The Big Ten had a pretty loaded slate on Tuesday, highlighted by a ranked matchup between Purdue and Marquette. Michigan State also hosted a tricky Samford squad.
Let's take a look at what happened.
After Friday's win over Alabama, Purdue fans were feeling great about the team's direction. The Boilermakers seemed loaded and ready for whatever faced them, beginning with Tuesday's road trip to face Marquette.
Unfortunately for Boilermaker fans, those hopes would prove too bullish. While Purdue held up for segments of Tuesday's matchup, Marquette controlled throughout and eventually grabbed an 18-point home win. Purdue finished with just 0.85 points per possession and most of its starting lineup was pretty unproductive. Trey Kaufman-Renn was arguably the only productive player and he only finished with 16 points and eight rebounds.
While winning on the road in college basketball is always tough, Purdue is going to need to work on its offensive identity, particularly in how it initiates offensive. The team had 15 turnovers and only went 6-for-18 from three-point range, which is simply too few of attempts to win a shootout. Look for Matt Painter to make some adjustments moving forward.
Purdue fell to 4-1 overall with the loss. The team will now get a few days off before returning to action on Saturday at home against Marshall.
This one was a pretty comfortable win for the Hawkeyes, as the team grabbed a 25-point home win over Rider. Payton Sandfort led the way with 22 points and six rebounds. Owen Freeman also had a solid night with 19 points and five rebounds. Iowa improved to 5-0 with the win. The team will now prepare for Utah State in Kansas City on Friday.
This was an absolute destruction, as Maryland scored a 71 (!!!) point win over the Griffins. Julian Reese led the way with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Seven Terps ended with double-digits in the blowout win. Maryland now sits at 4-1 overall and the team will prepare for Villanova in New Jersey on Sunday.
While Samford might not have the name of an elite program, the Bulldogs entered this game with a relatiavely solid standing in the advanced metrics and were hoping to pull off the upset. And for the opening salvos of the game, it looked like it might happen, as Samford jumped out to a double-digit lead. However, Michigan State gradually clawed back and earned an eight-point home win. Jaden Akins led the way with 25 points. Freshman Jase Richardson also quietly impressed with 12 points, three assists, and three rebounds.
Michigan State improved to 4-1 with the win, though the group fell seven spots on KenPom during the effort. The Spartans will now head west to Maui for an exciting week of action, beginning with Colorado on Monday.
After two underwhelming outings, Minnesota got back on track on Tuesday with an 11-point win over Cleveland State. The Gophers were able to overcome a relatively quiet night from Dawson Garcia to get the win. Brennan Rigsby had 13 points and Parker Fox had 18 points off the bench. Minnesota improved to 4-1 with the win. The team will get the rest of the week off before returning to action on Monday at home against Central Michigan.
The Wildcats had another scare in this one, narrowly surviving Montana State at home. Brooks Barnhizer led the way with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Nick Martinelli also had 22 points in the win, which pushed Northwestern to 4-1 overall. The Wildcats will now prepare for Pepperdine at home on Friday.
This was another blowout, as Ohio State cruised to a 50-point home win over Evansville. Devin Royal led the Buckeyes with 20 points and 12 rebounds. John Mobley also had 11 points. Ohio State improved to 3-1 with the win. The Buckeyes will get another tune up game against Campbell at home on Friday.