Northwestern
Welsh-Ryan Arena has seen some of the highest highs and lowest lows of the season thus far. The range of extremes runs from Northwestern knocking off #1 Purdue to losing against Chicago State on the same home floor less than two weeks later. Still, the Wildcats are a good team, and a couple of the other biggest wins on their resumé – Dayton and Arizona State – are aging well. NU earned another solid check mark on Sunday, as they ran away from Michigan State in Evanston. After a back-and-forth start, Northwestern took a lead with under seven minutes left in the first half and never looked back. From a 26-all margin at the time, NU went on to an 88-74 victory which recaptured a bit of the air which had gone out of the Wildcats during a 96-66 drubbing at Illinois last Tuesday. Boo Buie continues to be one of America’s best guards, and Ty Berry has had a great couple of weeks. After playing 25 minutes without scoring a point against DePaul in mid-December, Berry has averaged 17 per game since – including 22 on 7/11 shooting against the Spartans. Brooks Barnhizer has assumed a co-starring role, while Ryan Langborg is providing a reliable secondary facilitator to Buie and making 40.3% of his deep heaves. The Wildcats gave developing talent Luke Hunger his first career start, and the Quebecois big man responded with 10 points. NU also has a bit of experienced depth in the post, and if they continue to get reliable secondary scoring, Buie has proven highly capable of leading the ‘Cats to big things. Road trips to Happy Valley and Madison are next up for a Northwestern side looking to prove that they can be consistent.
Belmont
It’s tough for a team to face down one of its league’s most dominant teams of the past few years, especially without a top player who’s hurt. Belmont decided to make that task seem a fairly simple assignment on Sunday, though. Despite playing without Ja’Kobi Gillespie’s 16.2 points and 4.1 assists per contest due to a wrist injury, the Bruins rocked MVC contender Drake to the tune of an 87-65 final tally. At the seven-minute mark of the second half, Belmont led 78-48 following a Malik Dia dunk. It was a take-note performance for Dia, who has been enjoying a breakout season which we had to discuss a couple of weeks ago. The former Vandeebilt transfer stole the show on Sunday, going off for 32 points on 5/8 shooting from the land of trey and 10/16 overall. Belmont shot 57.1% from the floor as a team, and ripped off 12 deep balls at a 55% clip. In fact, leading scorer Cade Tyson was the lone starter who didn’t hit double figures; he settled for nine points. The Bruins have shown real potential due to their rising trio of stars, while fellow youngsters Brigham Rogers and Isaiah Walker are proving a good blend with veteran point guard Keishawn Davidson and former Division II star Jayce Willingham. Despite falling at Southern Illinois earlier in the week, Belmont is proving that they will be a factor towards the top of the Missouri Valley as winter continues.
Michigan
Sometimes, by this point of the season, the statements being made are not all positive ones. The Wolverines are one such example. Things looked uncertain in the fall, as Michigan began the season without head coach Juwan Howard as he recovered from an offseason heart procedure. Still, the Wolverines blew out Big South contender UNC Asheville, Horizon League contender Youngstown State, and the tremendous variety of talent which Rick Pitino attracted to St. John’s across their first three tilts. Since then, Go Blue is 3-9. Michigan has opened 1-3 in Big Ten play, with two losses this week coming against predicted league cellar-dwellers Minnesota and Penn State. The Wolverines have gotten significant breakout seasons from Dug McDaniel and Olivier Nkamhoua, but the team struggles consistently with turnovers – they gave away 19 possessions in Sunday’s 79-73 loss to the Nittany Lions. Michigan actually held Penn State to 30.4% shooting from deep, despite entering the game ranked 289th nationally in opponent 3FG%, but the Wolverines still allowed the visitors to outscore them 52-36 in the second half. Even Howard’s return has not set things correctly on course. Things can turn around quickly for talented teams who can get hot in league play, but there’s simply no more time to waste in Ann Arbor.
Minnesota
Remember how one of the team’s Michigan beat this week was predicted to be a conference doormat? Well, the Gophers aren’t having that so far. Head coach Ben Johnson is leading one of the nation’s biggest turnarounds in the Twin Cities, and Minnesota is starting to prove themselves against solid competition. A 65-62 victory over Maryland Sunday evening ended their 10-game losing streak to the Terps, and Minnesota is now 12-3 on the season. Johnson’s deep and versatile cast is led by scoring big Dawson Garcia – who is enjoying career-best numbers all over the board – and clever, experienced point guard Elijah Hawkins. A transfer from Howard, Hawkins leads the B1G in helpers and ranks among the top assist men in the nation. Pepperdine transfer Mike Mitchell and freshman Cam Christie are providing a genuine deep threat, while Pharrell Payne and Joshua Ola-Joseph provide contrast up front. The Gophers’ team statistics look good, too; they share and shoot the ball efficiently, guard effectively, and make plays defensively. Minnesota ranks among the nation’s top 50 in blocks per game, opponent 2FG%, and effective FG% defense. It’s one thing to elevate expectations, and another to compete against the best in the league. The Gophers have already accomplished a great deal, and wherever their true potential lies, they’re certainly no pushover. Having proved that, Minnesota is gaining the confidence to demonstrate that Johnson’s vision for success at his alma mater will be a winning one.
Indiana State
While Belmont was busy reminding Drake in excruciating detail exactly how difficult it is to win on the road in league play, Indiana State was taking care of its own business. Northern Iowa had been heating up, and hosted the Sycamores riding high on four straight wins. Indiana State was unfazed. They were up 19-6 after seven minutes, led 44-27 at the half, and the Sycamores cruised to a 77-66 win over the Panthers. Cedar Falls became just another shooting gallery for Indiana State’s marksman, as the team shot 15/34 (44.1%) from the land of trey. Jayson Kent, who entered the game 7/24 from distance on the year and is more known for the tremendous energy he brings around the lane, hit a trio of triples in his way to a huge 24 & 13 double-double. Now, the Sycamores turn their attention to an even tougher road test: at proven, sure-to-be-angry Drake on Wednesday. Last season, Indiana State split its two matchups against the Bulldogs, and they were a pair of tremendous games. The Sycamores won by a 75-73 margin in Terre Haute, but fell to Drake 70-68 in Des Moines. This year, head coach Josh Schertz’s crew is looking to assert itself as the Valley’s top contender, and a dub in the backyard of last year’s league champ would certainly go a long way towards making such a statement.
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