The Big Ten had four games on Thanksgiving Eve, including three marquee matchups. However, most eyes were focused on Michigan, as the Wolverines faced off against a talented Gonzaga squad.
Let’s take a look
at what happened.
Game of the Night:
–No. 7 Michigan Wolverines 101, No. 12 Gonzaga Bulldogs 61
Normally, we try to avoid including blowouts as our “Game of the Night”, especially when multiple Big Ten teams face marquee opponents. However, nearly every rule needs an exception and this has to be it. Michigan not only beat Gonzaga, but boat raced the Bulldogs en route to a 40-point win. It was as complete of a domination as you’ll ever see against a team on Gonzaga’s level. In fact, it was easily Gonzaga’s worst loss in years and potentially much longer, depending on how you view the program’s loss to UConn in 2023.
The star of the show was Yaxel Lendeborg, who finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds, four steals, and three assists in the win. He was electric on both ends of the floor. Elliot Cadeau also had arguably his best night as a Wolverine with 13 assists. It was a massive step forward from some of his rough outings earlier this year.
The win pushed Michigan to 7-0 and atop KenPom’s ratings, at least as of Thursday morning. The Wolverines now easily have the nation’s most impressive resume through the first month of the season and a legitimate claim to be No. 1 in the polls on Monday. We’ll have to see how voters compare the Wolverines and Boilermakers in the coming days, but it’s hard to diminish what Michigan has accomplished so far. The team already has two blowout wins against ranked opponents and three other quality wins away from home.
We’ll see if Michigan can keep up this level of play. It’ll be a tall task. The Wolverines will now get a week off before returning to action on December 6th against Rutgers.
The Rest:
–Iowa Hawkeyes 59, Grand Canyon Antelopes 46
The Hawkeyes continued rolling on Wednesday, beating Grand Canyon in a defensive struggle. Isaia Howard led the way with 19 points and six rebounds. Bennett Stirtz also had another nice showing with 13 points, five assists, and two rebounds. Iowa held a respectable Grand Canyon squad to just 0.77 points per possession.
Iowa improved to a perfect 7-0 with the win. The Hawks will now return home and prepare to open Big Ten play on the road against Michigan State on Tuesday.
–No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide 105, Maryland Terrapins 72
Terp fans were hoping Maryland could bounce back after a tough outing against Gonzaga on Tuesday, but that wasn’t the case, as Alabama cruised to a 33-point win over Maryland. Darius Adams had a decent showing with 20 points and three rebounds. Pharrel Payne also had 14 points, four rebounds, and four assists. However, it was nowhere near enough, as Maryland’s defense got shredded by the Tide.
Maryland fell to 5-3 overall with the loss. The team will now get a few days off to recover before facing off against Wagner at home on Tuesday in one of Maryland’s fine tuneup games of the season.
–USC Trojans 88, Arizona State Sun Devils 75
This was probably the most entertaining Big Ten game of the day, as USC took care of business in Maui. Chad Baker-Mazara had a great showing, finishing with 23 points, four assists, and three rebounds. Jaden Brownell also had a great game off the bench with 16 points. USC was in control for most of the game and finished with 1.33 points per possession.
USC improved to 7-0 overall with the win and fans have to be thrilled with the team’s trip to Hawai’i. We’ll see if that success can carry over to the start of Big Ten play next week. The Trojans will return to action on Tuesday on the road against Oregon.
