Day three of the Big Ten Tournament did not disappoint and left fans excited for the coming days as we continue moving closer to the final. Read more for quarterfinal takeaways.
For half of the teams playing in the Big Ten Quarterfinal, it was their first game of the Big Ten tournament. The other half already had one victory under their belts from the previous rounds. None of the teams from the first round remain in the running to compete in the championship on Mar 16. Unsurprisingly, as the days go by and the number of teams left begins to dwindle, the excitement, intensity, and competition only continue to be amplified in Indianapolis. Read more for takeaways from today’s games:
Final Scores:
Michigan State 74, Oregon 64
Wisconsin 86, UCLA 70
Maryland 88, Illinois 65
Michigan 86, Purdue 68
Takeaway #1: Michigan State’s strong defensive presence overwhelmed Oregon
Oregon and Michigan State each fought quite the battle; however, Oregon just couldn’t come out on top. This was the second time this season that they had conquered the Ducks. With a final score of 74-64, Michigan State had key players perform successfully, willing to team to victory.
During the first half, Oregon kept it tight. It was a one-possession game until about two minutes left in the half. With 2:21 left, the Spartans closed with a 7-0 run. A notable stat is that Michigan State shot 66.7% (4-6) from outside the arc in the first. It didn’t look like a 300+ ranked team for 3-pointers. Oregon’s statistics show they only shot 33.3% (3/9) outside the arc before the half. In the second, they were limited to only 1 successful 3-pointer from their 10 attempts. Michigan State’s Jaden Akins did a great job locking down Jackson Shelstad, an All-Conference player this year. Jeremy Fears Jr. was also attached to Shelstad. He contributed to the 8-0 start from the Spartans.
“I feel like we just tried to take advantage of some of the things they were doing,” said Akins. “We knew they were going to be really aggressive pressing us and denying, so we got a couple back doors to happen…”
Clearly, the Ducks tried to put Jase Richardson in unfavorable positions on the court. He was given lots of physicality. However, he overcame it and even used it to his advantage. He did this by shooting at the stripe ten times.
The Spartans will play Wisconsin at 1:00 p.m. on Mar. 15.
Takeaway #2: Wisconsin dominated from downtown
From the start, this game was all Wisconsin’s. They came out hot and stayed that way throughout all forty minutes. At halftime, the Badgers had already asserted their dominance over the Bruins, ending the half with a score of 48-29. Into the second half, even after UCLA made runs and attempts to catch up, the Badgers still came out on top, with a final score of 86-70. Senior guard John Tonje was undoubtedly the Badgers’ star. He finished the game with 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists.
What is the key reason for this 16-point win? That would have to be the 3-point dominance by Wisconsin. Just in the first half, they shot 12-for-19 (63%). By the end of the game, the Badgers had made 19 of their 31 3-point shots. This is an absolutely remarkable number. Wisconsin has averaged 9.8 3-pointers per game this season, meaning they doubled this against the Bruins. Just as soon as the Badgers would sink an impressive three, they would replace this with yet another shot from downtown. UCLA had no room to breathe as the points kept piling on for Wisconsin.
The Badgers will face Michigan State at 1:00 p.m. on Mar. 15.
Takeaway #3: Illinois’ unorganized defense was detrimental
During round 2, Illinois ended the game with 106 against Iowa. During this game against Maryland, they gave up a whopping 88 points to Illinois’ 65. In the first half, it was evident that the Fighting Illini weren’t playing near the level of the Terrapins. In their 119 conference tournament appearances, Maryland had never scored as many points as they did in this one. Rodney Rice started the game strong, making his first four field goals. With 13:51 left in the 1st, he made an 11-0 run for Maryland, 9 of those points coming from three consecutive 3-pointers. By the end of the game, he looked like a 3-point machine, making seven of his nine shots outside the arc. He finished with 26 points. Derik Queen produced not only a handful of points (19), but he also led the team in rebounds, grabbing 10. Maryland’s most extensive run was a 14-0 run. With 9:41 left in the game, the Terps took their largest lead of 36 (84-48).
What destroyed Illinois was its unorganized and sloppy defense. The lack of coverage along the arc gave them a large deficit early. Maryland kept sinking 3-pointer after 3-pointer, forcing the Fighting Illini into two early timeouts directly following. What also stuck out like a sore thumb was the exceptionally high turnover rate by the Illini. They gave the ball away 17 times compared to Maryland’s 3. Illinois was never able to take the lead once in the game. The closest they came to doing so was at the beginning of the game when the teams were tied 2-2. Interestingly, Illinois outrebounded the Terps 47-38. When looking at the 3-pointers for the Illini, they only made 6 of their 27 attempts from downtown. Overall, It is safe to say that the Illinois team that the crowd saw the night before looked like a whole new squad against the Terps.
Maryland takes on Michigan at 3:30 p.m. EST on Mar. 15.
Takeaway #4: Purdue seemed fatigued against Michigan
The Wolverines took down the Boilermakers 86-68. Danny Wolf led the team in points (18), rebounds (11), and assists (6). Along with Wolf, Vlad Goldin had such a presence in the center. He altered the accuracy of shots without even needing to block them every time. Goldin produced 15 points for the Wolverines. With the Wolf/Goldin combo, Purdue didn’t have an even matchup for two seven-footers. When looking at free throws, Michigan had a 10% increase from what they average for this season.
For Michigan, the whole game was fast-paced. They played without hesitation and always carried a sense of urgency on the court- which likely was intentional. When analyzing the game, it was evident that Purdue looked fatigued. This would make sense, considering they had just played in a competitive match against USC the previous day. Compared to Michigan’s 52% from the field, the Boilermakers only shot 34%. Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue’s point leader of the night, put up 24. While this is true, he also seemed to reflect the team’s tired state. This was most evident within the final ten minutes of the game. Their shallow bench was also displayed in this matchup. As Fletcher Loyer exited the game temporarily with a shoulder injury, Purdue had to utilize their bench even more, which didn’t benefit them.
The Wolverines will play the Maryland Terrapins on Mar. 15 at 3:30 p.m. EST. This will mark Michigan’s first Big Ten Tournament Semi-Final appearance since 2021. This is also head coach Dusty May’s first Big Ten Tournament.
“Just excited for the game tomorrow,” said Wolf. “It’s a great opportunity to play on a great platform. I know the coaches are going to give us a good game plan. If we just follow that, I like our chances.”