Rush The Court

The weekend after the Big Ten/ACC Challenge is probably one of the weakest slates of the year. After coming out of all the Feast Week tournaments followed by playing formidable competition in the challenge, most teams are looking to take it easy with opponents from low-major conferences this weekend. And with the Big Ten season arriving soon enough, it’s hard to blame them. At this point in the season, coaches just want to give their guys a break and pick up a few easy wins. It makes for a fairly boring first weekend of December in the Big Ten, but here is a preview of the best games of this quiet weekend.

• Temple at Wisconsin (Saturday, 12:30 ET PM, CBS). This matchup with 3-3 Temple (which was picked to finish sixth in the American) doesn’t excite at first blush, but it represents the Big Ten game this weekend with the highest thrill score (according to KenPom), so perhaps the Owls have an extra gear in store for their trip to Madison. The Badgers surprised everyone on Wednesday when they went into the Carrier Dome and upset Syracuse, so maintaining momentum through this weekend will be crucial for Bo Ryan’s crew. If Bronson Koenig can prove to be more consistent in his production, the Badgers still have a great shot at making a 15th straight NCAA Tournament. Temple, a team that has already taken down a B1G squad earlier this season (Minnesota), has a formidable defense that is capable of slowing down good offenses. That defense could be even tougher on an offense that’s been as ineffective as Wisconsin’s (46.3% eFG) this season. If the Badgers have an off shooting afternoon, then a second home loss is definitely in play here.

• New Mexico at Purdue (Saturday, 2:15 ET PM, BTN). While a handful of Big Ten teams have had disappointing starts to the season, Purdue has done the opposite and outperformed its expectations. The Boliermakers began the season as a borderline Top 25 team, but with each passing week, they are looking more and more like legitimate Big Ten and Final Four contenders. On Saturday they’ll host a New Mexico team that’s trying to return to form after a disappointing 15-win season a year ago. Matt Painter’s defense –which has been nothing short of elite thus far (adjusted efficiency rating of 91.1, fourth in the country) will have to contain a trio of Lobos scorers: Tim Williams (17.5 PPG), Elijah Brown (17.3 PPG), and coach’s son Cullen Neal (17.0 PPG). If they can put away New Mexico on Saturday, Purdue is a near lock to enter the Crosstown Classic against Butler at 11-0.
• Iowa vs. Michigan State (the gridiron version!, Saturday, 8:17 ET PM, FOX). Given the slow weekend of hardwood games, you have our permission to get ready for the Big Ten Football Championship game instead of thinking about more hoops around the Big Ten (Michigan will handle Houston Baptist, don’t worry). The Big Ten microsite will of course be watching hoops, however, so check out our Twitter handle (@rushtheB1G) for any upset alerts and insta-analysis. Otherwise, enjoy Iowa shocking the world in Indianapolis (yes, we’re calling it).