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LGHL Thoughts, observations, and musings from Ohio State’s ugly preseason loss to No. 20 Cincinnati
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Thoughts, observations, and musings from Ohio State’s ugly preseason loss to No. 20 Cincinnati
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
It’s going to be a long two weeks of practice for the Buckeyes after Friday night’s showing in Cincinnati.
For the first time in seven months, The Fighting Jake Dieblers took the floor in a real life basketball game as they traveled down I-71 south to take on the No. 20 Cincinnati Bearcats in a preseason exhibition game. Donations of $25,000 were made during a pregame ceremony to Jay’s Light, the Joe Burrow Foundation, and the Linder Center of Hope, and both teams came out on the floor together while the organizations were honored.
Jake Diebler went with a starting five of Bruce Thornton, Meechie Johnson, Micah Parrish, Evan Mahaffey, and Sean Stewart for the first of two preseason games the Buckeyes will play. Aaron Bradshaw, who transferred in from Kentucky this summer, will be Ohio State’s starting center this season, but missed Friday night’s game after taking an elbow to the head during a practice earlier in the week.
The Bearcats have missed the NCAA Tournament each of the past four seasons, but start the year at No. 20 in the AP Poll in large part because of how much they brought back. Cincinnati brings back four of their top six scorers from last year, including their top three — Dan Skillings, Simas Lukosius, and Day Day Thomas.
They looked the part of a ranked team, too, coming out and taking a 17-point lead on the Buckeyes late in the first half. Cincinnati looked like a team with some continuity and familiarity with each other, and Ohio State... well, they looked like a team with nine new players. Thanks to baskets by Ques Glover, Micah Parrish, and Devin Royal, Ohio State cut the 17-point lead to 10 at halftime, 41-31.
Cincinnati opened the second half on a 20-5 run that put this game out of hand with 10 minutes still left to go. Day Day Thomas stole the ball from Parrish with 8:28 remaining and dished it off to Cincinnati native and one-time Ohio State target Rayvon Griffith, who ran the floor and slammed it home to make it 63-36 Bearcats with 8:28 left to play.
Tonight’s final score from Fifth Third Arena: 80-62
Here are a few observations and takeaways from tonight’s charity exhibition game in Cincinnati:
Aside from the new faces, the theme of this summer was pace. Diebler wants to completely change the speed at which Ohio State plays. He wants to keep opposing teams on their toes, prevent opponents from setting up their defense, and just in general tire teams out.
However, you’d never have known that by watching the first half of Friday’s game. Wes Miller’s team out-Diebler’d Diebler’s team in the first half, racing out to a 26-12 lead within the first 10 minutes. The Bearcats looked bigger, tougher, and much more together than Ohio State did. There were several possessions in the first half where the ball would wind up in someone’s hands with seven or eight seconds left on the shot clock, and that player would wind up dribbling the ball out and taking a contested shot at the buzzer — very little ball movement.
Stewart played just over eight minutes per game last year and was mostly a rim-runner, making sure to be available under the basket for offensive rebounds, easy dunks, and what not. Part of his reason for transferring was to show that he could do more than that, and he showed a little bit of that expanded bag Friday night.
1:15 into the game, Stewart caught a pass on the right wing from Thornton, shot faked to get his defender in the air, and then drove to the basket, where he was met by another defender at the rack. Stewart went right into his chest, took the contact, and then scored over him to give Ohio State its first basket of the game.
Stewart won’t start at center this year, but there will be times with Bradshaw on the bench when Stewart will slide over and play that position. The mobility and athleticism isn’t something Ohio State had at the center position last year with Felix Okpara.
Ohio State’s starting lineup looks set for the most part (assuming Bradshaw is good to go in two weeks for Texas), but we were still interested in who was the first, second, third, and fourth sub of the game, as well as who appeared to have the leg-up on the depth chart.
A few observations:
Okay, this might seem like an obvious one, but some teams can get away with not being great three-point shooting teams if they’re great at other things. Last year’s Houston team finished the year No. 2 in KenPom and made it to the Sweet Sixteen while only shooting 34.7% from three. But the Cougars rebounded the heck out of the ball, were tough as nails, and have been one of the better defensive teams for the past half-decade.
On Friday night, Ohio State was not good when they tried to shoot the long ball, were the far less physical team, and struggled mightily to defend — especially on the perimeter. If Ohio State isn’t going to drastically improve their defense from the last few seasons, then it will have to shoot the ball much better moving forward. You can maybe survive struggling in one of those areas, but not all of those areas.
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
It’s going to be a long two weeks of practice for the Buckeyes after Friday night’s showing in Cincinnati.
For the first time in seven months, The Fighting Jake Dieblers took the floor in a real life basketball game as they traveled down I-71 south to take on the No. 20 Cincinnati Bearcats in a preseason exhibition game. Donations of $25,000 were made during a pregame ceremony to Jay’s Light, the Joe Burrow Foundation, and the Linder Center of Hope, and both teams came out on the floor together while the organizations were honored.
Jake Diebler went with a starting five of Bruce Thornton, Meechie Johnson, Micah Parrish, Evan Mahaffey, and Sean Stewart for the first of two preseason games the Buckeyes will play. Aaron Bradshaw, who transferred in from Kentucky this summer, will be Ohio State’s starting center this season, but missed Friday night’s game after taking an elbow to the head during a practice earlier in the week.
The Bearcats have missed the NCAA Tournament each of the past four seasons, but start the year at No. 20 in the AP Poll in large part because of how much they brought back. Cincinnati brings back four of their top six scorers from last year, including their top three — Dan Skillings, Simas Lukosius, and Day Day Thomas.
They looked the part of a ranked team, too, coming out and taking a 17-point lead on the Buckeyes late in the first half. Cincinnati looked like a team with some continuity and familiarity with each other, and Ohio State... well, they looked like a team with nine new players. Thanks to baskets by Ques Glover, Micah Parrish, and Devin Royal, Ohio State cut the 17-point lead to 10 at halftime, 41-31.
Cincinnati opened the second half on a 20-5 run that put this game out of hand with 10 minutes still left to go. Day Day Thomas stole the ball from Parrish with 8:28 remaining and dished it off to Cincinnati native and one-time Ohio State target Rayvon Griffith, who ran the floor and slammed it home to make it 63-36 Bearcats with 8:28 left to play.
Tonight’s final score from Fifth Third Arena: 80-62
Here are a few observations and takeaways from tonight’s charity exhibition game in Cincinnati:
Which team is supposed to be going fast, again?
Aside from the new faces, the theme of this summer was pace. Diebler wants to completely change the speed at which Ohio State plays. He wants to keep opposing teams on their toes, prevent opponents from setting up their defense, and just in general tire teams out.
However, you’d never have known that by watching the first half of Friday’s game. Wes Miller’s team out-Diebler’d Diebler’s team in the first half, racing out to a 26-12 lead within the first 10 minutes. The Bearcats looked bigger, tougher, and much more together than Ohio State did. There were several possessions in the first half where the ball would wind up in someone’s hands with seven or eight seconds left on the shot clock, and that player would wind up dribbling the ball out and taking a contested shot at the buzzer — very little ball movement.
Sean Stewart is a different kind of big
Stewart played just over eight minutes per game last year and was mostly a rim-runner, making sure to be available under the basket for offensive rebounds, easy dunks, and what not. Part of his reason for transferring was to show that he could do more than that, and he showed a little bit of that expanded bag Friday night.
1:15 into the game, Stewart caught a pass on the right wing from Thornton, shot faked to get his defender in the air, and then drove to the basket, where he was met by another defender at the rack. Stewart went right into his chest, took the contact, and then scored over him to give Ohio State its first basket of the game.
Stewart won’t start at center this year, but there will be times with Bradshaw on the bench when Stewart will slide over and play that position. The mobility and athleticism isn’t something Ohio State had at the center position last year with Felix Okpara.
Depth Chart hints
Ohio State’s starting lineup looks set for the most part (assuming Bradshaw is good to go in two weeks for Texas), but we were still interested in who was the first, second, third, and fourth sub of the game, as well as who appeared to have the leg-up on the depth chart.
A few observations:
- John Mobley Jr. was the first player to sub in for Ohio State, 3:24 into the game
- Ivan Njegovan subbed in before Austin Parks
- With Bradshaw out, it was Mahaffey that drew the start at the four, with Stewart sliding to the five.
- “Preferred walk-on” Ques Glover played nine minutes in the first half, while John Mobley Jr. played 10 minutes in the first half
- Ohio State started the second half with Thornton, Mobley, and Johnson all on the floor together
Ohio State will not be good if the shooting is not better
Okay, this might seem like an obvious one, but some teams can get away with not being great three-point shooting teams if they’re great at other things. Last year’s Houston team finished the year No. 2 in KenPom and made it to the Sweet Sixteen while only shooting 34.7% from three. But the Cougars rebounded the heck out of the ball, were tough as nails, and have been one of the better defensive teams for the past half-decade.
On Friday night, Ohio State was not good when they tried to shoot the long ball, were the far less physical team, and struggled mightily to defend — especially on the perimeter. If Ohio State isn’t going to drastically improve their defense from the last few seasons, then it will have to shoot the ball much better moving forward. You can maybe survive struggling in one of those areas, but not all of those areas.
Continue reading...
LGHL You’re Nuts: What to watch for (if you can) during Ohio State’s pre-season game vs Cincinnati
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You’re Nuts: What to watch for (if you can) during Ohio State’s pre-season game vs Cincinnati
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
It doesn’t count, but Jake Diebler’s Buckeyes will take the floor tonight against the Bearcats in Cincinnati — for charity!
Congratulations sailor! You made it to game day! After seven long months, the Ohio State men’s basketball team returns tonight, facing off with the No. 20 Cincinnati Bearcats in a pre-season exhibition game at Fifth Third Arena.
Tonight’s game tips off at 7:00 p.m. ET, and can be found on your typical Ohio State radio affiliates, but will not be on TV, nor will it be streamed anywhere. So if you want to see Sean Stewart, Meechie Johnson, and the gang with your own eyes, you’ll have to buy a ticket and go. Tickets can be purchased here. Lower bowl seats are $40 and upper bowl seats are $20.
Last week, Connor and Justin debated who will win Big Ten Player of the year this season. Justin won the poll overwhelmingly with his choice of Bruce Thornton, and 70% of our clearly non-biased readers agreed with him. Just 7% agreed with Connor’s choice of Iowa’s Payton Sandfort, while the “someone else” choice also picked up 15%.
Connor- 81
This week’s debate is less of a debate and more of a preview of sorts, as we break down what we’re most intrigued to see as the Buckeyes prepare to face the Bearcats. The game will be played with NCAA regulation rules and two 20-minute halves. Diebler has already said that everyone will play, but as of Wednesday he still had not decided who Friday’s starters would be.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25685841/usa_today_23710279.jpg "Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch")
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Ohio State is going to have one of the best backcourts in the nation this season. The combo of Meechie Johnson and Bruce Thornton is going to dazzle on a nightly basis. Their ability to score off the dribble and draw multiple defenders will open up better shots for their teammates. Big Ten coaches are not going to have fun preparing their teams for that combo during conference play.
However, the Buckeyes’ frontcourt is murky at best and mildly concerning at worst. The power forward and center spots are going to be filled by Duke transfer Sean Stewart and Kentucky transfer Aaron Bradshaw — two guys who were highly coveted recruits out of high school, but did not play a ton last season.
Ohio State is relying on one of Bradshaw or Stewart to break out this season and start living up to the hype that led to them both being top-20 recruits in the 2023 recruiting class. If they both struggle, the Buckeyes are going to be sluggish below the basket on both ends. They need to play well.
Unfortunately, Bradshaw took an elbow to the head during practice this week, and will be held out of this game. Because of that, I expect Sean Stewart to start at the five, with Devin Royal starting at the four. I’m excited to see how Stewart looks and how much of his offensive game he can showcase — at Duke he was mostly a rim-runner and rebounder, he’ll need to be more than that at Ohio State.
We should also get a good look at both Austin Parks and Ivan Njegovan. It sounds like Njegovan can shoot a little bit, which could actually help him leapfrog Parks on the depth chart and become the main backup center behind Bradshaw. Parks, meanwhile, only played about 20 minutes total his freshman season, but was recruited by Indiana, Illinois, Michigan State, and other big time programs. There’s an opportunity for him to grab some minutes this year, and his first real chance to audition is tonight.
One of the main things everyone can get excited about each season are the newcomers to the team and seeing how they mesh. However, this team is mostly newcomers, and there are many storylines to monitor.
For me, especially with Aaron Bradshaw not playing, I am keeping my eye on John (Juni) Mobley Jr. Mobley is one of the two freshmen in this class and has been hyped up all offseason as one of the top first-year players in the conference, which is saying a lot this year. Mobley was one of the best shooters in all of high school basketball last year, and that will be one of the weaker parts of the team this year after they lost Jamison Battle, Bowen Hardman and Scotty Middleton.
With the loss of Taison Chatman to a season-ending injury, there are more minutes for Mobley to back up Bruce Thornton and Meechie Johnson. They will need him to immediately be ready to play available minutes for Jake Diebler and the coaching staff, and from all accounts, he is ready to do just that.
Friday is his first chance to play another team in a game situation, and how he plays and how much he plays will be interesting. Not to mention, will the elite shooting translate to the college stage? And how will his defense look as a guard?
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
It doesn’t count, but Jake Diebler’s Buckeyes will take the floor tonight against the Bearcats in Cincinnati — for charity!
Congratulations sailor! You made it to game day! After seven long months, the Ohio State men’s basketball team returns tonight, facing off with the No. 20 Cincinnati Bearcats in a pre-season exhibition game at Fifth Third Arena.
Tonight’s game tips off at 7:00 p.m. ET, and can be found on your typical Ohio State radio affiliates, but will not be on TV, nor will it be streamed anywhere. So if you want to see Sean Stewart, Meechie Johnson, and the gang with your own eyes, you’ll have to buy a ticket and go. Tickets can be purchased here. Lower bowl seats are $40 and upper bowl seats are $20.
Last week, Connor and Justin debated who will win Big Ten Player of the year this season. Justin won the poll overwhelmingly with his choice of Bruce Thornton, and 70% of our clearly non-biased readers agreed with him. Just 7% agreed with Connor’s choice of Iowa’s Payton Sandfort, while the “someone else” choice also picked up 15%.
After 174 weeks:
Connor- 81
Justin- 71
Other- 18
(There have been four ties)
This week’s debate is less of a debate and more of a preview of sorts, as we break down what we’re most intrigued to see as the Buckeyes prepare to face the Bearcats. The game will be played with NCAA regulation rules and two 20-minute halves. Diebler has already said that everyone will play, but as of Wednesday he still had not decided who Friday’s starters would be.
This week’s question: What are you watching for during Ohio State’s preseason game against Cincinnati?
Connor: The bigs!
Ohio State is going to have one of the best backcourts in the nation this season. The combo of Meechie Johnson and Bruce Thornton is going to dazzle on a nightly basis. Their ability to score off the dribble and draw multiple defenders will open up better shots for their teammates. Big Ten coaches are not going to have fun preparing their teams for that combo during conference play.
However, the Buckeyes’ frontcourt is murky at best and mildly concerning at worst. The power forward and center spots are going to be filled by Duke transfer Sean Stewart and Kentucky transfer Aaron Bradshaw — two guys who were highly coveted recruits out of high school, but did not play a ton last season.
Ohio State is relying on one of Bradshaw or Stewart to break out this season and start living up to the hype that led to them both being top-20 recruits in the 2023 recruiting class. If they both struggle, the Buckeyes are going to be sluggish below the basket on both ends. They need to play well.
Unfortunately, Bradshaw took an elbow to the head during practice this week, and will be held out of this game. Because of that, I expect Sean Stewart to start at the five, with Devin Royal starting at the four. I’m excited to see how Stewart looks and how much of his offensive game he can showcase — at Duke he was mostly a rim-runner and rebounder, he’ll need to be more than that at Ohio State.
We should also get a good look at both Austin Parks and Ivan Njegovan. It sounds like Njegovan can shoot a little bit, which could actually help him leapfrog Parks on the depth chart and become the main backup center behind Bradshaw. Parks, meanwhile, only played about 20 minutes total his freshman season, but was recruited by Indiana, Illinois, Michigan State, and other big time programs. There’s an opportunity for him to grab some minutes this year, and his first real chance to audition is tonight.
Justin: John Mobley Jr.
One of the main things everyone can get excited about each season are the newcomers to the team and seeing how they mesh. However, this team is mostly newcomers, and there are many storylines to monitor.
For me, especially with Aaron Bradshaw not playing, I am keeping my eye on John (Juni) Mobley Jr. Mobley is one of the two freshmen in this class and has been hyped up all offseason as one of the top first-year players in the conference, which is saying a lot this year. Mobley was one of the best shooters in all of high school basketball last year, and that will be one of the weaker parts of the team this year after they lost Jamison Battle, Bowen Hardman and Scotty Middleton.
With the loss of Taison Chatman to a season-ending injury, there are more minutes for Mobley to back up Bruce Thornton and Meechie Johnson. They will need him to immediately be ready to play available minutes for Jake Diebler and the coaching staff, and from all accounts, he is ready to do just that.
Friday is his first chance to play another team in a game situation, and how he plays and how much he plays will be interesting. Not to mention, will the elite shooting translate to the college stage? And how will his defense look as a guard?
Continue reading...
LGHL MC&J: Week 8 in the Big Ten is headlined by Michigan-Illinois
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MC&J: Week 8 in the Big Ten is headlined by Michigan-Illinois
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images
Along with the battle between ranked teams in Champaign, we have picks for Nebraska-Illinois and the rest of this week’s Big Ten action.
Last week ATS: 4-10 (3-4 National, 1-6 B1G)
Season ATS: 59-65 (21-25 National, 38-40 B1G)
No. 2 Oregon (-27.5) v. Purdue - 8:00 p.m. ET - FOX
Oregon might have thought this season’s most dangerous game on their Big Ten schedule would be against Ohio State. Wrong. We all know going to West Lafayette is the toughest thing any team in the conference will have to do. The Boilermakers may not look like a threat, but that’s exactly what Purdue Pete wants you to think.
The Ducks secured one of their biggest wins in school history on Saturday night when they beat the Buckeyes 32-31. Maybe Ohio State wins if they get a few more ticks on the clock, maybe they don’t. We’ll never know. All we really do know is Oregon has the inside track on a playoff spot.
Purdue showed signs of life last week in a 50-49 overtime loss at Illinois. Ryan Browne started at quarterback for Hudson Card and had himself a day, totaling over 400 yards and three scores. The Boilers even got Devin Mockobee going on the ground, with the running back notching his second 100-yard game of the season.
There’s no question Oregon is the better team. I’m just not sure if they are four touchdowns better in this situation. Coming off a tough game against Ohio State, short week traveling east, and the West Lafayette voodoo magic are all reasons I think the Boilermakers stay inside the number.
Oregon 44, Purdue 23
Nebraska v. No. 16 Indiana (-6.5) - 12:00 p.m. ET - FOX
Now is when we start to find out how good Indiana really is. The Hoosiers have been feasting off cupcakes in Curt Cignetti’s first year in charge in Bloomington. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke has been nearly flawless this season, throwing for at least 250 yards in each of the last five games, and his only two interceptions on the season came against Maryland. Indiana enters this game just behind Miami when it comes to scoring points this season.
Nebraska desperately needs a win here to avoid slipping any farther in the Big Ten. The Cornhuskers bounced back from an overtime loss to Illinois by beat Purdue and Rutgers. Neither of those wins were all that pretty, but at least Matt Rhule kept a tough loss from spiraling out of control, which is something Mike Riley and Scott Frost couldn’t do.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25684792/2178574714.jpg "Indiana v Northwestern")
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
As teams have seen more of Raiola they have been able to make him more uncomfortable. Two weeks ago against Rutgers, Raiola failed to throw a touchdown for the first time this season and only totaled 134 yards through the air. I like Indiana with two weeks to prepare to shutdown the Raiola and the Nebraska offense.
Rourke and company continue their Cinderella run for at least another week.
Indiana 35, Nebraska 24
Wisconsin (-7) v. Northwestern - 12:00 p.m. ET - Big Ten Network
What is going on with the world? Both Wisconsin and Nebraska won by at least 27 points last week. If I had to guess which one was more fluky I’d say it was the Northwestern win, since I looks like Braedyn Locke is comfortable running the Wisconsin offense after Tyler Van Dyke went down with a season-ending injury.
Pretty sure as punishment for losing an 8-team moneyline parlay on Rutgers losing to Wisconsin last week is that now I have to take the Badgers as a road favorite at Northwestern. Luke Fickell makes it three wins in a row.
Wisconsin 34, Northwestern 17
UCLA v. Rutgers (-4.5) - 12:00 p.m. ET - FS1
This is the second time in three weeks UCLA has had to head east for a noon kickoff. The Bruins weren’t good against Penn State, and last week they blew a second half lead at home against Minnesota. UCLA managed just 36 yards rushing against the Golden Gophers.
With their 42-7 setback against Wisconsin last week, Rutgers now has lost their last two games. The perfect medicine for what ails them is a home game against UCLA. Right now the Bruins look last and taking on an angry Scarlet Knights squad isn’t going to change that.
Rutgers 31, UCLA 13
No. 24 Michigan (-3) v. No. 22 Illinois - 3:30 p.m. ET - CBS
Last week’s performance from Illinois was puzzling since they gave up 49 points to Purdue in Champaign. As frustrating as everything was for Bret Bielema, all that matters in the end is the Fighting Illini won, keeping them in the mix for the Big Ten title. The bright spot for Illinois was quarterback Luke Altmyer, who now has 14 passing touchdowns after throwing for three scores last week.
Don’t expect to see Michigan trying to throw much in this game. So far this year the Wolverines have 690 passing yards and six passing touchdowns through six games. Donovan Edwards actually had his best game of the season against Washington, rushing for 95 yards and a score in the loss.
The Wolverines are just far too predictable for me to feel comfortable backing them. Even though they can run the ball, I don’t like their chances when they fall behind and are forced to throw the football. Illinois is a little more complete and they shake off the close call against Purdue last week.
Illinois 30, Michigan 20
USC (7.5) v. Maryland - 4:00 p.m. ET - FS1
Much like UCLA, USC will likely go into this game not knowing what time it is or where they are at since they have been traveling hard in their first season in the Big Ten. So far when leaving the pacific time zone the Trojans haven’t found any success, losing to Michigan and Minnesota. Now USC enters this game having to put last week’s loss to Penn State behind them.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25684794/2177412395.jpg "COLLEGE FOOTBALL: OCT 12 Penn State at USC")
Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Maryland is a big mess right now. Not that expectations were all that high for Mike Locksley and the Terrapins, but nobody expected them to struggle as much as they have in 2024. Maryland is coming off an embarrassing loss to Northwestern last week, getting throttled by the Wildcats in College Park. The lack of a running game for the Terrapins is putting more pressure on quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., who has been pretty good this year but can only do so much.
Normally I wouldn’t be too big of a fan of laying more than a touchdown with a team coming east from out west. This feels like a little different scenario since Maryland’s season is spiraling out of control. While USC has their own problems, I think they have the tools to add to the woes of the Terrapins.
USC 37, Maryland 21
Iowa (-5.5) v. Michigan State - 7:30 p.m. ET - NBC
Last time we saw these two teams they were getting throttled by ranked Big Ten teams on the road. Iowa didn’t get much going in Columbus against Ohio State, while Michigan State couldn’t get anything going against Oregon in Eugene. Both teams had byes last week to try and wash some of the loser stink off of them.
At least with Iowa there looks like some semblance of structure under Kirk Ferentz. The offense at least looks competent in offensive coordinator’s Tim Lester’s first year on the job. If the Hawkeyes can get running back Kaleb Johnson going early it could be a long night for the Michigan State defense. Johnson didn’t have much success against Ohio State since the Buckeyes stopped the run early with their talented defense.
What scares me about backing Michigan State here is the rate at which Aidan Chiles turns the football over. Iowa has an attacking defense that I can see flustering Chiles and forcing him into turnovers, which will allow the Hawkeyes to run the football and wear down the defense of the Spartans. This could look similar to Iowa’s win over Minnesota last month.
Iowa 27, Michigan State 14
Continue reading...
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images
Along with the battle between ranked teams in Champaign, we have picks for Nebraska-Illinois and the rest of this week’s Big Ten action.
Last week ATS: 4-10 (3-4 National, 1-6 B1G)
Season ATS: 59-65 (21-25 National, 38-40 B1G)
B1G games (All games Saturday unless noted)
No. 2 Oregon (-27.5) v. Purdue - 8:00 p.m. ET - FOX
Oregon might have thought this season’s most dangerous game on their Big Ten schedule would be against Ohio State. Wrong. We all know going to West Lafayette is the toughest thing any team in the conference will have to do. The Boilermakers may not look like a threat, but that’s exactly what Purdue Pete wants you to think.
The Ducks secured one of their biggest wins in school history on Saturday night when they beat the Buckeyes 32-31. Maybe Ohio State wins if they get a few more ticks on the clock, maybe they don’t. We’ll never know. All we really do know is Oregon has the inside track on a playoff spot.
Purdue showed signs of life last week in a 50-49 overtime loss at Illinois. Ryan Browne started at quarterback for Hudson Card and had himself a day, totaling over 400 yards and three scores. The Boilers even got Devin Mockobee going on the ground, with the running back notching his second 100-yard game of the season.
There’s no question Oregon is the better team. I’m just not sure if they are four touchdowns better in this situation. Coming off a tough game against Ohio State, short week traveling east, and the West Lafayette voodoo magic are all reasons I think the Boilermakers stay inside the number.
Oregon 44, Purdue 23
Nebraska v. No. 16 Indiana (-6.5) - 12:00 p.m. ET - FOX
Now is when we start to find out how good Indiana really is. The Hoosiers have been feasting off cupcakes in Curt Cignetti’s first year in charge in Bloomington. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke has been nearly flawless this season, throwing for at least 250 yards in each of the last five games, and his only two interceptions on the season came against Maryland. Indiana enters this game just behind Miami when it comes to scoring points this season.
Nebraska desperately needs a win here to avoid slipping any farther in the Big Ten. The Cornhuskers bounced back from an overtime loss to Illinois by beat Purdue and Rutgers. Neither of those wins were all that pretty, but at least Matt Rhule kept a tough loss from spiraling out of control, which is something Mike Riley and Scott Frost couldn’t do.
As teams have seen more of Raiola they have been able to make him more uncomfortable. Two weeks ago against Rutgers, Raiola failed to throw a touchdown for the first time this season and only totaled 134 yards through the air. I like Indiana with two weeks to prepare to shutdown the Raiola and the Nebraska offense.
Rourke and company continue their Cinderella run for at least another week.
Indiana 35, Nebraska 24
Wisconsin (-7) v. Northwestern - 12:00 p.m. ET - Big Ten Network
What is going on with the world? Both Wisconsin and Nebraska won by at least 27 points last week. If I had to guess which one was more fluky I’d say it was the Northwestern win, since I looks like Braedyn Locke is comfortable running the Wisconsin offense after Tyler Van Dyke went down with a season-ending injury.
Pretty sure as punishment for losing an 8-team moneyline parlay on Rutgers losing to Wisconsin last week is that now I have to take the Badgers as a road favorite at Northwestern. Luke Fickell makes it three wins in a row.
Wisconsin 34, Northwestern 17
UCLA v. Rutgers (-4.5) - 12:00 p.m. ET - FS1
This is the second time in three weeks UCLA has had to head east for a noon kickoff. The Bruins weren’t good against Penn State, and last week they blew a second half lead at home against Minnesota. UCLA managed just 36 yards rushing against the Golden Gophers.
With their 42-7 setback against Wisconsin last week, Rutgers now has lost their last two games. The perfect medicine for what ails them is a home game against UCLA. Right now the Bruins look last and taking on an angry Scarlet Knights squad isn’t going to change that.
Rutgers 31, UCLA 13
No. 24 Michigan (-3) v. No. 22 Illinois - 3:30 p.m. ET - CBS
Last week’s performance from Illinois was puzzling since they gave up 49 points to Purdue in Champaign. As frustrating as everything was for Bret Bielema, all that matters in the end is the Fighting Illini won, keeping them in the mix for the Big Ten title. The bright spot for Illinois was quarterback Luke Altmyer, who now has 14 passing touchdowns after throwing for three scores last week.
Don’t expect to see Michigan trying to throw much in this game. So far this year the Wolverines have 690 passing yards and six passing touchdowns through six games. Donovan Edwards actually had his best game of the season against Washington, rushing for 95 yards and a score in the loss.
The Wolverines are just far too predictable for me to feel comfortable backing them. Even though they can run the ball, I don’t like their chances when they fall behind and are forced to throw the football. Illinois is a little more complete and they shake off the close call against Purdue last week.
Illinois 30, Michigan 20
USC (7.5) v. Maryland - 4:00 p.m. ET - FS1
Much like UCLA, USC will likely go into this game not knowing what time it is or where they are at since they have been traveling hard in their first season in the Big Ten. So far when leaving the pacific time zone the Trojans haven’t found any success, losing to Michigan and Minnesota. Now USC enters this game having to put last week’s loss to Penn State behind them.
Maryland is a big mess right now. Not that expectations were all that high for Mike Locksley and the Terrapins, but nobody expected them to struggle as much as they have in 2024. Maryland is coming off an embarrassing loss to Northwestern last week, getting throttled by the Wildcats in College Park. The lack of a running game for the Terrapins is putting more pressure on quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., who has been pretty good this year but can only do so much.
Normally I wouldn’t be too big of a fan of laying more than a touchdown with a team coming east from out west. This feels like a little different scenario since Maryland’s season is spiraling out of control. While USC has their own problems, I think they have the tools to add to the woes of the Terrapins.
USC 37, Maryland 21
Iowa (-5.5) v. Michigan State - 7:30 p.m. ET - NBC
Last time we saw these two teams they were getting throttled by ranked Big Ten teams on the road. Iowa didn’t get much going in Columbus against Ohio State, while Michigan State couldn’t get anything going against Oregon in Eugene. Both teams had byes last week to try and wash some of the loser stink off of them.
At least with Iowa there looks like some semblance of structure under Kirk Ferentz. The offense at least looks competent in offensive coordinator’s Tim Lester’s first year on the job. If the Hawkeyes can get running back Kaleb Johnson going early it could be a long night for the Michigan State defense. Johnson didn’t have much success against Ohio State since the Buckeyes stopped the run early with their talented defense.
What scares me about backing Michigan State here is the rate at which Aidan Chiles turns the football over. Iowa has an attacking defense that I can see flustering Chiles and forcing him into turnovers, which will allow the Hawkeyes to run the football and wear down the defense of the Spartans. This could look similar to Iowa’s win over Minnesota last month.
Iowa 27, Michigan State 14
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2026 NJ DB Zaiden McDonald (Verbal Offer)
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School: Newark (NJ) Malcolm X Shabazz
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Weight:195lbs
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2026 PA DL Cameron Brickle (Verbal Offer)
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School: Malvern (PA) Malvern Prep
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 295 lbs
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