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The Big Ten had an absolutely loaded slate of games on Sunday, with 10 teams in action and multiple facing off against quality competition. The biggest games of the day featured Indiana and Ohio State against Power Five opponents.
Let’s take a look at what happened.
Game of the Night:
-No. 22 West Virginia Mountaineers 67, No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes 59
It was a rough weekend for Buckeye fans all around. After Ohio State’s football team lost on Saturday night, many were hoping to get some good news on Sunday as the basketball team took on West Virginia in a bit of an unusual neutral site game. The two schools faced off in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ arena instead of doing a traditional home-and-home.
Ohio State actually controlled this one early, but faded in the second half. Kaleb Wesson finished with 17 points, but it was an inefficient night for the big man and the team’s offenses. All told, Ohio State fell 67-59 for only its second loss of the season.
The Buckeyes will now get a few days off before getting back into action on Friday at home against a hot Wisconsin team. Ohio State will be favored to win.
The Rest:
-Illinois Fighting Illini 95, North Carolina A&T 64
There isn’t much to take away from this one. Illinois faced a really weak North Carolina A&T team at home on Sunday and cruised to a 31-point victory. The Illini will get back into action on Thursday on the road against Michigan State. Fans will have to wait and see whether the team can get its second win against a top 15 KenPom opponent this season in that matchup.
-Arkansas Razorbacks 71, Indiana Hoosiers 64
This was a tough one. For massive segments of Sunday’s matchup between Arkansas and Indiana, it seemed like the Hoosiers were in control. Unfortunately, Indiana faded down the stretch and ended up dropping its second game of the season. Arkansas isn’t a bad team, so this likely won’t be a bad loss. However, it was a missed opportunity for an Indiana team that many are skeptical of at the moment.
Indiana will now be off until Saturday, when the Hoosiers go on the road to face off against Maryland. A win there would certainly change the narrative about this team.
-Iowa Hawkeyes 93, Kennesaw State Owls 51
This was a pretty easy win for Iowa from opening tip and that shouldn’t come as a big surprise. Kennesaw State is one of the worst teams nationally. Luka Garza ended up finishing with 23 points on the night. Iowa will now be off until next Saturday when the team travels to face Penn State.
-No. 13 Maryland Terrapins 84, Bryant Bulldogs 70
This is another one to throw in the category of really good team hosting an underwhelming team at home. The only major thing notable here is that it’s the first game since the Mitchell twins transferred out of the program. The Terps were still able to cruise to a win. Maryland will now be off until Saturday, when it hosts Indiana at home.
-No. 11 Michigan Wolverines 86, UMass Lowell River Hawks 60
Let’s throw this one in that group as well. Michigan played without an injured Isaiah Livers, but still grabbed a 26-point win. Michigan will be off until next Sunday, when the team goes on the road to face rival Michigan State.
-No. 14 Michigan State Spartans 95, Western Michigan Broncos 62
A matchup between a top 15 team and a MAC opponent normally wouldn’t turn a lot of heads. However, this one did draw some headlines as Cassius Winston sat out the game with concerns about a left knee injury. While not expected to be a long-term issue, it is something to watch moving forward. But even without Winston, Michigan State cruised to a 33-point win at home. The Spartans return to action on Thursday at home against Illinois.
-Nebraska Cornhuskers 73, Texas A&M Corpus Christi Islanders 52
After a rough loss to North Dakota at home last week, Nebraska bounced back with a win against Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Sunday. The win pushed the Huskers to 6-7 overall heading into the restart of Big Ten play. Nebraska will get back into action on Friday at home against a hot Rutgers squad.
-Hartford Hawks 67, Northwestern Wildcats 66
For the second time this season, Northwestern suffered an absolutely horrible loss at home. The first was against Merrimack to open the season and Sunday marked the second. Hartford was 319th on KenPom entering this game and still managed to pull off the upset on the road against Northwestern. The loss dropped the Wildcats to 5-7 overall.
There really isn’t a ton to say about this loss. It was embarrassing for Northwestern and the Big Ten as a whole. This is a game the Wildcats should have won, even in a down year. And with conference play restarting this week, things might get even worse moving forward. Northwestern returns to action on Sunday on the road against Minnesota.
-No. 20 Penn State Nittany Lions 90, Cornell Big Red 59
This was another lopsided result, with Penn State winning pretty easily. Nonetheless, it pushed the Nittany Lions to 11-2 heading back into conference play. Penn State will play Iowa on Saturday in Philadelphia. It should be a fun one.