Tip of the hat to Michigan State this week, as they went into Ann Arbor and pulled off their most impressive win of the year. The win put the Spartans a half game ahead of Purdue and a full game ahead of Michigan in the Big Ten Standings. Wisconsin suffered a bad loss against Indiana on Tuesday night which puts them in a tough spot to get the double bye in the Big Ten Tournament. Iowa all but eliminated their chances at a double bye with a 20 point loss against Ohio State on Tuesday night.
Games of the Week
#9 Michigan @ #17 Maryland (3:45 E.T. CBS)
Sunday, March 3
Players to Watch:
Michigan. Ignas Brazdeikis (14.2 PPG), Jordan Poole (13.2 PPG)
Maryland: Anthony Cowan Jr. (16.0 PPG), Bruno Fernando (14.4 PPG)
The only matchup with ranked opponents this week should be a doozy with the Wolverines heading to College Park. The Terrapins have won two straight since their 65-52 loss against Michigan in Ann Arbor. A win from Maryland would all but seal their spot for a double bye in the Big Ten Tournament. A loss would make things interesting between them and Wisconsin. Michigan will need to win out if they want a shot at the Big Ten regular season championship. The Wolverines won by 13 in the last matchup, and I see much of the same result on Sunday
Michigan 70 Maryland 63
#14 Purdue @ Minnesota (8:00 E.T. BTN)
Tuesday, March 5
Players to Watch:
Purdue: Carsen Edwards (23.4 PPG), Matt Haarms (8.4 PPG)
Minnesota: Jordan Murphy (14.9 PPG), Amir Coffey (14.7 PPG)
Minnesota is currently 17-11, and Joe Lunardi has them as his “First Four Out” of the NCAA Tournament. If the Gophers want a signature win to put themselves in the tournament, it will need to come Tuesday night. Purdue has taken a bit of a step back in it’s last two games with close wins against Indiana and Nebraska. Carsen Edwards hasn’t been himself as of late, and he will need to play well if the Boilermakers want to go into The Barn and come away with a win. March begins on Friday. Might as well start the madness in Minneapolis.
Purdue 65 Minnesota 69
Team of the Week: Michigan State
There was plenty of speculation after the Spartans lost Nick Ward and not many thought the Spartans could go into Ann Arbor and come away with a victory. The did just that and put themselves ahead of the pack for the Big Ten regular season title. The Spartans showed their depth on Sunday, and it helps when you have a lottery pick in Cassius Winston on your team. They will try to avenge their loss against Indiana on Saturday at Assembly Hall before returning home to take on Nebraska.
Player of the Week: Cassius Winston (Michigan State)
This was probably the easiest pick I have ever made. Winston put up 28 points last Wednesday against Rutgers then followed that performance with 27 points in their win against Michigan. I would expect to see his numbers continue to rise, as most of the weight is on his shoulders now with Nick Ward out.
Sleeper team: Nebraska
My beloved Cornhuskers have fallen off the cliff. They were once predicted not only to make the NCAA tournament but were projected as a four seed at one point. This seems like forever go. Believe it or not, the Huskers are not totally out of the tournament. The odds are slim, but they could make it by winning their final three regular season games and one or two games in the Big Ten Tournament.In no way do I see it happening but I’ve seen crazier things. The Huskers travel to Michigan and Michigan State this week. We’ll see if they can cause some havoc at the top of the Big Ten standings
My Power Rankings.
- Michigan State
- Purdue
- Michigan
- Maryland
- Wisconsin
- Ohio State
- Iowa
- Minnesota
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Rutgers
- Penn State
- Nebraska
- Northwestern