Player of the Week:
Keisei Tominaga, Nebraska
If you’re asking yourself right now, “who?” you need to wake up. This guy is an absolute sniper. Tominaga represented team Japan in the 2020 Olympics and this past week led the Nebraska Cornhuskers (my new favorite CBB team) to a huge win over the Indiana Hoosiers at home on Wednesday. The Huskers had lost their last 9 meetings against Indiana going into the game and proceeded to dominate in the second half, winning by double digits. This game was Nebraska’s arrival party, they moved to 12-2 on the season and defeated a solid BIG10 opponent with ease at home. Tominaga is no stranger to big moments, he’s a guy who’s played in the Olympics against the best professionals from all around the world, and he stepped up in a huge way delivering his best game of his college career with 28 points and 4 3-pointers made. Tominaga has yet to get his jumper fully going this season too, he’s down 5 percentage points in 3pt% from last year, and maybe this game will be the catalyst to moving that tick higher. Regardless, Nebraska is a team full of dogs and they’re simply a good watch. I saw a comment on Nebraska’s official IG page call him the “Asian Steph Curry” and I can’t get it out of my head, so hopefully the nation will get it in their heads that this guy and this team is legit.
Who’s Hot?
Ohio State Buckeyes
They’ve had some close encounters over the last 4 games, winning some tight contests against solid opponents like WVU and Rutgers. Bruce Thornton and Jameson Battle have continued to prove that they’re two of the most talented live-dribble scorers and shooters in the BIG10. Thornton had an all-around tremendous showing against the Scarlet Knights, scoring 24 points alongside 7 assists while commanding the Buckeyes offense the entire game and driving them to a victory. Battle on the other hand has lived up to his title and been at war with the three-point line all season; a battle that he’s very much winning. He shot 6/9 from downtown against Rutgers and on the season has a 45% clip from deep. Their offense has been tough to defend, it’s littered with excellent scorers and off-ball movement and the Buckeyes seem to have returned to form after a tumultuous 2022-23. Not to mention that even with a slew of close games in the past week or so, they still maintain an averaging ppg differential of 14, the sign of a dominant team.
Michigan State Spartans
And here they come. After a spotty and anticlimactic start to the season, MSU’s offense exploded against land-grant rival Penn State, scoring 92 points and winning by 31 at home. This pushed the Spart’s win streak to 5 and improved their record to 9-5. The offense finally gaining its footing is the real headline here; over their first 9 games in which they went 4-5, they averaged 72.3 ppg, and over their last 5 games, which includes a win over no. 6 Baylor, they’ve put up 89 ppg. Now, scoring 89 points every night in college basketball is nearly impossible, however somehwere between 75 and 80 is, and those are the kinds of numbers that were expected from them when they emerged from the preseason polls as a national title favorite. The players around Tyson Walker have come to life during this win streak too, guys like Coen Carr, Xavier Booker and Malik Hall have really pulled their weight and allowed the Spartans to begin ascending into the same stratosphere of basketball that was expected from them this season. They’re going to face a huge test on the road against Northwestern on Sunday where we’ll get to see what this team is really made of.
Who’s Not?
Michigan Wolverines
The fall from grace has been abysmal to watch for a once highly respected and dominant basketball program. The Wolverines are 2-6 in their last 8, and while they’ve played some great teams like Oregon in that stretch, to walk out of that 8-game gauntlet with wins over just Iowa and Eastern Michigan feels like a disappointment to a roster with such great players on it. Michigan is kind of the antithesis of Rutgers in a way that their talent is so offense-centric that defensively they look more like a wooden fence pole than any kind of real wall or deterrence. Their defensive rating is dead-last in conference and one of the worst in the country, not to mention they turn the ball over more than anyone not named Indiana in the BIG10. Dug McDaniel and Olivier Nkamhoua have shown excellent scoring flashes and have been essentially the lone two bright spots in a dark, dark season for Wolverine fans across the country.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
The Knights continue to show great struggle on offense and haven’t shown up after a great season just last year. They’re at the bottom of the BIG10 in points per possession by a wide margin: averaging just 1.00 PPP while the next lowest is at 1.08. They’re amongst the bottom of the conference in all offensive statistics and while defensively they are a great unit, it’ll be no surprise if the Knights seek out some offensive prowess in the portal for next year. With the way the CBB landscape moves nowadays, I wouldn’t be surprised if this year is treated as a stepping-stone year while awaiting the arrival of no. 2 overall recruit Dylan Harper. Still, to prepare for a player so highly touted, players on the current roster are going to need more experience in big games and luckily Rutgers is in the perfect conference for that. A silver lining of sorts is that despite the horrendous offense they remain above .500 and have continuously battled against good teams and picked up some quality wins along the way over Seton Hall and Bryant.
Power Rankings
5. Nebraska Cornhuskers
These guys are like that! It wasn’t all four-wheelers and flamethrowers last year but this year? It sure is.
4. Wisconsin Badgers (no. 21 AP)
Solid hoops through-and-through, a dangerous team that you simply can’t make a lot of mistakes against.
3. Ohio State Buckeyes
Highly talented scorers, an experienced head coach, and an elite fan base and home arena will make this team a threat all year in the BIG10.
2. Illinois Fighting Illini (no. 9 AP)
Despite the loss of Terrence Shannon, the Illini continue to live to their namesake and fight, an upset win over Purdue would be one of the best accomplishments in the school’s basketball history.
1. Purdue Boilermakers (no. 1 AP)
Same as Illinois, tonight’s game is huge for both squads.