Big Ten men’s basketball had nine games over the first weekend of February. Most games were settled by less than 10 points.
The battle through the Big Ten continued to be a gauntlet for 18 conference teams with only two blowouts this weekend. Even with the Super Bowl being played, the Big Ten Conference provided its own share of entertainment.
Saturday: Michigan State 85, Illinois 82
The Spartans took down the Fighting Illini in overtime with success through the air and the backboard. Michigan State shot 43 percent from the field and had 48 rebounds to Illinois’s 38. The Spartans were losing 39-35 headed into halftime, but a second half comeback allowed them to get the hard fought win and take down one of the conference’s best.
Saturday: Nebraska 80, Rutgers 68
The Cornhuskers demolished Rutgers with senior forward Reink Mast leading the charge with 26-points and 8 rebounds to topple the Scarlet Knights. Despite the destruction of Rutgers, the Scarlet Knights were still able to shoot effectively from the field with 48 percent success rate, compared to Nebraska’s 47 percent.
Saturday: Purdue 68, Oregon 64
The Boilermakers don’t appear to be the once dominant team that were at the beginning of the season. The Oregon Ducks managed to stay close to Purdue throughout the entirety of the game and Oregon’s senior center Nate Brittle was the game’s leading scorer with 23-points.
Saturday: Indiana 78, Wisconsin 77
The Hoosiers continue to rise with another overtime upset. Wisconsin’s loss was a bit similar to UCLA’s loss to Indiana a week prior with Indiana dominating the game, but then losing it in the second half to go into overtime. This time it was senior guard Lamar Wilkerson to lead the Hoosiers to a win with a 25-point performance, although senior forward Sam Alexis should also get recognition for his defense with five of Indiana’s nine blocks.
Saturday: UCLA 77, Washington 73
The Bruins were able to cling onto their lead despite only shooting 41 percent from the field. The Huskies forced multiple lead changes including holding onto a 34-30 lead into halftime. UCLA’s defense continued to get better as the game went along and sophomore guard Trent Perry put up 23-points, which helped the Bruins recover from senior forward Tyler Bilodeau and junior forward Xavier Booker both missing gametime in the middle of the second, due to foul trouble.
Sunday: Michigan 82, Ohio State 61
The Buckeyes senior guard Bruce Thornton did everything he could to get his team the win by leading with 16-points, 6 rebounds and four assists. The Wolverines were just too physical for Ohio State to overcome with 6 blocks and 43 rebounds helping suffocate the Buckeyes hopes at an upset.
Sunday: USC 77, Penn State 75
The Nittany Lions were almost able to steal their second win of the season with a burst of offense around halftime. Midway through the second half, the Trojans woke up and came screeching back to take the win. It was a sloppy performance by both teams with the Trojans stealing the ball 10 times and Penn State stealing it 12 times.
Sunday: Maryland 67, Minnesota 62
The Terrapins got their second win of the season against a struggling Golden Gophers offense. Minnesota had a 42 percent success rate from three, but Maryland was shooting 50 percent from the field. A lot of the offensive success for the Terrapins came from senior guard David Coit, who came off the bench and scored 29-points.
Sunday: Iowa 76, Northwestern 70
The Hawkeyes usually strong defense faltered against the Wildcats and gave Northwestern the ability to shoot 47 percent from the field and 57 percent from beyond the arc. Iowa was able to hold onto their lead to secure another win for Iowa though and in large part because of senior guard Bennett Stirtz scoring 36-points.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Feb. 9 Big Ten men’s basketball Scoreboard: Illinois, Wisconsin fall
Reporting by Ryan Lorenz, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
