As the competition got tougher, an end was put to the two Cinderella teams’ hopes for a deep Big Ten Tournament run. Purdue and UCLA displayed dominance, and proved that they are, in fact, on a different level from Northwestern and Rutgers. Ohio State and Washington had tough battles, but with their great offenses, they both managed to prevail. It was a day free of upsets, and power was restored in the Big Ten.
Here are the scores and the rest of my analysis from Thursday’s Big Ten Tournament action.
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Ohio State 72, Iowa 69
Bruce Thornton shined for the Buckeyes and led them over the Hawkeyes. Thornton stayed put at Ohio State and is reaping the benefits of it this season. He continues to be one of the best players in the Big Ten and one of the best stories in college basketball. Thornton had a 24-point game where he only missed four shots. The big three for the Buckeyes were not as dominant, but they still gave the team quality production. The same could not be said for Iowa; Bennett Stitz led the way with 17 points, but no other Hawkeye managed to chip in more than nine. The Buckeyes will get their shot at the best team in the conference, the Michigan Wolverines, today.
No. 23 Wisconsin 85, Washington 82
The Wisconsin Badgers’ offense came through, as John Blackwell led the way with his 34 points in the Big Ten Tournament, while Nick Boyd added his usual 23. It was a high-scoring game, as the Washington Huskies’ offense was also able to have their way. Hannes Steinbach dropped 25 points and had 16 rebounds. Zoom Diallo was right beyond him with 24 points. John Blackwell will continue to be the main x-factor for this Wisconsin team. If his shots falling and he is confident, Wisconsin can match up with the best teams in the conference. This game was the epitome of this season for the Huskies. They were just as talented as any team, but in the end, they came up short in the biggest moments. Wisconsin has all the momentum heading into its game against Illinois.
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No. 18 Purdue 81, Northwestern 69
Purdue put an end to the Northwestern Nick Martinelli magic. His stellar senior season now comes to a sad close. Martinelli still had 25 points in his last game on efficient shooting. Jayden Reid also joined him in a good outing with 19 points and nine assists. Purdue just had too much production from their entire rotation. Braden Smith had 16 assists, and he was an elite facilitator and playmaker in this matchup. Smith consistently got his teammates great shot opportunities, and as a result, Oscar Cluff and Trey Kaufman-Renn both had 19 points. Purdue showed its strength and how dangerous this offense can be when it is clicking. Unfortunately, Northwestern fell victim to that.
UCLA 72, Rutgers 59
Star guard Tariq Francis did not have his best game, and as a result, Rutgers’s offense did not have enough juice to counter UCLA’s. The Bruins’ Tyler Bilodeau, on the flip side, dropped 21 points and made three of his seven three-point attempts. The Bruins did not lose their magic from their hot finish to the end of the regular season and picked up right where they left off in this game. Donovan Dent was a stat sheet stuffer as he dropped a 12-point, 10-rebound, and 12-assist triple-double. He joined the likes of Bill Walton in UCLA history and became the first Bruins player to record a triple-double in the Big Ten Tournament. UCLA dominated the glass, and its offense was stellar in the second half to put Rutgers away. UCLA now moves on and should be a tough matchup for Michigan State.
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Overview
The top teams in the conference took care of business and drained the Cinderella magic from both Northwestern and Rutgers. Now, it will be a level playing field and a full gauntlet of classic games to see who comes up on top of the Big Ten.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Biggest winners and losers from third round of the Big Ten Tournament
