Welcome to the Big Ten Travelogue. In other words, look at all the bad things that can happen when you run across the country to play conference basketball in places you haven’t seen in forever.
For an example of what life can be like on the West Coast in the Big Ten these days, consider the past week. The combination of many odd couples currently meeting did not end well for the tourists.
USC hasn’t played Michigan since 1947. Welcome to Ann Arbor. With 13:19 left in the first half, the Trojans missed their first seven shots, coach Eric Musselman was called for a technical foul, and the Wolverines took an 11-0 lead. The final was 96-66, making Michigan only the third opponent in Associated Press poll history dating back to the 1940s to lose by at least 30 points. Bad year to visit Michigan.
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Three days later, USC played Michigan for the first time since 1953. It was 80-51 and the Trojans shot just under 33 percent and went 14-of-17 from beyond the arc.
So USC, 12-1, ranked No. 24, flew to the left, trailed by 74 in 80 minutes in two games, lost by a combined 59 points, and made as many field goals as they did — 38 each. And it’s not over yet. Now the Trojans head to Minnesota, where they have never played. It will be Friday.
“We’ll see how we respond,” Musselman said in East Lansing. “To go on a three-game road trip in this league is unheard of. We’re the first people that I know of that have done it and been on the road the whole time.”
UCLA hasn’t played at Iowa State in 35 years, and they lost by 13 when they fell behind by 24 points to the visiting Hawkeyes Saturday. The Bruins play Wisconsin for the first time since 1962 on Tuesday night, and it won’t be easy either. Maybe a 10-day layoff didn’t help prepare for such a trip.
“I don’t like to talk about it because I don’t make excuses,” coach Mick Cronin said after the Iowa loss. “We really lacked toughness on both ends. Our toughness changed, we went from 24 to four. It’s disappointing how soft we were in the first 20 minutes. Very disappointing. I have to throw my coat on and tear up my suit to get some guys to play hard.”
Oregon played and won at Maryland for the first time, then played at Rutgers for the first time since 1982, losing 88-85 in overtime, when the Ducks were outscored 26-7. So Oregon crossed four time zones to split.
“It’s very disappointing,” coach Dana Altman said.
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Washington hadn’t played Indiana since 1978 and was wondering why it came back Sunday night when the Huskies’ first five shots were all 3-pointers, all of them made, and they didn’t commit a turnover until they took a 43-35 lead. Indiana won the game 90-80 with just four turnovers by each team. Washington, now 9-5, hopped on the bus and headed to Purdue, where their game Wednesday will be their first at West Lafayette since 1966.
The Huskies flew to Bloomington last Friday night and will return to Seattle at 4 a.m. Thursday, so it won’t be a fun trip. However, coach Danny Sprinkle noted in Bloomington, “Any time you play in this environment, you bring energy. Our guys never get tired when they go out on these Big Ten fields.”
Washington should make another trip to Illinois and Northwestern later this month, followed by a continental jump to Maryland and Rutgers in February. “It’s been a long time away from home,” Sprinkle said. “The third time you do it, it gets old.”
So this applies to a team thousands of miles away in Oregon with the same conference partner.
Of course, the Big Ten’s left plate should come to the right. After the last few days, the former Pac-12 quartet will be glad to see them.
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