Big Ten conference play is officially in full swing, but that doesn’t mean that only intra-conference games were played this week. Many teams played important non-conference games as well with some mixed
results. With larger sample sizes for all the metrics at the NCAA Tournament Committee’s disposal, it’s time to break down the bracket once again.
Michigan – No. 1 Seed (No. 1 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 1 Seed (No. 1 overall)
The Wolverines took over a week off after winning the Players Era Championship to gear up for conference play. In its first matchup in conference play, Michigan trounced Rutgers 101-60 at home. The Wolverines have now scored 100+ points in their last three games, and the last time a Michigan team did that (1989), the Wolverines went on to win a national championship. Next up for Michigan is a home game against Villanova and a road matchup with Maryland.
Purdue – No. 2 Seed (No. 8 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 1 Seed (No. 2 overall)
The Boilermakers’ dominant run to start the season came to an end over the weekend, but not before Purdue started conference play. The Boilermakers easily defeated Rutgers 81-65 on the road in an arena that has been some form of a haunted house for No. 1 Purdue teams of the past. But in Mackey Arena – which has been a painful trip for Boilermaker opponents for years – it was then-No. 10 ranked Iowa State who came out with an 81-58 victory. Purdue likely won’t have too many games where it shoots less than 25% from three-point range this season (it shot 22% on Saturday), however, and the Cyclones are the second-best defense in the country according to KenPom, meaning the Boilermakers should be able to bounce back from this one pretty easily.
Michigan State – No. 3 Seed (No. 10 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 2 Seed (No. 8 overall)
The Spartans, much like the Boilermakers, cruised to a conference win in the middle of the week, but couldn’t stay undefeated in a very high profile nonconference matchup at home. Michigan State defeated Iowa 71-52 in its conference opener, handing the Hawkeyes their first loss of the season, but faced a much tougher test over the weekend. The Spartans took on No. 4 Duke, and after the Blue Devils trailed 34-31 at halftime, they had an impressive second-half showing, out-scoring Michigan State 35-26 to secure a 66-60 road victory. The Spartans will have almost a full week to shake off the loss and attempt to move to 2-0 in conference play when they take on Penn State on the road this weekend.
Illinois – No. 4 Seed (No. 14 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 5 Seed (No. 19 overall)
The Fighting Illini finally broke through in a high level neutral-court matchup over the weekend. Illinois had previously lost such games against top-12 opponents Alabama and UConn, but against No. 13 Tennessee in Nashville (more of a road environment than a neutral-court game), Illinois claimed its signature non-conference win. The Illini beat the Volunteers 75-62 to get their first Quad 1 win of the season (although the home win against Texas Tech will probably join that list), showing why this team should be considered a legitimate threat in the B1G title race.
Nebraska – No. 5 Seed (No. 17 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 7 Seed (No. 27 overall)
The Cornhuskers have blitzed through their non-conference schedule to the tune of a 9-0 start. This week, Nebraska took on in-state rival Crieghton, but the game was never close as the Cornhuskers ran away with a 71-50 win. The Bluejays haven’t exactly had the season many thought they would have, though, and Nebraska’s schedule will get a lot tougher when it takes on Wisconsin and Illinois this week to open up conference play.
Iowa – No. 7 Seed (No. 26 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 6 Seed (No. 21 overall)
The Hawkeyes went 1-1 (as expected) in their first week of conference play under Ben McCollum. Iowa’s offense completely stalled out in a 71-52 loss to Michigan State, but bounced back in an 83-64 win against Maryland at home. The Hawkeyes are supposed to land in the middle of the pack in the conference, and the results of this week matched up pretty well with those expectations. Unfortunately for Iowa, after already playing at the Breslin Center last week, the Hawkeyes’ next game is at Hilton Coliseum against the red-hot Iowa State Cyclones. If Iowa can even keep that game close, it would be a respectable performance.
USC – No. 7 Seed (No. 27 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 6 Seed (No. 23 overall)
The Trojans had a relatively favorable schedule to start out conference play, but didn’t play up to their peak in those two games. USC eked out an 82-77 victory against Oregon on the road, and although road victories are hard to come by in conference play, the Ducks might be among some of the easiest opportunities to claim road wins the B1G has had in a few years. The Trojans returned home to take on Washington, but despite holding a 48-30 halftime lead, USC gave up 54 second-half points to the Huskies in an 84-76 loss. The Trojans should cruise in their next few games before the calendar turns over to the new year and the schedule becomes a lot tougher.
Indiana – No. 8 Seed (No. 31 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 5 Seed (No. 18 overall)
After a 7-0 start to the season, everything came crashing down quickly this week as the Hoosiers moved into conference play. In its first road game of the season, Indiana took on a struggling Minnesota team. The Hoosiers were tied with the Golden Gophers 33-33 going into halftime, but allowed 40 points in the second half as Minnesota won 74-63. Things didn’t get any easier for Indiana who moved on to play against a top-10 Louisville team. The Cardinals came out firing on all cylinders on offense, and the Hoosiers had no answer all night long. Louisville won 87-78, handing Indiana its second straight loss, and the Hoosiers’ seeding went tumbling as a result of the two losses this week.
UCLA – No. 9 Seed (No. 33 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 8 Seed (No. 29 overall)
The Bruins lost both of their first two games against major-conference competition this season (against Arizona and California), but flipped the script in conference play this week. UCLA defeated Washington 82-80 on the road, leveraging six threes and 25 points by Skyy Clark to claim a Quad 1 road win against the Huskies. The Bruins followed up that important victory with a 74-63 win at home against Oregon, but still saw their seeding drop a bit as a result of other teams near them on the seed list claiming big wins of their own.
Wisconsin – No. 9 Seed (No. 35 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 9 Seed (No. 34 overall)
John Blackwell and Nick Boyd scored 20+ points each in an 85-73 Badgers win against Northwestern to open up conference play. Wisconsin continued its positive momentum with a 96-76 win against Marquette at home. Beating the Golden Eagles has not been much of a challenge for many teams this season, and the Badgers continued that trend. However, both of those two wins were solid and the victory margin was also impressive as they helped Wisconsin keep a solid position in the bracket.
Ohio State – No. 10 Seed (No. 37 overall, Last Four Byes)
Previous seeding: No. 10 Seed (No. 37 overall, Last Four Byes)
The Buckeyes’ loss against Pitt was definitely an off-putting result, but Ohio State did a good job of leaving that loss in the past and turning its attention to the start of conference play against Northwestern. The Buckeyes went on the road and won 86-82 in that game, claiming their first Quad 1 win of the season in the process. Ohio State will have another opportunity to get a Quad 1 win on Tuesday when it takes on Illinois at home.
Washington – In Consideration
Previous seeding: In Consideration
Hannes Steinbach returned from injury this week, and the Huskies immediately returned to better form this week. Even though Washington didn’t start 2-0 in conference, the Huskies barely lost 82-80 in their conference opener and followed that up by erasing an 18-point deficit against USC for an 84-76 road win. Steinbach combined for 53 points (on 18-for-24 FG) and 26 rebounds in those two games, and will continue to be an extremely important piece for this Washington squad moving forward.
Northwestern – Out
Previous seeding: Next Four Out
Last week, I noted that the Wildcats needed much better defensive performances to come up with any notable conference wins, and this week was not the showing that ‘Cats fans hoped for. Northwestern lost 85-73 to Wisconsin on the road in its first conference game, and lost 86-82 at home against Ohio State over the weekend. Although they looked more competitive against the Buckeyes than they were in Madison, the ‘Cats have now given up 85+ points in three straight games (all losses). For now, Northwestern remains a team with a bubble-level offense, but with a team ceiling lowered by a lackluster defense.
Penn State – Out
Previous seeding: Out
The Nittany Lions were the quietest B1G team of the week, as they played just one game against Campbell. The Fighting Camels (amazing mascot) kept the game surprisingly close, but Penn State ended up winning 87-76 at home in its final tune-up game before conference play. Next up for the Nittany Lions are two tough tests against Indiana on the road and Michigan State at home.
Minnesota – Out
Previous seeding: Out
The Golden Gophers came up with a narrative-changing win in their conference opener against Indiana this week. At the half, the game was tied at 33 apiece, but Minnesota outscored the Hoosiers 40-31 in the second half to claim a 73-64 victory. The win snapped a three-game overall losing streak and gave the Gophers their first win against a top-250 KenPom team this season (they were previously 0-4 in such matchups). Minnesota’s schedule won’t get any easier, though, as the Gophers face Purdue coming off its first loss of the season.
Oregon – Out
Previous seeding: Out
The Ducks’ disappointing season continued to cascade downhill to begin conference play. After a shaky 4-0 start, Oregon lost three in a row at the Players Era tournament and then lost two consecutive games in conference play this week. Oregon lost 82-77 to USC at home and lost 74-63 on the road against UCLA. After coming into the season as a seemingly solid team, the Ducks are now in the conversation for the worst team in the conference.
Maryland – Out
Previous seeding: Out
The Terrapins played two games this weekend, with a buy game against Wagner bridging the gap between the Players Era tournament to get ready for the start of conference play. Maryland easily defeated Wagner 89-63 behind a career-high 30-point outing from Pharrel Payne. But in the Terrapins’ first conference game, they struggled to contain Bennett Stirtz and the Iowa offense, losing 83-64 on the road. Maryland will have an opportunity to shock the conference this week when it plays a currently undefeated Michigan team at home.
Rutgers – Out
Previous seeding: Out
The Scarlet Knights got the worst possible schedule to start conference play, taking on Purdue and Michigan, who have looked like the top two teams in the conference from the very start of the season. Rutgers lost 81-65 to the Boilermakers at home before losing 101-60 on the road against the Wolverines. Rutgers remains a team that, at best, can only ruin a few resumes with a bad loss as the year continues.
