Player of the Week:
Nick Kern Jr., Penn State
One of the most eventful thing to happen over the last few days in the BIG10 was the upset of Illinois by Penn State on Wednesday. I was at this game, and as a Penn State student I have to say, I have no idea where this version of Nick Kern has been all year. He looked flat-out phenomenal all night and was finishing around the rim with ease all night. Defensively he was also a great deterrent around the rim, and while Terrence Shannon did have 35 points, it felt like a lot less with just how fast the Lions were running the floor after makes and Kern was thriving off these quick turnarounds from made baskets. He scored 13 straight points in the second half to get the crowd back into the game at Rec Hall, and the court storming after the game was largely in thanks to his best game of the year thus far.
Three Big Things
In lieu of a short week, here’s three things to pay attention to as March is under a week away.
1: Boo Buie becomes Northwestern’s all-time leading scorer.
I’ve mentioned this before, but the first time I ever wrote for this website I remember doing my “Who’s Not?” section, and Boo Buie was the first person I penned in as someone who had been playing terrible. Since that week, the first week of last season, he has been nothiing short of an excellent lead guard and has become an icon in the history of Northwestern Basketball. He has led them to being a contender within the conference for the last 2 years and in my opinion will be a great second-round pickup for any NBA team in need of guard depth. The Wildcats sit at 19-8, 5th in the conference and are always a threat to upset a top 10 team. Northwestern could have a Penn State-esque run to the BIG10 championship this year and I wouldn’t be shocked one bit.
2: Michigan State a 7 seed?
A few projected brackets have Michigan State as high as a 6 seed in the tournament. Do they deserve it? It’s been an up and down year for MSU and it’s hard to say right now where exactly they’ll end up in seeding, but their next few games should make the diagnosis easier. They just dropped a game against Iowa, and in their next four games they won’t have one easy one. First against rival Ohio State in a nationally televised game, then against Purdue, then at home against road warrior Northwestern and finally at Indiana to close the season out. This final gauntlet will determine Michigan State’s outcome and, in my opinion, if they win 3 or 4 of those then a 7 seed makes sense. Anything less will likely end up a 9 seed. Obviously, this depends on what happens in the BIG10 tournament, but for now I predict a 9 seed for these Spartans with losses to Purdue and Indiana.
3: Purdon’t Choke Again!
“This is the year,” they say. “It’s different this year,” they say. Well, let’s see it I say. I have, to much chagrin from friends of mine, been uber-analytical and critical of Purdue this season. I have lost all my trust in them after the FDU collapse last season. To lose to the shortest team in the tournament, a 16 seed, while you boast the most dominant and tallest player in the country as a 1 seed? I mean, come on guys. But alas, the transfers have been great, the vibes are electric at Mackey, but will it translate to success? Will we see them sputter in the conference tournament and stall out in March Madness again? Or will we see a dominant force equal part swift athleticism and shooting, equal part physical menace and dominance? Statistics and record tell us it will be the former. But me as a Sixers fan, I’ve seen this movie before, and Purdue just feels too similar to my NBA squad for me to feel the trust that I have in teams like UConn or Houston.
Power Rankings
5. Wisconsin Badgers
Back in the win column for the Badgers. Are they here to stay?
4. Northwestern Wildcats
100% threats in the conference, however the road record leaves a lot to be desired. The last team Purdue wants to see.
3. Nebraska Cornhuskers
3 straight for Keisei Tominaga and crew, the Cornhuskers are hungry and not talked about enough. Chemistry for an explosion.
2. Illinois Fightning Illini
Despite the loss, they remain elite. They can’t choke like that again this season.
1. Purdue Boilermakers
Show time, Purdue.