Rush The Court

With the college basketball season more than halfway over, who knew that the Big Ten would, statistically, be just the fifth highest rated conference in the country (behind even the Pac-12!)? There’s no doubting that it has been a down year for a conference that has arguably been the nation’s best league over the past five years. Seeing the two best teams in the non-conference season (Michigan State and Purdue) already with two league losses isn’t helping. Surpisingly, Iowa and Indiana stand together atop the standings at 4-0 each, but they are coached by Fran McCaffrey and Tom Crean. How long can this really go on? It’s week eight of the Layup Line.

REPORT CARD

A: John Groce, Malcolm Hill and Kendrick Nunn

They only played one game since last Friday, but the Illini sure made the most of what was a huge game Sunday night against Purdue. They were in control from the start thanks to the Batman-and-Robin duo of Malcolm Hill and Kendrick Nunn. Both juniors continue to have their way with nearly every opponent, but no performance has been as impressive as the one they delivered Sunday. The two combined for 52 points on 17-of-27 shooting and 13-of-17 from the line, while adding 13 rebounds and three blocks. Nunn now leads the Big Ten in scoring (18.8), while Hill ranks third (18.1).

Best of all, the Illini fulfilled John Groce’s game plan to a T, attacking the nation’s second-best two-point defense (38.2%) all night. The Illini had no problem with Purdue’s major size advantage, shooting 17 of 31 inside the arc, scoring 1.20 points per possession and forcing Purdue into its worst defensive effort of the season. If only Groce had a remotely healthy roster that wasn’t so reliant on Hill and Nunn…

B: Big Ten Point Guards

Overall, it was a great week for a number of Big Ten point guards, starting with Yogi Ferrell. He continued his brilliant play on Sunday against Ohio State, scoring 16 points and adding six assists, five rebounds and three steals. He’s averaging 19.8 points in Big Ten play and has been tasked, as usual, with guarding the opposing team’s best perimeter player each game. So far, he has lived up to the challenge, slowing down Andrew White, Bronson Koenig and Marc Loving the past three games.

Iowa point guard Mike Gesell earned Player of the Week honors after posting his first career double-double (22 points, 10 assists) in a win over Nebraska. He ranks ninth nationally in assists per game (6.9).

Bryant McIntosh continued to lead a shorthanded Northwestern group, as he dished out 11 assists at Minnesota and picked apart Wisconsin at home to the tune of 28 points, five assists and four rebounds. He ranks seventh nationally in assists per game (7.1).

Melo Trimble struggled in Tuesday’s loss in Ann Arbor, but he did put up 21 points and five assists and hit the game winning three-pointer in Madison on Saturday.

C:  Maryland Terrapins

Make no mistake, Maryland’s last second win over Wisconsin was a big one and proved that the Terps can, indeed, buckle down when it matters and win close games. It’s also not easy to win back-to-back road games in the Big Ten no matter who you’re playing. But to lose to a Michigan team without its best player – a game in which they trailed for the final 38 minutes – is tough to swallow. Maryland needs to shore up its turnover issues quickly (ranked 12^th in conference turnover rate and 252^nd nationally) if it plans to do damage in March.

D: Raphael Davis

The Big Ten’s reigning defensive player of the year has never been known for his offensive abilities, but as the senior leader of what looked like a legitimate Final Four contender just weeks ago, Davis has to start stepping up. His minutes, points, rebounds, assists and field goal percentage are all down from last season – especially in conference play – so it’s no surprise that Purdue has struggled of late. Davis is averaging a measly 5.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and shooting 27.6 percent from the field in five Big Ten games. He’s posted an offensive rating under 44 in three of them. Purdue may have beaten Penn State easily at home this week, but it also got beat badly by Illinois – a game in which Davis scored zero points, had zero impact and fouled out. He’s better than that, and so is Purdue.

F: Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Just when you think Eddie Jordan’s boys can’t get any worse, they go out and get spanked by 34 points at home against Nebraska. Rutgers is now 0-4 in the Big Ten with an average margin of defeat of 22 points, has not won a conference game since January 11, 2015 and has been given a less than 10% chance of winning in nine of its final 14 games. This team may actually not win a game the rest of the year, but with three home games against Illinois, Penn State and Minnesota, you’d like to think something’s gotta give for these poor Scarlet Knights.

TWO THINGS I LIKE

1. Indiana Without James Blackmon Jr.: After all that has been said about Indiana’s horrific defense, it’s somehow allowing only .93 points per possession – the least in the conference – through its first four games. Last week, I questioned whether Indiana really was a worse team without Blackmon; after witnessing its most impressive win and best defensive effort in years on Saturday (a 25-point win over Ohio State) and watching Blackmon “play” defense for two seasons, I believe they’re actually better without him. Blackmon also has a history of playing very poorly against tougher competition (averaged 10.9 points, shot 27% on twos and 26% on threes in seven games against top-100 opponents away from home in 2015; averaged 12.4 points and shot 34 percent in five games against top-100 opponents this season) – something Indiana clearly does not miss. Although the schedule has been light, the Hoosiers are finally playing real, competent defense by demonstrating a much improved understanding and approach to guarding ball screens, better resistance at the rim and increased awareness on the glass. I am speechless. I am without speech.
2. Upset City: March came early, people. With Kansas dropping a game where they were dominated from start to finish, Virginia losing to Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech and Duke losing to Clemson, it’s as clear as ever that there are no truly elite teams this season. That goes for the Big Ten, too, as Purdue stood no chance against Illinois and Maryland lost to a Caris LeVert-less Michigan squad. Michigan State has the pieces to be great, but the jury is out as Denzel Valentine continues to work himself back into playing shape.

TWO THINGS I DON’T LIKE

1. Wisconsin’s Struggles: For the first time since the turn of the century, Wisconsin is off to a 1-4 start in conference play. With the losses of Frank Kaminsky, Sam Dekker, Josh Gasser and Duje Dukan, it was a given that the Badgers would take a step or two back this season. But ten steps back? Not even the Associated Press or coaches – they were ranked 17^th in both preseason polls – saw this coming, and it all points to one major issue: the Badgers are as offensively challenged as they’ve ever been. Since 2002 (as far back as KenPom goes), they only ranked lower than 51^st in offensive efficiency once. That was in 2013, when they happened to have the best defense in the country. This season? The Badgers rank 110^th. They simply don’t have enough guys who can create their own shot, and it has cost them every close game they’ve played in the past month.
2. Minnesota’s Abysmal Defense: The Gophers are on pace to become the second-worst Big Ten defense in the KenPom era behind the 2008 Northwestern Wildcats. They’ve lost six in a row and have given up 86, 77 and 84 points, respectively, against Penn State, Nebraska and Northwestern. With games against Indiana and Michigan – two of the four most efficient offenses in the conference – looming, one can only imagine where this team will sit, historically, amongst the all-time worst Big Ten defenses by the end of next week.

POMEROY RATINGS

Biggest takeaway: This column was mostly written before Thursday night’s game between Iowa and Michigan State, but it would be a travesty to get through the Layup Line without mentioning Iowa’s greatness. The Hawkeyes held the Spartans – in East Lansing, mind you – to 59 points, allowing them to shoot 41.8 percent from the field (19.0% from three), outrebounding them on the offensive glass and forcing them into 16 turnovers. It was an incredible effort from the men in black and gold, who have completed their first sweep of the Spartans since the 1992-93 season. Iowa has jumped 21 spots in defensive efficiency over the past week and is now a very serious threat to win the Big Ten crown.