The Big Ten Tournament semifinals in Minneapolis did not disappoint, giving basketball fans everywhere a great show.
The day started out with the five-seed Wisconsin knocking off one seed Purdue in a chaotic game that led to overtime. Wisconsin, who has struggled at times this season, managed to play through much adversity and survive and advance.
The day ended with two-seed Illinois almost falling to three-seed Nebraska, but just like their other game this week, they fought back to secure their spot in the championship round. The Big Ten Tournament has been very entertaining, and I don’t doubt that will stop in the final round on Sunday.
Takeaway #1: The officials love them some Zach Edey
First and foremost, I’d like to give credit to Wisconsin and their phenomenal play at the end of regulation and into overtime. Who would’ve known that Chucky Hepburn didn’t play yesterday after his stellar offensive and defensive play? Despite the questionable officiating, which we’ll dive into soon, the Badgers locked in in overtime, causing Braeden Smith to foul out. They executed on offense and didn’t seem to overcome with the moment. They deserve a ton of credit.
It’s even more impressive after the refs treated Purdue’s Zach Edey as if he was made of glass. Every time a hand went in Edey’s direction, the whistle was blown. Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard was vocal at halftime about his annoyance with the officiating, but unbeknownst to him, it wouldn’t get any better later in the game. I truly believe that Edey’s height gives him a major advantage with the referees, but there’s got to be a limit to how far they let him go.
Takeaway #2: Illinois continues to be the comeback kids
Just when you think they’re out, the Fighting Illini pull you right back in. Nebraska was up by 13 at the half and proceeded to tack on the points. When they reached the 17-minute mark though, Illinois started a 10-0 run that put them back within just four points of the Cornhuskers.
Terrence Shannon Jr. lit up the stat sheet with an NBA-like performance of 40 points, along with Marcus Domask who chipped in 16. Nebraska’s Brice Williams put up an impressive 23 points and was followed by Keisei Tominaga who tallied 18, but their efforts weren’t enough to stop Illinois in the second half.
With 8:22 to play, it was Illinois’ Luke Goode who hit a big-time three to put his team up by a point. Nebraska was unable to ever regain their dominant lead, sending them to pack their bags. Illinois may have to stop these late-game drives if they play on beating Wisconsin on Sunday.