Saturday’s Big Ten recap: Oregon beats Alabama

The Big Ten only had three games on Saturday, but two were top matchups for Oregon and Rutgers. The league split these games.

Let’s look at what happened.

-Oregon Ducks 83, No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide 81

The Ducks entered this game with a 7-0 record and were hoping to pick up the team’s first win over a top-10 opponent this season. The Tide entered the race as clear favorites, but Oregon had played well and was hoping to prove a spoilsport in Las Vegas.

The game itself was pretty even. Alabama controlled the first few minutes, but the Ducks held tight until halftime. Oregon then took a modest lead coming out of the break and kept its distance from the Tide until the final buzzer. Alabama made things interesting in the final minutes, but it wasn’t enough. Keeshawn Barthelemy led the way with 22 points, four rebounds and four assists. Nate Bittle also had 19 points and nine rebounds. Oregon scored an impressive 1.12 points per possession against the Tide.

Oregon improved to 8-0 with the win, which is the longest active winning streak in the country. This win will be huge for the team’s future perception and should move the Ducks into the top 25 of Monday’s rankings. According to the result, the team has already moved up to 21st place in KenPom, and it is difficult to imagine that it will stay there.

The Ducks will return to action on Wednesday on the road against USC. Oregon will go into the race as the clear favorite. Expect a one-sided result.

-NO. 20 Texas A&M Aggies 81, Rutgers Scarlet Knights 77

The Scarlet Knights finished play Saturday in Las Vegas hoping to bounce back from Wednesday’s narrow loss to Alabama with a win over the Aggies. Unfortunately, a slow start and disappointing finish doomed Rutgers. The team was in position to win in the second half but just couldn’t get it done. Ace Bailey led the loss with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Jeremiah Williams also had 20 points.

Rutgers dropped to 5-3 with the loss, and while that game wasn’t particularly bad on its own, it was the team’s third game in four games that will be painful. Fans will be hoping the Scarlet Knights get back on track next week when the team opens Big Ten road play against Ohio State on Saturday.

-NO. 15 Wisconsin Badgers 74, Chicago State Cougars 53

The Badgers were on the right track in this game and quickly prevailed against an overpowering Chicago State team. John Tonje led the way with 22 points and five rebounds in 29 minutes. Nolan Winter also had 12 points in the win. With the win, Wisconsin improved to 8-0, tying the longest winning streak in the country. The Badgers will return to action on Tuesday at home against Michigan.