Welcome back to the Big Ten Basketball Midweek Rundown.

In this edition of the Midweek Rundown, we will be examining where each ranked Big Ten team sits in the latest version of the AP poll, as well as going over the results from Monday-Wednesday of this week. Which teams looked impressive? Which ones were big disappointments? 

Let’s get started with the January 13-15 version of the Midweek Rundown.

Big Ten in the AP Poll: Week 11

No. 12 Michigan State
No. 13 Oregon
No. 17 Purdue
No. 19 Illinois
No. 20 Michigan
No. 24 Wisconsin

Rutgers 75, UCLA 68

Rutgers snapped its three-game losing streak with a 75-68 victory over UCLA, extending the Bruins’ skid to four games. Freshman Ace Bailey was the standout, recording a double-double with 20 points, 10 boards. Dylan Harper contributed 18 points, including two 3-pointers, and Jeremiah Williams had 11 points off the bench.

UCLA was led by Eric Dailey Jr. and Sebastian Mack, each scoring 16 points. Despite UCLA’s early 7-0 run and a 33-30 halftime lead, Rutgers rallied in the second half, with Bailey leading the charge to secure the win.

Maryland 77, Minnesota 71

Maryland oultasted Minnesota, with freshman Derik Queen leading the way, scoring a season-high 27 points. Queen played a key role in the victory, scoring six consecutive points to push Maryland ahead 60-53. His dunk with 4:19 left capped his scoring performance, setting a new career high.

Rodney Rice added 21 points, while Ja’Kobi Gillespie chipped in 15 points and seven assists. For Minnesota, Dawson Garcia led the Gophers with 21 points. Freshmen Isaac Asuma and Lu’Cye Patterson each contributed 15 points, but the Gophers’ late push fell short as Maryland held on for the win.

No. 19 Illinois 94, Indiana 69

Now this was more like it for the Fighting Illini. Illinois cruised to a 94-69 victory over Indiana, opening up a massive 28-point halftime lead. Kylan Boswell led the charge with 22 points, while Kasparas Jakucionis added 21, and Tomislav Ivisic contributed a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. The Fighting Illini were dominant from the start and established a commanding 60-32 lead by the break.

Indiana did rally after the break, scoring the first 10 points of the second half, but they never managed to seriously threaten. Oumar Ballo led the Hoosiers with 16 points and 15 rebounds, but his efforts were not enough to close the gap.

No. 24 Wisconsin 70, Ohio State 68

Wisconsin fended off a late comeback attempt by Ohio State to secure a 70-68 win, extending its winning streak to six games. The Badgers held a commanding 37-20 lead at halftime, but struggled after the break, as Ohio State mounted a rally. Bruce Thornton’s 21 points and Devin Royal’s 12 helped the Buckeyes pull within 65-64 on a layup by Micah Parrish with 16 seconds left. However, John Tonje, who finished with 17 points, hit a key 3-pointer to give Wisconsin a 65-57 lead with just over four minutes to go and sealed the victory with clutch free throws in the final moments.

John Blackwell added 15 points, and Steven Crowl chipped in 14 points for Wisconsin marking coach Greg Gard’s 200th career win. Ohio State had a strong second half, as Royal’s 3-pointer capped a 9-0 run that closed the gap to 48-44 with just over 10 minutes remaining. Despite their late surge, the Buckeyes couldn’t complete the comeback and remain one of the most confusing teams in the country.

USC 99, Iowa 89

USC defeated Iowa on Tuesday night, powered by a stellar performance from Desmond Claude, who scored 25 points. Saint Thomas was also outstanding, contributing 24 points with 9-for-10 shooting, including 3-for-4 from deep.

Wesley Yates III added 21 points, and Chibuzo Agbo chipped in 18. Iowa, despite a strong effort from Owen Freeman, who scored 23 points on 11-for-14 shooting, couldn’t keep up. Payton Sandfort (20 points), Drew Thelwell (16 points), and Josh Dix (13 points) contributed offensively, but Iowa was unable to overcome the Trojans.

No. 12 Michigan State 90, Penn State 85

Michigan State secured a 90-85 victory over Penn State on Wednesday night, with Frankie Fidler leading the way with a season-high 18 points. The Spartans have now won 10 straight games, their longest streak since the 2018-19 season, which ended in a Final Four appearance under coach Tom Izzo.

Penn State continues to struggle, dropping their fourth consecutive game and third straight against a ranked opponent. Ace Baldwin Jr. was a standout for the Nittany Lions, scoring 20 points. However, Penn State faced a setback as Puff Johnson, who had recently scored 15 points, left the game in the first half with a right-hand injury and did not return. Despite Baldwin’s impressive performance, the Nittany Lions couldn’t keep pace with Michigan State’s efficient offense.

No. 17 Purdue 69, Washington 58

Purdue rallied in the second half to defeat Washington 69-58 on Wednesday night. Trey Kaufman-Renn led the Boilermakers with 19 points as they overcame a 10-point deficit late in the first half. Purdue trailed by eight at halftime but surged ahead with an 11-2 run to start the second half, fueled by Kaufman-Renn’s strong performance.

Despite the loss, Great Osobor shone for Washington, scoring a game-high 28 points. He was incredibly efficient, hitting 8-of-9 from the field and a perfect 5-for-5 from three-point range, while also grabbing nine rebounds. However, his effort wasn’t enough to prevent Purdue from extending their second-half dominance.

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