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Big Ten. Big News.

• After a short holiday break, the Big Ten will return to nonconference action with a full slate of contests over the weekend. All 18 teams will take a midweek break before their collective focus returns to conference play on January 2. Among this week’s games is a top 20 matchup in Los Angeles on Saturday, as No. 22 UCLA faces No. 14 Gonzaga at the Intuit Dome.  
• The B1G enters this weekend’s action sporting a 144-37 record in nonconference games, matching last season’s 144 nonconference victories. Among those wins, the B1G was 107-7 (.939) on their home courts with a +21.7 PPG average margin of victory. The Big Ten’s 144 wins and .796 nonconference win percentage sit behind only the SEC’s 170 wins and .885 (170-20) win percentage. While all 18 Big Ten teams own at least seven wins this season, Oregon (11-1) is one of just 18 teams nationally with one or fewer losses.
• Ohio State and Nebraska had impressive performances last week, as the Buckeyes upset then-No. 4 Kentucky, while the Huskers claimed the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii. Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton scored a career-high 30 points to lead the Buckeyes to a dominant 85-65 win over the Wildcats at the CBS Sports Classic inside Madison Square Garden. Ohio State held Kentucky to 26 points below its season average and a season-worst 29.8 percent field goal shooting. Nebraska’s Brice Williams scored 25 points and was named MVP as the Huskers topped Oregon State 78-66 in the Diamond Head Classic championship game on Christmas. Nebraska scored wins over Murray State, Hawaii, and Oregon State to win its first multi-team event since the 2000 San Juan Shootout.
• Ten Big Ten teams were ranked or received votes in the Associated Press and/or USA Today Coaches Top 25 polls released on Dec. 23rd. Oregon leads the way in the media poll at No. 9, followed by No. 18 Michigan State, No. 21 Purdue, No. 22 UCLA, and No. 24 Illinois. The coaches also ranked the Ducks at No. 9, with Michigan State at No. 18, UCLA and Illinois at No. 21 and 22, respectively, and Purdue at No. 25.  Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Penn State, and Wisconsin also received votes in one or both polls.
• Seven Big Ten teams were ranked in the top 25 and 13 in the top 55 in the NET Rankings through Wednesday’s games. Maryland was the league’s top ranked team at No. 7, followed by No. 14 Illinois, No. 15 Oregon, No. 21 UCLA, No. 22 Michigan State, No. 23 Ohio State, and No. 24 Michigan. Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Iowa were also included in the top 50. Only the SEC has more teams in the top 50 (14) than the Big Ten.
• Thirteen of the Big Ten’s 18 teams rank in the top 50 of the Kenpom Ratings entering this weekend’s games, more than any other conference in the country. Maryland leads the way at No. 11, followed by No. 14 Oregon, No. 16 Michigan State, No. 17 UCLA, No. 22 Michigan, No. 23 Illinois, No. 27 Purdue, and No. 29 Ohio State. Penn State, Nebraska, Iowa, Northwestern, and Indiana are also included in the top 55. The SEC boasts 12 teams in the top 50, while the Big 12 owns nine entrants in the top 50.
• On Monday, the Big Ten announced its Player and Freshman of the Week honors. Ohio State junior guard Bruce Thornton and freshman guard John Mobley Jr. swept this week’s honors. Thornton averaged 22.0 points, 4.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and shot nearly 60 percent in a pair of wins last week. The junior scored a career-high 30 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the floor and a season-best 13-for-14 from the free throw line in leading Ohio State to an 85-65 win over then-No. 4 Kentucky, its largest margin of victory over a Top 5 team in 13 years and recorded 14 points and dished out a game-high six assists in a 95-73 win over Valparaiso earlier in the week. Thornton was also named to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) National Team of the Week for his performance. Thornton is the fifth Big Ten player named to the National Team of the Week this season, joining Wisconsin’s John Tonje, Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn, and Nebraska’s Brice Williams. 
• Mobley tallied 12.0 points and 4.0 assists while making the first two starts of his collegiate career. The freshman paired 15 points, three rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals in the win over then-No. 4 Kentucky and added 11 points and five assists in the Buckeyes’ 95-73 win over Valparaiso.
• 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+.