After one week and 12 conference games completed, the newly 12-team Big Ten Conference appears to be the deepest of any conference in the nation. Three teams are 2-0, six are 1-1, and three are 0-2. In this article, I will highlight 12 of the remaining 96 conference games. Ten of the 12 teams in the B1G play in at least one of these important games, only leaving Nebraska and Penn State out of the mix. The remaining 10 teams have shown enough potential through the first two months of the season that should warrant them playing in either the NCAA Tournament or NIT come mid-March.
Jan. 8 Wisconsin @ Michigan
Both teams will be tested early this week, with Wisconsin hosting Michigan State and Michigan playing at Indiana. Last season, the Badgers won in Ann Arbor on a banked three-point field goal by Josh Gasser at the buzzer. Wisconsin is a very mediocre road team and Michigan needs to play well at home if they want to finish in the top tier of the conference. Many experts picked these two teams to finish in second and third in the conference, so if nothing else this could be an important game in the standings.
Jan. 15 Indiana @ Ohio State
The Hoosiers defeated the Buckeyes 74-70 on Dec. 31 in Bloomington. Ohio State will look for revenge against IU, who hasn’t won a Big Ten road game since 2010. Jared Sullinger and William Buford were limited in the game on New Years Eve because of foul trouble, so look for each of them to come fired up in Columbus hoping to avoid a season sweep to last year’s cellar team of the conference. While the Hoosiers are much improved and have beaten both the #1 and #2 teams in the nation at home, a quality road win is necessary for their resume.
Jan. 17 Michigan State @ Michigan
The Wolverines swept the Spartans last season, in a year where MSU was supposed to make yet another Final Four appearance and Michigan was rebuilding. Instead the two teams tied in the conference standings at 9-9, but both look to improve upon that .500 mark from a year ago. Michigan State has won 13 straight games and these are two of the three unbeaten teams in Big Ten play. The two will battle again on Feb. 5 in East Lansing and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the home team win both matchups.
Feb. 4 Ohio State @ Wisconsin
Thad Matta’s squad only lost twice during Big Ten play last season, once at Wisconsin and the other at Purdue. The Wisconsin loss happened to be their first loss of the season, in a game that Jordan Taylor completely took over. The Badgers have already lost twice this season at home, an incredibly surprising number. Wisconsin has never finished lower than fourth in the Big Ten under Bo Ryan, and this year should be no different. Winning this game at home would be huge for the confidence of the Badgers and Taylor, who recently lost to unranked Iowa at the Kohl Center.
Feb. 4 Indiana @ Purdue
These two in-state rivals will also meet in Bloomington exactly one month later, on the last day before the Big Ten Tournament begins. Purdue has not lost to IU under Tom Crean and hopes to continue that streak. This is also another opportunity for the Hoosiers to get a quality road win, something that is hard to come by in this league. The Boilermakers are the third unbeaten team in the Big Ten, after winning at Iowa and defeating Illinois in West Lafayette on New Years Eve.
Feb. 5 Northwestern @ Illinois
This is the second matchup between the Wildcats and Fighting Illini, the first taking place on Jan. 4 in Evanston. The home team has won each of the past four games between these two in-state opponents. Freshman David Sobolewski and fifth-year senior Sam Maniscalco make up an interesting battle at point guard, which could be the difference in these games.
Feb. 9 Illinois @ Indiana
This is the lone matchup between Bruce Weber and Tom Crean’s squads in 2012. The Fighting Illini blew the Hoosiers out at home last March, after becoming the first ranked opponent to falter to Crean in a loss in Bloomington. Illinois struggled on the road in 2011, going 2-7 in conference games after winning five of nine road games in 2010. This could be key game for tiebreaker scenarios since the two teams only meet once.
Feb. 9 Wisconsin @ Minnesota
Not only are Wisconsin and Minnesota neighboring states, but they have a mutual agreement that allows for in-state tuition between states. Wisconsin’s top two players, Taylor and Jared Berggren, are from Minnesota. The Golden Gophers will need to play well at home to have any chance of making the NCAA Tournament, since double-double machine Trevor Mbakwe is out for the season.
Feb. 18 Ohio State @ Michigan
Mostly thought of as a football rivalry, these two schools have had recent success of the basketball court. Ohio State is the obvious favorite for the league, and one of my bold predictions is that the Wolverines would finish in second place. Trey Burke will have a hard time scoring with Aaron Craft hounding him, but the freshman along with Tim Hardaway Jr. will need a big game for the upset win at home.
Feb. 23 Wisconsin @ Iowa
On New Years Eve, the Badgers lost at home for only the second time under Bo Ryan to an unranked opponent. The other was in 2010 when Illinois came into the Kohl Center and won. Wisconsin will need to shoot much better from outside if they want to split the season series with this improved Hawkeye team. Look for reserves Aaron White and Bryce Cartwright to have big games again.
Feb. 28 Michigan State @ Indiana
In a back and forth battle last Wednesday night, the Spartans came out on top giving IU their first loss of the season. The Hoosiers will be looking for revenge in what could be an important game within the conference standings. Cody Zeller will need to score more than the four points he did against MSU last time, while Indiana will need to neutralize Keith Appling’s all around game.
March 4 Ohio State @ Michigan State
On the final day of the regular season, these two teams will clash in East Lansing for what will be Draymond Green’s senior day. The three-time team captain will try and lead the upset minded Spartans in what also could be a key game in hopes of a Big Ten title. That is unless Ohio State has already clinched their third straight regular season crown by that point.