/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62803017/usa_today_11952835.0.jpg)
The Big Ten had a loaded slate on Sunday, including two matchups between ranked teams. The highlights of the day were Nebraska’s trip to Iowa and Indiana’s trip to Michigan. All told, it was a fun filled day for fans of the league.
Let’s take a look at what happened.
Game of the Day:
-No. 2 Michigan Wolverines 74, No. 21 Indiana Hoosiers 63
Undoubtedly, this was the Big Ten’s marquee game on Sunday afternoon. A top five Michigan team hosted a ranked Indiana at home and looked to improve to 15-0 on the season. Add in that Indiana had won seven in a row and it was easy to see why many across the nation were tuning in for this one.
However, the actual gameplay didn’t quite live up to the hype. The Wolverines came roaring out of the gates and were up 19 on the Hoosiers in the blink of an eye. And despite Indiana’s second half heroics, Michigan was never legitimately at risk of losing this one. The win pushed Michigan to 15-0 overall and 4-0 in Big Ten play.
Michigan will now prepare for a road trip to Illinois on Thursday and Indiana will hope to rebound with a road trip to Maryland on Friday night.
The Rest:
-Northwestern Wildcats 68, Illinois Fighting Illini 66
Although this was the Big Ten’s lowest profile game of the day, it still had plenty of its own fireworks. Illinois went on the road to face arch-rival Northwestern in a game that looked to be pretty important for Northwestern’s postseason chances.
Early on, Illinois came out firing and Ayo Dosunmu was particularly impressive in route to 18 points and five rebounds. However, Northwestern gradually came back and was able to scrape by with a 68-66 win over the Illini. The Wildcats will now prepare for Iowa at home on Wednesday and Illinois will get Michigan at home on Thursday night.
-No. 25 Iowa Hawkeyes 93, No. 24 Nebraska Cornhuskers 84
This game got caught a little under the radar due to Michigan’s matchup against Indiana, but that didn’t take away anything from its intensity. These two teams battled for the duration of the afternoon and Iowa was able to do just enough to grab the win. And it was a much needed victory for the Hawkeyes, who would have dropped to 0-4 in Big Ten play with a loss to the Huskers.
The star of this one was Jordan Bohannon. The junior guard finished with 25 points and five assists during the course of the afternoon. Tyler Cook also had 16 points and seven rebounds. Iowa will now prepare for Northwestern on the road on Wednesday and Nebraska will get Penn State at home on Thursday.
-No. 22 Wisconsin Badgers 71, Penn State Nittany Lions 52
After losing two straight, Badger fans were getting a bit anxious heading into Wisconsin’s road trip to Penn State. However, those nerves would prove to be unwarranted, as the Badgers were able to cruise to an easy 71-52 road win over Penn State. With the win, Wisconsin improved to 11-4 overall. Penn State dropped to 7-8 on the season.
The Badgers will now prepare to face Purdue at home on Friday while Penn State will prepare for a road trip to Nebraska on Thursday.