The Big Ten had three games on Sunday, highlighted by two league games. Northwestern traveled to face Maryland, Minnesota faced off against Mississippi State, and Penn State hosted Ohio State.
Let’s take a look at what happened.
Game of the Night:
-Northwestern Wildcats 67, Maryland Terrapins 61
This one had a weird feel after Mark Turgeon’s surprising exit from the program earlier this week. Still, even if the head man was gone, Maryland had to get back in action on Sunday against a relatively underrated Wildcat squad.
The game itself proved pretty competitive. Northwestern only led by three at halftime and it was decided by just a few buckets in the final minutes. The Wildcats were led by 17 points and 10 rebounds from Pete Nance. Boo Buie also had 16 points. Neither offense really got going, but Northwestern did just enough to stay ahead of the Terps and get a win.
Northwestern improved to 6-2 overall and 1-0 in Big Ten play with the win while Maryland fell to 5-4 overall and 0-1 in Big Ten play with the loss. It was Northwestern’s highest rated KenPom win of the season and sets the Wildcats up for a few days off before facing off against NJIT at home on Sunday. Maryland will hope to bounce back against Florida on Sunday.
The Rest:
-Minnesota Golden Gophers 81, Mississippi State Bulldogs 76
Nobody expected the Gophers to make it to 7-0 this season, but after a nice road win over Mississippi State on Sunday, that’s exactly where the team sits. Minnesota got a huge effort from Payton Willis en route to the victory, who finished with 24 points, seven assists, and four rebounds. Jamison Battle also had 20 points.
As noted above, Minnesota now sits at 7-0 overall heading into Big Ten play. The Gophers will return to action on Wednesday at home against Michigan State. It figures to be an intriguing game for both sides.
-Ohio State Buckeyes 76, Penn State Nittany Lions 64
After knocking off Duke on Tuesday night, Buckeye fans were worried about a letdown effort for Ohio State in this one. However, while the game was relatively competitive, Ohio State was able to overcome those worries, grabbing a 76-64 road win over Penn State. Kyle Young led the way with 16 points and seven rebounds. EJ Liddell also had 14 points.
Ohio State improved to 6-2 overall and 1-0 in Big Ten play with the win while Penn State fell to 4-4 overall and 0-1 in Big Ten play with the loss. The Buckeyes will return to action on Wednesday at home against Towson. Penn State will hope to rebound at home against Wagner on Wednesday.