Around The Big Ten: Basketball Edition
The 2017-2018 Big Ten basketball regular season will conclude this weekend, and The Wolverine has everything you need to keep an eye on over the next three days.
Illinois (13-17, 3-14 Big Ten)
Illinois closes out a horrendous first year under head coach Brad Underwood with a trip to Rutgers on Sunday ... The Illini hold just a 3-12 record in their last 15 games ... After missing four straight contests due to a concussion from Feb. 11-Feb. 20, redshirt junior forward Michael Finke finally returned and played 15 minutes in last night's loss to Purdue ... Illinois has lost 11 straight road games, and has not won one since Feb. 26 last year at Nebraska.
Indiana (16-13, 9-8 Big Ten)
Indiana closes out the regular season by hosting No. 16 Ohio State tonight ... Following the game, the Hoosiers will honor their five graduating players — guards Robert Johnson and Josh Newkirk, forwards Collin Hartman and Freddie McSwain, and center Tim Priller ... OSU has lost its last three games at Assembly Hall, and has not won there since 2013 ... Indiana holds a comfortable all-time series advantage against the Buckeyes, 107-82.
Iowa (12-18, 3-14 Big Ten)
Iowa concludes its incredibly disappointing regular season Sunday night against Northwestern ... Since improving to 9-6 on Dec. 29, the Hawkeyes have gone on to lose 12 of their last 15 games, including six straight ... The 12 total win marks Iowa's fewest in a season since it finished 11-20 in the 2010-2011 campaign ... The Hawkeyes' scoring defense is allowing 78.5 points per game this season, which ranks 315th nationally; only Oklahoma (82.8, 340th) is worse among Power Conference schools.
Maryland (19-11, 8-9 Big Ten)
Maryland will look to even its Big Ten record at 9-9 tomorrow when it hosts No. 17 Michigan ... The Terrapins hold an impressive 15-2 mark in the Xfinity Center this season, with the only two losses coming to Purdue on Dec. 1 and Michigan State on Jan. 28 ... The Wolverines won the first time these two met on Jan. 15, when U-M senior guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman sank two free throws with just 1.2 seconds left to give his team a one-point win ... Maryland holds a slim 6-5 advantage in the all-time series.
No. 2 Michigan State (27-3, 15-2 Big Ten)
No. 2 Michigan State heads to Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon ... Sophomore forward Miles Bridges' mother was named in the ongoing FBI probe this afternoon, citing she received illegal benefits; it is unclear whether or not Bridges will play on Sunday ... The Spartans clinched at least a share of the Big Ten title Tuesday night against Illinois for the first time since 2012.
Minnesota (15-15, 4-13 Big Ten)
A Minnesota season that was once filled with massive expectations and hope will mercifully come to an end Sunday afternoon, when the Gophers travel to No. 9 Purdue ... Since improving its record to 13-3 on Jan. 3, Minnesota has proceeded to lose 12 of its next 14 games ... The Gophers are the only team in the conference to have two different players averaging 16.8 or more points per game — senior point guard Nate Mason (16.8) and junior forward Jordan Murphy (17.1).
Nebraska (21-9, 12-5 Big Ten)
Nebraska will have a chance to lock up the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten tournament when it hosts Penn State this weekend ... A victory over the Nittany Lions will be crucial for a Cornhusker squad who is looking to make its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2014, and just its eighth ever ... Redshirt junior guard James Palmer's 17.6 points per game are the fifth-most in the conference ... Nebraska has won seven of its past eight games, and 14 of its past 18.
Northwestern (15-15, 6-11 Big Ten)
Losers of five in a row, Northwestern will end its regular season Sunday night at Iowa ... Injuries have taken a major toll on the Wildcats as of late — junior guard Jordan Ash (knee) has missed the team's last five games and will not play against the Hawkeyes, senior point guard Bryant McIntosh (shoulder) missed two of the last three contests before returning last night against Wisconsin, and redshirt junior forward Vic Law sat out last night's game with an ankle injury ... Junior center Dererk Pardon's 63.2 field goal percentage is the third-highest mark in the Big Ten.
No. 16 Ohio State (23-7, 14-3 Big Ten)
No. 16 Ohio State heads to Indiana tonight, with an outside shot at still grabbing a share of the Big Ten title (OSU would have to win, and MSU would have to lose to Wisconsin) ... The Buckeyes celebrated their senior night on Tuesday, and said goodbye to fifth-year senior guards Kam Williams and Andrew Dakich, and senior forward Jae'Sean Tate; it should be noted that redshirt junior forward Keita Bates-Diop was also honored in the festivities, which strongly suggests he won't return next season ... Although head coach Chris Holtmann suspended Williams indefinitely on Feb. 4, the fifth-year senior only missed the team's next three games and returned for the Feb. 15 79-56 blowout loss at Penn State.
Penn State (19-11, 9-8 Big Ten)
Penn State hits the road for Nebraska on Sunday, a game that is crucial for both teams' NCAA tournament hopes ... The Nittany Lions sat at 19-9 and 9-6 in Big Ten play on Feb. 15, but proceeded to lose their next two to Purdue and Michigan, respectively ... Sophomore point guard Tony Carr's 19.6 points per game lead the conference, while his 4.9 assists are fifth ... Freshman big man John Harrar tied a season-high by playing eight minutes in Wednesday night's loss to the Wolverines ... Penn State will be without redshirt sophomore center Mike Watkins (12.1 points, 8.9 rebounds) Sunday in Lincoln, as he injured his knee against the Wolverines.
No. 9 Purdue (25-5, 14-3 Big Ten)
No. 9 Purdue will wrap up its regular season Sunday afternoon when Minnesota comes to town ... Sophomore guard Carsen Edwards put on a performance for the ages Thursday night at Illinois, when he scored 40 points and pulled down five rebounds ... Senior forward Vince Edwards (14.9 points, 7.8 rebounds) has missed the last two games with an ankle injury, and is not expected to play against the Gophers; his health is a major concern for the Boilermakers heading into the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments ... Junior forward Grady Eifert has been forced to play a major role in Edwards' absence; although he's only averaging 8.3 minutes per game on the year, Eifert has averaged 25.5 over the team's last two contests ... Purdue is the nation's fourth-best three-point shooting team at 41.9 percent.
Rutgers (13-17, 3-14 Big Ten)
Rutgers will have a solid chance at picking up its fourth conference win when it hosts Illinois on Sunday afternoon ... A victory would mark the first time the Scarlet Knights won at least four league games in a season since going 5-13 in the American Athletic Conference in the 2013-2014 campaign ... Senior guard Mike Williams (8.2 points) missed eight contests with injury from Jan. 14-Feb. 5, but has only averaged four points in four games since returning ... Rutgers' defense ranks an impressive 42nd nationally, holding opponents to just a 41.2 shooting percentage on the year.
Wisconsin (14-16, 7-10 Big Ten)
Wisconsin will have a chance to add a major bright spot to its gloomy season on Sunday when it hosts No. 2 Michigan State ... Barring a Big Ten tournament title, the Badgers will miss the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 1997-1998 season ... Although it still has a dismal 14-16 record, Wisconsin has actually played quite well as of late, winning four of its last five ... Junior big man Andy Van Vliet played a season-high 24 minutes last night at Northwestern, and scored 14 points; he had scored more than five points just three times in his entire career ... Redshirt sophomore guard Brevin Pritzl has been on fire from three-point range over his last five games, converting on 15 of his last 28 (53.5 percent).
Schedule
Friday, Feb. 23
— No. 16 Ohio State at Indiana: 8:00 p.m. (Fox Sports 1)
Saturday, Feb. 24
— No. 17 Michigan at Maryland: 12:00 p.m. (ESPN)
Sunday, Feb. 25
— No. 2 Michigan State at Wisconsin: 1:00 p.m. (CBS)
— Illinois at Rutgers: 3:00 p.m. (BTN)
— Minnesota at No. 9 Purdue: 4:00 p.m. (Fox Sports 1)
— Penn State at Nebraska: 5:15 p.m. (BTN)
— Northwestern at Iowa: 7:30 p.m. (BTN)
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @BSB_Wolverine, @JB_ Wolverine, @AustinFox42, @AndrewVcourt and @Balas_Wolverine
• Like us on Facebook