GENERAL
Big Ten Weekly Men's Basketball Central: Jan. 17-23
- The Big Ten schedule features just one game tonight, as Wisconsin looks to stop its three-game losing streak against Penn State, with both clubs looking to move above .500 in conference play. Tip is slated for 8:30 p.m. in Madison.
- Congratulations to Purdue head coach Matt Painter, who became just the seventh coach in conference history to record 200 conference victories, joining Bob Knight, Tom Izzo, Gene Keady, Lou Henson, Ward Lambert, and Branch McCracken.
- The Badgers hold a commanding 42-11 lead in their all-time series against the Nittany Lions, including three consecutive wins. Wisconsin scored a 51-49 victory in the teams’ only meeting in 2021-22. The Badgers jumped out to a 14-3 lead before Penn State rallied to take a 35-34 lead midway through the second half. Wisconsin regained its lead and extended the advantage to 49-40 with 3:44 to play. A Penn State 9-0 run leveled the score at 49-49 before Tyler Wahl’s game-winning jumper came with 31 seconds to play. Steven Crowl led the Badgers with 13 points, while Wahl finished the day with 12 points and seven rebounds. Sam Sessoms paced the Nittany Lions with 14 points off the bench.
- The Badgers are 5-4 in Quad 1/2 games. Among Big Ten teams, only Purdue and Iowa have more such wins than Wisconsin. Additionally, Wisconsin is one of the only Big Ten teams with a winning record in Quad 1/2 games. Wisconsin has played the 7th-toughest schedule in the NCAA according to the Sagarin Ratings and the 13th-toughest schedule, according to ESPN’s BPI rankings.
- Wisconsin ranks fifth in the Big Ten shooting 36.3 percent (137-377) from beyond the arc and is averaging 8.6 made three pointers per game, which ranks third in the Big Ten this year. The Badgers have made at least 12 triples in a game four times this season after reaching the mark just once last season.
- The Nittany Lions sit 3-3 in conference play after a tough six-game stretch to open Big Ten action. Five of Penn State’s six conference games have come against the top seven scoring offenses in the conference (Penn State is also in the top seven). The Nittany Lions have beaten three of the league’s four top offenses in Iowa (first), Indiana (second) and Illinois (fourth).
- Penn State ranks fourth in the nation with 11.1 3-pointers made per game. The Nittany Lions are shooting the long ball at a 39.5 percent (189-478) clip, a mark that leads the Big Ten and ranks 12th in the nation. The Nittany Lions have made double-digit 3-pointers in 10 of 17 games this season. The Nittany Lions drilled a program-record 18 triples in two games this season, the season opener against Winthrop on Nov. 7 and in the 19-point rout of Indiana on Jan. 11.
- In Monday’s action, Purdue and Michigan State went down to the wire with the Boilermakers scoring a 64-63 victory in East Lansing. After 16 ties and 24 lead changes, Michigan State’s Tyson Walker’s jumper put the Spartans ahead with 12 seconds to play. On Purdue’s next possession, Zach Edey netted the final of his 32 points with the game-winning lay-up with 2.2 seconds to play. Edey added 17 rebounds and two blocked shots to his stat line, while Fletcher Loyer finished with 17 points. Walker led the Spartans with 30 points, with A.J. Hoggard pairing 14 points and eight assists.
- Illinois pushed its current win streak to four games, as the Illini scored a 78-60 win at Minneapolis. Leading 35-32 at the half, Illinois used a 12-0 spurt to build a double figure lead early in the second stanza. Another 13-3 run pushed the Illini advantage to 20 points with under eight minutes to play. Matthew Mayer paired 19 points to 10 rebounds to lead four Illini players in double figure scoring. Dawson Garcia posted 17 points, six rebounds and four assists to pace the Gophers.
- Eight Big Ten teams find themselves on the national radar this week, as both the AP and USA Today Top 25 polls were released on Monday. Purdue held its place at No. 3 on both polls, while Rutgers made its first appearance on the AP poll, checking in at No. 23. The No. 23 spot on the USA Today list is also filled by a Big Ten team, with Illinois returning to the coaches’ poll at No. 23. Iowa, Michigan State, Ohio State and Wisconsin received votes in both polls, with Indiana earning nods on the USA Today poll.
- Eleven of the 14 Big Ten programs rank in the top 70 of today’s NCAA NET rankings, including six in the top 40: Purdue (#4), Rutgers (#17), Ohio State (#23), Illinois (#21), Indiana (#32), and Iowa (#35). Purdue leads the nation with seven Quad 1 wins. The Big Ten also leads the country with 61 Quad 1 and 2 wins (ACC - 45, Big 12 - 47, Big East - 36, PAC 12 - 39, SEC - 45). 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. 16, 12 of the Big Ten 14 teams rank in the top 70 in the latest KenPom rankings. Purdue leads the way at #5 followed by Rutgers (#14), Ohio State (#17), Illinois (#21), and Indiana (#28). The Big 12 has 10 teams in the top 60, while the SEC has nine. Six Big East and seven ACC squads are also included in the top 60.
- Nebraska enters this week with the nation’s best NET Strength of Schedule ranking to lead six Big Ten teams in the top 20: #11Michigan State, #13 Wisconsin, #15 Maryland, #18 Ohio State, and #19 Indiana. In total, 10 Big Ten teams rank in the top 50, most of any conference in the country. The Big East and Big 12 have six clubs each in the top 50, while the ACC, PAC 12, and SEC have five teams.
- 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 11 hold their opponents at or below 42.0% field goal shooting. The shooting percentages stay low beyond the three-point line, as all 14 teams hold their opponents below 35.0% from three-point range, while nine clubs block at least 4.0 shots per game.
- Entering this week’s games, seven Big Ten teams rank in the top 30 in average home attendance, including five who are listed in the top 20. Indiana, Illinois, Purdue, Michigan State, and Iowa rank 6, 10, 15, 16 and 20, respectively. More than 153,000 fans have watched the Hoosiers this season, ranking sixth in the NCAA in total home fans. In total, nearly 2.5 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).