With the upper-echelon teams in Big Ten basketball getting the day off, there were still classic matchups that went down to the wire. Indiana and UCLA delivered a game that had the feel of an NCAA Tournament game, while having potential implications on both teams’ chances to make the tournament. USC won, but in a less-than-inspiring fashion.
Here are the scores and the rest of my analysis from Saturday in Big Ten basketball:
Wisconsin 92-82 vs Ohio State
Wisconsin scorers proved to be the best in this matchup, as both John Blackwell and Nick Boyd combined for 43 to lead the Badgers past the Buckeyes. The Badgers got production from everywhere. Big man Nolan Winter had a double-double. Austin Rapp posted 19 points from the bench, knocking down 5 3s, all of which came in the first half. Wisconsin proved to be the better squad, and they made the Buckeyes’ shot at the tournament even more shaky with this win.
Indiana 98-97 vs UCLA
UCLA falls for the first time at home, ending their 14-game home winning streak vs the Hoosiers. The Hoosiers showed up to play, as they had 3 players touch 20 points on the night, one of whom was Reed Bailey, who had 24 off the bench. Lamar Wilkerson and Nick Dorn both combined for 50 points. This game felt every bit of a tournament game; even with the score, this was an intense defensive game. UCLA did just about all they could, with 4 of their starters putting up more than 15 points and getting great production from their stars. This was just a toss-up game, and the Hoosiers made the shots and plays to come out on top late. This was a huge win for the Hoosiers, and a win that could propel them into a tourney run and berth. For the Bruins, this could very well do the opposite. This could be the exact game that causes them not to get in.
USC 78-75 vs Rutgers
Coming off a tough stretch of games, the Trojans could not have faced Rutgers at a better time. Yet still, this was a game that could definitely have gone the other way. Ezra Ausar led the way with his 21 points and only missing 2 shots on the day. Jacob Cofie followed suit with his double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds. The Trojans were in control of this game the entire way, and it got ugly at times in this game. Thanks to the scoring of guard Tariq Francis, who had 26 points and led his own personal run late in the second, the Trojans broke a sweat at the end instead of closing the game out. The Trojans get back on the right track, but for Rutgers, they remain a bottom team in conference and now have lost 5 straight.
Washington 76-62 vs Northwestern
The Huskies’ big 3 take care of business vs the Wildcats. Huskies win by double digits as Hannes Steinbach has a 22-point double-double, guard Zoom Diallo posts 22 as well, and Wesley Yates III chips in 21 of his own. That scoring outburst was too much for Northwestern to catch up to. The Huskies dominated the glass and shot 45% from 3 and 46% from the field as a whole. That is just a recipe for disaster for your opponent. Washington gets back to winning after getting beaten up by the best of the best in the Big Ten, this win could spark a run before the tourney.
Overview
It was a big night for mid-level contenders in the Big Ten to get back on track and get back to winning. Indiana and Wisconsin both proved they were teams that should be viewed still as top teams with their statement wins yesterday, and both have the talent to make some noise in the conference still. The Trojans got a win over the Scarlet Knights, yet this game was very telling for whether or not any team in the Big Ten should be scared of USC.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Big Ten basketball report for January 31 – USC wins, UCLA loses
Reporting by Micah Huff, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
