Almost a month into Big Ten play, the Badgers have moved in to sole possession of first place even after their baffling loss at Rutgers. Now, we take a look at the teams right behind UW in Big Ten contention, and the next few who are definitely still in the conversation. Sorry, Minnesota.
The Contenders:
Maryland
College Park, Maryland, home of a proud hoops tradition that is completely unknown in the Big Ten. The Terrapins were considered one of the better programs in the ACC, and, at its worst, still dangerous to any conference elite when playing at home.
This team wasn’t considered one of the major contenders in their inaugural Big Ten campaign because they were a team filled with question marks, due to five players transferring from the team before the season began. Take that lack of depth and add in a freshman point guard with no real backup, and the Terps were living dangerously.
Then, Maryland started the season 14-1, with that one loss to current No. 2 Virginia. How? Well, that freshman point guard turned out to be Melo Trimble, who currently leads Maryland in scoring and is a frontrunner in the Big Ten Freshman of the Year race.
The Terrapins sit at second in the Big Ten race, right behind the Badgers. More importantly, Maryland’s only regular season matchup with the Badgers is in College Park, giving them a possible leg up if the race comes down to a tiebreaker.
Indiana
Heading into this season, Indiana head coach Tom Crean sat firmly on the hot seat after a disappointing 2013-14 campaign and a myriad of off-court issues leading up to this year.
Now, three months later, Crean looks like one of the frontrunners for national coach of the year.
Despite injuries to a frontcourt that severely lacks depth, the Hoosiers sit at 15-5 overall and 5-2 in the Big Ten, one game back of the Badgers.
There have been a few bumps in a row, including an early-season loss to Eastern Washington and a 20-point beatdown at the hands of Michigan State. However, Indiana also has picked up several impressive victories, including a 19-point win over No. 13 Maryland last Thursday at Assembly Hall.
The Hoosiers have overcome their frontcourt deficiency and a lackluster defense with an up-tempo offense that ranks 13th in the country at 81.4 points per game and seventh in adjusted offensive efficiency, per kenpom.com.
They’ve also been solid from beyond the arc, shooting 41 percent from 3-point range, good enough for eighth in the nation.
Though tough road tests against Wisconsin and Maryland remain on its schedule, Indiana looks poised to finish near the top of the conference standings.
Michigan State
When Michigan State started the season 5-3, few red flags went up. They were a young team and their losses came to top teams (Duke, Kansas and Notre Dame). However, losing to Texas Southern a few weeks later made the concerns in East Lansing go from mild to maniacal.
Yet, despite sitting at 4-3 in the Big Ten and two games back of Wisconsin, Michigan State will still likely find themselves in the Top 4 of the Big Ten come March for reasons they’ve been able to rely on for years.
Let’s start with Tom Izzo. Izzo took over at Michigan State in 1995. The Spartans made the NIT for his first two seasons at the helm and have since steered the team to 17 straight NCAA Tournament bids, and has led the team to a Top-Four finish in 14 of those 19 seasons as head coach.
However, coaches don’t win games, players do, and the Spartans have plenty of them. Travis Trice is the Spartans version of Traevon Jackson, if Jackson could shoot the lights out. Branden Dawson and Denzel Valentine are two of the best forwards in the conference with Bryn Forbes, X-est of factors, shooting 46 percent from three on 87 attempts.
The Threats:
Iowa
The last week has been brutal for the Hawkeyes, who sit at 4-3 in Big Ten play, as they were trounced by Wisconsin and followed that up with a loss to Purdue.
To make matters worse, senior forward Aaron White, who leads the team in scoring, rebounds and steals, suffered a shoulder stinger against the Boilermakers and may be unavailable for Iowa’s rematch with the Badgers.
All that being said, the Hawkeyes’ schedule gets much easier after they face Wisconsin and Maryland at home in two of their next three games. If Fran McCaffery’s team is able to upset either the Badgers or the Terrapins, it could provide a spark that allows them to catch fire and finish in the top four of the conference standings by the end of the regular season.
#Nebrasketball
Last season, Nebrasketball started Big Ten play 0-4 and then 1-5. This season, they began 0-2 and currently find themselves 4-3 with some good wins including against the aforementioned Michigan State.
The Cornhuskers have one of the strongest home court advantages in the Big Ten, even if it hasn’t really shown this year. Furthermore, Terran Petteway is one of the best scorers in the country and Shavon Shields is an excellent compliment to him.
The Cornhuskers have a difficult road slate and will likely need to hold serve at home and steal a couple games on the road in order to sneak into the Top 4.
Ohio State
Remember how Aaron Craft was the college basketball’s best player in the gospel according to Dan Dakich? Who knows how you replace that.
Oh wait, Thad Matta knows. With D’Angelo Russell, who is currently averaging 19.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game, with several of those passes currently archived in gif form (“Russell spin pass,” Google it).
When you have a player like that, have just defeated Indiana and get to play your only games against Maryland and Wisconsin at home, you can be a contender.
