Big Start To B1G Play
Ohio State makes a statement and Maryland makes a comeback to highlight the start of conference play
For the first time this season, we had Big Ten teams playing against each other. Let’s talk about some of those games.
Last Week’s Hoopla:
Sixteen of the 18 Big Ten teams faced off against an in-conference opponent this weekend, with Iowa and Michigan State being the lone holdouts. Don’t worry though, they play this weekend which will make it all worth the wait.
Half of these eight matchups were decided by single digits, and while most results went mostly to the expected winners, there was also plenty to gather about the way in which these teams matched up against each other.
Only one of these Big Ten matchups was between two ranked teams, and Ohio State took full advantage with an 83-74 win over Illinois that wasn’t even as close as the score suggests.
The Buckeyes held a double-digit lead throughout the majority of the second half, and never saw their win percentage dip below 95 percent in the final 20 minutes (per Bart Torvik). Illinois hit some shots to close the gap late, but this was a thoroughly well executed Ohio State victory, and a lot of it is thanks to the team’s star.
Cotie McMahon had a good sophomore campaign, but it wasn’t quite the rise I was hoping for. This season’s version of Cotie may be just that. After missing the team’s last four games with a lower-leg injury, McMahon returned for the Illinois game and led the Buckeyes with 25 points on 7-of-12 shooting. She also hit 2 of her 5 three-point attempts, her third game with multiple three-point makes on the season despite only playing four games.
Ohio State was winning games without her, but the Buckeyes’ ceiling is raised in a big way with McMahon in the lineup. As a unit, Ohio State forced 19 Illini turnovers and had nine blocks, four of which were from freshman Elsa Lemmilä. Lemmilä is currently averaged 5.6 BLOCKS PER 40 MINUTES, which is second-best in the nation. Something to keep an eye on.
Illinois outrebounded Ohio State 44 to 32 and got big games from Genesis Bryant (22 points) and Kendall Bostic (17 points, 13 rebounds), but the Buckeyes stifled Makira Cook (6 points, 2/11 FG) and Brynn Shoup-Hill (2 points, 1/7 FG) all game, with both players fouling out.
Ohio State’s schedule eases up for a few games before the Buckeyes play Stanford on Dec. 20. That should be a great test for a team that’s likely 11-0 at that point after what I saw on Sunday.
Maryland Rallies In West Lafayette
Maryland also remains undefeated after a nine-point win against a Big Ten opponent, but the Terps had to fight for this one in a big way.
Purdue has had some big losses to start the season, but found itself up 31-15 in the second quarter against the No. 7 team in the country. The Boilermakers were hitting their threes, the defense was forcing misses and Maryland came out flat on the road.
These are potentially concerning signs for a Maryland team with so much talent, but all was forgiven as the Terps roared back quickly to ultimately lead the entire fourth quarter and win the game semi-comfortably. Saylor Poffenbarger had 17 points and 13 rebounds, while Bri McDaniel had 16 points and five assists to both lead the way in scoring.
Maryland is now 10-0, and hold a big win over a Duke team that has largely looked excellent since the defeat. The Terps also play a total of one game over the next 20 days somehow, so it’ll be interesting to see how fresh the unit looks when they battle Michigan State three weeks from now.
Wisconsin Wins A Nail-Biter
The closest game of the weekend was in the Kohl Center, as Wisconsin held on for dear life to beat Rutgers 66-64 and move to an impressive 8-2 record.
The Badgers held an 11-point lead entering the fourth quarter, but Destiny Adams led the Scarlet Knights back in a big way with multiple clutch scores in the fourth quarter. A Kiyomi McMiller basket with 1:34 to go put Rutgers up 62-59, but a Serah Williams counter followed by a three from Tess Myers gave the Badgers the lead back.
McMiller wasn’t done. She hit another layup to tie it with 24 seconds left, but she also was called on a foul in the final second of the game. That, along with a technical on Adams, led to four Wisconsin free throws with under a second to go. The Badgers hit two of those free throws to ice the game for good. Chaos.
Williams was the star Wisconsin needed in this one, finishing with 20 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Carter McCray added 14 points and eight rebounds, but fouled out with nearly four minutes to go in the game. Ronnie Porter also added seven assists, and Wisconsin’s 19 assists on 24 made baskets is a positive sign of things moving forward compared to the eight assists on 26 made Rutgers baskets.
For the Scarlet Knights, Adams (23 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocks) and McMiller (20 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists) were both spectacular, finishing with more than two-thirds of the team’s points. Those players make for a special duo that can cause fits for opponents, but Coquese Washington is going to need to get more from the rest of the rotation to win some in-conference games.
Iowa Gets Tennessee’d
The Hawkeyes have had a great start to the season after losing their head coach and star point guard, but the undefeated run ended with a 78-68 loss to Tennessee.
This was a great battle that was neck and neck for much of the contest, Iowa even held a 67-64 lead with 3:47 to go. But the Vols did what they did all game, force turnovers. Iowa coughed the ball up four times over the next 2:25, and Tennessee took advantage with a 14-1 run to close out the game.
On the day, Iowa committed 30 (!) turnovers. Tennessee outscored the Hawkeyes 42 TO FOUR in points off turnovers. The fact the Hawkeyes nearly overcame this anyway is a feat in itself.
Lucy Olsen was terrific in this game, 23 points and five assists on 7-of-14 shooting. Addison O’Grady had 17 points and 11 rebounds. But all five starters had at least four turnovers, and this is the third straight game where Iowa has committed 22 turnovers or more, so it’s a concerning trend worth noting before Big Ten play heats up.
All that said, even in the Big Ten, I’m not sure the Hawkeyes will see a team quite like Tennessee again until March. The Vols are currently forcing 28.3 turnovers per game, No. 1 in the nation. They play with a frantic pace and get opponents off schedule, and Iowa looked out of sorts offensively much of the game because of it.
Other Conference Game Notes
Indiana 75, Penn State 60
The Hoosiers survived a near-brutal defeat to Southern Indiana earlier in the week, then came out of a tied score at half in this one to a lopsided Big Ten win. Big note here: Karoline Striplin — 27 points on 12-of-12 shooting. Might be time to see more of the Tennessee transfer.
USC 66, Oregon 53
The Trojans were up 40-19 at half in this one and mostly sat on the lead from there. The big three of JuJu Watkins (21 points), Kiki Iriafen (17) and Talia von Oelhoffen (11) did the vast majority of the damage here, but shoutout Oregon sophomore Ari Long: 10 points, three rebounds and five steals in 17 minutes off the bench.
Michigan 60, Northwestern 54
Northwestern had a 53-52 lead with 3:36 to play, in Ann Arbor! Unfortunately for the Wildcats, Jordan Hobbs had enough, going on a 6-0 run from there to regain the lead and seal the Wolverines victory. Syla Swords had an off shooting day (7 point, 3/11 FG), but Hobbs (16 points) and Olivia Olson (18) took over to get the Wolverines over the hump. Shoutout Northwestern though, who beat DePaul and took the Wolverines the distance this week. After a rough start to the season, there’s certainly things to like with how they’re currently playing.
Nebraska 84, Minnesota 65
Eleven Cornhuskers scored, none of which more than 12 points, in a well-rounded blowout of the previously undefeated Gophers. It’s a big win that proves Nebraska still has plenty to play for, while the loss shows Minnesota needs to prove itself against steep competition.
UCLA 73, Washington 62
Credit to Washington here, who hung with UCLA most of the game, but the Bruins were consistently in control and kept its mantle atop the Big Ten for now. Lauren Betts had 23 points and two blocks, while Kiki Rice had 18 points, five assists and zero turnovers. This duo is special and can lead UCLA to special things.
What To Watch
Wisconsin at Butler, 12/11, 7 p.m., FloHoops
FloHoops is terrible and I would never tell you to spend the money on it, but this game is worth looking out for regardless. The Badgers are off to a great start for their program, but Butler has already proven capable by beating Indiana by 10. Would be a big road win here.
Washington vs. Utah, 12/14, 9:30 p.m., BTN
Washington competed against UCLA well, but gets another former Pac-12 foe immediately after with the Utes. Utah has both beaten Notre Dame and lost to Northwestern, so who really knows what to expect here.
Purdue vs. Kentucky, 12/14, 5 p.m., BTN
The Wildcats are coming to West Lafayette, and as Maryland found out, that could mean big things for the Boilermakers. If Purdue can finish this upset it could be a huge swing for a team that currently finds itself at the bottom of the conference in some metrics.
Penn State at Kansas, 12/15, 3 p.m., ESPNU
Kansas has a loss to Iowa as its only blemish so far. Penn State has lost two straight. A road win in Lawrence would be massive for this team, but it won’t come easy by any means. Kansas is specifically lackluster on the glass thus far, so second chance points could be where Penn State finds an advantage.
Iowa vs. Iowa State, 12/11, 9 p.m., FS1
Iowa at Michigan State, 12/15, noon, BTN
Biiiiiiig big big week for Iowa. In-state rivalry against a ranked Iowa State, then follow that up with ranked Michigan State on the road. The Tennessee game was a loss, but it proved a lot of me about the fight that this roster has. These next two games will teach us a lot more about this roster and its capabilities.
This is also a huge test for the Spartans, who remain undefeated and have shown they can win with narrow margins as well as the blowouts. The metrics love Michigan State right now, and this win would likely qualify as another good one for them to add.
Photo Credit: Ohio State Women’s Basketball (@OhioStateWBB), Twitter/X
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