Last week, the Big Ten released the men’s slate for the upcoming season, plugging the holes in everyone’s early-December schedule and filling in the back half of the docket from January on.
The conference season officially begins Dec. 6 with Iowa at Michigan as the first Big Ten game of the year. There will be Big Ten games spread out between then and Dec. 18, then a break until the meat of the season continues Jan. 2.
The annual Big Ten game at Madison Square Garden will continue Feb. 1 as Rutgers and Michigan will play in the Big Apple. The other neutral site conference showdown will be Jan. 4 at The Palestra in Philadelphia as Iowa and Penn State meet in one of the most storied venues in all of basketball.
Sunday, March 8 will mark the conclusion of the regular season, with Iowa at Illinois, Michigan at Maryland, Ohio State at Michigan State and Nebraska at Minnesota bringing the year to a close. The Big Ten Tournament will begin March 11, with the championship on March 15, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The Spin on the Big Ten Schedule
We’re still several weeks away from the start of the season, let alone the opening of the conference schedule, so the truth is, we don’t know as much as about any of these teams as we might think. There will be surprises, good and bad, between now and the end of the year, but with rosters more or less set and expectations understood, let’s take a look at a few of the most exciting matchups revealed Friday:
Michigan State at Michigan – Saturday, Feb. 8
Michigan State is the odds-on favorite to win the conference with Cassius Winston, already one of the best players in the nation last year, returning for his senior campaign. The Spartans will have a shot at preseason No. 1, so they’re just not expected to be good relative to the Big Ten – this is a national title contender straight out of the gate.
On the other side you have Michigan, a program in a bit of a transition after John Beilein jumped ship for the NBA and the team’s top three scorers from last season have moved on. The Juwan Howard era begins in Ann Arbor this winter, and this will be his first home game as head coach in the program’s fierce in-state rivalry with Michigan State.
Whenever the Spartans and Wolverines share a court, you know it will make for must-watch television.
Michigan State at Maryland – Saturday, Feb. 29
The Terps are expected to have a big year, returning every impact player from a season ago sans Bruno Fernando. While the Spartans are the heavy favorite to finish atop the league, Maryland is thought to be right behind. The team will come into the year with high aspirations and consider a challenge for the conference title within grasp. With this matchup coming so late in the season, it’s possible that this meeting will have a massive impact on who takes the 2020 Big Ten crown.
Purdue at Indiana – Saturday, Feb. 8
One of the best rivalries in the conference and nation, we will be blessed with two meetings between these schools this season. This is the one I’m most looking forward to, though, as it will be played in Bloomington. The Hoosiers have question marks heading into the season with an NCAA Tournament berth up in the air. Purdue will once again contend for a top four spot in the league, and a win against the Boilermakers would be huge for Indiana’s tournament resume.
Unless there are some surprises, this game probably won’t determine the Big Ten champion. However, it will be one of Indiana’s best chances at a convincing win for the selection committee, and this rivalry is too great to ever be ignored.
Michigan at Ohio State – Sunday, March 1
This rivalry is more known for football, but the programs don’t have much love for one another in any capacity, men’s basketball included.
Ohio State brings back almost everyone from the team that went to the second round last year, plus adds a top-15 recruiting class into the mix. Head coach Chris Holtmann has proven himself to be a fantastic coach in his short time in Columbus and in his previous years at Butler. Combine all of those factors together, and you can understand why the Buckeyes are seen as serious challengers for a top four finish and maybe even more.
With a meeting this late in the season between two teams that will likely finish in the top half of the conference, it should be intense at the Schott. I’d remember about this one if I were you.
Illinois at Ohio State – Thursday, March 5
Illinois won only 12 games last season, but anyone who watched the Illini in the later stretches of the campaign know the team was much better than its record. Ayo Dosunmu is back, and plenty of other encouraging young talent will surround him. It has been a long time since Illinois played in the NCAA Tournament, making its last appearance in 2013, and the hope in Champaign is that this is finally the year that drought ends.
If the Illini are to make that happen, it will require some big wins. If Illinois is sitting on the bubble come late in the season, this will be an outstanding opportunity to make a statement. Ohio State should be one of the best teams in the Big Ten, so winning in Columbus in one of the last games of the year would go a long way in convincing the selection committee of the Illini’s inclusion.
