The Big Ten had a loaded slate on Friday, highlighted by two ranked matchups and an only Big 12 rematch for Nebraska as well. Four other teams were also in action.
Let’s take a look at what happened.
Game of the Night:
–No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers 86, No. 15 Texas Tech Red Raiders 56
The
Boilermakers had a bit of a shaky start in the Bahamas on Thursday, narrowly surviving Memphis in a tight game. However, that didn’t carry over to Friday, as Purdue smashed a ranked Texas Tech squad. The Red Raiders kept it close for the opening minutes of the game, but the Boilers raced away by halftime and eventually got to unload the bench in the second half. Oscar Cluff led the way with 15 points and 15 rebounds. All told, seven Boilermakers finished with double-digits.
Purdue improved to 6-0 with the win and delivered quite a statement about why the Boilers should remain the nation’s top ranked team. While Texas Tech is starting to look overrated (the Raiders are already down to 31st on KenPom), walloping an opponent like this deserves recognition. Purdue looked every bit the part of a Final Four squad on Friday and got contributions from everywhere.
Of course, the question is how Purdue can build off its success on Friday. The Boilers will get a week off before returning to action against Eastern Illinois at home on Black Friday. That’s followed by a challenging slate of games that includes matchups against Iowa State, Marquette, and Auburn, so buckle up.
The Rest:
–No. 17 Michigan State Spartans 84, Detroit Mercy Titans 56
The Spartans won this one rather comfortably, thanks in large part to 18 points and 11 assists from star guard Jeremy Fears. Jaxon Kohler also had a nice showing with 13 points. The win pushed Michigan State to 5-0 overall. The team will now prepare for its trip to Fort Myers, where it will open against East Carolina on Tuesday.
–Nebraska Cornhuskers 86, Kansas State Wildcats 85
The Huskers kept the team’s fast start going on Friday, taking care of Kansas State in Las Vegas. The game was back-and-forth in the second half, but Nebraska did just enough to edge out a win. Pryce Sandfort led the effort with 21 points. Rienk Mast also had 20 points, four rebounds, and three assists.
The win pushed Nebraska to 6-0 on the season. Notably, it was the team’s 10th straight win dating back to last season, which leads the nation. The Huskers will now return home to prepare for a quality mid-major opponent in Winthrop on Tuesday.
–Virginia Cavaliers 83, Northwestern Wildcats 78
This was a tight one that went down to the final minutes. Unfortunately for Wildcat fans, the team didn’t have quite enough defense to get across the finish line. Jayden Reid and Arrinten Page had great games, combining for 45 points. However, Thijs De Ridder had 26 points for the Cavs en route to the win.
The loss dropped Northwestern to 4-1 overall. The team will hope to bounce back as it continues its trip to West Virginia on Sunday against South Carolina. KenPom favors the Wildcats.
–Central Connecticut Blue Devils 67, Rutgers Scarlet Knights 54
This was easily the Big Ten’s worst loss of the day. Rutgers had been playing with fire in a few of its earlier games this season and it finally got burnt on Friday, falling to Central Connecticut in one of its more embarrassing outings in years. The Scarlet Knights’ offensive showing was horrid, finishing with just 0.87 points per possession. Only two players finished with double-digits and one of them (Denis Badalau) had an offensive rating of just 90. It was a rough outing all around.
The loss dropped Rutgers to 4-1 on the season. The team has regressed nearly 40 spots on KenPom since the season began and now finds itself sitting at 124th nationally. Fans will have to hope the team just had an off night and will rebound, as the team prepares to face Tennessee in Las Vegas on Monday.
–No. 19 UCLA Bruins 86, Presbyterian Blue Hose 46
UCLA has let multiple underwhelming opponents hang around so far this season. However, that didn’t happen on Friday, as the Bruins cruised to a 40-point win over Presbyterian. Skyy Clark led the way with 22 points and three rebounds. Donovan Dent also had 14 points. The win pushed UCLA to 5-1 overall. The team will now prepare for old foe California in San Francisco on Tuesday.
–No. 9 BYU Cougars 98, No. 23 Wisconsin Badgers 70
This was a disappointing one for the Badgers. The team started the season well at 4-0, but Friday marked Wisconsin’s first game against a competent opponent and things didn’t go well. The Badgers fell behind in the first half and couldn’t catch up in the quasi road game, finishing with just 0.93 points per possession. Nick Boyd finished with 16 points, but only had a 90 offensive rating.
The loss dropped Wisconsin to 4-1 overall and will leave the Badgers wondering about their potential this season. Fans will hope this was simply a case of BYU being really good, rather than an indictment against Wisconsin. The team will return to action against Providence on Thanksgiving in San Diego.
