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The Big Ten had a loaded slate of games on Sunday with Maryland going on the road to face Indiana, a feisty Minnesota team hosting Michigan State, and Ohio State trying to get back on track against Northwestern. All the games had some pretty interesting twists.
Let’s take a look at what happened.
Game of the Night:
-No. 17 Maryland Terrapins 77, Indiana Hoosiers 76
The day’s most exciting game for the Big Ten certainly took place in Bloomington, as Maryland went on the road and picked up a dramatic win over the Hoosiers. Maryland was in control for much of the game before falling apart with less than 10 minutes remaining. But right when it looked like the Hoosiers would win, Indiana let Maryland slip away. All told, Maryland ended up grabbing a 77-76 win on the road.
While Jalen Smith’s late game antics are going to overshadow things a bit, this was a really impressive and gutsy win for the Terps. Indiana had been really impressive at home all season and Maryland went in there and walked out with a win. That’s not exactly something easy to do, especially for a team like Maryland that hasn’t been very consistent away from home this season. The win pushed Maryland to 16-4 overall and 6-3 in league play. The Terps will now get a few days off before hosting Iowa at home on Thursday.
For Indiana, this is going to be a tough one to stomach. This loss isn’t going to ruin the team’s regular season or postseason goals. Still, it was there for the taking and Indiana couldn’t get the job done. A lost opportunity like that isn’t easy to accept. The team will hope to get back on track when it goes on the road to face Penn State on Wednesday.
The Rest:
-No. 11 Michigan State Spartans 70, Minnesota Golden Gophers 52
This one looked like it could be pretty even on paper. The Spartans hadn’t done a ton away from East Lansing and the Gophers had made a decent amount of noise at home. And while things were competitive early on, Minnesota faded as the game went on with Michigan State grabbing a 70-52 road win.
Sunday’s win vaulted Michigan State back atop the Big Ten standings and pushed the team to a 15-5 overall record. The team will hope to keep things rolling at home next Wednesday against Northwestern. Meanwhile, Minnesota will hope to bounce back on the road against Illinois on Thursday.
-Ohio State Buckeyes 71, Northwestern Wildcats 59
While this game was competitive for the first half and the opening stretch of the second half, Ohio State gradually took control and grabbed a comfortable win. It pushed the Buckeyes to 13-7 overall and dropped Northwestern to 6-13 overall.
The win ended Ohio State’s recent skid and the Buckeyes will now hope to get back on track on Saturday at home against Indiana. Meanwhile, Northwestern will hope to bounce back on the road against Michigan State on Wednesday.