With just days left until Selection Sunday and March Madness, it’s crunch time in conference tournaments around the country.
In the Big Ten, Michigan has run roughshod over the conference and looks like one of the best teams in the country this season. The Wolverines went 29-2 this season and only truly slipped up briefly in a loss to Wisconsin back in January.
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The winner of this conference tournament is likely going to come from one of the top four teams with the double bye (Michigan, Nebraska, MSU, Illinois).
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Who will be cutting down the nets in Chicago? Follow along below for scores, highlights, bracketology and more (scroll for live updates).
Big Ten men’s basketball tournament
When: March 10-15
Where: United Center | Chicago
TV: CBS, BTN, Peacock
Big Ten tournament bracket, scores
Big Ten Friday schedule, results (all times ET)
Friday, March 13 — Quarterfinals
Game 11 | Michigan 71, Ohio State 67
Game 12 | Wisconsin 91, Illinois 88 OT
Game 13 | Purdue 74, Nebraska 58
Game 14 | No. 6 UCLA vs. No. 3 Michigan State | 25 min. after G13 | BTN
Saturday, March 14 — Semifinals
Game 15 | No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 5 Wisconsin | 1 p.m. | CBS
Game 16 | No. 7 Purdue vs. G14 winner | 25 min. after G15| CBS
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Kari Anderson
The Boilermakers put up a dominant showing against the Cornhuskers to advance to the semifinals.
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Kari Anderson
Two missed free throws from Nebraska’s Berke Buyuktuncel, immediately followed by a massive dunk from Purdue’s Oscar Cluff. Things are looking a little bleak for the Huskers.
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Kari Anderson
Every big Purdue three-pointer feels like another nail in the coffin for Nebraska. First, C.J. Cox knocks in a beauty after a highly chaotic sequence in the paint to pull back into double digits.
Then, with just over four minutes left, Fletcher Loyer knocks in a three — his fourth of the game — to build the Boilermakers’ lead to 18. Loyer has a game-high 19 points right now, pitching in nearly half of the team’s 10 three-pointers.
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Kari Anderson
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Kari Anderson
Sam Hoiberg (the coach’s son) hits a massive three for his first points of the night, getting the Cornhuskers within nine points of Purdue’s seemingly insurmountable lead.
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Kari Anderson
Another possession challenge, this time from Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg. The officials were checking if the ball grazed Purdue’s Gicarri Harris, and later determined that Hoiberg’s challenge was successful.
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Kari Anderson
A pair of back-to-back three-pointers — from Pryce Sandfort and Rienk Mast — have put the Cornhusker back within 10 points. Nebraska is chipping into the lead largely with the help of Sandfort, who has a game-high 15 points so far.
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Kari Anderson
Purdue’s Jack Benter breaks a two-minute scoring drought (for both teams) with a layup, before Braden Franger quickly hits his own layup for Nebraska on the other end. The Boilermakers’ lead is still strong, but both teams are showing off the defense in this game.
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Kari Anderson
Purdue opens the second half by picking up where they left off: A gorgeous three-pointer from Braden Smith gives the Boilermakers a 16-point lead, the largest of the night.
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Kari Anderson
What a great half from Purdue, who holds a strong 13-point lead over the No. 2-seeded Cornhuskers heading into the locker room. The Boilermakers have scored 17 points off of Nebraska’s eight turnovers and are shooting 54% from the field; Purdue has led the entire game so far, while the Huskers look like they haven’t had a chance to catch up.
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Kari Anderson
After a ball is called out on Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue coach Matt Painter challenges the call, with video review showing that it went off of Nebraska’s Pryce Sandfort first.
The successful challenge gives the Boilermakers the ball, but Kaufman-Renn quickly gets an offensive foul and the ball is turned over anyway. Purdue only gets one more challenge for the rest of the game.
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Kari Anderson
Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg is heated at the officials after that foul call on Cale Jacobsen, which gives Purdue’s C.J. Cox three free throw shots. Cox hits all three to give the Boilermakers an 11-point lead.
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Kari Anderson
That’s three turnovers now for Purdue’s Braden Smith, who steps out of bounds to waste a fast break opportunity. Smith already had an over-and-back violation, and lost the ball to a Sam Hoiberg steal.
Luckily for Smith, Nebraska is turning the ball over at an even higher rate. The Cornhuskers have six turnovers, with the Boilermakers scoring 11 of their 28 points off Nebraska’s mistakes.
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Kari Anderson
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Kari Anderson
The Boilermakers have pulled to a 13-3 lead in the first four minutes of this game after forcing multiple early turnovers. Nebraska is forced to call a timeout after Purdue goes on a 8-0 run in just over a minute of play.
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Kari Anderson
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Kari Anderson
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Kari Anderson
This was a gritty win for the Badgers, who overcame multiple double-digit deficits to eventually take the lead and force overtime. The Illini nearly took it back too, scraping back in the final seconds to bring it within one possession, but Keaton Wagler’s three-point attempt falls just short and Wisconsin stays alive.
Nick Boyd and John Blackwell’s dual dominant performances, with 38 and 31 points, respectively, leads Wisconsin to the tournament semifinals, where they will face Michigan.
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Kari Anderson
Suddenly, Illinois went from being down seven to being down by one possession, after a big three-pointer from David Mirkovic, and a bad Badgers pass leading to Mirkovic knocking in a layup.
Braeden Carrington’s free throw pulls Wisconsin back up by three points, but Illinois can keep this alive with a big play here, with only five seconds left. Can the Illini pull it off?
