.
-No. 24 Wisconsin Badgers 96, Campbell Camels 64
The Badgers scored a solid win on Monday, cruising to a 32-point win at home against Campbell. John Blackwell led the way with 31 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Nick Boyd also had 21 points. Wisconsin will now prepare for Northern Illinois at home on Friday. The Huskies are even lower on KenPom than Campbell.
