The Big Ten tournament is just two weeks away, and there’s plenty of action as teams gear up for the final stretch.
Between top-25 matchups, the battle of Michigan and some big games by bottom-feeder teams, here’s a look at the action across the Big Ten last week.
Top-25 matchups
All year long, the Big Ten has been one of the premier conferences in women’s basketball. This week, seven teams ranked in the AP Top 25, including three in the top ten, and there were four games between ranked teams.
UCLA and Michigan State kicked off the week with a battle in East Lansing. Despite playing on the road, the Bruins earned a 23-point victory behind Lauren Betts’ 22 points.
That night, Washington traveled to the Midwest to Carver-Hawkeye Arena to try and upset struggling Iowa.
The Hawkeyes lost their three previous games — including two to unranked opponents — but emerged victorious with a nine-point win on Wednesday night. Chazadi Wright led the way with 21 points, followed by 14 from Hannah Stuelke and 11 from Ava Heiden.
Sunday afternoon marked the battle of Michigan, as the No. 7 Wolverines hosted the No. 13 Spartans.
The higher-ranked Wolverines earned the victory in their second matchup of the year, sweeping the series between the in-state foes. Syla Swords and Olivia Olson each scored over 20 points as Michigan won 86-65.
Maryland upset Ohio State
Among the top-25 matchups that didn’t end in the higher-ranked team winning, No. 20 Maryland earned a big upset over No. 8 Ohio State to end the week.
Both teams had lost a handful of conference matchups heading into Sunday’s game, including four straight losses from the Terrapins to end January. However, their three-game winning streak, including an upset of No. 12 Michigan State, propelled them past the Buckeyes.
A look at the biggest contributors would lead many to believe it was Ohio State in the win column, as Jaloni Cambridge and Chance Gray combined for 54 points.
Maryland, however, had four players in double-digit scoring in addition to Mir McLean’s eight-point performance.
Yarden Garzon played all 40 minutes of the contest, tying for a Maryland-high 17 points alongside Oluchi Okananwa.
After being outscored 28-15 in the first quarter, the Terrapins had their own run to start the second half, closing the gap to just three points. Maryland went up 76-69 with two minutes left in the game, and despite not scoring the rest of the game, came out victorious, 76-75.
The Lady Lions huddle up during a timeout at the Penn State women’s basketball game against Washington on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2024 in the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pa. The Huskies beat Lady Lions the 82-71.
Luke Kupstas
Bottom-tier teams stay alive
Despite only two weeks until the Big Ten tournament and several teams already clinching a spot, no one has been eliminated from the 15-team tournament.
Rutgers, Penn State, Northwestern, Indiana and Purdue are the bottom-five teams with the biggest chances to get cut.
However, the Lady Lions earned a much-needed victory over Northwestern on Sunday. On Saturday, Purdue earned its fourth conference win of the year over the Scarlet Knights, sending them to the bottom of the standings.
The Hoosiers and Wildcats were positioned for possible spots in the tournament in 15th and 16th places, but both went 0-2 this week.
Northwestern fell to Michigan and Penn State, while Indiana lost to USC and UCLA.
Currently, Northwestern, Penn State and Rutgers sit outside the Big Ten tournament, each with just a few games left in the season.
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