Big Ten Basketball Weekly: Gearing up for a Conference Gauntlet

As non-conference action wraps up for teams around the country, the Big Ten will be getting its final tests outside the conference before the B1G gauntlet begins in January. But for now, there was still plenty that went down this past week that gave us a new perspective on who’s up and who’s not in the Big Ten.

Men’s Basketball

Game of the Week: No. 12 North Carolina beats Ohio State, 71-70

Although it was a heartbreaker for the Big Ten team involved, Ohio State battled hard against freshman sensation Caleb Wilson and the Tar Heels last Saturday in the CBS Sports Classic. Devin Royal stepped up for the Buckeyes with 18 points and eight rebounds, while senior star Bruce Thornton added 16 of his own. Even though it was a tough, last-second loss, OSU proved that it is still capable of competing with the top teams in the country — now it’s all about finishing games the right way.

Player of the Week: Tyler Bilodeau (UCLA)

After starting the season off on an underwhelming note, the Bruins have bounced back well, winning four of their five games in the month of December. An important part of that turnaround has been the play of Bilodeau, who is now the team’s leading scorer at 17.5 points a night. In games against Arizona State and Cal Poly, the senior forward put up 18 and 24, respectively, on an impressive 11-of-19 shooting clip overall. With a matchup at No. 25 Iowa awaiting the Bruins to start January, Bilodeau’s scoring success will be crucial to getting UCLA back to the top.

Team of the Week: No. 5 Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue suffered a tough blowout loss at home to an Iowa State team that now appears to be a true national title contender, but it has bounced back in the exact way head coach Matt Painter was hoping, snagging a blowout 28-point victory over No. 21 Auburn this week. Even on an off-day for sharpshooter Fletcher Loyer, the Boilers’ stifling defense was enough to keep them going and spark some confidence for another Big Ten title run.

Freshman of the Week: Braden Frager (Nebraska)

Amidst an unbelievably strong 12-0 start for No. 13 Nebraska, Frager stepped up this week in an up and down season for him. In the Cornhuskers’ lone game against North Dakota this week, Frager led the team with 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting. After a sluggish start for the Huskers, Frager’s scoring run helped bolster the team to go out firing in the second half in what was eventually a 23-point win.

Clutch Performance of the Week: Tariq Francis (Rutgers) vs. Penn

Although Rutgers (6-6, 0-2 B1G) has struggled to truly compete this season, the Scarlet Knights won in a barnburner against Penn in a one-point win. Leading the way was NJIT transfer Tariq Francis, who was unconscious on the offensive end, exploding for a career-high 34 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Although he was just 1-of-4 from three, the one he did hit mattered the most.

Women’s Basketball

Game of the Week: Loyola Chicago beats Northwestern, 69-68

Unfortunately, the only game that felt right to pick for the women’s side was also one in which a Big Ten team lost. Northwestern faced off against crosstown foe Loyola Chicago, and despite being favored against the then-3-7 Ramblers, fell in a tough upset. Star forward Grace Sullivan going down didn’t help, but the ‘Cats nearly pulled off a 10-point comeback in the fourth, falling just short as Claire Keswick was unable to hit a corner three in the final seconds.

Player of the Week: Kiki Rice (UCLA)

In another dominant week for the Bruins against inferior competition, the senior Rice stepped up as a scoring machine. Averaging 19 points and 8.5 rebounds on nearly 70% shooting from the field against Cal Poly and Long Beach State, Rice looked like yet another threat on a UCLA team chock-full of stars.

Team of the Week: No. 17 USC Trojans

In of the few exciting games of the week that ended in a win for the Big Ten side, the Trojans beat Cal 61-57 to topple their former Pac 12 foes. Add a blowout win over Cal Poly earlier in the week, and USC has been rolling as of late. Heading into a matchup at No. 20 Nebraska, the Trojans are looking as strong as ever.

Freshman of the Week: Sienna Harvey (Washington)

Despite having a relatively normal start to her first season with the Huskies, Harvey had her first true breakout performance against Pacific in a 40-point win on Sunday. Having had only one double-digit performance previously, Harvey put up a season-high 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting to lead the team.

Clutch Performance of the Week: Faith Blackstone (Rutgers) vs. Lafayette

Although the Rutgers women’s side has also struggled as of late, a big day from Blackstone (22 points, 12 rebounds in 37 minutes) helped the Scarlet Knights avoid an upset against 4-7 Lafayette. Blackstone, now a senior at her fifth school, had her best game with Rutgers and could help turns things around.