The Big Ten took care of business in the first round matchups on Friday in March Madness. Three more Big Ten basketball teams are moving on to the next round of the NCAA Tournament, which shows how good this conference is. Purdue looks extremely dominant, and Iowa played strong defense against Clemson.
Here are the scores and the rest of my analysis from the Big Ten games in the NCAA Tournament from first-round Friday:
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No. 9 Iowa 67-61 vs No. 8 Clemson
Hawks get a tough tournament win that is their first one since 2021. This was a defensive battle as both teams struggled mightily offensively to get anything going. Big man Carter Welling not being available in this game boded very well for the Hawkeyes, as, instead of continuing to chuck 3s, they were able to be more successful in the paint in the second half. Not an elite game by Bennett Stirtz, who had just 16 points and was 4-17 from the field. Kael Combs took the pressure off him with 15 points and only missed 2 shots. Alvaro Folgueiras 14 points off the bench were very vital. The Hawkeyes offense did not play as expected, but they made the adjustments necessary in the second half and executed enough to steal this game from Clemson.
No. 7 UCLA 75-71 over No. 10 UCF
Heading into this game, UCLA had everything stacked against them, most importantly being without their star Tyler Bilodeau. Through tough, gritty play, the Bruins were able to pull this one out. This is an offensive team that can get hot and one that has many scorers, but it was their defense that stole this one. UCF had a whopping 16 turnovers in this game. The Bruins dominated that end by forcing 13 steals and having 9 blocks. Donovan Dent is most known for his big offensive performances. In this game, he only had 10 points but a very impressive 6 steals. The Bruins will need a defensive performance like this to carry into their matchup vs UConn.
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No. 2 Purdue 104-71 vs No. 15 Queens University
Purdue cruises to another dominant win as Braden Smith breaks Bobby Hurley’s all-time assist record. Braden Smith was not just dishing out passes, setting up his teammates; he also scored 26 points in the game. Trey Kaufman-Renn also came up big for the Purdue Boilermakers as he had 25 points and 9 rebounds. Purdue’s offense was clicking on all cylinders, and the best reflection of that was them shooting a whooping 58.3% from 3 and them dominating their opponent on the glass 37-17. There are very few teams that can beat this version of Purdue.
Top performers
Braden Smith was an elite facilitator for the Purdue Boilermakers, and all season long, he has been the engine of this offense. This offense is even more egregious when he is knocking down shots. Vs Queens University, Smith could not miss. Smith was 10-15 and 4-6 from 3. That type of production really can take Purdue all the way in this tournament.
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Eric Dailey Jr. for the UCLA Bruins was very necessary to them not getting sent home in the first round. Without their star, and their second guy not having a great shooting night, Dailey Jr. stepped up big time. Dailey Jr. had 20 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. He was very impactful in many ways for the Bruins, and he helped them see another day in March Madness. Hopefully, the Bruins can get another good game from him and the return of their #1 scorer.
Overview
It was another great day for the Big Ten, as the Big Ten went 3-0 in their matchups in the tournament yesterday. Iowa had the toughest matchup, and they battled it out, still remaining victorious with the shots not falling. Same with UCLA, which had the odds stacked up against them, still knocking off VCU. Right now, not only does Purdue look like the best version of themselves, but they also look like one of the best teams left in the tournament.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Big Ten winners & losers from first-round Friday of March Madness
