GENERAL
Big Ten Weekly Men's Basketball Central: Jan. 10-16
- The Big Ten Conference a pair of games tonight, as Michigan State visits Wisconsin with both looking to stay atop the conference standings, while Illinois and Nebraska meet in Lincoln after important victories over the weekend.
- Michigan State leads the all-time series against Wisconsin 85-67 after winning two of the teams’ three meetings last season. Both squads scored regular season road wins in the series before the Spartans topped the Badgers 69-63 in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament. Wisconsin’s Chucky Hepburn drained a three with just under two minutes to play, leveling the score at 58, but Tyson Walker went on a personal 5-0 run to give the Spartans a cushion they would not relinquish. Marcus Bingham Jr. led the Spartans with 19 points and 11 boards, while Brad Davison scored 23 points for Wisconsin.
- Per KenPom.com, MSU has faced the nation’s 9th-toughest slate of opposing offenses in the country and rank No. 17 overall in strength of schedule. Facing one of the nation’s most difficult schedules, the Spartans lead the Big Ten in field goal percentage defense (38.3) and rank second in scoring defense (59.3 ppg). During its current six game win streak, the Spartans are scoring 70.7 ppg, while holding opponents to 56.5 ppg and limiting teams to 36.4% shooting from the field and 23.4% from 3-point land.
- Wisconsin is building one of the nation’s most impressive resumes, going 5-2 in Quad 1 and 2 games, trailing only Purdue (6) the most such wins in the Big Ten. UW is also seventh in the nation with 6 wins over KenPom Top-100 teams (through games Jan. 8). The Badgers also own five road/neutral wins, behind only Purdue, Kansas, Kansas State and Tennessee among major conference teams.
- Illinois leads the all-time series, 19-8, over Nebraska in a series that dates back to 1921. The Illini have won 12 of the 18 meetings since Nebraska joined the Big Ten, including each of the last five. The Fighting Illini used a 12-2 run over the final four minutes to score an 81-71 win over the Huskers in the lone meeting last season. Trent Frazier paced Illinois with 29 points, while Bryce McGowens paired 19 points and seven rebounds for the Huskers.
- The Illini sport a balanced attack that features four players scoring in double figures and seven who average at least 6.6 points. Among that group of seven, six shoot north of 40.0 percent from the floor and five connect on better than 33.3 percent of their three-point attempts. Illinois also gets significant production from its bench, combining to score 24 points per game, ranking second in the Big Ten. The Illini bench has outscored its opponent in 12 of 15 games, and by an average of 8.5 points.
- The Huskers have been tough in Pinnacle Bank Arena, going 6-1 this season with the only loss coming to No. 4 Purdue in overtime on Dec. 10. On its home floor, Nebraska is scoring 75.3 points while shooting north of 40 percent from the floor with a scoring margin of +13.58. In the Huskers’ last home game, NU held Iowa to season lows in points (50) and shooting percentage (.260) in a 65-50 Husker victory.
- Of the 14 teams in the Big Ten, 10 were included or received votes in this week’s AP and USA Today Top 25 polls. Purdue checks in at No. 3 while Wisconsin sits at No. 18 in both polls. Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State, Northwestern and Ohio State garnered votes in both polls, while Iowa, Maryland and Rutgers earned nods in the USA Today rankings.
- Eleven of the 14 Big Ten programs rank in the top 66 of today’s NCAA NET rankings, including six in the top 40: Purdue (#5), Ohio State (#14), Rutgers (#21), Indiana (#25), Illinois (#37), and Maryland (#39). Purdue’s five Quad 1 wins are tied for second in the country for most in the country. The Big Ten also leads the country with 48 Quad 1 and 2 wins (ACC - 37, Big 12 - 41, Big East - 33, PAC 12 - 33, SEC - 34). Thirteen of the league’s 14 teams also have at least one Quad 1 win and at least 1 Quad 2 win.
- Through games on Jan. 9, 12 of the Big Ten 14 teams rank in the top 55 in the latest KenPom rankings. Purdue leads the way at #7 followed by Ohio State (#12), Rutgers (#16), and Indiana (#22). The Big 12 has 10 teams in the top 60, while the SEC has eight. Six Big East and seven ACC squads are also included in the top 60.
- Five Big Ten teams also rank in the top 50 in today’s RPI rankings. Purdue leads the league at No. 5, followed by Wisconsin (28), Michigan State (23), Maryland (33) and Northwestern (41). The ACC leads major conferences with eight teams in the top 50, two more than the Big 12. The Big Ten matches the Big East, PAC 12 and SEC with five teams each.
- Eight of the Big Ten’s 14 teams sit in the top 32 in today’s NET Strength of Schedule rankings. The Big Ten boasts eight teams ranked in the top 50, while the SWAC and Big 12 have six entrants each, followed by the Big East and SEC with five each. Nebraska (11th), Ohio State (15th), Maryland (19th) and Iowa (20th) list in the top 20 among the nation’s 363 Division I programs.
- Some of the nation’s top defensive units are on display each time a Big Ten team takes the court. Four Big Ten teams rank in the NCAA’s top 35 in scoring defense, while eight hold their opponents at or below 41.0% field goal shooting. The shooting percentages stay low beyond the three-point line, as all 14 teams hold their opponents below 34% from three-point range, while nine clubs block at least 4.0 shots per game.
- Entering today’s game, 10 Big Ten teams rank in the top 30 in average home attendance, including six who are listed in the top 20. Indiana, Purdue, Michigan State, Illinois, and Wisconsin rank 8-12, respectively, with Maryland at N. 20. More than 135,000 fans have watched the Hoosiers this season, ranking sixth in the NCAA in total home fans. Seven Big Ten programs are included in the NCAA’s top 30 in total attendance. In total, nearly 2.2 million fans have enjoyed Big Ten men’s basketball live this season.
- Big Ten teams closed the nonconference portion of the 2022-23 campaign with a 115-37 (.757 win percentage) record. The conference ranked second in the nation in nonconference win percentage, behind the Big 12 (.840 / 110-19) and second in wins behind the SEC (130-42).