UCLA plays a very important Big Ten men’s basketball game against Maryland this weekend, but that’s obviously not the featured attraction in the conference. On a national level, the two biggest games in the Big Ten this weekend are Illinois at Iowa and Nebraska at Indiana. Let’s look at the full weekend schedule in the conference:
Nebraska Cornhuskers at Indiana Hoosiers
This game gets the Saturday slate started at noon Eastern. Nebraska remains unbeaten, enjoying a tremendous season under coach Fred Hoiberg. Indiana is an inconsistent team overall but a very good home-court team. This is a genuine test for NU as it tries to climb the NCAA Tournament seed list and put itself in position to win its first-ever NCAA Tournament game.
Wisconsin Badgers at Michigan Wolverines
Wisconsin beat UCLA, but Michigan figures to be a far tougher challenge. Michigan is the Big Ten favorite, though Yaxel Lendeborg has been slowed by a recent injury. Michigan doesn’t want to overextend him before March.
Penn State Nittany Lions at Purdue Boilermakers
This afternoon game should be a complete wipeout. Penn State doesn’t figure to have a lot left in the tank after almost beating Michigan at home.
Maryland Terrapins at UCLA Bruins
The late game on Saturday is an absolute must-win for the Bruins. If they lose to Maryland, fold up shop and call it a season.
Illinois Fighting Illini at Iowa Hawkeyes
This game, at noon Eastern on Sunday, is the highlight of the weekend slate. Iowa is coming off a brutal loss at Minnesota and figures to be fired up, but Illinois has looked like an upper-tier Big Ten team all season. This should be fun.
Northwestern Wildcats at Rutgers Scarlet Knights
This is a nowhere game between two nowhere teams.
Ohio State Buckeyes at Washington Huskies
Ohio State just drilled Oregon on the road. The Buckeyes continue their Pacific Northwest trip in Seattle against a Washington team in desperate need of a win. Washington is arguably UCLA’s best resume win, so the Bruins need the Huskies to step up here and deliver.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Big Ten men’s basketball weekend preview for January 10-11
Reporting by Matt Zemek, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
