Indiana, you big banana.
Here’s a place-filler open thread because life’s crazy. Probably will have some time/tv/line/SEO-friendly stuff coming your way in a minute. For now:
Day 2 Recaps
- Maryland’s bad, Iowa moved on.
- Allegedly Washington played USC.
- Running a six-man lineup finally caught up to Minnesota.
- LOLOLOLOLOLOL INDIANA
[9] Iowa Hawkeyes 75, [17] Maryland Terrapins 64
The above was actually unfair to Maryland — the Terps had a halftime lead on the Hawkeyes that might’ve sent Iowa skidding toward a perhaps-preferred 10-seed (or lower), then Iowa used a 21-0 run powered by five threes (three from Cooper Koch and two from Bennett Stirtz) to put away Buzz’s boys. Let us never again speak of the 2025-26 Maryland Terrapins, similarly confined to the dustbin of the B1G.
[12] Washington Huskies 83, [13] USC Trojans 79 (OT)
This game happened. Double-doubles from Zoom Diallo and Steinbach Breidenbach got the Huskies over the hump. Let us never again speak of the 2025-26 USC Trojans, once a bubble team and now a distant memory for the ten people who care about USC basketball.
[15] Northwestern Wildcats 74, [10] Indiana Hoosiers 61
Another 28 from Nick Martinelli. A career night from frosh guard Jake West. Ho-hum, the seventh straight victory for the ‘Cats over Indiana basketball, a very normal fact and thing.
It’s curtains for Indiana’s 2026 NCAA Tournament hopes—or is it?
…it probably is, if the leading bracketologists are to be believed.
There are looming questions for the Hoosiers—whether Darian DeVries’s five-out motion offense is going to work in the Big Ten, whether his approach to roster construction will hinder his ability to rebound and sustain over the span of a full Big Ten schedule, whether it’s just not the 1990s anymore and we need to accept that. In the meantime, I look forward to learning how much programs like Indiana and USC are able to resist the “two teams from the B1G will participate” requirements of The Crown.
[14] Rutgers Scarlet Knights 72, [11] Minnesota Golden Gophers 67
You just saw Minnesota’s legs fade as Rutgers used one last 15-5 run to put this game away. Turns out a six-man roster ain’t it. Anyway.
Day 3 Previews
[9] Iowa Hawkeyes vs. [8] Ohio State Buckeyes
11am | BTN | Ohio State -1.5 (completely made-up) | O/U 136.5 (completely made-up)
[12] Washington Huskies vs. [5] skunks
1:30pm | BTN | uw -6.5 | O/U 156.6
The random number generator that is, seemingly, the 2025-26 wisconsin badgers club joins the fray today without F Nolan Winter, out with an ankle injury. It’ll be interesting to see what that means for the badgers’ ability to counteract Wilhelm Steinbach with a pair of international frosh forwards—or whether it matters. The badgers take the 13th-most threes in the country, hit them at a 36.3% clip (53rd-best), and did exactly that successfully in their one matchup this season.
[15] Northwestern Wildcats vs. [7] Purdue Boilermakers
5:30pm | BTN | Purdue -12.5 | O/U 139.5
Northwestern’s got nothing to lose.
That’s how I’ll console myself here—the Boilermakers already love to beat the hell out of you inside, and the ‘Cats are likely without Arrinten Page and will rely on Tre Singleton and Tyler Kropp to slow down that Australian Amish fucker, to say nothing of CJ Cox.
Then again, Northwestern almost did it a week ago in Evanston. We’ll roll it back and see, but Purdue should walk away with this one.
[14] Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. [6] UCLA Bruins
8pm | BTN | UCLA -11.5 | O/U 141.5
I won’t, and you still can’t make me.
Let me know how I did in the comments.