Tag: Big Ten Basketball

3 Things to Watch: Michigan State Basketball vs. Iowa

Michigan State basketball faces off against a Big Ten powerhouse in Iowa this week. Here are 3 things to watch in this game.

Michigan State welcomes the Iowa Hawkeyes to the Breslin Center this Tuesday for another Big Ten basketball game. The Spartans just beat Nebraska, 86-65, on the road. Iowa most recently beat Ohio State, 86-76, at home.

Here are three things to watch in this game:

1. The Luka Garza Matchup

Luka Garza is probably the best Big Ten basketball player this season. Some may even say he is the best NCAA basketball player this season as well. Nonetheless, he is a serious matchup issue for every Big Ten opponent including Michigan State. Garza is an extremely skilled big man who can shoot threes, grab boards, and dominate the paint.

Luka Garza stands at 6’11” and weighs 260 pounds. Marcus Bingham Jr. is also 6’11” but has not played significant minutes for Michigan State the past few games. Xavier Tillman is 6’8″ and Malik Hall is 6’7″. Iowa is a top-tier three-point shooting team in the Big Ten, so double teams are not really an option. Watch for how MSU schemes against Luka Garza on defense.

2. Turnover Control

MSU ended their last game against Nebraska with a season-high 22 turnovers. Big Ten basketball is really good this year. The Spartans cannot expect to win any game with 22 turnovers. Especially against an elite offensive like Iowa. The Hawkeyes will capitalize on every single Michigan State turnover. Watch for some more discipline from the Spartans in this game.

3. Michigan State’s Depth

The Spartans have not gotten a lot of contributions from their bench players this season. Against Nebraska, Gabe Brown and Kyle Ahrens combined for 31 points off the bench. Both set a season-high for scoring totals in one game. Michigan State could use another 30-40 points from the bench again this time around. Look for some bench scoring from the Spartans in this game.

MSU and Iowa play at 7 P.M. on Tuesday, Feb. 25 on ESPN2.

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Michigan State Basketball vs. No. 20 Iowa: Preview/Scouting Report

Michigan State Basketball welcomes Iowa to the Breslin Center this upcoming Tuesday on Feb. 25. Here is a scouting report of Iowa.

Michigan State Basketball takes on the Iowa Hawkeyes at the Breslin Center this Tuesday on Feb. 25. The Spartans are currently 18-9 overall and 10-6 in Big Ten Conference games. Iowa, on the other hand, is 19-8 overall and 10-6 in Big Ten Conference games.

Here is a scouting report on Iowa:

Placement In The Big Ten

The Iowa Hawkeyes are elite on the offensive end of the floor. They lead the Big Ten in points per game with 78.5 points per game. The Hawkeyes are third in field goal percentage, shooting 45% from the field. Furthermore, Iowa shoots 35% from deep as a team which ranks second in the Big Ten.

Iowa also ranks second in Big Ten assists per game with 17.3 per game. Note, this puts the Hawkeyes right under MSU, averaging 17.7 assists per game. Iowa is also fifth in steals per game with 6.52 and eighth in rebounds per game with 37.5.

The Hawkeyes are great on offensive but not necessarily overwhelming on the defensive end. They are ninth in blocks per game with 3.77. Also, they average just about 12.07 turnovers per game. There are certainly flaws to be found in Iowa’s game.

Luka Garza

Man oh man, Luka Garza is a beast on the basketball court. Garza is currently first in Big Ten points per game and fourth in the entire NCAA with 23.7 points per game. He is sixth in Big Ten field goal percentage, shooting 56% from the floor. Luka Garza also ranks fourth in Big Ten rebounds per game with 9.6 and ninth in Big Ten blocks per game with 1.67.

Garza is a scoring machine. Earlier in the year on Dec. 6, he scored a season-high 44 points on Michigan. He just had back-to-back 24-point games against Minnesota and Ohio State University. In the past five games, Garza has scored a staggering total of 134 points. He has led Iowa in scoring in 66% of all games so far this season. So yeah, Garza will be a huge problem for MSU in this game.

Versatile Backcourt Depth

Iowa boasts great players well beyond just Luka Garza. Joe Wieskamp, CJ Fredrick, Jordan Bohannon, Joe Toussaint, & Connor McCaffery range from good to very solid in terms of talent. Start with Wieskamp, who ranks ninth in Big Ten points per game with 14.9 and fourteenth in Big Ten rebounds per game with 6.1. Wieskamp rebounds the ball extremely well for Iowa and serves as a reliable, secondary scorer behind Garza.

CJ Fredrick leads Iowa and the Big Ten in three-point shooting efficiency, making 47% of his shots from deep. He also averages 10.7 points per game. Jordan Bohannon averages 8.8 points per game along with 3.3 assists per game. Joe Toussaint averages 1.3 steals per game, the most on Iowa’s roster. Lastly, Connor McCaffery leads his team with 3.8 assists per game which also ranks seventh in the Big Ten.

Each Iowa Guard provides something different for their team. As a result, Iowa is dangerous at all times on offense. You cannot simply double Luka Garza when he can kick it out to a 47% three-point shooter. No wonder this team is a Big Ten powerhouse right now.

The Spartans play against the Hawkeyes Tuesday at 7 P.M. on ESPN2.

Michigan State Basketball beats Nebraska on the road 86-65

MSU Men’s Basketball knocked off Nebraska in Lincoln today. After a tight first half, the Spartans pulled ahead to win by 21.

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Everyone can now take a deep breath. This game was an up-and-down affair where Michigan State Basketball struggled to maintain a lead over lowly Nebraska for much of the evening but ultimately pulled away in the second half to win a much-needed road game with a comfortable lead. The final score on the evening 86-65.

Jack Hoiberg got the start tonight in Lincoln, Nebraska in a cool gesture from head coach Tom Izzo. Jack’s father Fred is the current coach of Nebraska and the former coach of the Chicago Bulls.

This was a tight game in the first half, to Nebraska’s credit, mostly due to the Cornhuskers’ commitment to launching three-pointers. However, their proficiency from deep didn’t maintain through the second-half, while Michigan State caught fire. MSU shot a blistering 48% from three on the evening behind the hot shooting of Gabe Brown (17 points) and Kyle Ahrens (14 points). The Spartans hit 13 threes on the night and Brown and Ahrens had nine of them.

With added spacing, Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman had much more room to operate. Winston had 23 points and Tillman had 10 and they combined to go 12/17 from the field.

MSU is back at home on Tuesday against Iowa before a rematch against Maryland next Saturday on the road.

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Big Ten update: the middle of the league sorts itself out

Big Ten hoops on Feb. 20

At the top of the Big Ten, Maryland is in control of the conference. If the Terrapins can handle upcoming games against Minnesota and Michigan State, they will win the conference’s regular-season championship. The Terps aside, though, the upper half of the Big Ten is jumbled. Penn State was becoming the second-best team in the league, but a home-court loss to Illinois cast fresh doubt on that particular claim. Right behind Penn State are several teams in a bunch. You try picking teams 3-7 in the Big Ten. I won’t dare attempt to order those five teams.

Entering play on Thursday, Feb. 20, the eighth-place team in the Big Ten is Michigan. In the lower half of the Big Ten — the teams in spots 8 through 14 — we are seeing a sorting-out process, unlike teams 2 through 7 in the upper half of the league.

More precisely, what we have seen over the past few weeks is a separation involving — on one end — Michigan and Ohio State, and — on the other end — Indiana, Purdue and Minnesota.

Michigan, playing without key cog Isaiah Livers, won at Rutgers on Wednesday night, dealing the Scarlet Knights their first home-court loss of the season. Michigan and Ohio State have both rebounded after January swoons. These teams both seemed likely to finish with a sub-.500 record in Big Ten play. Yet, their sharp upward turns — clear revivals relative to their worst sequences in 2020 — have raised the possibility that they will have winning Big Ten records when the 20-game conference season ends. Michigan is 8-7. Ohio State is 7-7 heading into Game 15 against Iowa on Thursday. Because both Michigan and OSU did so much good work in non-conference play, they are NCAA Tournament locks at this point. This is one part of the sorting-out process in the lower half of the Big Ten.

The other part of the process: Indiana and Purdue and especially Minnesota have fallen into trouble.

Indiana beat Minnesota on Wednesday night in Minneapolis, putting the Gophers’ NCAA hopes on life support. Minnesota won’t get in unless it beats Maryland and finds at least three other wins in these final weeks. Maryland itself won’t change the equation. Maryland plus a few other wins could still get the Gophers in… but chances are dwindling for Richard Pitino, who is staring at a missed NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in seven seasons in The Barn.

Purdue is very likely outside the NCAA Tournament right now at 14-13, despite several quality wins. Purdue can’t hope that a 17-16 record will be good enough for the Big Dance.

Indiana helped itself against Minnesota, but the Hoosiers still have some tough road games coming up, and they also host the Badgers in the regular-season finale. If Michigan and Ohio State have risen, IU, Purdue, and Minnesota have fallen off the pace.

The lower half of the Big Ten is where clarity has emerged in the conference. We will see if the next two weeks create a similar effect among teams 2 through 7 in the league.

Minnesota, after loss to Iowa, faces uphill climb for NCAA berth

Minnesota is in trouble

First things first: Wisconsin is going to make the 2020 NCAA Tournament, barring a collapse over the next few weeks. The Badgers have a lot of losses, yes, but they have a lot of high-end wins and are five games over .500. They have won on the road, something the Minnesota Golden Gophers have very rarely done this season. There is a considerable gap between Wisconsin’s resume and Minnesota’s resume. We can get that out of the way early in this article. Wisconsin is in good shape to Dance in March.

Yet, let’s imagine a world in which the Badgers weren’t likely to make the NCAA Tournament. Even in a Wisconsin sports fan’s darkest hour — even when the home teams in the home state aren’t doing so hot — there is always solace and comfort found in Minnesota-based teams suffering.

That always makes a day brighter for a Wisconsinite, and the especially great thing about Minnesota sports teams suffering is that it is such a reliable part of the landscape. From the Vikings going (now) 43 years without a Super Bowl appearance, to the Twins continuing to lose baseball playoff series, to the Golden Gophers failing to win the Big Ten West in football, to the basketball team missing the NCAA Tournament more often than making it, Minnesota teams struggle much more than they succeed. Minnesotans’ tears are the perfect beverage to go with a bratwurst, and once again, it seems Wisconsinites are in position to revel in the Gophers’ misfortune on the basketball court.

It’s not a done deal. Minnesota still has a chance to make the 2020 NCAA Tournament. However, time and opportunity now grow short for Richard Pitino and his team. After a loss at home on Sunday to Iowa, Minnesota is 12-12. If a team is 12-12, it better have eight or nine really good wins.

Minnesota has five: a sweep of Ohio State, a win over Penn State, a win over Michigan, and a win over Wisconsin. Other than that, the Gophers did poorly in non-conference play, losing to Utah and Oklahoma and DePaul, among others. Their win over Oklahoma State in December looked decent at the time but has since decreased in value. Minnesota has won only one true road game this season, at Ohio State, a big reason why the Gophers are currently an NIT team. The Gophers have to win a few games away from The Barn to have any chance to make the NCAA Tournament.

The bottom line after the Iowa loss is that Minnesota needs multiple wins away from home; wins against Nebraska and Northwestern if only to avoid a resume-killing loss; and a win in a home game versus Maryland, which is probably now a No. 2 seed in bracketology. If the Gophers don’t get all three of those items and put them in their grocery cart, they are probably staring at the NIT.

It’s not over. It’s not a done deal… but Minnesota is in big trouble. Wisconsin sports fans can smile, all while the Badgers make their way to the NCAA Tournament.

Against Purdue, Wisconsin can reach a Big Ten milestone this season

More on Wisconsin vs. Purdue

No, a ticker-tape parade won’t be thrown for the Wisconsin Badgers if they manage to defeat the Purdue Boilermakers on Tuesday night in the Kohl Center. However, if you have been paying very close attention to Wisconsin hoops this season, you know this game is very important for one simple reason: Believe it or not, Wisconsin could register its first three-game conference winning streak of the season with a win over Purdue.

Surprised? You shouldn’t be.

This has been the way of the Big Ten this season — not just the home-road splits, but teams fluctuating wildly between their A game and their F game. The Purdue team Wisconsin will face on Tuesday is a perfect embodiment of this pattern. Iowa has exhibited the pattern. Indiana has. Rutgers doesn’t know how to tie its shoelaces away from The RAC in Piscataway, New Jersey. Wisconsin has certainly been part of the Big Ten’s very unpredictable, motion-sickness-inducing basketball campaign.

Go look it up if you’re not sure. Wisconsin split its December Big Ten games. The Badgers won at Ohio State in early January and lost to Illinois. They beat Penn State and Maryland and were on the verge of a three-game winning streak in the league, but they then lost to Michigan State. They stumbled around in late January, losing three of four games, but have since rebounded to beat Ohio State and Nebraska. Here we go, then: Wisconsin can finally stitch together three Big Ten wins in a row on the day after Presidents Day. It has been a long and winding road, but the Badgers have entered a favorable portion of their schedule and are in position to make good use of it.

If they CAN, it speaks well of the team’s ability not only to improve as the season has moved along, but to have survived the rougher patches in the schedule in January, without completely collapsing.

If the Badgers CAN’T beat Purdue — which would mean a season sweep at the hands of the Boilermakers — dreams of a double bye at the Big Ten Tournament would not necessarily be shattered, but they would become a lot less realistic.

Wisconsin has had a hard time handling prosperity this season. UW has been great when its back has been against the wall, but terrible when coming off a decisive victory. If the Badgers can string together good performances, their habits and tendencies might improve in the right direction… at the best possible time of year.

Purdue embodies Big Ten inconsistency and volatility in 2020

Purdue offers a recognizable story

Fans of the Wisconsin Badgers do not need an explanation or recounting of how volatile and inconsistent their basketball team has been in this weird, wacky 2020 Big Ten season. The Purdue Boilermakers, who visit the Kohl Center on Tuesday night in the second game of the season series with Wisconsin, have been even more volatile than the Badgers this season… which is saying something.

It is a dynamic which keeps emerging in the Big Ten this season, with Iowa, Indiana and Illinois also exhibiting the same characteristics, and Rutgers being the ultimate home-versus-road example of a Jekyll-and-Hyde team: Big Ten teams often have a large gulf between their best and worst selves. Teams in the conference this year frequently play really well or really poorly, with nothing in between. Pendulum swings from excellence to ineptitude have been frequent this season, and they emerged this past weekend: Indiana — after beating Iowa at home — no-showed on the road at Michigan. Illinois had nothing to offer at Rutgers.

Purdue bombed at Ohio State, losing 68-52.

Purdue — like several other Big Ten teams — pinballs from an A-plus level of form to a D-minus or F, and rarely plays at a boring but steady B-minus level which offers stability and predictability.

Check out Purdue in Big Ten play this season, casting aside non-conference games. The Boilermakers have had these margins of victory in their Big Ten games to this point in the season:

Plus-14 (Northwestern)

Minus-14 (Nebraska)

Plus-5 (Minnesota)

Minus-26 (Illinois)

Minus-6 (Michigan)

Plus-29 (Michigan State)

Minus-7 (Maryland)

Minus-17 (Illinois)

Plus-19 (Wisconsin)

Minus-7 (Rutgers)

Plus-3 (Northwestern)

Plus-36 (Iowa)

Plus-12 (Indiana)

Minus-12 (Penn State)

Minus-16 (Ohio State)

For those of you keeping score at home, that’s 15 Big Ten games, with 10 being decided by 12 points or more, only three games decided by two possessions (6 points or fewer), and only ONE game decided by one possession (3 points or fewer).

Purdue has lost twice to Illinois by a combined total of 43 points, and yet the Boilermakers beat both Michigan State and (in non-conference play) Virginia by 29 points apiece!

This team is nuts! Instructively, a good portion of the Big Ten has been the same in 2020. What a wild year.

Wisconsin, believe it or not, has great chance for Big Ten double bye

Wisconsin hoops has a bright outlook

After the Purdue and Iowa losses, did you think this was possible? After the Brad Davison suspension heading into the Michigan State game, did you think this was possible? After the embarrassing loss at Minnesota, did you think this was possible? By “this,” I am referring to the goal of every Wisconsin basketball team before a season begins: getting a top-four seed at the Big Ten Tournament, which carries a double bye.

Wisconsin, believe it or not, has a very good chance of hunting down this prize.

Don’t look now, but Michigan State has lost four out of its last five games and still has to make road trips to the two best teams in the Big Ten, Maryland and Penn State.

Don’t look now, but Illinois has lost four in a row, and star Ayo Dosunmu is injured.

Don’t look now, but Iowa is dealing with even more injuries and was down to six scholarship players this past Thursday against Indiana.

Don’t look now, but Rutgers still has just one win away from home and will likely have to win a few roadies to get a top-four seed at the Big Ten Tournament.

Wisconsin — with a schedule heavily tilted to home games the next few weeks (four out of the next five at the Kohl Center) — is in great position to get a top-four seed at the Big Ten Tournament. The Badgers are tied in the loss column for third place, and given the struggles of the other teams tied with UW in the loss column, the Badgers have the best circumstances (fewest injuries) and the most favorable path (home games).

Who would have thought that a few weeks ago? Life might not be perfect, but it certainly isn’t bad, in spite of all the disruptions and controversies which have surrounded the 2020 basketball Badgers. It could all be so much worse than it is now… and Wisconsin has a great chance to improve its situation in the next three weeks.

3 Key Takeaways: Michigan State Basketball vs. Maryland

Michigan State Basketball suffered a brutal loss at the hands of the Maryland Terpins. Here are 3 key takeaways from this game.

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Michigan State Spartans basketball suffered a dispiriting loss last night to Maryland, 67-60. The Terpins stood tall at the Breslin Center against a surging MSU team in the second half. Mostly thanks to Anthony Cowan Jr. and his 24 points. Now, the Spartans are 17-9 overall and 9-6 in Big Ten Conference games.

Here are three key takeaways from this game:

1. Starting Forward Spot Up For Grabs

Tom Izzo inserted Malik Hall back into the starting lineup in place of Marcus Bingham Jr. Unfortunately, this did not go well for the Spartans. Instead, Malik Hall made poor defensive decisions while shooting 0/2 from the floor. All in all, Hall only played a total of seven minutes in this game.

Marcus Bingham Jr. only played seven minutes as well. Thomas Kithier ended up being the primary Forward for Michigan State. Kithier played 22 total minutes, scoring six points. He also grabbed three boards and blocked one shot. We might get another heavy dose of Kithier against Nebraska.

2. Anthony Cowan Jr. Cooked MSU

Anthony Cowan Jr. went off against Michigan State. Cowan ended the game with 24 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Furthermore, Cowan went on a 10-0 run all by himself to close out the game for his team. No one could stop him from hitting outside shots nor getting to the basket. MSU must strategize better against a dynamic talent like Cowan Jr.

3. Offensive Woes Becoming Worriesome

The Spartans shot 21% from beyond the three-point line as a team. Even worse, only Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman scored in double digits, combining for 32 points. This offense looked really bleak throughout large portions of this game. Especially when MSU pulled ahead and could not sustain their lead.

The rest of Michigan State’s starters scored a total of 14 points. All of the Spartan’s bench scored a total of 14 points. In ten minutes, Gabe Brown did not score any points. That’s hard times. Hopefully, these hard times won’t last.

The Spartans are back in action against Nebraska this Thursday on Feb. 20. The game starts at 8:30 P.M. and broadcasts live on FS1.

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WATCH: MSU honors 2000 NCAA Championship team during Maryland game

Michigan State honored the 2000 NCAA Championship team during the Maryland game. Watch some clips here including Mateen Cleaves speech.

Michigan State Basketball honored the 2000 NCAA Championship team during halftime of the Maryland game. Mateen Cleaves, Morris Peterson, Mat Ishbia, Al Anagonye, and Adam Ballinger were in attendance. Antonio Smith was also in attendance, although he left the team one year before they were able to win the title. Cleaves spoke to the crowd on behalf of the team to celebrate the occasion.

Check out some clips of this ceremony below and Mateen Cleaves speech:

Always great to see Spartan legends come back to the campus in East Lansing. Mateen Cleaves was very emotional during this ceremony. Who can blame him? This was a special team that will live on forever in the hearts of all MSU basketball fans.

That MSU team beat every single team in the 2000 NCAA Tournament by double digits, including the Championship game, where they knocked off Florida 89-76. It was absolute dominance and also the last time a Big Ten team won the National Championship.

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