It was a tale of two halves on Saturday. The Illinois Fighting Illini did not let up one bit against Big Ten foe Iowa in the second half. The Hawkeyes could not keep up with Brad Underwood’s team. The Purdue Boilermakers, on the other hand, faced an Arizona Wildcat team that was flat-out better than them, and not much else mattered after a great first-half showing.
Here are the scores and the rest of my analysis from the Big Ten games in the NCAA Tournament from the Elite Eight on Saturday:
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No. 3 Illinois 71-59 vs No. 9 Iowa
Iowa was as good as they could have been in the first half, as they went up 32-28 at the end of the first half. Bennett Stirtz was amazing early, and the Iowa Hawkeyes took advantage of how bad Illinois started off shooting-wise. They ran out of gas, and it was evident they were not on the same level as Illinois, as Illinois went on to win the second half battle 43-27. Illinois had everyone step up in this game. Andrej Stojakovic had 17 points and only missed 2 shots off the bench. Tomislav Ivisic had 13 points and 2 blocks, while the Illini were led by their star freshman Keaton Wagler, who got back to playing at his peak level. The size Illinois had in this one made the difference; they won the rebounding battle 32-18, and the bigs for Illinois seemed to be able to get looks in the paint at ease. Illinois shows again that it can win games without being great from 3. Illinois has shown that it can adjust to how they have to win the game. Yesterday, it was about them being physical in the paint. Illinois belongs in the final 4, and this is a team with a great shot to be the final one standing.
No. 1 Arizona 79-64 vs No. 2 Purdue
Purdue played perfect basketball in the first half, outdueling the Arizona Wildcats down 38-31. It almost seemed like Purdue was going to run away with this one, but Arizona showed why they were favored so highly to win this game with an amazing second-half comeback. Arizona remembered they were the better team in the second half. It was behind super-efficient play from their guards, who both outperformed Braden Smith and tied Purdue’s highest scorer. Jaden Bradley had 14 points and 6 assists, while freshman Brayden Burries had 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals. Forward Koa Peat led the way with 20 points and 7 rebounds. For Purdue, the big difference was that their big 3 did not show up. The only top guy for Purdue who was in any way effective vs Arizona was Oscar Cluff, who had 14 points and 10 rebounds. That is not good enough to knock off a team like Arizona.
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Top performers from Saturday
The freshman Keaton Wagler for the Fighting Illini, when the lights were at their brightest, shone bright. Wagler dropped 25 points and had 3 assists to lead his team to a final 4 berth. Wagler finally got back to scoring at a high level like he showed he could, but a big difference for Illinois was how much better he has become as a playmaker. The Illinois offense is at its best when he is the lead guy and making plays offensively like he was vs Iowa.
For Iowa, you can not ask much more out of Bennett Stirtz. Stirtz had 24 points, and he sank 4 triples. The Hawkeyes’ star showed up and was a big reason why Iowa had Illinois on the ropes in the first half. Unfortunately for him, Illinois proved to be one of the deserving teams of the final 4 spots in the second half. The elite scoring guard, nevertheless, showed why he should be a top pick in the upcoming draft with his great outing.
Overview
Size proved to be the name of the game, and that is how Illinois took care of the Hawkeyes, even with Iowa playing perfect basketball for 30 minutes. The Fighting Illini are heading into the final 4 being as battle-tested as you can be. Purdue’s great run after the regular season finally came to an end, and it was at the hands of just one of the best teams in basketball. Purdue was not the most talented or the most athletic team left, and against Arizona, you need every possible advantage you can have; unfortunately, Arizona still handled them as expected.
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What’s next
Illinois is back in the Final 4 for the first time since 2005. The Fighting Illini have experience, and this is a team that has been good all season long, but still had doubt placed on them in the regular season and after the Big Ten tournament. Still, this team dominated the early rounds in March Madness and is still alive with 4 teams left. It does not matter who this team has to face next Saturday; they can match up with anyone that is left and come out on top.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Big Ten basketball winners & losers in March Madness Elite 8, part 1
