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The B1G 3: Wisconsin-Illinois matchup highlights week in Big Ten hoops
By Alex Hickey
Published:
There are a lot of Big Ten basketball games each week. And that can make the task of figuring out which matchups are worth watching somewhat labor-intensive. So we’re doing the work for you.
Specifically, we’re narrowing it down to the best 3 B1G games. Because things always go best when measured in multiples of 3.
Without further ado, here’s our B1G 3 for the week of Feb. 1-6, ranked in order of entertainment potential.
No. 11 Wisconsin (17-3, 8-2) at No. 18 Illinois (15-5, 8-2)
When: Wednesday, 9 p.m. EST, BTN
Why it’s B1G: The Badgers and Fighting Illini are tied for first place in the Big Ten. Michigan State’s Tuesday night game at Maryland will determine whether that’s a three-way tie with the Spartans, but that outcome will do little to change the stakes in Champaign.
State Farm Center was effectively the Sixth Man for Illinois in last week’s 56-55 win against Michigan State. Or maybe more like a member of the starting lineup. Despite being without top scorers Kofi Cockburn and Andre Curbelo, the Illini rode an electric atmosphere for a win that created a jumble atop the conference standings.
Cockburn returned to the lineup this weekend for a win at Northwestern, but the jury remains out on when Curbelo will be back.
Even if Illinois has both guys back, this will be a rare case where the Illini still won’t have the best player on the court.
That would be Wisconsin guard Johnny Davis, who is making a push for both Big Ten and national player of the year. Davis is averaging 21.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game while hitting 44% of his field-goal attempts.
The most interesting individual matchup of the game figures to be Davis against Illinois guard Trent Frazier. Illini coach Brad Underwood just had a tirade go viral over the fact Frazier didn’t make the national defensive player of the year watch list, and this seems like a perfect opportunity to prove his point.
No. 18 Illinois (15-5, 8-2) at Indiana (16-5, 7-4)
When: Saturday, noon, ESPN
Why it’s B1G: This one matters in a big way for both teams.
For Illinois, it’s a quick turnaround after its high-stakes game against Wisconsin. The Illini will either need a win to stay in first place, or to avoid falling further behind the Badgers and/or Spartans.
It is potentially bigger still for Indiana.
The Hoosiers are a combined 4-5 against teams in Quad 1 and 2, which is certainly good enough to comfortably make the NCAA tournament field. Indiana is 29th in the NCAA NET rankings — somewhere in the neighborhood of a 7-seed in the tourney.
But plenty of challenges lie in wait for the Hoosiers over the remainder of the schedule, so they’ve hardly clinched anything just yet. Knocking off the Illini would be a nice feather in the cap. And given that Indiana has a full week to prepare for this game, that outcome is quite possible.
With a win, the Hoosiers would also potentially find themselves in the thick of the title race. A loss essentially assures that of being little more than a pipe dream.
Iowa (14-7, 4-6) at No. 16 Ohio State (13-5, 6-3)
When: Thursday, 8 p.m., FS1
Why it’s B1G: If you like scoring, this is the game for you.
The Hawkeyes are seventh in the nation in offensive efficiency. The Buckeyes are 11th. And neither team has a lockdown defense, with Iowa ranking 98th in defensive efficiency while Ohio State is 84th.
Iowa guard Keegan Murray leads the Big Ten with 22.4 points per game, while Ohio State forward EJ Liddell ranks fourth with 19.7 per game. Both are clear Big Ten player of the year candidates.
I’d probably bump this up a place if the game was at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, because that would make it a true toss-up with overtime potential written all over it. Winning in Columbus is a decidedly taller task for Iowa. Ohio State has yet to lose on its home floor this season, which includes a win over then-No. 1 Duke in November.
The Hawkeyes could certainly use a quality road win after losing at Penn State on Monday night, so expect them to be fired up.
Honorable mention
Michigan State at Rutgers (Saturday, 4 p.m., FS1): The feisty Scarlet Knights are trouble waiting to happen for the turnover-prone Spartans. This is going to be an extremely ugly offensive basketball game, but the more unsightly it gets, the better Rutgers’ chances.
Michigan at Purdue (Saturday, 2:30 p.m., FOX): Another game with the potential for both teams to get in the neighborhood of 80-plus points. A win at Mackey Arena would provide a huge jolt to Michigan’s flagging NCAA tournament hopes, but Purdue’s ability to mitigate center Hunter Dickinson makes that outcome difficult to foresee.
Alex Hickey is an award-winning writer who has watched Big Ten sports since it was a numerically accurate description of league membership. Alex has covered college football and basketball since 2008, with stops on the McNeese State, LSU and West Virginia beats before being hired as Saturday Tradition's Big Ten columnist in 2021. He is an Illinois native and 2004 Indiana University graduate.