Iowa finds different ways to win every night, and the Hawkeyes did it again on Sunday, defeating Maryland 81-67 in Iowa City for their fourth straight win thanks to success with a five-guard lineup.
Iowa coach Fran McCaffery went small out of necessity when forwards Kris Murray and Filip Rebraca caught two early fouls, but it worked perfectly against a Maryland team that plays quite small themselves. Tony Perkins of Iowa Guard and Indianapolis led with a career-high 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting.
It’s been a nice day for Perkins as he’s been struggling lately, making just 6 shots out of 28 in the last three games. He scored nine of the Hawkeyes’ first 17 points. Iowa is now 12-6 overall and 4-3 in the league after a 0-3 start. Maryland is 11-6 and 2-4 in the Big Ten.
“That was my goal, to get in like that today,” said Perkins. “Make moves, go to the edge, do what I do best. Hit pullups, just play my game, just don’t think about it.
“It was a good game for Tony,” said Fran McCaffery. “There’s more room for him. He has an aggressive mindset and that’s what you want. If they switch, there is more space. If you push, there is more space. And he just followed.”
To read the full game history from our Sports Illustrated/FanNation Iowa website, InsideTheHawkeyes.com, CLICK HERE
Michigan 85, Northwest 77
Kobe Bufkin had a team-high 20 points on 9-for-11 shooting, including 5-for-6 in the second half as Michigan beat Northwestern 85-77 in Ann Arbor. Dug McDaniel added a career-high 17 points and five assists and Hunter Dickinson had 10 points and 15 rebounds for the Wolverines (10-7, 4-2 Big Ten).
Northwestern (12-5, 3-3 in the Big Ten) continued to make runs in Michigan with seven lead changes and four ties in the second half, but the Wolverines held them back on the stretch for a two-game losing streak.
“We were resilient,” Howard said. “We understand that basketball is a running game and if we lay down and didn’t rebound, we wouldn’t have the outcome we wanted. I feel like (that win) (in March) could help a lot. This is a perfect time to gain momentum, so if we focus on our next opponents and take each game one at a time, we should be fine.”
Scroll to Next
Boo Buie led all scorers with 22 points, and teammate Robbie Beran added 16 for Northwestern. Michigan shot 52 percent from the field against a Northwestern team that ranked No. 10 in field goal defense in the country (37.8 percent).
Michigan’s Kobe Bufkin had a career-high 20 points in Sunday’s Wolverines win over Northwestern. (USA TODAY Sports)
Rutgers 68, Ohio 64, OT
Cam Spencer had 21 points and Clifford Omoruyi added 14, including the game-winner in overtime as Rutgers (13-5, 5-2 in Big Ten) beat Ohio State to split the season’s streak.
The Buckeyes were led by freshman forward Brice Sensabaugh, who scored 20 points off the bench and pulled down 11 rebounds. His knight sent the game into overtime with 49 seconds remaining.
Ohio State (10-7, 2-4 in Big Ten) has lost four in a row, beating Rutgers by a missed call at the end of the game only the first time. They will try to finish their four-game sled Wednesday in Nebraska.
Omoruyi’s game-winning lay-up marked the game’s 22nd lead change, giving Rutgers a 62-61 lead. Forward Mawot Mag knocked down a three from the corner to seal the win.
Ranking of the Big Ten
Here’s the Big Ten rankings through Sunday, January 15th.
The games on Monday
- #3 PURDUE at MICHIGAN STATE, 2:30 p.m. ET: Two of the Big Ten’s best teams so far this season go head to head on Monday afternoon when Purdue (16-1, 5-1 in Big Ten) travels to East Lansing to take on Michigan State (12-5, 4-2). big ten). After a two-game road trip that included a win in Wisconsin, the Spartans are happy to be back home. They are 7-1 at the Breslin Center so far this season, with the only loss coming in December against Northwestern. TV: FOX. Here’s how you can watch them, with TV info and previews. CLICK HERE Point distribution: Purdue is a 3.5 point favorite and the over/under is 133.5 according to gambling website SISportsbook.com.
- ILLINOIS in MINNESOTA, 6 p.m. ET: Illinois will look to continue their current three-game winning streak Sunday night when they travel to Minneapolis to take on Minnesota (7-8, 1-4 in Big Ten). The Illini have recovered well after losing their first three league games while beating Wisconsin and Michigan State at home. Minnesota picked up its first league win Thursday with a win at Ohio State. TV: Big Ten Network. Point distribution: Illinois is a 9.5 point favorite and the over/under is 137.5, according to gambling website SISportsbook.com.
- TOM BREW COLUMN: Trayce Jackson-Davis has done some amazing things during his four-year Indiana career, but there are still some negative fans who choose to slam him. It is ridiculous. CLICK HERE
- FEATURE STORY, INDIANA TAKES BACK BADGERS: Indiana looked lost during a recent three-game losing streak, but on Saturday they completely reversed the script, closing No. 18 Wisconsin 63-45 at Assembly Hall with a great defensive effort. CLICK HERE
- BIG TEN POWER RANKINGS (Vol. 3): Every Big Ten team now has at least one loss after Purdue, Wisconsin and Michigan all lost last week, and they’re still No. 1 for the Boilermakers despite losing at home to Rutgers. They bounced back well with victories over Ohio State and Penn State. Here is Volume 3 of our Big Ten Power Rankings. Volume 4 will be released later Monday afternoon. CLICK HERE
