Big Ten men's basketball could provide another wild ride for coaches, players this season
MADISON – Wisconsin coach Greg Gard is fond of saying there are no get-well games in the world of Big Ten men’s basketball.
Whether you’re playing the team at the top of the standings or at team at the bottom of the standings you need to prepare to play well.
The opening weekend of league play reaffirmed that.
Indiana, ranked No. 8 and the preseason favorite to win the league’s regular-season title, suffered a 15-point loss at Rutgers. The Hoosiers entered the game 7-0, with six double-digit victories.
Seventh-ranked Illinois suffered a five-point loss at No. 22 Maryland. The Illini were 6-1, with their only loss coming against No. 3 Virginia, which could win the Atlantic Coast Conference title.
Maryland, the surprise team in the Big Ten, improved to 8-0 entering its game at 8 p.m. Tuesday night at UW.
Michigan State, ranked No 20, suffered a 70-63 home loss to unranked Northwestern. The Spartans, who played three teams ranked in the top 20 in their first five games, fell to 5-4 overall.
And unranked Nebraska stunned Creighton, 63-53, in Omaha. The Bluejays were ranked No. 7 and are picked to win the Big East this season.
"There is so much parity in college basketball," Gard said after UW's 80-77 overtime victory over Marquette. "I've always said if you only (watch) college basketball in March, you're missing three, four really good months."
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Big Ten men's basketball unpredictable in 2022-23 season already
