We’re just over halfway through the Big Ten conference season and are rapidly approaching probably the biggest weekend of the slate, and likely the biggest single game to date. We’ve got a couple huge rivalry games on tap and a chance for a shift in power at the top of the standings.
Here’s a look at a few of the weekend’s biggest Big Ten matchups.
#4 Ohio State at Wisconsin, 2 PM on Saturday
- Without question, the Buckeyes were the favorite to win the conference this season, and perhaps by a wide margin. But they’ve been brought down to earth twice already during their Big Ten slate — at Indiana and at Illinois. Will their trip to Madison result in another mis-step? Or will Wisconsin, which already has mounted two rare home defeats, fall again on its home floor? The Buckeyes have proven to be the toast of the conference and a likely Final Four participant, while Wisconsin has re-emerged as a conference title contender. All that said, this should be a tremendous defensive game to watch. Both teams have potent offenses — though different in style — but the game should be won on the defensive end, as these two groups enter with the top two scoring defenses in the conference. Individually, the backcourt matchup between Wisconsin’s Jordan Taylor and Ohio State’s Aaron Craft should be a real treat.
#14 Indiana at Purdue, 7 PM on Saturday
- Tom Crean‘s road struggles at Indiana have been well-documented. How about a win on rival Purdue’s home floor to get the monkey off his back? Since Crean took over in Bloomington, the Boilermakers have dominated this in-state rivalry. Indiana hasn’t beaten Purdue since 2008, when the teams met only once (in Bloomington) and Indiana hasn’t won at Mackey Arena since 2006. Without a conference road win to their name this year (Indiana is 2-31 in Big Ten road games under Crean), this does not seem like the place for Indiana to buck the trend. But if freshman Cody Zeller can stay poised and out of foul trouble, he can present an issue for the Purdue frontcourt.
#19 Michigan at #8 Michigan State, 1 PM on Sunday
- So many things — home-court advantage, emotions, matchups, coaching, history — goes into determining the outcome of a rivalry game, but there may be nothing more important to this one Sunday than the status of Draymond Green‘s left knee. The senior forward missed the last four minutes of Michigan State’s loss at Illinois this week after he was helped off the floor, but Tom Izzo said on Friday that Green will play (how much he’ll play remains to be seen). Green is the heart and soul of this Michigan State group and will desperately do whatever it takes to end his career against Michigan with a victory, after having dropped three straight games to the Wolverines in the rivalry (Michigan State hasn’t lost four straight in the series since 1998). Michigan has held its ground through a tough stretch over the last few weeks and another win in East Lansing would keep it squarely in the thick of things for the conference title. A win catapults the Spartans back into the conversation, while a loss would surely take them out of the running. There’s nothing like a good rivalry game with plenty on the line.