Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals: 4 Takeaways

The excitement of March doesn’t rest in the Big Ten tournament where anyone is capable of coming out on top.

It was a wild Friday of near-upsets and nail-biters in Minneapolis. Top seeds were almost sent home early, while lower seeds fought with everything they had to try and keep on dancing. One thing is for sure though: the Big Ten Tournament is here to entertain.

Takeaway #1: Fans are unhappy with Purdue vs. Michigan State officiating

Michigan State put up quite the fight against number one seed Purdue. Despite not coming out with the win, they were certainly the tougher team on the court in that 40 minute span. They literally left their blood, sweat, and tears on the court. Spartan center Carson Cooper took a shot to the face with 30 seconds left to play. He was bleeding all over the court, but officials called the foul on him instead of Purdue.

Fans chimed in on social media saying they were confused about the call, but head coach Tom Izzo made it clear in a timeout interview earlier in the game that he was displeased with the officiating.

“I don’t like the way it’s been called, how about that?” Izzo said as he walked away from the sideline reporter.

Michigan State had 16 personal fouls called on them in the second half compared to Purdue’s seven. I can see where this could be frustrating to Spartan fans; you’d like to let both teams play when March rolls around and the stakes are high. At the end of the day, it seems that despite the officiating, Michigan State gave it their all and almost pulled off the upset.

Takeaway #2: Wisconsin is getting into a groove at the right time

I doubted Wisconsin’s chances in the Big Ten Tournament, and they’re continuing to prove me wrong. The month of February wasn’t kind to the Badgers, but they’ve seemed to finally get back on track.

Point guard Chucky Hepburn didn’t see the court due to an injury, which left someone having to step up and lead the offense. A.J. Storr, who’s been the leading scorer all season, filled in the gaps and then some, scoring a career-high of 30 points.

The Wisconsin defense was another key piece in their over Northwestern. They face-guarded Boo Buie, slowing down his production for the Wildcats. It seemed as if no one in purple could step up and help Buie, all thanks to that defensive presence from Badger guards like John Blackwell and Max Klesmit.

With great play on both sides of the ball, this Badger squad will be hard to beat in Minneapolis.

Takeaway #3: Illinois’ Dain Dainja and Coleman Hawkins are crunch-time heroes

When it seemed Illinois was out of the game, Dainja pulled them right back into it. With a little over 10 minutes to play, Dainja managed to score 12 points, three of those buckets coming with an and-one opportunity. He also had some great rebounds, coming in at five in the second half.

Although Hawkins was pretty quiet in the score sheet, it was in the last five minutes that his hustle saved his team. He knocked down four crucial foul shots, snagged five rebounds, and made two huge blocks.

Terrence Shannon Jr. and Ty Rodgers chipped in as well, but the play from Dainja and Hawkins is what really catapulted Illinois back into this game. Their momentum allowed the Fighting Illini to finally take the lead with 1:14 left to play in the game and ultimately beat Ohio State.

Takeaway #4: Nebraska’s Keisei Tominaga is the real deal

They don’t call this guy the Japanese Steph Curry for nothing. Tominaga led the charge, along with Brice Williams, with 29 points. He also tallied five assists, three rebounds, and two steals on the night.

This game was pretty one-sided as Nebraska held the lead for over half of the game. It was definitely entertaining to watch Tominaga go off and help the Cornhuskers advance to their first-ever Big Ten Tournament semifinal game.

For a team that hasn’t been great on the road this season, this has to be promising as a Cornhusker fan.