By Stephen Vilardo, SuperWest Sports
All four Big Ten teams from the West face pivotal games this week at crucial points in their seasons.
Oregon and UCLA, which meet tonight in L.A., both need a win to stay in the hunt for one of the double-byes awarded to the top four teams in the conference tournament.
The Huskies and Trojans, meanwhile, have fallen far behind in the standings and are at risk of missing the tournament altogether.
Ducks and Bruins Squaring Off at Pivot Point for Both Teams
Oregon and UCLA will meet in Westwood tonight for a big one. Both the Bruins and Ducks are sitting with four losses in conference play.
Neither of those teams should find themselves on the outside looking in for the conference tournament, as the top eight all receive a bye.
However, only the top four earn a double-bye, and another loss could lock the Ducks or Bruins out of that group.
If the season ended before the game, UCLA would be seeded No. 6 while Oregon would be seeded No. 8. The winner will have some momentum to build on and have a much better shot at cracking the top four.
Later this week, the Ducks will get a weekend visit from Nebraska and a night game at Michigan next Wednesday.
UCLA has the weekend off before hosting conference-leading Michigan State on Tuesday.
The Spartans will make the trip west, but it will just be an extended stay in Los Angeles with the game at USC on Saturday.
Again, the schedule makers did not do Mick Cronin any favors and I think you can be sure the UCLA head coach is keeping track of that.
Needless to say, this week in the Big Ten could see plenty of movement with seven games in the next seven days involving teams making the road trip of at least two time zones.
It will be interesting to see what the current 11-12 mark in such games turns into heading into the first weekend of February.
Huskies and Trojans at Risk of Missing Big Ten Tournament
In the next seven days, Washington will make a trip east to visit Minnesota on Saturday before returning to Seattle to host Nebraska next Wednesday.
Those line up as a pair of huge games for the Huskies, who currently sit in 18th place in the conference at 1-8, having lost their last six in a row.
As a reminder, only the top 15 in the standings will compete in the conference tournament in Indianapolis.
Currently, Minnesota is tied for the 15th and final spot while Nebraska is just one game better than UW and also has a six-game losing streak of their own.
Obviously, this week offers Washington a chance to get some wins and climb out of the cellar.
USC will host conference-leading Michigan State on Saturday before traveling to Northwestern for a Tuesday night affair.
The Spartans will be tough to beat in any location, but the Wildcats offer USC a chance to steal one on the road.
The Trojans sit at 4-5 in Big Ten play while Northwestern is among those tied with Minnesota at six losses and near the bubble line for the conference tournament.
USC is currently clinging to 11th place in the standings, but a Trojan defeat at home to MSU and on the road at Evanston would put Eric Musselman’s squad in a precarious position.
SuperWest Big Ten Player of Week: Dawson Garcia, F, Minnesota
In two games against ranked opponents—a win over Oregon and a loss to Michigan State—the senior averaged 26 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocked shots and 1.5 assists.
He turned the ball over just once in 73 minutes on the floor.
SuperWest Big Ten Freshman of Week: Derik Queen, C, Maryland
The Terps are heating up entering the month of February, having won four in a row. Included in that streak were three wins in the last seven days over Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin.
In the three games, the big man from Baltimore averaged 14.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.3 blocked shots.
writes about various topics for SuperWest sports, including stats and records, college sports, and motorsports. He also founded and runs the Sports and Entertainment Research Center (SERC).
