Breaking Down the Big Ten Bubble Games This Week

Posted by Brendan Brody on March 3rd, 2015

The eyes of not only Big Ten fans but much of the country will be watching this week as there is much still to be determined. As many as eight league teams have legitimate NCAA Tournament aspirations, and there is also a logjam with conference tournament seeding still to be sorted out. Luckily, much will be settled with head-to-head match-ups pitting impacted teams against one another this week. This means that you shouldn’t get too comfortable with the standings as they are right now, because things will change rapidly over the next six days. Here’s a look at the must-see games for the final week and why they’re important.

Iowa needs Jarrod Uthoff to have a big game in Bloomington Tuesday. (AP)

Iowa needs Jarrod Uthoff to have a big game in Bloomington Tuesday. (AP)

  • Iowa at Indiana, 7:00 EST, ESPN, Tuesday. These two teams haven’t played yet this season and the Hoosiers will once again face a team with more size than them. Iowa does a pretty solid job defensively against the three (52nd nationally), so this game should come down to whether the Hoosiers can handle Iowa’s pressure and shoot over the top. Troy Williams against either Aaron White or Jarrod Uthoff will be a quality match-up worth watching.
  • Ohio State at Penn State, 6:00 EST, BTN, Wednesday. It’s worth noting that Penn State beat Ohio State twice last season although they did lose by 20 in Columbus earlier this year. Ohio State really can’t afford to slip up here and lose to a Nittany Lions’ group that just can’t get out of their own way in crunch time. At a minimum, the Buckeyes need to stockpile more wins to move up a seed line or two from where they’re projected — another Big Ten road win won’t hurt their cause.

  • Purdue at Michigan State, 8:00 EST, BTN, Wednesday. Both of these teams are shooting for double-byes in the Big Ten Tournament, sitting at 11-5 and 10-6 in the league standings, respectively. They could use the resume boost as well, with Sparty especially looking vulnerable after losing their last two outings. Purdue really doesn’t have anyone who can guard Branden Dawson, but the senior was benched over the weekend. If Dawson, Denzel Valentine, and Travis Trice play well, Michigan State will win this game; otherwise, Purdue has a real shot to inch ever closer to getting safely off the bubble.
  • Michigan State at Indiana, 12:00 EST, ESPN, Saturday. Michigan State beat down Indiana by 20 points when the two teams last met, and did so by rebounding a staggering 50 percent of their misses on the offensive end. The Spartans also held the Hoosiers to 5-of-24 from behind the arc and were up by 30 points at one point during the blowout. This game is in Bloomington, however, where the Hoosiers are now 15-2 on the season. Each team could be somewhat desperate depending on the its earlier game in the week, making this a potential bubble-buster game.
  • Illinois at Purdue, 4:30 EST, BTN, Saturday. Illinois won the first tilt between these two teams in January at the free throw line, making 21-of-24 attempts; Purdue, on the other hand, only went 4-of-9 from the charity stripe. The Illini now have Rayvonte Rice back and are looking to steal a road win that would guarantee a .500 record in league play. Purdue gets a chance to finish at home in front of one of the better atmospheres in the conference. This is another one that will have a plethora of eyeballs on it nationally, as neither team is currently on solid footing yet in terms of their NCAA Tournament chances.
  • Wisconsin at Ohio State, 4:30, EST, CBS, Sunday. Tune in here for the chance to see whether Ohio State can slay the dragon to pick up its best resume win of the season. But stay for the chance to see two of the top three players nationally square off for the first and possibly only time of their college careers. Frank Kaminsky and D’Angelo Russell are both having phenomenal seasons, and the opportunity to see them play HORSE within the constructs of a live game sells itself.
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.


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