Player of the Week
Luka Garza, (Sr., Iowa)
The most dominant player in college basketball was back at it again this week, doing what he does best: controlling the paint on both sides of the court. On January 10th, Garza and the Hawkeyes matched up with then-#16 Minnesota for the first time since the Gophers handed Iowa their first and only conference loss of the season on Christmas day, and this time Iowa got their revenge. Behind Garza’s 33 points and 5 rebounds, Iowa was able to come away with a big 86-71 win to maintain their position among the top of the conference standings. Luka Garza and Iowa then had to wait a full week for their next game, but picked up right where they left off, with a 96-73 beatdown on a struggling Northwestern team in which Luka went for a cool 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks on 7-12 shooting. Garza has been nearly unstoppable this season and has Iowa in the driver’s seat for a Big Ten title, but the Hawkeyes still have matchups with Illinois, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and most notably with Hunter Dickinson and the Michigan Wolverines in their second-to-last game of the season.
Who’s Hot
Michigan Wolverines
The Wolverines started the year with low expectations. They were projected to be a middle-of-the-pack Big Ten team, but have come out and proved everyone wrong. They won their first 11 games, showcasing one of the deepest rosters in the entire country, while also featuring star players and NBA prospects such as Hunter Dickinson and Isaiah Livers. Coach Juwan Howard and co. proved they truly are one of the top teams in the country with their January 12th beatdown on top-10 ranked conference foe Wisconsin. Wisconsin had come into the game winners of seven of their previous eight games, but that didn’t matter to the Wolverines. With about 7 minutes left in the first half, Michigan was winning 26-19, before catching fire on both sides of the floor and going on an absurd 41-6 run to put the game away before it even really started. Michigan ended up taking the game 77-54, but even the score shows a closer game than what actually went down. Even though Michigan came out flat in their following game and sustained their first loss of the season in a 75-57 loss to Minnesota on January 16th, it can be assured that nobody is taking the basketball team down in Ann Arbor lightly anymore.
Iowa Hawkeyes
To be the best in college basketball, you need to be able to move on from bad losses. Upsets happen, it is just a part of the game. But, the teams that are able to regroup and bounce back from said losses are usually the teams who experience the most success when the games become more meaningful. By this logic, the Iowa Hawkeyes are setting themselves up extremely nicely for an NCAA tournament run. After sustaining their first conference loss of the season to Minnesota on Christmas day, in a game that they could’ve won, but had just fallen short in the final minutes, Iowa has won five straight in pretty convincing fashion. They continued their strong play this past week, getting their revenge on Minnesota with an 86-71 win on January 10th, followed by a 23-point thrashing of Northwestern on January 17th. Luka Garza has continued his run of dominance this season, and Jordan Bohanon continued his resurgent play with an extremely impressive 19-point, 14-assist, 7-rebound and 0 turnover performance against the Gophers. This Iowa team is filled with high-quality players who know their role and play it well, and it appears as if they are hitting their stride at the moment. Even though they lost to them in the beginning of the season, it seems as if the Hawkeyes have a better shot than any other team in the country to take down the all-mighty, top-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Who’s Not
Illinois Fighting Illini
The Illini feature one of the most talented rosters not only in the conference but the entire country, with stud Ayo Dosunmu leading the way, but it appears that they have hit a mid-season cold spell. They are riding a two-game losing streak from this past week, losing to a struggling Maryland team on January 10th, followed by an 87-81 loss to Ohio State on January 16th. Against Maryland, Illinois really struggled to put the ball in the hoop, shooting 25-61 from the field (41%) In an extremely feisty and physical matchup with Ohio State, the Illini had no answer for E.J. Liddell, who dropped 26 on them and was able to use his physicality on the defensive end to keep Illinois’ stud big man Kofi Cockburn in check. The two-game skid will definitely cause the Brad Underwood and his team to fall considerably down the national rankings, if they are able to stay in the top-25 at all.
Ron Harper Jr., (Jr., Rutgers)
Both Ron Harper Jr. and his Rutgers Scarlet Knights team started off the season absolutely on fire, with Harper establishing himself as one o the premier players in the conference, while his team was winners of seven of their first eight games. After beating Purdue 81-76 on December 29th, everything has gone wrong for both the junior from Franklin Lakes, New Jersey and the Rutgers team. They have lost four in a row and five of their last six, and Harper has been a completely different player in this span. He has not scored more than 20 points or shot better than 42% from the field in any of the last five games he has played (all losses), and nobody else on the Scarlet Knights has stepped up to take his place as the leader of the offense. There is still a lot of time for Steve Pikiell and his team to right the ship this year, but it needs to happen quickly before things spiral even more out of control.
Top 5 Most Underrated Players in the Big Ten this season
5. Teddy Allen
Even though his team is sitting in last place and have not won a conference matchup yet, the junior guard has established himself as one of the premier scorers and wing defenders in the conference. Allen is currently averaging 18.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.8 steals on the season.
4. Jacob Young
Even with Rutgers on a bit of a skid, Jacob Young has been a revelation in his first season at Rutgers since transferring from Texas following his sophomore year in 2018. He is averaging 15.8 points, 4.4 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals on the year and has formed a formidable one-two punch with Ron Harper on the offensive end.
3. Myreon Jones
After last year’s surprise season in State College, things have slowed down, and PSU once again finds themselves among the conference basement-dwellers. On the bright side, the NIttany Lions do appear to have some pieces for the future, including Jones, who has improved upon his strong sophomore year and is averaging 14.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists on the year.
2. Duane Washington Jr.
Ohio State is among the top teams in the conference this year, and while EJ Liddell leads the way, Duane Washington Jr. has quietly been among the top scoring guards in the B1G this year. He is averaging 15.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in his junior campaign and will definitely have a chance to continue his career in the NBA once he decides to make the jump.
1. Liam Robbins
Robbins starred at Drake University for two seasons, until ultimately deciding to transfer away following last season. He then moved to Minnesota, where he was granted immediate eligibility and has developed a strong connection with star point guard Marcus Carr. The junior seven-footer is averaging 13.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, and an impressive 2.6 blocks per game on the year.