Skip to main content
Busting Brackets
Fansided

Big Ten Basketball: Purdue fights, UCLA's star backcourt among opening night takeaways

ByTristan Freeman
Share on FacebookShare on XShare on Reddit
Google Discover
Mar 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Trent Perry (0) makes a pass against the UCF Knights in the first half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Mar 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Trent Perry (0) makes a pass against the UCF Knights in the first half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Big Ten Basketball deserves a ton of credit for providing most of the drama to open the 2026-27 season. The conference played most of the notable high-major games, taking on three top-25 teams from other leagues. While two of them did lose, there was a top-5 win, while no one else suffered a bad loss to make it a mostly clean opening night.

Here are some takeaways from the Big Ten.

1. UCLA gets its signature victory

The most notable Big Ten Basketball result was UCLA holding on for an 84-75 victory over No. 5 Arizona. The backcourt duo of Trent Perry and Jaylen Petty combined for 34 points and 12 assists, with Perry going for 21 on his own. Seven players scored at least seven points, showing their real balance. That was despite freshman forward Nikola Kusturica going for just 3/11 FG shooting. The Bruins were easily the biggest winner from opening night from any team that played.

2. Daniel Jacobsen a real bright spot for Purdue in loss to Gonzaga

Purdue didn’t look like an unranked team on Monday against No. 15 Gonzaga, playing competitively for 40 minutes in a 78-72 defeat. Their best player was Jacobsen, going for 22 points and seven rebounds on 9/11 FG shooting. Had the guard play been a bit better, the Boilermakers could’ve won. He’s been inconsistent throughout his college career but the hope is that this career-high performance against the top-tier frontcourt of the Bulldogs is the start of something real for him and Purdue.

3. Amare Bynum’s breakout campaign on the way for Ohio State

The Buckeyes fell 94-83 to No. 25 BYU to open the season, giving up 60 second half points. They were led by Bynum with 20 points on 7/10 FG shooting, continuing his strong preseason campaign and turning into the team’s focal point in the frontcourt. They’ll have to work on their team defense but it looks like offense won’t be Ohio State’s issue going forward, especially if Bynum continues to play well.

Add us as a preferred source on Google
Home/Big Ten