Big Ten play has been very exciting this season, especially because there have been plenty of upsets during league play. The Maryland Terrapins are one of the best teams in the Big Ten and they will be in action tonight against the Northwestern Wildcats. The Terps suffered their first Big Ten loss of the season to the Michigan Wolverines last week and the Wildcats lost to the Penn State Nittany Lions recently, which was disappointing. The other Big Ten matchup that will take place tonight will be between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Indiana Hoosiers. Both of these games will be very interesting seeing that one of the best teams in the country and conference will be playing and because one of the hottest teams in the conference will be playing.
Below are the previews each game.
Game of the Night: Northwestern Wildcats vs. No. 5 Maryland Terrapins (8:00 PM ET | BTN)
This is going to be another big opportunity for Northwestern to show if they have what it takes to knock off an elite team in the country and in the Big Ten. The Wildcats are playing the Terps on the road, which makes this game even tougher for Northwestern. They are also coming off a bad loss to Penn State and Maryland is coming off of a 35 point win over the Ohio State Buckeyes, which is rather impressive.
The key to this game will be whether or not the Wildcats can hit perimeter shots. The Wildcats have been struggling on offense recently and have not been shooting the basketball particularly well. They will also have to contain Maryland's star players like Melo Trimble, Diamond Stone, and Jake Layman if they want to have a chance of pulling off the upset.
The Terps might be a little too strong for Northwestern to handle, but in Big Ten play anything is possible on any given night.
The Rest
- Illinois Fighting Illini vs. No. 23 Indiana Hoosiers (7:00 PM ET| ESPN)
There are not many teams that are hotter in the Big Ten than Indiana right now. They are 5-0 in conference play and tied for first in the Big Ten with the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Hoosiers have not lost a game since December 2nd and they have been playing really well on both ends of the floor since their last loss to the Duke Blue Devils. Yogi Ferrell has been great all year long and he will look to continue his fantastic offensive play against the Fighting Illini, who are coming off a loss against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Watch for Indiana to control most of this game on both ends of the floor because they are on a roll right now and Illinois does not have the weapons on offense to really hurt the Hoosiers, but it is the Big Ten and whacky upsets happen all the time.