- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,150,150
- Reaction score
- 59
The first day of the Sweet 16 concluded, and the Big Ten came out victorious in all three of its matchups Thursday night. Unfortunately for Nebraska, its dream season finally came to an end. Illinois and Purdue both look like championship contenders. Iowa has a lot of magic on its side, and it will need it to get to the Final Four.
Here are the scores and the rest of my analysis from the Big Ten games in the NCAA Tournament from the Sweet 16 Thursday:
Trey Kaufman-Renn made the game-winning tip-in layup to help Purdue move past Texas and into the Elite Eight. This game was as close as it gets. This was a back-and-forth match; it felt like neither team could hold onto its lead. Purdue's seniors would not be denied. Fletcher Loyer had another highly efficient game from 3, and he chipped in 18 points. Kaufman-Renn led the team with 20 points, and he had the game-winning shot. Braden Smith was as expected with his 16 points. Those 3 were huge for the Boilermakers in this win, as they have been all season long. Tramon Mark for the Longhorns went nuclear with 29 points and shooting 5-7, but ultimately, Purdue made more of the clutch plays late.
3 straight tournament wins for the Hawkeyes and their first Elite Eight appearance since 1987. Ben McCollum and this group are a special team. Nebraska had control of this game, even having a 10-point lead at one point. Iowa did not have a lead in this game until the last minutes of the game. Iowa still kept itself within striking distance with its hot shooting night. Hawkeyes shot 43.3% from 3 and 51.9 % from the field. Nebraska had no issues shooting either. Both defenses are top in the conference, but this game was all about offense. Both offenses were clicking. Pryce Sandfort went off vs his former team, scoring 25 points and shooting 6-10 beyond the arc. Bennett Stirtz did not get outshone as he also stepped up and had 20 points in this game. Although both stars showed up, it was the team with guys in their rotation that stepped up that won. Alvaro Folgueiras stepped up in the clutch again with a dunk that gave the Hawkeyes the lead when Nebraska only had 4 players on the court. Making game-winning plays, situational awareness, that is how you win games. He also had 16 points off the bench, and Tate Sage had 19 off the bench. Iowa is the lowest-seeded Big Ten team to make the Elite Eight ever, but you cannot take this team lightly.
As big a win as you could ask for by Illinois. On the road vs a really good team, essentially a home game in the tournament for Houston, but still the Fight Illini prevailed. In this matchup, Illinois' defense was the story as they forced the Houston Cougars to shoot a measly 34.4 % from the field and 28.1% from 3. Illinois, on the other hand, shot 39% from 3 and 43.1% from the field. The Fighting Illini's size also made the difference as they dominated the Couyrgars on the glass 37-25. Last year's tournament runner-up fails at their chance to redeem themselves and suffers yet another heartbreaking tournament loss. While Illinois proves just how good they are, and how this team just knows how to win basketball games. It is not a team anymore that just wins by the 3 or with their great offense; they can beat teams at their own game too.
The Big Ten will have 3 teams moving on to the Elite Eight and fighting to punch their ticket. Ben McCollum and the Iowa Hawkeyes steal the magic from the Nebraska Cornhuskers and are on a magical run of their own. Purdue continues to be fueled by their seniors, and they handle another top opponent, while Illinois is looking as good as they have all season long.
The next round will also feature another Big Ten conference matchup as Illinois will take on Iowa on Saturday. Both teams will battle it out for a chance to represent the Big Ten in the final 4. With the momentum and the level of basketball both teams are playing, that game will go down to the wire. Purdue will have their match vs Arizona on Saturday as well, and that will be the clash of two titans. Arizona matches up with Purdue very well, and already the Wildcats come in as 6.5 point favorites.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Big Ten basketball winners & losers in March Madness Sweet 16, part 1
Continue reading...
Here are the scores and the rest of my analysis from the Big Ten games in the NCAA Tournament from the Sweet 16 Thursday:
No. 2 Purdue 79-77 vs No. 11 Texas
Trey Kaufman-Renn made the game-winning tip-in layup to help Purdue move past Texas and into the Elite Eight. This game was as close as it gets. This was a back-and-forth match; it felt like neither team could hold onto its lead. Purdue's seniors would not be denied. Fletcher Loyer had another highly efficient game from 3, and he chipped in 18 points. Kaufman-Renn led the team with 20 points, and he had the game-winning shot. Braden Smith was as expected with his 16 points. Those 3 were huge for the Boilermakers in this win, as they have been all season long. Tramon Mark for the Longhorns went nuclear with 29 points and shooting 5-7, but ultimately, Purdue made more of the clutch plays late.
No. 9 Iowa 77-71 vs No. 4 Nebraska
3 straight tournament wins for the Hawkeyes and their first Elite Eight appearance since 1987. Ben McCollum and this group are a special team. Nebraska had control of this game, even having a 10-point lead at one point. Iowa did not have a lead in this game until the last minutes of the game. Iowa still kept itself within striking distance with its hot shooting night. Hawkeyes shot 43.3% from 3 and 51.9 % from the field. Nebraska had no issues shooting either. Both defenses are top in the conference, but this game was all about offense. Both offenses were clicking. Pryce Sandfort went off vs his former team, scoring 25 points and shooting 6-10 beyond the arc. Bennett Stirtz did not get outshone as he also stepped up and had 20 points in this game. Although both stars showed up, it was the team with guys in their rotation that stepped up that won. Alvaro Folgueiras stepped up in the clutch again with a dunk that gave the Hawkeyes the lead when Nebraska only had 4 players on the court. Making game-winning plays, situational awareness, that is how you win games. He also had 16 points off the bench, and Tate Sage had 19 off the bench. Iowa is the lowest-seeded Big Ten team to make the Elite Eight ever, but you cannot take this team lightly.
No. 3 Illinois 65-55 vs No. 2 Houston
As big a win as you could ask for by Illinois. On the road vs a really good team, essentially a home game in the tournament for Houston, but still the Fight Illini prevailed. In this matchup, Illinois' defense was the story as they forced the Houston Cougars to shoot a measly 34.4 % from the field and 28.1% from 3. Illinois, on the other hand, shot 39% from 3 and 43.1% from the field. The Fighting Illini's size also made the difference as they dominated the Couyrgars on the glass 37-25. Last year's tournament runner-up fails at their chance to redeem themselves and suffers yet another heartbreaking tournament loss. While Illinois proves just how good they are, and how this team just knows how to win basketball games. It is not a team anymore that just wins by the 3 or with their great offense; they can beat teams at their own game too.
Overview
The Big Ten will have 3 teams moving on to the Elite Eight and fighting to punch their ticket. Ben McCollum and the Iowa Hawkeyes steal the magic from the Nebraska Cornhuskers and are on a magical run of their own. Purdue continues to be fueled by their seniors, and they handle another top opponent, while Illinois is looking as good as they have all season long.
What's next
The next round will also feature another Big Ten conference matchup as Illinois will take on Iowa on Saturday. Both teams will battle it out for a chance to represent the Big Ten in the final 4. With the momentum and the level of basketball both teams are playing, that game will go down to the wire. Purdue will have their match vs Arizona on Saturday as well, and that will be the clash of two titans. Arizona matches up with Purdue very well, and already the Wildcats come in as 6.5 point favorites.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Big Ten basketball winners & losers in March Madness Sweet 16, part 1
Continue reading...
