As you well know, the Big Ten starts off conference play with four games today. While some of the luster has been lost due to several teams’ non-conference struggles, that doesn’t mean that things won’t be entertaining with so many teams relatively close to each other in talent level. Can disappointing teams like Michigan and Purdue turn things around? Will Wisconsin dominate as much as everyone seems to think? Can Penn State keep winning? Some of these questions and more will be answered over the next two and a half months. With that in mind, here’s a look at five key dates during conference play that will be appointment viewing if you’re a true B1G fan.

Dez Wells and Maryland vs. Michigan State in College Park highlights a slew of good games on January 17 .(Charlie DeBoyace/The Diamondback)

January 17 (five games)

• Rutgers-Minnesota 12:00 EST (BTN)
• Purdue-Penn State 1:0o (ESPNU)
• Ohio State-Iowa 2:00 (ESPN)
• Michigan State-Maryland 4:00 (CBS)
• Northwestern-Michigan 8:15 (BTN)

You may be able to skip the opener at Minnesota, but the meat of this five-game Saturday slate is right in the middle. Iowa and Ohio State split their games last season, which each team winning on the other’s home floor. Both teams once again have legitimate NCAA hopes, but this one will be important for setting the tone early in conference play. After today’s season opener in East Lansing, Maryland and Michigan State will run it back just 17 days later. The Terps are known for bringing a raucous atmosphere to the Xfinity Center — how will Michigan State handle the chaos in playing there for the first time as a league opponent?

February 7 (four games)

• Illinois-Michigan State 12:00 (ESPN)
• Purdue-Minnesota 3:00 (BTN)
• Nebraska-Penn State 4:00 (ESPNU)
• Northwestern-Wisconsin 5:30 (BTN)

There are three games here that could go either way, and a fourth that doesn’t seem like it would except for the fact that Northwestern unexpectedly won in Madison last season. Purdue and Minnesota went to three overtimes when they last played in The Barn, while Illinois and Nebraska could pick up some key road wins if they were able to knock off their respective opponents.

February 11 (two games)

• Penn State-Ohio State 7:00 (BTN)
• Indiana-Maryland 9:00 (BTN)

A Wednesday night double-header that gives Penn State another chance to beat Ohio State. The Lions beat the Buckeyes twice last season, and after playing 11 conference games to that point, a chance for a potential shootout between DJ Newbill and D’Angelo Russell makes this one worth keeping an eye on. Indiana and Maryland will be a rematch of a game in Bloomington on January 22. Could this be a chance for James Blackmon Jr. or Melo Trimble to make their case for Freshman of the Year?

February 14 (two games)

• Ohio State-Michigan State 12:00 (ESPN)
• Maryland-Penn State 8:30 (BTN)

Valentine’s Day Saturday is pretty light in terms of volume but makes up for it in quality with four teams that would more than likely be in the field of 68 if the season ended today. Ohio State and Michigan State will be battling for two of the top spots in the league, while by this date we’ll know if Maryland and Penn State’s hot starts were flukes. The time gap between games even allows one to take care of all our domestic responsibilities given the holiday before coming back home to catch some hoops.

March 8 (three games)

• Wisconsin-Ohio State
• Maryland-Nebraska
• Penn St-Minnesota (times and TV coverage not announced)

The last day of the regular season could determine the league champion if Ohio State can stay within striking distance of Wisconsin. Either way, with no marquee non-conference wins on their resume, this game could be gigantic for the Buckeyes’ ultimate seeding in the Big Dance. If things go haywire between now and then, it could even be a must-win to make the NCAA Tournament. Maryland will get tested by heading to Lincoln for the first time, while Penn State visiting Minnesota could also have huge bubble implications.

Brendan Brody (307 Posts)

Brendan Brody is in his fourth season covering the Big Ten for RTC. Email him at brendan.brody@gmail.com, or follow him on twitter @berndon4.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 30th, 2014 at 9:31 am by Brendan Brody and is filed under big ten, microsites. Tagged: big ten, D'Angelo Russell, Dez Wells, DJ Newbill, illinois, indiana, iowa, james blackmon jr, maryland, Melo Trimble, michigan, michigan state, minnesota, nebraska, northwestern, ohio state, penn state, purdue, rutgers, wisconsin. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.