Minnesota might be for real and Penn State definitely stinks

I really thought that Michigan would take advantage of its three-game stretch against Minnesota, Penn State, and Maryland. It had a chance to start 2024 with three straight wins and build some momentum after a disappointing non-conference slate that saw it lose to Long Beach State and McNeese State, as well as four major conference teams. Instead, the Wolverines fell at home to a Minnesota team that has zero quality wins outside of Big Ten play. However, the Gophers clearly have talent and the win in Ann Arbor makes them a dark horse NCAA Tournament contender.

Minnesota 73, Minnesota 71

I hadn’t seen much of Minnesota before Thursday night because of their very low-profile schedule, and because of that schedule, it has a lot of work to do in Big Ten play to get the NCAA Tournament selection committee’s attention. Still, this win over Michigan wasn’t a fluke, and it was impressive how the Gophers limited Dug McDaniel and got balanced scoring to make up for superstar forward Dawson Garcia shooting 5-for-17 from the field. Mike Mitchell Jr. and Elijah Hawkins combined to shoot 8-for-14 from beyond the arc, and the defense was boosted by Pharrel Payne coming off the bench and protecting the rim with four blocked shots.

Defense hasn’t been a strong point for the Gophers this season, but in Ann Arbor they held McDaniel to nine points on 3-for-11 shooting. McDaniel missed a runner at the buzzer that could have sent the game into overtime, and Michigan probably would have pulled the game out if he had his typical game. Instead, I was impressed with Minnesota’s point guard. Hawkins transferred from Howard, but he looks like he has played in the Big Ten for years. He knows when to pass and when to call his own number, and that’s why he’s averaging an incredible 7.7 assists per game. Hawkins is a diamond in the rough and I give Gophers head coach Ben Johnson a lot of credit for discovering him.

Michigan State 92, Penn State 61

I will start with the one positive and say that Penn State did a nice job rebounding the ball for once. Unfortunately, there were not many rebounds to be had because Michigan State knocked down 56 percent of its shots. This game was doomed from the beginning as my Nittany Lions could not stop turning the ball over and allowing Sparty to score in transition. As usual, Kanye Clary did his thing with 21 points on 5-for-10 shooting and five assists, but the supporting cast was mostly dreadful. Ace Baldwin Jr. was 0-for-7 from the field and the team as a whole shot 10 percent from three-point range. The most telling thing about this game was Jon Rothstein doing the Michigan State victory tweet at halftime.

Tyson Walker (22 points, 5 assists, 6 steals) and Malik Hall (24 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) pretty much did whatever they wanted, and Sparty got a nice momentum-building win as it heads into 2024. Tom Izzo’s team is looking more formidable since the breakthrough win against Baylor.

Purdue 83, Illinois 78

You have to hand it to Brad Underwood. His Illinois team did not give up after falling behind 20-4 in the first half and 66-45 in the second half. The whole way it looked like this game was in Purdue’s pocket, but the Illini battled back and got to within one score when Coleman Hawkins hit a clutch three-point shot with 14 seconds to play. Sure, Illinois only got that close because of a bizarre flagrant foul called on Lance Jones when Quincy Guerrier fell over his back while Jones was boxing out, but it was still a decent showing for an Illinois team that has only played three games since the suspension of Terrence Shannon Jr.

Underwood’s defense did a great job forcing the ball out of Zach Edey’s hands, and the superstar big man only scored 10 points. Instead, it was Trey Kaufman-Renn who stepped up and scored down low with a season-high 23 points. What really killed Illinois in this game was Purdue’s offensive rebounding. Even with Edey off the floor, Purdue was able to slap the ball around and keep possessions alive after misses. In fact, out of 33 missed shots by Purdue, 18 of them ended up back in the Boilers’ hands. That is a tough figure to overcome, even when Marcus Domask came alive for Illinois in the second half. Overall, he scored 26 points with five assists while proving to be the straw that stirs the drink for Illinois. I love how Domask is an old-school player who starts backing down his defender at the three-point line. Once Domask gets within 15 feet of the basket, his jumper is tough to stop. Illinois’ opponents will have a tough time getting Domask out of his office this season.

For Purdue, this game was another example of why it is the best team in the country, but keeping Edey out of foul trouble will continue to be a tricky obstacle. It was encouraging to see Illinois fight its way out of an early hole, while Domask and Guerrier are showing that they can put the ball in the bucket to make up for Shannon Jr.’s absence.

The Big Ten action will stay hot all weekend with three games on Saturday and three on Sunday. Rutgers and Iowa clash in a battle of NCAA Tournament hopefuls that desperately need a conference win. Nebraska looks to keep surprising the country with a win at Wisconsin. Indiana has a chance to boost its bubble resume with Ohio State in town. Michigan can probably kiss its hopes and dreams goodbye if it loses to Penn State. Minnesota can prove itself again with a win over Maryland. Finally, Michigan State will try to keep its winning streak alive in the place where Purdue suffered its only loss.

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