Another no-name player with a career game vs. OSUWelcome to a new edition of the Big Ten Hoops Recap. Just three weeks remain in the regular season, and this week, there was some movement in the conference standings as both the top two teams and the bottom two teams faced off. From a completely non-objective viewpoint, neither was much fun.
With a holiday approaching that often invokes either love or depression1, hearts are omnipresent. For some teams, their heart swells. For others, their heart is broken and in need of mending, particularly Illinois fans who have to watch their basketball squad imitate the downward spiral of their football brethren. The Illini have lost six of their last seven contests and along with Nebraska, posted an 0-2 record this past week.
Frustrating as it is, Jared Sullinger-style, team of the week honors came down to the two that hail from the Great Lake State. Michigan and Michigan State both went 2-0, but the Spartans get the nod after snapping Ohio State's 39-game home winning streak, which vaulted them into a tie for first place in the B1G.
MICHIGAN STATE (2-0) // Beat Penn State 77-57, Beat Ohio State 58-48
Still unbeaten at home, Michigan State blew out Penn State. In a sloppy first half that saw both teams struggling to make shots and committing turnovers aplenty, Michigan State led 33-19 and then ended the game on a 22-8 run. The Heart and Soul of the Spartans, Draymond Green, was a force to the tune of 23 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists. Green was one of four Spartans, including Adreian Payne with a then-career high of 12 points, that scored in double figures.
Michigan State followed that up with a Payne in My Heart2 victory against Ohio State, whose shooting paid homage to the temperature outside3.
MICHIGAN (2-0) // Beat Nebraska 62-46, Beat Illinois 70-61
Notching a rare road win, Michigan downed Nebraska in Lincoln. The Wolverines started the game as cold as the Buckeyes on Saturday night, but like this heart, they were on fire in the second half. At that point, they made 76.2% of their shots and converted 6/7 from distance. Zack Novak came away with a game-high 14 points, which included his 1,000th point in his 12-year career at Michigan. Tim Hardaway Jr.'s William Buford-like inconsistency continued as he was just 3/11 from the floor for 6 points.
Keeping their perfect home record intact4, Michigan defeated Illinois. Hardaway was much more on his game, as was the similarly floundering Evan Smotrycz. The former was an effective 5/9 for 15 points while the latter's 13 was the most he has scored since Big Ten play began. Both players have had problems from long range and with a Hungry Heart, each went 2/3 against the Illinois.
WISCONSIN (1-0) // Beat Minnesota 68-61 OT
Giving up a 13-point second half lead, Wisconsin held off Minnesota in overtime. Despite not scoring in the final 7 1/2 minutes of regulation, the Badgers relied on their tough defense and free throw shooting (15/17) in the OT period. At the Barn, Jordan Taylor was a Heartbreaker in his native state, producing just his second 20-point game this season. He was good for 27 points, and Ryan Evans came through with his first career double-double (17 points, 11 rebounds) for Wisconsin.
A Hoosier's Valentine? The foul lineINDIANA (1-0) // Beat Illinois 84-71
Up two at halftime, Indiana went on a 15-8 run in the second half to help secure a victory against Illinois. Four Hoosiers accounted for most of the offensive output, led by Cody Zeller's 22. Christian Watford and Victor Oladipo put up 18 each and Jordan Hulls added 15. Indiana, so obsessed with the charity stripe, headed there 42 times while whispering to it, "I Will Possess Your Heart."
PURDUE (1-1) // Lost to Ohio State 87-84, Beat Northwestern 87-77
Purdue started off the week by battling the Buckeyes, only for Buford to inform them, "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart."
The Boilermakers continued to rack up the points in their win over Northwestern. Proving he's Young at Heart, Robbie Hummel posted his highest scoring game this season with 27 points, and DJ Byrd totaled 20, though he was a mere 3/8 from the arc. Purdue turned the ball over just five times and owned a 40-28 rebounding edge over the Wildcats.
NORTHWESTERN (1-1) // Beat Iowa 83-64, Lost to Purdue 87-77
For their third victory in a row, Northwestern routed Iowa. Both teams shot above 50% from the field, and every starter for the Wildcats reached double figures. Freshman Drew Sobolewski achieved the best game of his fledgling career, pacing all scorers with 23 points and dishing out 7 assists. To add insult to injury, he also let the Hawkeyes know, "I Want to Be the Boy to Warm Your Mother's Heart."
A close match most of the way, the Wildcats couldn't hold on against Purdue. With the game tied at the 6 1/2 minute mark, the Boilermakers took control, and even John Shurna's 30-point effort couldn't save his team. Once again, Northwestern's NCAA Tournament hopes may come down to the wire as the Heart It Races5.
PENN STATE (1-1) // Lost to Michigan State 77-57, Beat Nebraska 67-51
In the loss to Michigan State, Tim Frazier helped the Nittany Lions get within five points in the second half, but the Spartans were able to pull away. Frazier, as he usually does, led the way with 19 points and 7 dimes. With a new understanding of Heart of Glass, Penn State was outrebounded 44-25.
Ending a five-game losing streak, Penn State topped Nebraska. Frazier came within one assist of notching a triple double (23 points, 10 boards, 9 assists) and was nearly perfect from the floor, hitting 7/9 of his field goal attempts. For those with a Sentimental Heart, the real story was Billy Oliver, a redshirt junior who decided to end his playing career after a history of concussions. Best of luck to him as he plans to earn one degree this spring and come back next year for a second.
MINNESOTA (0-1) // Lost to Wisconsin 68-61 OT
| TEAM | CONF | OVERALL |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 9-3 | 21-4 |
| Michigan State | 9-3 | 20-5 |
| Michigan | 9-4 | 19-7 |
| Wisconsin | 8-4 | 19-6 |
| Indiana | 7-6 | 19-6 |
| Purdue | 6-6 | 16-9 |
| Minnesota | 5-7 | 17-8 |
| Illinois | 5-7 | 16-9 |
| Northwestern | 5-7 | 15-9 |
| Iowa | 5-7 | 13-12 |
| Nebraska | 3-10 | 11-13 |
| Penn State | 3-10 | 11-15 |
After overcoming a 13-point deficit in the last 9 minutes, Minnesota had the chance to win the game before it headed to overtime. The Hollins non-brothers, Andre and Austin, each put up a shot that failed to drop. Despite a personal best of 20 points from Austin, the Gophers could not maintain the rally in OT, leaving Tubby Smith to keep searching for a Heart of Gold.
IOWA (0-1) // Lost to Northwestern 83-64
A double-double from Aaron White didn't prevent Iowa from getting smoked by Northwestern. The freshman recorded 17 points and 12 rebounds while Matt Gatens added 15 points. However, the Hawkeyes committed 18 turnovers and only forced 7. At this point in the season, Iowa has to be wondering, "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?" (R.I.P.)
ILLINOIS (0-2) // Lost to Indiana 84-71, Lost to Michigan 70-61
Because the refs are Heartless to opponents in Assembly Hall, three different Illini players fouled out versus Indiana, including Meyers Leonard who scored 17 points, second only to DJ Richardson's 19. Although Illinois actually shot better than the Hoosiers, they made it to the free throw line 15 times, almost three times less than Indiana.
Against Michigan, Brandon Paul's 21 points led all scorers, and Tyler Griffey chipped in with 18, but Leonard was in foul trouble for most of the game. The Heartbreak Rides for the Illini, who turned in a 39% shooting performance and played suspect defense on the afternoon.
NEBRASKA (0-2) // Lost to Michigan 62-46, Lost to Penn State 67-51
In the Heartland, Nebraska only put up 15 points at halftime versus the Wolverines. Though they eventually connected on 39% of their field goals, Bo Spencer, with 13, was the lone Cornhusker to tally over 10 points. They continued to play without center without injured center Jorge Brian Diaz, who still did not return to the lineup in their next game.
By falling to Penn State, the Cornhuskers dropped into a last-place tie with them in the conference standings. It was their fourth consecutive loss, and only Dylan Talley (12 points) and Caleb Walker (10 points) scored in double figures. Maybe Nebraska's Ticking Heart will someday start again...but probably not this season.
- 1 Admittedly, tomorrow is also met with indifference by many.
- 2 I would apologize for the pun, but save for the outcome of the game, I am not sorry.
- 3 Bet they had really, really, really warm hearts that night, though. Boy, did I hate that game.
- 4 Let's hope this changes on Saturday, when Ohio State heads to Ann Arbor. I want John Beilein to turn to Lloyd Carr in the stands and say, "Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken."
- 5 A cover, but so much better than the original.
