As we did with the football version of KYEOYE, for basketball we will give you a look as to how the Big Ten foes as well as some of the bigger non-conference opponents of the Buckeyes fared over the past week. With Ohio State sitting so high in the rankings and the Big Ten being arguably the best basketball conference in the country, you'll want to check this out each week to see where Ohio State's opponents stand.
Marquette (6-4): WIN v. IUPUI (86-50):
Marquette rebounded from a loss to Wisconsin the previous week to blowout IUPUI 86-50 last week. The Golden Eagles jumped out to a 43-18 halftime lead and never looked back behind 20 points and 11 rebounds from Davante Gardner. The biggest lead that Marquette were able to extend the lead to 45 points during the second half before finishing with a 36-point victory. While Gardner was the standout for Marquette in the game, the Golden Eagles also got 16 points from Jamil Wilson and Juan Anderson tied his career-high with 11 points. Now Marquette will try and build on the win when they host Ball State on Tuesday night before traveling to Las Vegas to square off with New Mexico on Saturday night at the MGM Grand.
Maryland (7-4): WIN @ Boston College (88-80), WIN v. Florida Atlantic (66-62):
Maryland opened up their final year in the ACC with a win in Chestnut Hill behind a career-high 33 points from Dez Wells on Thursday night. Wells came through in the clutch when the Terrapins needed him, scoring 18 of his 33 points within a seven minute stretch in the second half. Maryland led 54-47 in the second half before Boston College went on a 10-2 run to take the lead, but Wells and company were just too much for the Eagles. The second game of the week for the Terrapins saw Wells struggle to 3-10 shooting from the field, but he wasn't the worst shooter on the floor for Maryland in the game. Evan Smotrycz was only able to go 1-12 in the game, but Maryland was able to squeak out a victory behind Jake Layman's 22 points and 6 rebounds. This week sees Maryland meeting another team from Boston, taking on the Boston Terriers on Saturday afternoon in College Park.
Notre Dame (8-3): WIN v. Bryant (70-59), LOSS v. North Dakota State (73-69), WIN v. Indiana (79-72):
It was a busy week for the Fighting Irish with three games, including two in the Black Rock Gotham Classic. Notre Dame split two of the Gotham Classic games to start the week in South Bend before gaining some bragging rights over Indiana with a victory over the Hoosiers in Indianapolis at Conseco Fieldhouse. As Jerian Grant went over the week, so seemed to go Notre Dame. In the wins over Bryant and Indiana, Grant had 23 points and 9 assists in each game, while in the loss to North Dakota State he was only able to rack up 9 points and 5 assists. Garrick Sherman was able to notch double-doubles in the games against Bryant and NDSU, with 14 points and 13 rebounds over Bryant and 10 points and 10 rebounds against the Bison. While he didn't quite hit a double-double against the Hoosiers, Sherman played a key role, registering 4 of the 10 blocks that Notre Dame had in the game. The lone game that Notre Dame plays this week will be a big one, with the Fighting Irish and Ohio State bringing the Gotham Classic to a conclusion on Saturday night in Brooklyn.
Purdue (8-3): LOSS v. Butler (76-70):
After the Notre Dame/Indiana game in Indianapolis, Purdue met Butler in the second half of the doubleheader at Conseco Fieldhouse on Saturday. The loss by the Boilermakers only added to the rough day in Indy for the Big Ten, as the Boilermakers shot themselves in the foot with turnovers. Butler was able to turn 18 Purdue turnovers into 25 points and were able to hold off a late charge by the Boilermakers. Terone Johnson put in a season-high 20 points, but that was outweighed by the 6 turnovers that he committed on the day. Purdue actually held a 43-37 lead in the second half, but were hurt by A.J. Hammons fouling out after only 17 minutes on the floor. Purdue returns to West Lafayette to play Maryland-Eastern Shore on Tuesday night before hitting the road to play West Virginia in Morgantown on Sunday afternoon.
Nebraska (7-3): WIN v. Arkansas State (79-67):
The Cornhuskers continued to have no troubles adjusting to their new home, moving their record to 6-0 at the new Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln with a win over Arkansas State on Saturday. Nebraska left little doubt in the game, jumping out to a 15-2 lead and at one point leading by as many as 28 points. The Cornhuskers registered their biggest scoring half since scoring 50 points against Alabama State in 2008 by heading into halftime with a 50-27 lead. A balance attack fueled the Cornhusker victory, with four starters hitting double figures, led by Shavon Shields' 15 points and Walter Pitchford's 12 points and 10 rebounds. Nebraska will now try and make it 7-0 at home this season when they welcome The Citadel into Lincoln on Saturday night.
#5 Michigan State (8-1): WIN v. Oakland (67-63):
Michigan State held off a pesky Oakland team on Saturday in their first game since suffering a 79-65 loss in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge to North Carolina on December 4th. The Spartans were without leading scorer Gary Harris (ankle), Matt Costello (mononucleosis), and Kenny Kaminski (academics), and it showed as they only had five players score in the game. The Spartans used double-doubles from Branden Dawson, 16 points and 13 rebounds, and Adreian Payne, 20 points and 10 rebounds, to secure the win against the 2-9 Golden Grizzlies. Keith Appling also had 21 points, with 18 of those points coming in the second half. Tom Izzo's team won't have much time to get healthy with a game against North Florida on Tuesday before they head to Austin to take on Texas on Saturday afternoon.
#23 Iowa (10-2): LOSS @ #17 Iowa State (85-82):
Iowa State sent the Hawkeyes to their second loss of the season on Friday night in Ames in a very entertaining game between the in-state rivals. This was the first time in 26 years that both teams were ranked coming into this game, and they didn't disappoint those that watched. A Georges Niang basket with 18.8 seconds left gave the Cyclones the lead for good, after they had trailed by as much as 10 points during the first half. Iowa had a chance to at least tie the game, but Mike Gesell missed two free throws with 13 seconds left. Aaron White had a monster game for the Hawkeyes in defeat, scoring 25 points and grabbing a career-high 17 rebounds. The Hawkeyes had their chances in the game, but couldn't capitalize on the 49-35 edge they held on the boards over Iowa State. Iowa will now have some time to stew about the loss as they don't return to action until Sunday when they host Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Minnesota (9-2): WIN v. South Dakota State (75-59):
The start under new head coach Richard Pitino continued to go smoothly as Minnesota moved their record to 9-2 with a win over South Dakota State on Tuesday evening. The Golden Gophers were paced by the 20 points and career-high 14 rebounds that Austin Hollins put up against the Jackrabbits. Minnesota took a 36-28 lead into the half and were able to extend that lead in the second half, as Pitino was coaching in front of his father, who was in the crowd behind the Golden Gophers bench at Williams Arena. Minnesota excelled at distributing the basketball during the game, racking up 21 assists against a South Dakota State teams that is struggling after losing Nate Wolters to the NBA. The only two games that Minnesota has lost so far on the season came in the Maui Invitational when the Golden Gophers dropped matchups against Syracuse and Arkansas. The lone game that Minnesota will play before Christmas will take place on Friday when Nebraska-Omaha visits Williams Arena.
Illinois (9-2): WIN v. Dartmouth (72-65), LOSS @ #15 Oregon (71-64):
Second-year coach John Groce's team split the two games they played last week, but you know they'll be kicking themselves for not being able to finish off Oregon when they had the chance. The Fighting Illini was able to hold off Dartmouth in Champaign on Tuesday night before making the trip out west on Saturday. Illinois was outmuscled on the boards against the Big Green, with Dartmouth holding a 33-27 edge on the boards, but Illinois had five players in double figures, as Rayvonte Rice led the team with 13 points. Rice transferred to Illinois from Drake and had another strong game against the Ducks with 16 points in the losing effort. In the second half Illinois held a 50-41 lead, but the Ducks worked their way back into the game to avoid suffering their first loss of the season. Tracy Abrams added 16 points to match Rice for leading scorer for the Fighting Illini in the loss. Next up for Illinois will be the grudge match against Missouri that will take place on Saturday afternoon.
Penn State (8-4): WIN v. Duquense (68-59), LOSS v. Princeton (81-79 OT):
The Nittany Lions have welcomed back Tim Frazier after missing most of the year last year due to injury, and he dished out a career-high 13 assists to go along with his 11 points in the win over Duquense on Wednesday night. Penn State also got 15 points from Allen Roberts and 13 points from D.J. Newbill in the victory. Tough defense propelled Penn State to victory as the Dukes only shot 27.9% from the field. Penn State was able to overcome the disparity with from the free throw line with Duquense attempting 34 free throws compared to the 10 that the Nittany Lions shot. The week didn't end on quite of a high note as Penn State dropped an overtime decision to Princeton. Princeton went on a 24-6 run to end regulation and send the game to overtime in State College. Frazier scored 24 points in the loss, but couldn't make a shot at the end of overtime that would have sent the game to a second extra session, Ross Travis added 15 points and 12 rebounds for Penn State. The Nittany Lions will try and get back in the winning column on Sunday when they host Mount St. Mary's.
#4 Wisconsin (12-0): WIN v. Wisconsin-Milwaukee (78-52), WIN v. Eastern Kentucky (86-61):
Wisconsin was able to keep pace with Ohio State near the top of the rankings with two easy wins in Madison last week. The Badgers were led by 18 points from Ben Brust and 16 points from Frank Kaminsky as they downed their in-state foe on Wednesday night. Bo Ryan's team capitalized on 19 Panther turnovers as they broke into the top-5 for only the second time in school history to begin last week. It was more of the same against Eastern Kentucky with Brust going for 20 points to lead the Badgers, who had four players hit double figures. This is the best start for the Badgers since 1915-16 when they also started 12-0. Wisconsin put the game away early, jumping out to a 42-23 halftime lead against the Colonels. The Badgers shot 60% from both inside and outside the arc as Eastern Kentucky had no answer for the Wisconsin attack. Now Wisconsin has a couple weeks off before returning to action against Prairie View A&M on December 28th.
Michigan (6-4): LOSS v. #1 Arizona (72-70):
Michigan has struggled with the loss of Trey Burke to the NBA, and they missed a chance to gain some momentum with a win over the top-ranked team in the country on Saturday afternoon in Ann Arbor. John Beilen's team held as much as an 11-point lead in the second half, but weren't able to put away the Wildcats. Glenn Robinson III was the leading scorer for the Wolverines with 20 points, while Caris Levert added 15 points and Nik Stauskas had 14 points. The Wolverines ended the game with a 37-24 deficit on the boards against the sizeable Wildcats team, and had they grabbed a few more rebounds they might have been able to score the upset. Michigan will try and turn things around on Saturday night when they play Stanford in the Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational.
Northwestern (5-5): No games last week:
The Wildcats have struggled most of all the Big Ten teams so far this season, limping to a 5-5 record to start the season. Northwestern has lost to Stanford, UCLA, Missouri, and North Carolina State, so it's not like they are losing to terrible competition. This week Northwestern will play a couple games as they try and raise above .500 with games in Evanston against Mississippi Valley State on Monday and Brown on Sunday afternoon.
Indiana (8-3): WIN v. Oakland (81-54), LOSS v. Notre Dame (79-72):
Indiana split two games last week as they are still trying to find an identity after losing a number of starters from last year's Sweet Sixteen team. The Hoosiers were the first Big Ten team of the week to defeat Oakland behind a season-high 26 points from Evan Gordon. The last name may sound familiar as Gordon is the younger brother of former Hoosier Eric Gordon. There wasn't many moments of doubt in the game with Indiana rushing out to a 50-30 halftime lead and they finished with a 52-28 edge on the glass. The result wasn't quite as good on Saturday afternoon when the Hoosiers lost to Notre Dame in Indianapolis. The Hoosiers never held the lead in the game and lost for the second straight year in Indianapolis in December, last year losing as the number one ranked team in the country when they played Butler. Will Sheehey was one of three Hoosiers in double figures and led Indiana with 22 points in the losing effort. Indiana didn't have quite the rebounding edge that they have enjoyed so far this season, only outworking Notre Dame on the boards 36-33. Now Indiana will have a couple cupcakes come to Assembly Hall this week, with Nicholls State coming in on Friday before Kennesaw State visits on Sunday afternoon.