Big Ten Daily (Nov. 18): Final Gavitt Tipoff Games Ends in 4-4 Tie

The Big Ten and Big East tied in this year's Gavitt Tipoff Games, the final edition of the fun, early-season challenge. It was an appropriate end to an event that has been incredibly competitive for eight years.

The final edition of the Gavitt Tipoff Games concluded on Friday night, with No. 18 Michigan State taking down Butler 74-54 and No. 21 Villanova defeating Maryland 57-40. With the results from the final two contests, the annual Big Ten vs. Big East event ended in a 4-4 tie.

How fitting, right? Over the course of nine years, the Big Ten and Big East participated in the Gavitt Tipoff Games eight times (2020's edition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Four times, the series ended in a tie between the two leagues.

The event ended in a tie each of the first three seasons (2015-17). The Big Ten flexed its muscle the next two seasons, posting 5-3 victories over the Big East in 2018 and 2019. In 2021, the Big East earned its first victory of the series by winning six of the eight games.

Last year, the Big Ten earned its third win of the Gavitt Tipoff Games. 

It's unfortunate that conference expansion has essentially halted this annual early-season tradition. The Gavitt Tipoff Games served as a great early-season barometer for teams in both conferences, and provided fans with quality matchups in November.

While the Big Ten won the series three times, the overall records were incredibly close. The Big Ten ends the event with a 34-30 advantage over the Big East.

Maybe there's a chance the two leagues strike a deal somewhere down the line. This early-season series certainly proved beneficial for both leagues and games, usually, were incredibly competitive.

We need more of that in the early portion of the college basketball season.

Long Beach State Upsets Michigan

Michigan tripped over its shoestrings on Friday night, dropping a 94-86 decision to Long Beach State. The worst part? The Wolverines built a 23-7 advantage in the first seven minutes of the game.

A double-digit lead won't last long when allowing an opponent to shoot 56.1% from the floor, though. That's exactly what Long Beach State did, connecting on 37-of-66 shots from the floor. LBSU was efficient from the 3-point line, hitting 8-of-17 attempts.

Michigan's defense had no answer for Marcus Tsohonis, who scored 35 points while shooting 12-of-19. Lassina Traore posted a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Although the Wolverines opened their 2023-24 season with three lopsided victories, it appears there's still a lot of room for improvement. Long Beach State came into the matchup ranked No. 126 in KenPom, not a game Michigan should lose on its home court.

Life doesn't get any easier for Michigan, either. The Wolverines have upcoming games against Memphis, Oregon, Indiana and Iowa before playing another "buy" game against Eastern Michigan.

Maryland Loses to Villanova, Falls to 1-3

The primary goal in basketball is to put the ball through the hoop. If you've watched Maryland's first four games, you might think that objective has changed this season.

Shooting woes continued again for the Terrapins on Friday night, dropping a 57-40 game to Villanova to close out the Gavitt Tipoff Games. The Terps are now just 1-3 on the year.

Remember, this was a team selected to finish third in the Big Ten preseason poll.

Maryland shot 24% from the floor in the loss and the 40-point output was the team's worst-scoring performance of the shot clock era (1985-86). To put it politely, the Terrapins have looked ugly through four games.

Maryland is shooting just 36.6% from the floor and a paltry 21.6% from behind the 3-point line. The Terrapins are also shooting below 70% from the free throw line. It hasn't mattered where the shots are coming from, they're just not falling.

Teams have certainly recovered from early-season struggles in the past. The Big Ten provides Maryland with ample opportunities to turn a corner at some point this season. You can hardly write a team off in November.

Shooting like this, though? It's kind of an embarrassment to basketball.

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