The second weekend of conference action did nothing to solve the Big Ten puzzle. Wisconsin could have gotten a massive head start in the league race by winning at Purdue, but instead the Badgers were stymied by Matt Painter’s team. Maryland had looked vulnerable in losing a home game to Nebraska, but the Terrapins bounced back by winning at Michigan. Indiana, coming off a three-game losing streak, thoroughly outplayed Illinois in Bloomington and reminded everyone how well the Hoosiers were playing earlier this season. You get the idea. If you like chaos and unpredictability, the Big Ten is your conference this season. Here’s the best and worst of the weekend.
Thomas Bryant did not miss a shot from the field as Indiana beat Illinois on Saturday. (Kelsey Kremer, Des Moines Register).
- Player of the Weekend: Unlike his sophomore counterpart in West Lafayette who is generating buzz for Player of the Year recognition, Thomas Bryant has not yet broken out this season. His statistics are down across the board, and much of this is attributable to no longer having one of the best point guards in the nation (Yogi Ferrell) to find him in premium scoring situations. It was therefore encouraging that Bryant went for a season-high 20 points and added a team-high six rebounds in Saturday’s 96-80 victory over the Illini. The Hoosiers made a point of finding their big man when Illinois started to make things interesting, and he responded by showcasing some nifty post moves to seal the win. For Indiana to make its way back to the top of the Big Ten, it will need to get Bryant going down low more frequently.
- Super Sub of the Weekend: Confidence is fleeting, and this is especially true with deep-shooting specialists. Coming into the season, Jared Nickens was one of the few Maryland players on the roster with a fair amount of experience, but the junior wing lost the confidence of Mark Turgeon by starting the season in a 5-of-26 slump behind the arc. On Saturday, however, he provided a necessary spark for the Terps in hitting all four of his three-point attempts in a seven-point road win. If Nickens can find his range (now 13-of-40 on the season), he represents a potentially huge bonus for Maryland through the rest of conference play.
- Best Win: In what at times more closely resembled a clash between Top 25 football teams, Purdue gritted its way to an extremely important win over Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon. Caleb Swanigan posted his usual double-double in the effort, but the key to the game was the Boilermakers’ +12 advantage on the boards. Sprinkle in some timely shooting from Ryan Cline, only one missed free throw as a team and stellar interior defense, and that was the recipe for how Purdue picked up its most significant win of the year.
- Worst Loss: Michigan blew an opportunity to pick up another top 100 win by losing a winnable game at home to Maryland. The Wolverines are now 11-5 on the year, and it looks like they will be one of a number of Big Ten teams headed straight for the bubble. The major problem on Saturday was Michigan’s defense. The Wolverines’ tendency to not cover the three-point line bit them in the rear, allowing Maryland to shoot 10-of-15 from distance. Michigan is now the sixth-worst team in college basketball in three-point field goal defense (41.4%), and that’s a key reason it is allowing 1.23 points per possession in the Wolverines’ five losses. Until this changes, Michigan is a middle of the pack Big Ten team.
- Most Efficient Team: Indiana showed why it’s a top-flight offensive team when it’s clicking, as the Hoosiers produced a scorching 1.41 points per possession against Illinois. Tom Crean‘s team made 13 three-pointers, converted at an eFG rate of 72.4 percent, and turned the ball over on only 17.6 percent of their possessions. The Hoosiers basically did all the things that can make them really good — the question remains one of consistency.