Winning on its own is hard, but winning on the road deservingly so is the hardest feat in college basketball. In the Big Ten any road win seems nearly impossible. But don’t tell that to the teams in this week's edition of TWIBTB.
Let's talk about it!
Michigan State conquers its demon inside MSG and beats Rutgers
Time and time again we are proven that the Spartans have it. There is no NBA-ready mega star on this team, they just know how to play together.
Jase Richardson has absolutely blossomed for Sparty. He notched a career-high 20 points against the Scarlet Knights and did it in tremendous fashion, going 6-for-9 from the field and hitting three 3-pointers in the process.
Another Spartan that shined at The Mecca is Coen Carr. We know he’s an athlete, we know he can jump out of the gym, but if he can provide offensive support like he did Saturday, that adds another gear for MSU. Carr had 14 points, his second highest total of the season (17).
This Spartan team is playing as well as any team in the country, but have 10 quad one games left to play. They are going to get each of those teams’ best shot and it is going to be very fun to watch.
While we are here, let's talk Rutgers real quick. Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper are must-see TV and will be very good NBA players. But, if Rutgers does not make the Big Ten tournament, I would be hesitant to give either one of them Freshman of the Year. While they are on the outside of the Big Ten tournament bubble, my vote would go to Richardson as of now.
It would be a real bummer if RU saw zero postseason hoops. There is a lot of time left for Rutgers, but something has to give.
3 of USC’s 4 conference wins come in hostile road environments
It was a bitter end in Fayetteville for now Trojan head man Eric Mussselman. It seemed as if he hit his peak with the Razorbacks and (obviously) wanted a new challenge. USC came calling and while it was a downgrade in job standards, the opportunities in Los Angeles are endless. Plus, Musselman is still a heck of a coach.
Many were skeptical on how his first year in SoCal would unfold. With a roster full of transfers, it really was a mystery.
After a slow start, the Trojans find themselves in contention for a berth in the Big Ten tournament and have strung together a plethora of great wins… away from the Galen Center.
USC has now defeated Washington, Illinois and Nebraska all on the road. What is happening now that wasn’t happening in late 2024?
The Trojan players are finally learning how to play together.
Look no further than Xavier transfer Desmond Claude. Claude has been the leading scorer, notching over 20 points in all of the previously mentioned road victories.
At State Farm Center, he notched 31 points with 12 field goal makes against Illinois. At Alaskan Airlines Arena, Claude had 20 points. At Pinnacle Bank Arena, Claude had 21 points.
He now leads the team in scoring with 16.3 points per game.
The question for the Trojans is, can they string some wins together on their home floor? They have a prime opportunity Monday night when they take on the Bruins of UCLA.
An unranked Maryland squad knocks off Illinois and Indiana in equally hostile environments
Maryland was 0-4 in conference road games before the start of last week. It failed to win at Purdue, Washington, Oregon and Northwestern. Kevin Willard has a very talented team, but as stated in the beginning of this entry, talented teams need to conquer the road to have success in this sport.
Maryland found its true self and picked up two massive wins to keep itself in the thick of the Big Ten regular season title race.
Scoring efficiently and doing just enough to hang on. That’s really the quick summary of Maryland’s two road wins.
It’s as simple as this — when your two best players combine for 52 points, good things are going to happen. Julian Reese and Derik Queen were seemingly unstoppable at Illinois. Looking beyond the point line in the box score, Reese had seven offensive rebounds, which created a multitude of second-chance points for the Terrapins.
Additionally, Maryland only hit three 3-pointers, but still found ways to score inside the arc, shooting 60% (excluding the 12 attempts from beyond the arc).
Then in Bloomington, Maryland barely held on to beat an Indiana team that was lost, found itself and then lost itself again in the 40-minute span of gametime on Sunday.
When Queen and Reese were neutralized, scoring only 21 points, Rodney Rice, Ja’Kobi Gillespe and Selton Miguel came to the rescue, hitting all 12 of Maryland’s 3-point makes.
From my point of view, the Terps are in a really good spot to get a share of the title, they will need some help, but the schedule is very favorable.
They host No. 17 Wisconsin on Wednesday and then after that they will play one game against a team that is pound for pound better than them, in my opinion. That’s Michigan State on Feb. 26. Yes, they also do play Michigan, but if Willard conducts the correct game plan, Reese and Queen will be able to stop Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin.
Quick Hitters
Jake Diebler is 2-0 against Purdue
In his first game as interim head coach last year, Diebler defeated Purdue. On Tuesday, he did it again! This time, at Mackey. Micah Parrish led Ohio State with 22 points and six (!) 3-pointers.
Will turnovers haunt Michigan all season?
Michigan walked into Mackey Arena on Friday and it did not go well. If the 22 turnovers it had does not wake that team up, this team will not win a game in either tournament.
Minnesota has won three games in a row after starting 0-6
Goldie ain’t hear no bell! Dawson Garica, currently averaging 19 points a game, is playing at a first team All-Big Ten level right now.
Indiana fumbles a late lead, causing a ruckus postgame at Assembly Hall
There is still time, but Indiana’s season is spiraling out of control. One second Indiana looks like it can contend for a Big Ten title, a second later, it looks like it will be a Wednesday team at the Big Ten tournament.
Mike Woodson failed his players with his inability to stem together an effective out of bounds play on the final possession.
Hoosier fans that ride and die with this squad are growing infuriatingly impatient, and rightfully so.
Games to watch Jan. 27- Feb. 2
Monday, Jan. 27
Penn State @ Michigan, 6:30 p.m., Big Ten Network
UCLA @ USC, 10 p.m., FS1
Wednesday, Jan. 29
No. 17 Wisconsin @ Maryland, 7 p.m., Big Ten Network
Thursday, Jan. 30
No. 19 Illinois @ Nebraska, 8:30 p.m., FS1
Friday, Jan. 31
Indiana @ No. 10 Purdue, 8 p.m., FOX
Saturday, Feb. 1
Michigan @ Rutgers, 3:30 p.m., FOX
No. 7 Michigan State @ USC, 4:30 p.m., Peacock
Sunday, Feb. 2
Ohio State @ No. 18 Illinois, 1 p.m., CBS
Team of the Week
Micah Parrish, OSU
Ty Berry, NW
Julian Reese, MD
Jase Richardson, MSU
Dawson Garcia, MINN
Freshman of the Week
Jase Richardson, MSU
Power Rankings
Michigan State
Purdue
Michigan
Maryland
Wisconsin
Illinois
Oregon
USC
UCLA
Iowa
Indiana
Ohio State
Penn State
Northwestern
Minnesota
Rutgers
Nebraska
Washington
