Big Ten men’s basketball report for February 12 – Michigan rallies

Michigan basketball continues to pass every test that comes its way. The Maryland Terrapins finally got a big home-court win by outshooting the Iowa Hawkeyes. Ohio State proved it can be a force to be reckoned with when everything clicks; now it is time for the Buckeyes to perform on a more consistent basis. Unfortunately for the Washington Huskies, even when the schedule gets more favorable for them, they still get eaten alive.

Here are the scores and the rest of my analysis from the midweek games in Big Ten basketball:

Maryland 77-70 vs Iowa

Maryland shocks the Hawkeyes, ending Iowa’s 6-game winning streak. Andre Mills posted 24 points in this game, and David Coit had 19 off the bench himself. Both scorers got hot in the second half, and both continued getting timely buckets to give the Terrapins the lead. One of the best three-point shooting teams in the country could not capitalize on all the mistakes the Terrapins were making in this game because they couldn’t hit their shots. 10 straight missed three pointers late in this game. This definitely was not a loss that Iowa could afford, as they face Purdue and Nebraska following this loss. A fantastic win for the Terrapins, however.

Ohio State 89-82 vs USC

The Trojans fall to the Ohio State Buckeyes, but Alijah Arenas stays on his scoring run. Arenas had 25 points in this game, 3 steals, and 3 assists to go along with his high-scoring night. Bruce Thornton, however, was just as good with his 21 points and huge free throws late in this game. Devin Royal was right behind Thornton with his 19 points and 7 rebounds in this game. The Buckeyes’ stars were great, and they made plays in this game down the stretch to win. That is the same type of formula the Buckeyes need to keep crunching out wins. Alijah Arenas has looked great, but in games like this, he can not be the only one making things happen, or else there will continue to be results just like this.

No. 2 Michigan 87-75 vs Northwestern

Michigan proves to be one of the deepest teams in the country once again in a win over the Wildcats. Michigan does show too many stretches where they are getting outplayed and looking lost. They were down 16 points at one point in this game. Northwestern started this game off really hot, shooting. Michigan came away winning this game by double digits because of how good they were in the second half. A light switch just turned on with this team. L.J. led the team with 18 points off the bench, and Yaxel Lendeborg chipped in 15 points and 12 rebounds. Northwestern is a sneaky team, but unfortunately, far too often, this team can not close out games. This game was another example of that.

Penn State 63-60 Washington

Penn State comes out on top over a tough Washington Huskies team. Penn State shot the ball from the field better in this game, with 48% from the field and 38% from 3. The Nittany Lions had 9 critical steals in this game, and also ironically matched their opponent with 12 turnovers in this game. Hannes Steinbach was the best player on the court, with his 19 points, 14 rebounds, and 2 blocks in this game. Unfortunately for the Huskies, Steinbach did not get enough help in this game.

Overview

Michigan is not letting up on the notion that they are the best team in the Big Ten and maybe the country with another impressive win. While Ohio State is not as consistent as it should be, this is still a good basketball team, and Alijah Arenas’ great scoring outing was not enough to take down the Buckeyes. Maryland shocked Iowa, and the rest of the conference, showing that the Terrapins are no easy win and maybe the Hawkeyes are not the contender everyone thinks they are.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Biggest winners & losers for February 12 in Big Ten men’s basketball

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