Player of the Week:
Will Riley (Fr., Illinois)
This season has been a rollercoaster for Will Riley, who started off the season on a tear and became a projected lottery pick. He quickly garnered attention as an elite sharpshooter who could pull from anywhere on the court with no hesitation. However, Riley fell as quickly as he rose as he struggled to match his early season offensive production. He dropped in Illinois’ rotation and disappeared off big boards across the nation due to a lack of consistency. Things looked worrisome for the freshman Fighting Illini, that is until he tied the record for most points by a freshman off the bench in a conference game this season with his 24-point outing against Ohio State. Riley dominated the Buckeyes from start to finish, but not the way he usually would. He finished the game with only one attempted three pointer, a mark he’s only hit three times this season and instead of raining down threes, he shot nearly perfect (7-8) at the rim and excelled at drawing contact to get to the line. If this is a sign of what’s to come and Riley can become more a full-fledged three way scorer instead of a three point specialist, prepare to see his name have a late-season rise on big boards once again.
Who’s Hot:
Desmond Claude (Jr. USC)
Desmond Claude continues to show the world why he’s one of the best point guards in the nation after scoring 19 points against Michigan State and handing it its first Big Ten loss of the season. Outside of a consistent outside shot, there is nothing that the Trojan can’t accomplish. All game long, Claude put his dribble package and his ability to break down defenders on display. He can take it coast-to-coast through traffic and rise up and finish strong through contact, or he shifts multiple defenders to create openings and dump it off to whoever finds themselves open. From a playmaker standpoint who can create for both his team and himself, there are not many players in the country who can do it better than Claude.
Brice Williams (Sr., Nebraska)
During the Huskers six-game losing streak, Brice Williams did his best to keep things competitive but overall, failed to take over games. The same can’t be said for Williams now as he’s fresh off two consecutive 27 point plus performances as he led his team past Oregon and Illinois, two of the best teams in the conference. The Nebraska guard played a gritty game, doing everything his team needed of him. Scoring, crashing the glass to extend plays and even facilitate the offense, when the team revolves around Williams in the lead role, they look brand new. The Huskers win against Oregon marked their fourth win against a top 25 team this season and with two ranked opponents left on the schedule, they will undoubtedly turn to Williams to turn up the heat again.
Who’s Not:
Oregon Ducks
Going from one of the top two teams in the Big Ten to unranked and a 5-6 in conference record in just a matter of weeks is a tough pill to swallow. The Ducks are on a three-game losing streak, including losses to Minnesota and Nebraska, two teams in the bottom half of the Big Ten standings. Oregon is shooting just 42% from the field in its past three games and overall aren’t getting shots to fall as easily as it did earlier in the season. Keeshawn Barthelemy and Jackson Shelstad are solid secondary playmakers but the Ducks lack a true floor general who can excel at creating opportunities for their teammates and lessening the load on any one player to take over the game. The interior play has also taken a big hit as Nate Bittle is averaging just six points in his last four games, making the Ducks offense very dependent on guard play. All of these factors point toward the Ducks having a rough final stretch to end the season unless they can get it together.
Ace Baldwin Jr. (Sr., Penn State)
The Nittany Lions have a great supporting cast of players like Nick Kern Jr., Zach Hicks and Puff Johnson who are able to hold a lot of the scoring weight off of Ace Baldwin Jr. But at some point it reaches a point where the blue and white need their star player to step up in order to win games. Averaging just 10.6 points per game on a disappointing 30.5% from the field, Penn State can’t win with mediocre play from its number one option. Everyone knows that Baldwin Jr. is a premier perimeter defender and a great playmaker but his threat diminishes greatly when he can’t effectively create for himself. Teams can key in on passing lanes and shut down his options, leaving him as an easy target. If the Nittany Lions want to make a final push to win out this season with Baldwin Jr. at the helm, he’ll need to become more dynamic from a scoring perspective.
Top 5 Contenders for the Big Ten Title
5. Michigan Wolverines
Despite currently sitting in the top three of the Big Ten standings, it’s very possible that the Wolverines fall quite a bit with a high risk-high reward schedule remaining. With ten games left in Michigan’s schedule, half of them are against top-25 opponents, and they have to play Michigan State twice. While the Wolverines have a 3-2 record against ranked competition, it’s hard to see them not dropping at least two of these games even with a talented core of players like Vladislav Goldin and Danny Wolf. However, if they do manage to stun these top teams, they have a great chance to claim the top spot in the conference.
4. Wisconsin Badgers
Tied for fourth in the Big Ten, the Badgers are in a solid position to rise up the ranks and make a late push for the top spot. Outside of No. 7 Purdue and No. 9 Michigan State, Wisconsin is the favorite in the rest of their remaining games according to ESPN analytics. Not to mention a backcourt of John Tonje and John Blackwell is prolific enough to steal a game from a top 10 team which would only further solidify their chances of winning the Big Ten. However, with so many of their games being against a lot of the mid-to-bottom teams in the Big Ten, Wisconsin won’t be able to knock down too many teams above them without the help of other schools.
3. Maryland Terrapins
The Terrapins are already toward the top of the Big Ten and have one of the most favorable schedules left in the Big Ten. The only ranked opponents that Maryland has to play in its remaining nine games are Michigan State and Michigan, and they are favorites for all games aside from their game against the Spartans. Derik Queen will play a big part in deciding how far the Terrapins will go, when he struggles his team still remains competitive. However, when he plays well, even teams like Illinois were blown out by over 20 points and the same could happen to the Wolverines and Spartans.
2. Michigan State Spartans
With Michigan State just getting their first in conference loss on Saturday to USC, it’s hard to picture them just racking up losses now down the stretch. The Spartans remain as the one seed in the Big Ten and despite having five ranked matchups remaining on their schedule, there aren’t many teams aside Purdue and Michigan that can consistently give them an issue. Unfortunately, they do play the Wolverines twice and that is a series that can definitely get split 1-1 or at worst 2-0 in Michigan’s favor which would ruin any chance Michigan State has of winning the Big Ten title.
1. Purdue Boilermakers
Outside of their matchup against Michigan State which can go either way, the Boilermakers are the overwhelming favorites in all of their remaining games. Purdue’s schedule isn’t a cakewalk but definitely easier than some of the others listed and they have been consistently a top three team at the bare minimum all year long. The leaps that Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn have taken to not just keep the Boilermakers afloat, but elite, can’t be ignored and neither can the possibility of them going 8-1 or maybe even win out on the rest of their schedule to secure the Big Ten title.