Big Ten Weekly Men's Basketball Central - Nov. 19-25

WEEKLY RELEASE - NOVEMBER 19

Big Ten. Big News.

The Big Ten currently boasts a 59-10 overall record through Monday’s contests, with teams going a combined 56-3 on their home courts. The Big Ten’s .855 win percentage and 59 total wins lead all Div. I conferences.
Ten Big Ten teams were recognized in this week’s AP and USA Today Coaches Polls, announced on Monday. The AP Top 25 included No. 6 Purdue, No. 16 Indiana, No. 19 Wisconsin, No. 24 Rutgers, and No. 25 Illinois, while the coaches listed the Boilermakers at No. 6, the Hoosiers at No. 18, the Illini at No. 20, and the Badgers at 24. Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, and Oregon also received votes in one or both polls.
This week’s schedule included a pair of games against ranked opponents. On Tuesday, Purdue will look for a second consecutive top 15 win, as it visits Marquette at 9 p.m. on FS1. On Wednesday, Illinois will try to hand Alabama a second consecutive loss to a Big Ten team, as the meet in Birmingham at 9 p.m. on the SEC Network.
Friday night was big for the Big Ten, as a pair of teams scored wins over top 10 opponents. Wisconsin topped No. 9 Arizona 103-88 at the Kohl Center behind a career high 41 points by John Tonje. The graduate student finished two points shy of the program scoring mark but broke the single-game record with 21 made free throws (21-for-22). Tonje’s 41 points were the most scored by a player in a win over an AP Top-10 opponent since 2016 when Kentucky’s Malik Monk scored 47 in a win over No. 7 North Carolina. Purdue also earned an 87-78 win over then-No. 2 Alabama, the highest-ranked, non-conference opponent that Purdue has ever beaten in Mackey Arena. Trey Kaufman-Renn scored a career-high 26 points, while Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith added 17 points each. Friday’s action marked the second consecutive year the Big Ten has posted a pair of wins over top 10 opponents on the same day. On Dec. 16, 2023, Purdue beat then-No. 1 Arizona 82-84, while Michigan State topped then-No. 6 Baylor 88-64.
Eleven of the Big Ten’s 18 teams rank in the top 40 of the Kenpom Ratings through Monday’s games, with all 18 listing in the top 84. Purdue leads the way at No. 12, followed by UCLA(#23), Illinois (#25), Ohio State (#26), Michigan (#27), Oregon (#30), Indiana (#31), Penn State (#32), Maryland (#37), Michigan State (#38), and Wisconsin (#40). No other conference has more than nine teams in the top 40 (SEC) or more than 16 teams in the top 100 (SEC and Big 12).
On Monday, the Big Ten announced its Player and Freshman of the Week honors. Wisconsin’s John Tonje was named Big Ten Player of the Week, while Rutgers’ Dylan Harper claimed Freshman of the Week honors. Tonje led the Badgers to a 103-88 win over then-No. 9 Arizona with a career-high 41 points. Tonje finished the game 8-for-14 shooting from the floor, including 4-for-6 from three-point range, 21-for-22 from the free throw line. Tonje’s efforts were also recognized by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), who named him one of its Oscar Roberson National Players of the Week on Tuesday.
Harper averaged 22.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.0 blocks per game, as the Scarlet Knights topped Saint Peters, 75-65, and Monmouth, 98-81. Harper becomes the first Scarlet Knight named Freshmen of the Week since his brother Ron Harper Jr. won the award six seasons ago on March 4, 2019. Harper became the second Scarlet Knight in Rutgers history to score 20-plus points in the first three games of his freshman year, the first player to do it since Phil Sellers in 1972, and the first Rutgers freshman to score at least 20 points in three consecutive games since Corey Sanders in Feb. 2016.
Three Big Ten teams have been recognized for their success in men’s and women’s basketball and football. Illinois, Ohio State, and Oregon are mentioned in the Associated Press (AP) polls for all three sports. The Illini are ranked No. 25 and 22 in men’s and women’s basketball and No. 24 in football. The Buckeyes sit at No. 2 in the football poll and No. 12 in the women’s basketball poll, while the Ducks enter this week’s action ranked No. 1 on the field and No. 23 in the women’s poll. Both Ohio State and Oregon are receiving votes in the men’s basketball poll. Oregon is also the only school in the country whose men’s and women’s basketball and football teams are undefeated. The three Duck programs own a combined 19-0 mark.
The 2025 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament will return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 12-16. This will mark the 14th time the tournament has been held in Indianapolis. The tournament will be the first to feature a 15-team field and begin with three games on Wednesday, March 12. Peacock will televise the opening three games of the 2025 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament, with second-round and quarterfinal games on Thursday and Friday slated for Big Ten Network. For the 28th consecutive year, CBS Sports will broadcast the semifinals and championship game on CBS, with those games also streaming live on Paramount+.