The Big Ten had a plethora of games on Friday night, highlighted by a rivalry battle between Maryland and Georgetown. A few other teams also played frustratingly close contests.
Let’s take a look at what
happened.
Game of the Night:
–Georgetown Hoyas 70, Maryland Terrapins 60
The Terps were favored heading into this one, though only mildly. However, those expectations had largely evaporated by halftime, as Maryland was struggling to keep things in reach. The Hoyas then took firm control out of the break, jumping out to a double-digit lead thanks to 19 points from Malik Mack. At one point, it even stretched to 20 before Maryland could close things down again. Ultimately, Maryland fell 70-60.
Obviously, Terp fans have to be disappointed in this outcome. Not only because the team fell short against a rival, but also because its offense did so little. The Terps finished with just 0.87 points per possession and nobody in the starting lineup other than Pharrel Payne scored more than six points on the night. That’s a brutal showing, even if there were some issues with foul trouble and playing time. For perspective, the four non-Payne starters had 14 points in 72 minutes of action. That’s simply unsustainable against quality competition.
Maryland will now get a few days to sit on its loss before returning to action on Tuesday at home against Alcorn State. It figures to be a good tune up opportunity.
The Rest:
–No. 17 Illinois Fighting Illini 113, Florida Gulf Coast Eagles 70
There isn’t much to talk about with this one. Illinois hosted a flawed team at home and absolutely boatraced them en route to victory. Kyle Boswell led the way with 31 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists. Keaton Wagler also had 22 points and seven rebounds in the win. Illinois now sits at 2-0 and will prepare for a massive game against Texas Tech at home on Tuesday.
–Iowa Hawkeyes 77, Western Illinois Leathernecks 58
This was a lopsided affair and rightfully so, as Western Illinois entered as one of the worst teams in the nation. Iowa was led by Bennett Stirtz, who finished with 24 points and seven assists. Alvaro Folgueiras also had 13 points, five rebounds, and five assists off the bench. Iowa now sits at 2-0 and will prepare for a pretty good Xavier team at home next Friday night in Ben McCollum’s first test at the helm.
–Northwestern Wildcats 76, Boston University Terriers 52
The Wildcats scored another comfortable win on Friday, cruising past Boston University. Nick Martinelli led the way with 20 points, nine rebounds, and one assists. Jayden Reid also had 17 points, eight assists, and one rebound. The win pushed Northwestern to 2-0 on the season. The team will now prepare for Cleveland State at home on Monday in what figures to be another tune up game.
–Ohio State Buckeyes 94, Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons 68
The Buckeyes had a wild opener, as both teams combined for 220 points on Monday night. This one ended up being considerably calmer, as Ohio State took care of business against a flawed Mastodon squad. Ohio State was led by an absurd 38 points from Bruce Thornton, as the Buckeyes came close to breaking 100 points again. John Mobley also had 19 points and four assists in the win. Ohio State now sits at 2-0 and will prepare for Appalachian State at home on Tuesday.
–Oregon Ducks 67, Rice Owls 63
This was a quietly good win for Oregon, as the team held off a pretty solid Rice squad at home on Friday night to improve to 2-0 on the season. The Ducks held Rice to just 0.94 points per possession and got a big night from Nate Bittle, who finished with 25 points and eight rebounds. Jackson Shelstad and Kwame Evans also both finished in double-figures. Oregon will now prepare for South Dakota State at home on Wednesday.
–No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers 87, Oakland Golden Grizzlies 77
After Michigan steamrolled Oakland earlier this week, Boilermaker fans were hoping for a similar result on Friday night. However, that didn’t end up being the case, as the Grizzlies came out swinging and made this a game deep into the second half. Fortunately for Purdue, Braden Smith did enough offensively to get the team across the finish line, grabbing 20 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds in the process. Fletcher Loyer also had 15 points in the win. Purdue’s defense struggled, giving up 1.1 points per possession to Oakland.
Purdue improved to 2-0 with the win and will now prepare for Alabama on the road on Thursday. It figures to be one of the bigger games of non-conference play for the league.
–No. 12 UCLA Bruins 74, Pepperdine Waves 63
For the second straight time this week, UCLA played a lackluster opponent and made things closer than fans would have liked. It was Eastern Washington on Monday and Pepperdine on Friday. Fortunately for Bruin fans, while the final result was relatively close, there was little drama in the closing minutes this time, as UCLA at least had enough of a gap to know it was going to win. Xavier Booker led the way with 15 points and five rebounds. Donovan Dent also had 12 points and four assists.
UCLA improved to 2-0 on the season and will now prepare for West Georgia at home on Monday night. Fans will hope the team can keep trending up.
–No. 24 Wisconsin Badgers 97, Northern Illinois Huskies 72
The Badgers scored a comfortable win on Friday against Northern Illinois, thanks to 25 points from Nick Boyd. John Blackwell also had a positive showing with 15 points and six rebounds. The bench was eventually deployed and Wisconsin cruised to a 27-point win. Wisconsin now sits at 2-0 and will prepare for Ball State at home on Tuesday.
