The Big Ten season continues today with a pair of games taking place later this afternoon on Peacock. Let’s take a look at the upcoming action.
Oregon Ducks at Washington Huskies
-
Time/TV: 3:00 PM ET Peacock
In the first game today two former Pac-12 teams will face off in Washington. Both the Ducks and Huskies have disappointed so far this season, with the two teams only managing a combined three wins in league play so far. Washington has managed to play teams close, hanging around Nebraska, Michigan, Purdue and Indiana before ultimately falling short. Oregon on the other hand has been in a bit of a free fall, getting beat by double digits in their past four games. The Ducks are without standout guard Jackson Shelstad, who will miss the rest of the season.
Advertisement
Without Shelstad the offense hasn’t gotten up to speed. Oregon is averaging 73.9 points per game on 43% shooting, hitting less than 70% of their free throws and is committing just under 13 turnovers per game. Even center Nate Bittle has struggled, seeing his shooting dropping from 51.1% last year to just 46.9% while his rebound rate has dropped as well. The Huskies don’t score that many more points, but have been more efficient and are lead by forward Hannes Steinbach’s 18 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. With today’s game taking place in Washington and the Ducks fielding a sub-100 defense, the Huskies should be more than capable of picking up a win.
Pick: Washington
USC Trojans at Wisconsin Badgers
-
Time/TV: 4:00 PM ET Peacock
Wisconsin has won five in a row since getting blown out by Purdue. They’ll look to continue building momentum with a homestand tipping off today that includes USC, Minnesota and Ohio State over the next week. USC enters at 14-5 (3-5), with a rough past week that included blowing two opportunities for wins at home against Purdue and Northwestern.
Advertisement
USC has a nice record but a notable lack of quality wins, with their best win being a November win against Seton Hall. In a five point loss to Purdue the Trojans shot 3 of 20 from three and just 5 of 14 from the line. That trend continued against Northwestern in a close loss that saw the Trojans shoot 2 of 13 from three and 26 of 43 from the line, leaving a ton of points on the table. If the Trojans can’t clean up their shooting it’s going to be tough sledding in Madison.
The Badgers offense has been rolling, scoring at least 80 points in six of their last eight games and averaging 88.6 points per game during their current winning streak. As long as the Badgers offense can maintain momentum they should have enough firepower to get past a USC team that has struggled shooting from range and converting at the free throw line.
Pick: Wisconsin
