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2/12 Big Ten Recap: Rutgers Upsets Wisconsin

Recap all the Big Ten action from Saturday.

Syndication: PackersNews MARK HOFFMAN/MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Big Ten had a loaded slate on Saturday, including three ranked teams in action and a rivalry game. It all led to quite a bit of chaos across the league.

Let’s take a look at what happened.

Game of the Night:

-Rutgers Scarlet Knights 73, No. 14 Wisconsin Badgers 65

Heading into tip, this wasn’t a game expected to be all that close. Rutgers had been disastrous on the road while Wisconsin boasted one of the best home court advantages in the league. However, things wouldn’t play out as expected, with Rutgers pulling out a dramatic win in Madison thanks to 18 points from Paul Mulcahy and 21 points from Ron Harper.

For Rutgers, this was a massive win and dramatically changes the team’s prospects moving forward. The Scarlet Knights are now a legitimate NCAA contender and just a win or two away from guaranteeing themselves some serious bubble talk moving forward. Rutgers will now hope to keep things rolling with Illinois at home on Wednesday.

On the other side, Wisconsin fell to 19-5 overall and 10-4 in Big Ten play. It’s hard to put a pin on why the game went so badly, but the Badgers need to figure some things out offensively, especially when Johnny Davis isn’t having a great night. The team will hope to bounce back with Indiana on the road on Tuesday.

The Rest:

-No. 17 Michigan State Spartans 76, Indiana Hoosiers 61

This felt like a Michigan State win heading into tip and played out that way, with the Spartans pulling away in the last 10 minutes and cruising to a 15-point win. AJ Hoggard led the way with 14 points and eight assists. Michigan State improved to 18-6 overall and 9-4 in Big Ten play with the win while Indiana fell to 16-8 overall and 7-7 in Big Ten play.

Michigan State will now prepare for Penn State on the road on Tuesday. Indiana will hope to get back on track against Wisconsin at home on Tuesday.

-Minnesota Golden Gophers 76, Penn State Nittany Lions 70

While this game didn’t have a lot on the line, Minnesota was able to snap a five-game winning streak in this one with a 76-70 win. Payton Willis led the way with 18 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds. The Gophers now sit at 12-10 overall and 3-10 in Big Ten play. Penn State fell to 9-12 overall and 4-9 in Big Ten play.

Minnesota will now prepare for Ohio State on the road on Tuesday and the Nittany Lions will get Michigan State at home on Tuesday.

-No. 16 Ohio State Buckeyes 68, Michigan Wolverines 57

After Thursday night’s win over Purdue, Wolverine fans were licking their chops at a shot of adding another marquee win on Saturday night at home. However, Ohio State had other thoughts, stifling Michigan’s offense en route to a 68-57 win. EJ Liddell led the way with 28 points, five rebounds, and an assist. Ohio State improved to 15-6 overall and 8-4 in Big Ten play with the win while Michigan fell to 13-10 overall and 7-6 in Big Ten play with the loss.

Ohio State will now prepare for Minnesota at home on Tuesday. Michigan will hope to bounce back with Iowa on the road on Thursday.