2022 B1G Weekly Preview: Week 1A

[BabaYaga]

Each week we will preview the week that lies ahead in Big Ten basketball! Look for the "Tale of the Tape" segment starting in Week 1B. We will dive into each matchup and make our predictions on the result. Below we take a look at Week 1A in Big Ten conference basketball!

 

East Carolina (0-0) vs Illinois (0-0)

This is going to be a solid matchup to open the season for both teams as East Carolina (@ObliviousLAX) makes the trek to Illinois (@nemolee.exe). Illinois will look to lean on Jian Lin to make the offense go. East Carolina has a trio of bigs that should be able to defend and score the ball effectively. Both of these teams will be looking to get their season off to a good start as their non-conference schedule only gets tougher from Game 1. I think this could be a low-scoring affair. Prediction: East Carolina 74, Illinois 58

 

#51 Indiana (0-0) vs #17 St. Mary’s (0-0)

This is one of the two matchups that give us ranked teams against each other in Week 1A in the Big Ten. Indiana (@Piercewise1) comes in at #51 in the country after getting four votes while St. Mary's (@Migi) is #17 in the country with 27 votes (including a first-place vote). This St. Mary's roster is solid with seven B overalls but does not have a single player who can take over the game. Indiana, on the other hand, doesn't have a ton of depth but has two players who can score it well. This should be a close, high-scoring game. Prediction: Indiana 86, St. Mary's 81

#49 Iowa (0-0) vs Arkansas (0-0)

This is going to be a very good barometer for both of these teams. They are very similar in their play styles and each has a few players that can score the basketball. Iowa (@Lukenukem712) got five votes in the coaches poll this week. Iowa should be able to slow down the game and grind out wins this season and I think that is what they'll do here. Arkansas has some good rebounders and defensive stalwarts as well so this game is going to be very fun. Prediction: Iowa 62, Arkansas 60

Maryland (0-0) vs #32 Georgetown (0-0)

Maryland (@RobSun08) hits the road to take on Georgetown (@SageBow) and is looking to pull an upset. Maryland will be led by senior Hyun Xu who can hit shots from all over the floor. This is going to be a game where Maryland needs to buckle down on the defensive side of the floor as Georgetown can be opportunistic. Maryland will put up a ton of points this season. Georgetown has a very good group of players but no one that can take over a game. They also will struggle a bit on defense. Look for this one to be a high-scoring game. Prediction: Maryland 92, Georgetown 76

Portland (0-0) vs Michigan (0-0)

Portland comes into Ann Arbor to take on the Wolverines as they both are looking to kick off their season well. Portland is going to struggle this season as they only have three B overall players on the roster. I just do not think that they are going to score the ball or defend well enough to win many games. Michigan can use this game and find some rotations that they like for the season. Michigan isn't going to be super high-powered this season but they are much better than Portland and should be able to do whatever they want. Prediction: Michigan 71, Portland 41

#21 Michigan State (0-0) vs Gonzaga (0-0) @ USS Abraham Lincoln (Armed Forces Classic)

Michigan State and Gonzaga take center stage as they battle in the Armed Forces Classic. Michigan State has high hopes for the season as they come into the season ranked #21 in the preseason poll. They will be trotting out four A overall players and they have a bit of depth on their bench as well. They will be very good offensively and decent on the defensive side of the floor. Gonzaga (@Curby4) has the ability to score at the rim as well as any team in the country. This is going to be a game where Gonzaga will need to control the paint if they want to win as they are suspect defensively. Prediction: Michigan State 81, Gonzaga 75

Virginia (0-0) vs Minnesota (0-0)

Virginia goes into The Barn in the first game of the season to take on a Minnesota team that has high hopes. Virginia hits the mid-range jumper at a high clip and does a really nice job finishing at the rim. Their defense and rebounding are pretty porous though. Minnesota has a very average squad this year as they can score a little and defend a little, but they don't have anything on paper that they can hang their hat on. Look for both of these teams to aim to get off to a good start to the season in what might be an ugly game. Prediction: Virginia 69, Minnesota 62

#8 South Dakota State (0-0) vs Nebraska (0-0)

Nebraska (@alexfall862) welcomes South Dakota State (@Minnow) for the season opener and I'm not sure you could draw up a tougher start to the season for Nebraska. South Dakota State is loaded with youngsters as three of their A overalls are freshmen. They'll trot out five A overall players in the starting lineup and bring depth off the bench. They can really hurt you in many different ways but this team will allow points. Nebraska's defense will be key in this one as they'll need to shut down a potent Jackrabbit attack. Look for them to lean on sophomore Christopher Merlo for scoring. Prediction: South Dakota State 87, Nebraska 75

#38 Stanford (0-0) vs Northwestern (0-0)

The #38 Stanford Cardinal travels into Lincoln, Nebraska to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers this evening. The Cardinal are a team that can finish at the rim very well and they are a great rebounding and defensive team. I think Stanford will look to slow the game down and limit possessions this season which really plays to their strengths. Northwestern is also a very good rebounding team but will struggle to score the basketball. I look for this to be a low-scoring game with the last team having the ball getting a great chance to win. I'm just not sure that Northwestern can get into games much over 55 points and win. Prediction: Stanford 59, Northwestern 51

Cincinnati (0-0) vs Ohio State (0-0)

Cincinnati and Ohio State (@Sky Master) clash this week in what is a huge rivalry game. Cincinnati goes into Columbus with a roster that is better than their individual parts. However, they don't have much depth and the deeper they get into their bench, the worse they will become. Cincinnati also doesn't have anyone who can really take over the game on the offensive side of the floor. Ohio State didn't get any votes in the preseason poll but is one of the best teams in the Big Ten conference. They'll trot out an experienced lineup that will score the ball at will this year. Their defense isn't very good but I expect them to get into a few shootouts this year and win. Prediction: Ohio State 88, Cincinnati 65

Arkansas State (0-0) vs Penn State (0-0)

Arkansas State travels to Penn State this evening looking to pull an upset. Arkansas State can score the ball very well as they will do most of their scoring inside the perimeter. Their defense is going to be ugly this season and can lead to some high-scoring bouts. Penn State, however, might struggle to score at times this season as they only have a few players who have the ability to put lots of points up. Look for them to rely on their rebounding and the limitation of second-chance opportunities to win some games. Prediction: Arkansas State 76, Penn State 74

#8 Kansas (0-0) vs #42 Purdue (0-0)

Kansas (@Bundy) meets up in the first week of the season with Purdue (@BabaYaga) and it should be a very good game. Both of these teams play a similar style of basketball and both will not be the best on defense this season. Kansas is a huge threat on the offensive side of the floor as they have guys up and down their roster that can score it effectively. They only have one player with an A defensive rating so that will cause issues. Purdue has some of the best interior scoring in the country but cannot shoot from beyond the arc. They can take care of the ball and rebound a little bit but like Kansas, just has one A rating on the defensive side of the floor. Look for this to be a fast-paced game of scoring. Prediction: Kansas 90, Purdue 86

Rutgers (0-0) vs Hawaii (0-0)

Rutgers is making the trek all the way to Hawaii to open up its season this year and it should be a dogfight of a game. Hawaii is a very good team in the paint and should be able to get anything they want at the rim. They will try to slow you down and overpower other teams on the inside of the paint. They are solid enough defensively that they will be able to slow teams down and get them out of their pace. Rutgers can score the ball and defend at a high level and senior David Groce is going to be key in a lot of games this season. I think Rutgers can turn in a good season but their defense will need to rise up. My gut tells me Hawaii will hold on in a low-scoring game but it could go either way. Prediction Hawaii 58, Rutgers 57

Wisconsin (0-0) vs #17 UMBC (0-0)

Talk about tests in your first game. Wisconsin (@kwheele) goes on the road and takes on UMBC (@Rocketcan) in what should be a very good test. UMBC will be led by their young talent and has a few guys who can score the ball at a high level. They'll probably look to settle for jumpers but senior Jack Long can do the dirty work on the inside. Wisconsin is going to use this game as a way to figure out some rotations for what could be a long season. They can shoot 3-pointers fairly well but are not able to get the ball inside much. The Badgers are going to need to find out who can play defense and rebound for them this season and they'll need to find that out quickly against UMBC. Prediction: UMBC 71, Wisconsin 59

Edited November 14, 2022 by BabaYaga

[kgreene829]

no shame in that lol can't wait to read it