B1G Weekly Preview: Week 1B

[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 2A, because there isn't actually enough tale in the tape yet (also, I have no idea how to value any information). We will dive into each matchup and make our predictions on the result. Below we take a look at Week 1B in Big Ten conference basketball!

 

Illinois (0-1) vs Ole Miss (1-0)

Illinois dropped their first game of the year to an East Carolina squad that performed well. Eric Noble scored 11 points off the bench to lead the Illini but in order for them to bounce back senior Jian Lin will need to get going. Ole Miss won in pretty easy fashion as they beat Villanova 64-51. They had four players score over nine points in the contest and look to take a "by committee" approach to scoring this season. I just don't think this is a great matchup for Illinois. Prediction: Ole Miss 68, Illinois 62

 

#51 Indiana (0-1) vs #16 Army (0-1)

Indiana went on the road to face one of the top teams in college basketball and got beat pretty badly. St. Mary's scored 78 points and made it look easy all day while the Hoosiers only scored 55 points. Indiana also turned the ball over 13 times and that led to easy points for St. Mary's. Army, on the other hand, was in no better shape as they lost to St. John's by 25 points. This will be a game where both teams look to get right on the defensive side of the floor. Prediction: Army 65, Indiana 56

 

#57 Marquette (1-0) vs #49 Iowa (1-0)

Iowa had a solid road win in the first week as they took down Arkansas by three points in their opener. Iowa was led by Dario Gonzalez who had 17 points in the game. Iowa will need some other players to step up if they want to take down a tough Marquette squad. Marquette beat UMass in a low-scoring game where they had three players in double digits. This seems like another low-scoring affair for both teams. Prediction: Iowa 61, Marquette 59

 

Maryland (0-1) vs #19 Utah State (1-0)

Maryland dropped a heartbreaker to Georgetown on the road in a game that most pundits thought that Maryland would win going away. Maryland could not stop turning the ball over as ended the day with 18 turnovers to Georgetown's three. They have a tougher test this week as they travel to Utah State who just took down Tulane. Utah State had five players score in double digits and does a great job of taking care of the ball. Look for Maryland to struggle again. Prediction: Utah State 78, Maryland 62

 

UConn (0-1) vs Michigan (1-0)

Michigan welcomes UConn to town after beating Portland earlier this week. Portland was outmatched in every facet of the game but Michigan struggled to score the ball at times. They were led by Vance Bradley with 11 points. UConn was in the same boat, although they dropped their contest against Pitt. UConn struggled to score the ball and ended with 57 points. Look for this game to be a low-scoring game. Prediction: Michigan 67, UConn 57

#21 Michigan State (0-1) vs Kentucky (1-0) @ Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Champions Classic)

Michigan State lost a heartbreaker to Gonzaga last week 51-49 and will look to get on track this week as they take on Kentucky. Richard Mcguagh was the undisputed leader for Michigan State in the last game as he went for 16 points and 10 rebounds. Kentucky took down in-state foe Western Kentucky 73-52 in their first contest and was very good with the ball only turning it over one time. This looks to be a trap game for Michigan State coming off a loss. Prediction: Kentucky 62, Michigan State 56

#50 Old Dominion (0-1) vs Minnesota (0-1)

Minnesota suffered a tough loss to Virginia in the opening game as they fell 58-52. Minnesota could not get anything going on the offensive side of the floor as they only hit one 3-pointer and just one free throw. In order for Minnesota to get a win against Old Dominion, both of those numbers must improve. Old Dominion also struggled in their first game as they only made four 3-pointers but were led by three players in double figures. Look for this one to be a back-and-forth battle. Prediction: Old Dominion 66, Minnesota 62

#25 Bowling Green (1-0) vs Nebraska (1-0)

Nebraska took down South Dakota State in easy fashion as they raced out to a lead and never looked back. It was a big upset win for Nebraska and they'll look for another big win as they take on Bowling Green. Nebraska was led by Alvaro Calderon with 17 points and had three others in double figures. Bowling Green eeked out a one-point win against UC Irvine and will look to play better on the road. This one is feeling like an upset to me. Prediction: Nebraska 76, Bowling Green 71

 

Northwestern (1-0) vs Cincinnati (0-1)

Northwestern had the surprise of the first week as they dismantled Stanford by 34 points. Northwestern was led by James Lamar with 18 points and Brandon Barnes added 17 points. They only turned the ball over three times in an offensive outburst. Cincinnati fell to Ohio State on the road and made it a fairly close game. Cincinnati had two players in double figures and looks to share the ball well as they had 12 assists on 25 made buckets. I'm not a Wildcat believer yet. Prediction: Cincinnati 67, Northwestern 65

 

#47 Fresno State (1-0) vs Ohio State (1-0)

Ohio State took a nice win over Cincinnati early in the week at home where Brian Money was money from the field and scored 17 points. Ohio State only had two turnovers on the afternoon and looks to take care of the ball once again this week against a formidable Fresno State squad. Fresno State is coming off of a six-point win against New Mexico State where they had three players score in double figures. Look for Ohio State to pull out a win at home. Prediction: Ohio State 67, Fresno State 59

 

Penn State (1-0) vs Auburn (0-1)

The Penn State Nittany Lions ran around Arkansas State in their first game of the season as they had three players in double figures. Penn State only turned the ball over twice in a great offensive display. Auburn struggled at home in a big loss to TCU where they allowed the interior players of TCU to score a combined 47 points. Auburn is going to have to button down their interior defense if they want a chance to win. I look for Penn State to hurt Auburn in the paint. Prediction: Penn State 74, Auburn 62

UMBC (0-1) vs #42 Purdue (1-0)

Purdue took down Kansas in what was an upset on paper as they scored 75 points without hitting a 3-pointer. Purdue was led by Richard Griffin with 18 points but Purdue had four players in double digits. UMBC fell at home to Wisconsin which was a bit of an upset as many saw UMBC as one of the top teams in the country. UMBC was led by Derek Ignacio with 18 points. This should be a good battle as Purdue looks for another ranked win. Prediction: Purdue 78, UMBC 69

Rutgers (0-1) vs Nevada (1-0)

Rutgers made the trek to Hawaii for their first game of the season but came back empty-handed as they fell 67-62. They did not get much help on offense from their starting lineup as four of the starters combined for just 24 points. David Groce led the team with 16 points. Nevada took down Southern Miss with ease as they rebounded the ball very well with two players over 10 rebounds. Look for Rutgers to struggle a bit in this one. Prediction: Nevada 67, Rutgers 53

 

Butler (1-0) vs Wisconsin (1-0)

Wisconsin took down UMBC in what was a well-played game by the Badgers. Wisconsin had four players in double figures and was led by Amos Quinn with 14 points. Wisconsin also had three players with nine rebounds. Butler squeaked out a win against Louisiana-Monroe and was led by William Raval with 18 points in the game. Butler is a team that will grind out wins but I think Wisconsin takes this one at home. Prediction: Wisconsin 68, Butler 63

[Minnow]

Minnesota going winless in 2 sports. I'm calling it.

[BabaYaga]

TBF you just blew out ODU.

[Ezaco]

Some of these score predictions are uncanny. Great work.

[nemolee.exe]

"Prediction: Ole Miss 68, Illinois 62"

 

Yeah, sure. Sleep on us.We don't care. You are only making yourself look worse. ?

 

I-L-L ??

[BabaYaga]

To be fair, I predicted you'd lose by 6 and you lost by 25 so I guess I did pretty bad on that.

[nemolee.exe]

We won by 13.

[Minnow]

I don't know what you're talking about. MINN is an AI coach.

[BabaYaga]

For some reason it showed 71-46 loss for both games until I refreshed.