A Display Of Parity
Rutgers and Wisconsin earn seismic wins, the Hoopla Bowl and Grace Berger
This was yet another excellent week of Big Ten women’s basketball. They are coming so fast and frequently that maybe, just maybe, this conference is just extremely fun and interesting all the time. Something to think about.
There are things to focus at toward the top of the conference standings, and I’ll talk about those in here, too. But I wanted to start with Rutgers and Wisconsin, two teams that have struggled most of this year, but found a way to earn wins that could be extremely significant for the state of their programs.
Last season, Rutgers and Wisconsin combined for just 19 wins compared to 41 losses. For one program, this was new territory. For the other, it was more of the same.
The Scarlet Knights were a perennial winner under legendary head coach C. Vivian Stringer, but she decided to sit out the 2021-22 season, then ultimately retired for good heading into this year. The Badgers, on the other hand, have not had a winning record since 2010-11.
Both are trying to build something new, with Rutgers signing Coquese Washington as head coach this summer, while Wisconsin is into year two with head coach Marisa Moseley.
And while it looks like they are both at least a season out from competing for something larger, they each saw positive signs of life this week.
Let’s start with Rutgers who, after four straight losses by double digits to open Big Ten play, managed to dominate Nebraska defensively, earning a 57-45 win in a game Her Hoop Stats gave them a 9.9 percent chance of winning.
This was not done, at all, because of solid offensive play: Rutgers shot 36.8 percent from the field and turned it over 21 times. But a win is a win, especially a win over a team that was projected to make the NCAA Tournament, and the Scarlet Knights earned this one by completely shutting down the Cornhuskers at their focal point.
Jaz Shelley, who I ranked in the Top 10 of all Big Ten players last week, was held to… zero points on 0-of-10 shooting, including eight missed three-pointers. Shelley was the leader of a team that shot 2 of 25 (8.0 percent) from deep on the day, including starting the game 0 for 20.
Rutgers set the tone early, taking a 10-5 (yep) first quarter lead. The Knights won the second and third quarters and led 45-31 headed to the fourth. With the way this game was played, a 14-point advantage was insurmountable.
It’s been nice to see Kaylene Smikle making the most of this large role. The true freshman led Rutgers with 20 points in the win, and while it was on inefficient shooting (5 of 19), she made up for it by going 7 of 8 from the line. The rest of the team shot a combined three free throws.
Smikle leads Rutgers with 16.7 PPG. She is turning it over like a fiend without the assists to match and is shooting sub-40 percent, but in a year like this one I think that’s OK. The Scarlet Knights clearly see her potential, and this is the season to develop that talent into something special.
For how bad a loss this is for Nebraska (it is), this is that much larger of a win for Rutgers. I have made jabs at the concept of an eight-player roster, mainly because that is a completely insane thing to do, but it also allows for these eight players to really get accustomed to the coaching staff and each other. That chemistry may lead to more performances like this one.
Now, Wisconsin.
The Badgers came into this year with more direct optimism. Despite the 8-21 record last season, Moseley seemed to be taking the program in the right direction, even if it was baby steps. But a 3-1 start had been overshadowed by losses in 10 of the last 11 games, and that was expected to only get worse in Big Ten play.
It may not be easy for the Badgers to find in-conference wins, but ones like the 81-77 victory over Minnesota that happened on Sunday cannot be understated.
This box score is an odd one. Like Rutgers, Wisconsin did not shoot well in this game, hitting just 39.0 percent of its attempts from the field. Maty Wilke, one of the team’s best shooters all season, shot 1 of 9 from the field.
But, also like Rutgers, the Badgers just found a way to close it out, though this one was much closer. Minnesota and Wisconsin traded the lead throughout the fourth quarter, and the Gophers led 77-75 with 2:38 to play. But the Badgers stayed poised and trusted in two key vets, Julie Pospisilova and Avery LaBarbera, to hit a two and three in consecutive possessions to regain an 80-77 lead Wisconsin would hold onto the rest of the way.
After that Minnesota lead, the Gophers were shut out in the final 158 seconds, missing three shots and turning it over once.
LaBarbera and Pospisilova each led the team with 20 points in this game, but got there in very different ways. LaBarbera shot an efficient 8 of 15 and added seven rebounds and four steals. while Pospisilova was letting it rip, hitting 9 of 28 attempts. She made up for that with seven rebounds, seven assists and a pair of steals.
This is not the year two Moseley was likely expecting, but the season is far from over. Wisconsin earned some surprise wins in conference play last year, and another season of doing that would start to make it the norm for a program desperate to compete.
Ohio State Gets To 17-0 With Historic Comeback
The game I labeled as Hoopla’s Super Bowl was as good as advertised.
No. 3 Ohio State vs. somehow-still-not-ranked Illinois was a battle with various twists and turns, and once again it was the Buckeyes who came out on top with an 87-81 victory.
On the surface, that’s about the score I expected. But this game was anything but by the book, and that’s seemingly how Ohio State likes it.
For the umpteenth time this year, Ohio State found itself underperforming for a portion of the game. This time, Illinois was shooting lights out from the field and held a 57-40 lead with 6:56 to go in the third quarter.
A 17-point lead with under 17 minutes to play. Against a 14-2 Illinois team that, at that point in the game, was on a 10-0 run. To come back from this margin at all required the largest second half comeback in Ohio State history. Want to know how long it took for the Buckeyes to do that?
4 minutes and 40 seconds.
In 280 game seconds, Ohio State erased a 17-point deficit and tied the game at 58. It didn't even feel like it was hard. It was an 18-1 run that was sparked by seven straight points by Cotie McMahon, and finished off by contributions from Taylor Mikesell, Taylor Thierry and Rebeka Mikulasikova.
The teams battled from there, and Illinois still had a chance to win this game, but it also felt inevitable that Ohio State, once again, would win against all odds.
Mikesell was the star that the team needed her to be. She finished with a game-high 31 points, consistently hitting tough shots to spark a run. McMahon was also excellent with 22 points, four rebounds and four assists. Those two were the fuel that made everything else work in this gutsy victory over a very good Illinois team.
And believe me, this is a VERY good Illinois team. Kendall Bostic is transforming into a star inside and led the Illini with 27 points and 15 rebounds, hitting 13 of her 15 field goal attempts. Genesis Bryant added 20, and Makira Cook had 12 points and eight assists. The talent, the flow of the offense and the way Illinois battled Ohio State all day proved that this team is exactly what they’ve shown they can be all year.
Ohio State is just on another level right now, even if the Buckeyes keep looking vulnerable, seemingly just for fun. When Jacy Sheldon returns, she may be coming back to a national title contender. Speaking of.
Grace Berger, Hello
The last I heard, Grace Berger was day-to-day with the knee injury she suffered at the embarrassing tournament that happened in Las Vegas.
Then.
Boom. No warning, Berger was back in the starting lineup yesterday against Northwestern.
I likely don’t have to explain the significance of this to many of you, but in case I do: Grace Berger is one of the very best players in this conference, and is a huge piece in Indiana making a deep run in March. Her all-around talent as a playmaker, scorer, defender and leader of this team is hard to properly analyze. She is also, maybe less importantly, one of the coolest players in this conference and will have her name in the Hoopla rafters when she leaves Bloomington.
With Berger back, Indiana killed Northwestern. It was a 72-50 road win that was mostly decided by halftime. Most importantly, Berger played a healthy 27 minutes and even put up a freaking season high with 16 points, also adding five assists with no turnovers. Mackenzie Holmes, the freak that she is, led the way with 24 points and 13 rebounds.
The big games are coming for Indiana, with Maryland, Michigan and Ohio State still on the schedule for this month alone. Getting Berger back for those is larger than large, and it makes the Hoosiers a real threat to sit atop this conference.
What To Watch
Plenty of great matchups to look for this week, most of which are on the Big Ten Network! I will never forgive the decision-makers that put Ohio State-Illinois on B1G+, but I digress.
Purdue vs. Michigan, 1/10, 6:30 p.m., BTN
Two teams looking for major rebound opportunities. Purdue lost a tough one to Penn State, but gets the Wolverines at home. Michigan scrapped Iowa to the buzzer, but also comes in a loser in 2 of the last 3.
Indiana vs. Maryland, 1/12, 6:30 p.m., BTN
Grab your popcorn, this one will be gooooood. Maryland has now won six straight and is playing excellent basketball, but has to battle Indiana for Berger’s first healthy game in Bloomington in months.
Minnesota vs. Rutgers, 1/12, 8:30 p.m., BTN
While this won’t have the stakes of the game before it, both Minnesota and Rutgers are desperate for more momentum, and each of their best chances are against each other. The Gophers are also always a fun watch with their chaos roster of freshmen.
Michigan vs. Michigan State, 1/14, 2 p.m., B1G+
Let us not forget that Michigan State beat Indiana less than two weeks ago. The Spartans are a dangerous team that ranks top 30 in the NET, and this in-state rivalry can always lead to some fireworks.
Nebraska vs. Ohio State, 1/14, 2:30 p.m., BTN
Most Ohio State games are must-see TV right now, but the Buckeyes are about to be tested in their only game this week. Nebraska is a shaky team right now, clearly, but can often hit an extra gear at home. I’m sure the Huskers will be motivated plenty in an attempt to give the Buckeyes loss No. 1 on the season.
Feature Photo Credit: @RutgersWBB on Twitter
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