Big Ten Basketball

Apparently, Ohio State can lose in something.

The football team steamrolled its way through an undefeated season and Big Ten championship to secure a College Football Playoff berth, and the men's basketball team jumped out to a 9-0 start that included impressive wins over North Carolina, Villanova, Cincinnati and Penn State.

Minnesota apparently missed the memo about the Buckeyes always winning.

The Golden Gophers stunned the No. 3 basketball team in the country with an 84-71 victory Sunday, and the crowd stormed the court in the immediate aftermath:

Ohio State had no answer for Marcus Carr, as the sophomore poured in 35 points on a blistering 12-of-17 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 shooting from downtown. Just for good measure, he dished out seven assists and helped Gabe Kalscheur (15 points) and Daniel Oturu (14 points and 13 rebounds) round out the scoring.

Minnesota also deserves plenty of credit for its defensive showing, holding the Scarlet and Gray to 38.3 percent shooting from the field with 14 turnovers.

It didn't help the visitors that big man Kaleb Wesson dealt with foul trouble and second-leading scorer Duane Washington Jr. didn't play because of injury, but the Golden Gophers were clearly the better team Sunday.

Next up for Ohio State is a showdown with Southeast Missouri State on Tuesday, while Minnesota faces Oklahoma State on Saturday.

Penn State handed No. 4 Maryland its first loss of the year with a 76-69 upset Tuesday night.

The Terrapins entered the day with a 10-0 record but couldn't overcome a season-high 20 turnovers in a rough showing at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions were much more efficient offensively with a balanced attack that included five players scoring in double figures, led by Mike Watkins with 15 points to go with his 11 rebounds and four blocks.

Lamar Stevens added 15 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.

It's the first time Penn State (8-2) has beaten a Top Five opponent since 2016 but the fourth straight year it has beaten Maryland at home.

Maryland had grown comfortable playing from behind this season, including the last game against Illinois where the team trailed by 15 in the second half before pulling out a last-second win. The squad found itself in a similar position Tuesday, falling behind by as many 13 points, including 10 at halftime.

Anthony Cowan Jr. had been the team's hero at times this year, but he struggled in this one while shooting 5-of-17 on his way to 15 points. He had a team-high four turnovers while the squad failed to hold onto the basketball.

It was part of a strong defensive effort for Penn State that included 10 blocks and 10 steals, often leading to easy opportunities the other way.

Jalen Smith had his seventh double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds, but he wasn't active enough to help Maryland inside and the Nittany Lions dominated on both ends of the court.

Penn State was coming off a 32-point loss to Ohio State in its last game, but it regrouped in a big way to secure its biggest win of the season so far.

Maryland failed its first true road test and will now have another one in its next game against No. 22 Seton Hall.

There wasn't one area of Tuesday night's game that the No. 10 Duke Blue Devils didn't dominate in the eyes of No. 11 Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo.

"Outcoached, outplayed, outworked," Izzo told reporters after his team's 87-75 loss at Michigan State's Breslin Center.

The 25th-year Spartans head coach added: "I'm embarrassed."

Izzo's embarrassment, he noted, was partially due to Draymond Green being present to have his No. 23 Spartans jersey number retired at halftime. 

"I'm embarrassed that a player that I love came back here and probably laid some of the groundwork with Mateen Cleaves on toughness and I don't think we played with that tonight," Izzo continued.

Duke led 45-29 at halftime. Michigan State's largest deficit of the night was 21 points.

The last time Duke and Michigan State met, the Spartans ousted the Blue Devils in the Elite 8 68-67. It seems much has to improve in East Lansing for Izzo's squad to make another deep run in March. 

Despite MSU's early struggles, KenPom still has the Spartans ranked third behind Louisville and Duke—both of whom have beaten Michigan State.

The 5-3 Spartans don't play another ranked opponent until No. 4 Michigan pays them a visit on Jan. 5.

Michigan State can begin getting back on track Sunday night when against Rutgers. 

The NCAA has denied Joey Hauser's waiver appeal, making him ineligible to play for Michigan State this season. 

Per The Athletic's Brendan Quinn, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said Thursday that Hauser's appeal was officially denied. 

Izzo added he feels like the NCAA makes "arbitrary decisions" in the appeals process and feels "devastated" that Hauser will have to sit out the 2019-20 season. 

Per the Associated Press (via ESPN), Izzo "abruptly" resigned from a coaches board Thursday due to his anger over the NCAA's decision. 

In May, Hauser announced on Twitter his commitment to play for the Spartans. 

Izzo told reporters in October that the NCAA denied Hauser's initial waiver, but the school appealed that decision and was waiting for a second ruling. 

"We're resubmitting, and we're trying to get more and more information, we're trying to gather more and more information because there have been three or four more (waivers) that just came out," Izzo said at the time. "So we're trying to constantly gather. We've also been told that every (situation) is different, so you can't compare one to the other. So you try to find as many that are really comparable to this situation."

Under official NCAA rules, schools must file a transfer waiver on behalf of a student-athlete if they don't meet the standard transfer exception and the organization reviews the request to determine the student athlete's eligibility status. 

The review process includes looking at mitigating circumstances from the student athlete's previous school, including egregious behavior, mental health and being run-off. 

Hauser spent the 2018-19 season at Marquette, where he played all 34 games. The Wisconsin native averaged 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest. 

Michigan State was ranked No. 1 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll. A season-opening loss to Kentucky dropped the Spartans into third, but they have rebounded with three straight wins. 

Michigan State guard Cassius Winston will play Sunday's game against Binghamton after the death of his younger brother, Zachary.

Winston warmed up prior to the contest and was later named in the starting lineup:

"We're gonna play with a broken heart," head coach Tom Izzo said, per Matt Charboneau of the Detroit News.

Kyle Austin of MLive reported Zachary Winston, who was a player on the Albion College men's basketball team, died Saturday night at 19 years old after he was hit by a train.

Albion Chief of Public Safety Scott Kipp said police believe Winston intentionally stepped in front of the train following an investigation.

"Their pain over the sudden loss of Zachary is unimaginable," Izzo said. "It's impossible to find the right words in this moment, other than to say that we will support the family in whatever way they need."

Cassius Winston's other younger brother, Khy, is a freshman on Albion's basketball team.

Cassius Winston returned to the Spartans as the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year and a primary reason they were ranked No. 1 in the country upon the start of the season. They are 0-1 on the campaign following an opening loss to the Kentucky Wildcats.

On the first day of the 2019-20 NCAA men's basketball season, Michigan State is a slight Division I national championship favorite over Kansas and Kentucky.

The Spartans are the +550 favorites at the Caesars Sportsbook (bet $100 to win $550), with the Jayhawks and Wildcats trailing closely behind at +600.

Michigan State, which opened as the No. 1 team in the Associated Press' Top 25 poll, will have an opportunity Tuesday night to further cement itself as the country's best team. Tom Izzo's squad plays Kentucky at New York's Madison Square Garden in one of the year's most highly anticipated matchups.

Xavier Tillman and reigning Big Ten Player of the Year Cassius Winston return from last year's Spartans team, which won 32 games and reached the Final Four. Izzo has the pieces necessary to capture his second title, although Joshua Langford is out indefinitely with a foot injury.

Among the early contenders, no team is a bigger wild card than Memphis.

The Tigers won 22 games in Penny Hardaway's first season as head coach, and the 48-year-old's biggest success came on the recruiting trail as he assembled the No. 1 class in 247Sports' composite rankings. The group includes James Wiseman and Precious Achiuwa, who were ranked first and 15th, respectively.

The 15-year NBA guard has shown he can sell prep stars on the general direction of the program. Now it's up to the former Memphis basketball legend to show he can make the most of that talent on the floor.

The Tigers' first test comes Nov. 12 when they play No. 15 Oregon in Portland.

Isaiah Todd, a 5-star recruit from Raleigh, North Carolina, committed to the Michigan Wolverines on Thursday:

Todd, a 6'10" and 195-pound power forward, is considered the No. 1 player from the state of North Carolina, the No. 2 power forward and No. 12 player overall in the Class of 2020, per 247Sports.com's Composite Rankings.

Jerry Meyer of 24/7 broke down Todd's game:

"A long and athletic forward who loves to play facing the basket. Can score off post moves but has a finesse game. Building strength and mass is a key to development. Can score at all three levels. Handles ball well but decision making is questionable at times. Is a shot blocker but needs to discipline his defense as well as his offense. Known as an upside player, but has been behind the curve on expected development."

Todd has also been having a former star power forward showing him the ropes.

"I've been working with Rasheed Wallace, so we've been getting at it conditioning-wise and attacking the body and everything else will fall into place," he told Sean Moran of 247Sports.com in June. "He works me out pretty hard. Gives me little tips here and there about what works in the NBA and how to utilize the shot clock, but we are just getting started."

Having a player like Wallace as a mentor, who was a four-time All-Star and won an NBA title with the Detroit Pistons, can only help a young talent like Todd.

In Wallace, Todd not only has a player who can help him work on his strengths but also improve upon his weaknesses. To his credit, Todd is fully aware that he has elements of his game that need work.

"I need to work on balancing my inside/outside game," he said. "Knowing when to do things, basketball IQ and just being able to be that coach on the floor. Knowing the ins and outs, especially playing with a shot clock and being able to distribute that knowledge to my teammates."

If he continues to improve upon those facts of the game, he'll be a star for Michigan.

Landing Todd is a huge get for the Wolverines, joining 4-star shooting guard Zeb Jackson. He's a huge get for a Michigan team that had a subpar 2019 recruiting class, only landing 4-star small forward Cole Bajema and 4-star small forward Franz Wagner. Todd gives the team some major star power going forward.

Jordan Geronimo committed to Indiana on Monday, he announced on Instagram.

Geronimo, a 4-star recruit, is the No. 98 player and No. 22 small forward in the 2020 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. Georgia, Penn State, Virginia Tech and Texas A&M were among the programs that offered him a scholarship, and he had an unofficial visit with Virginia earlier this month.

Geronimo is the third commit for the Hoosiers in 2020, joining shooting guards Anthony Leal and Trey Galloway.

ESPN's Adam Finkelstein provided a snapshot of Geronimo's game:

A native of Concord, New Hampshire, the 6'6" forward participated in the Adidas Gauntlet Finale, where 247Sports' Brian Snow considered him one of the standout performers:

"A true July breakout performer, Geronimo again showed why he is reeling in high-major offers at a high rate. While he can be inconsistent, Geronimo has all the physical tools you could want in a hybrid forward. He stands around 6-foot-6, has excellent length, is a very good athlete, and then also has the ability to make shots from deep. The next step for Geronimo is to be more consistent with his production, and that definitely seems like an attainable goal. With back to back impressive showings, look for Geronimo to make a huge leap in the next batch of rankings."

Since hiring Archie Miller in March 2017, Indiana is 35-31 overall with a 17-21 record in the Big Ten. Nobody is putting Miller on the hot seat right now, but the Hoosiers' performance hasn't exactly met expectations under his watch.

The results have been similarly mixed on the recruiting trail.

Miller assembled the No. 10 class—a group headlined by Romeo Langford—in 247Sports' team rankings for 2018, but the 2019 class slipped to 53rd. Indiana sat 18th ahead of the 2020 season prior to Geronimo's commitment.

Although Miller doesn't yet have the Hoosiers on even footing with Kentucky and Duke, he's attracting the kind of talent that will make the program a tournament mainstay again.

Geronimo in particular is a valuable addition with Devonte Green approaching his senior year. At 9.4 points per game, Green is the team's leading returning scorer from 2018-19 following the departures of Langford and Juwan Morgan.

When Green graduates, Miller will need somebody to fill the void offensively from the wing. That's a role Geronimo could play once he arrives on campus.

Former Michigan State and professional basketball player Mateen Cleaves was acquitted on Tuesday of sexual assault charges in Genesee County Circuit Court, according to John Wisely of the Detroit Free Press. 

Cleaves, 41, was charged with unlawful imprisonment, assault with intent to commit sexual penetration and criminal sexual conduct. He faced up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

The jury in the Flint, Michigan courtroom began deliberations at 1:45 p.m. ET and took two-and-a-half hours before reaching a verdict.

The prosecution said that Cleaves dragged a Mount Morris, Michigan woman into a motel room before sexually assaulting her in 2015. Wisely provided further details regarding the prosecution's arguments.

"Cleaves forced himself on a drunken woman who ran from a motel room wearing only a bra in an attempt to flee him, they argued. Drunk and naked himself, they say, Cleaves pulled her back inside, twice, and raped her.

"Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor David Champine told jurors that Cleaves' lawyer would try to argue the sex was consensual but the evidence would show otherwise. He urged them to 'look at the surveillance video of the woman running away, screaming 'help me, help me, help me' and then being forced back into the room.'"

Per Wisely, one of Cleaves' attorneys, Mike Manley, "said in his closing argument that the sex was consensual, noting that the woman posed for pictures with Cleaves, put his phone number into her phone, went to a motel room with him, where she acknowledged kissing him.

"When the woman left the room wearing only her bra, Cleaves was doing the right thing by bringing her back so she could get dressed, Manley said."

Per the Associated Press, the decision comes after a four-year legal battle in which a district judge dismissed the charges in 2016 before the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office filed an appeal, stating that the judge abused "discretion of power." After the Michigan State Supreme Court refused to review the decision in 2018, the case went to trial.

Cleaves led Michigan State to the 2000 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship. He then played professional basketball from 2000-09, including stints with four NBA teams from 2000-06.

Wisconsin basketball assistant coach Howard Moore went into cardiac arrest after suffering a "medical issue" at his home, his family announced Monday in a statement through the team. 

"Howard will now be moving to a long-term care and rehabilitation facility to continue the focus on his recovery and health," the family said. "He will not coach during the upcoming 2019-20 season."

Moore was involved in a car crash May 25 that killed his wife Jennifer and daughter Jaidyn. Moore and his son Jerell were both injured in the crash.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Jeff Potrykus, Moore suffered third-degree burns in the accident and was released from the hospital June 8. He was hospitalized again on June 25 and placed in an intensive care unit.

Potrykus also reported Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard "is in the process of evaluating how to replace Moore for the 2019-20 season."

Athletic director Barry Alvarez told Potrykus the school "will provide Moore as much financial support as possible" as he remains under medical care.

Moore is entering his 10th season on the Wisconsin staff, having left in 2010 to become the head coach at the University of Illinois at Chicago before returning to Madison in 2015 when Gard succeeded Bo Ryan as head coach.