For the Big Ten, Friday night was full of action as the Big Ten Tournament continued. Sixteen teams were fighting for the opportunity to play in the semifinals. However, the only four teams moving on will be Illinois, Wisconsin, Purdue, and Nebraska.
The closest game of the night was between Illinois and Ohio State. In this hard-fought battle, Illinois emerged with a 77-74 win, as Terrence Shannon Jr. had a big game with 28 points. The Fighting Illini also performed well in the paint and outrebounded Ohio State 44-40. They will face Wisconsin on Saturday.
ILLINOIS IS HEADING TO THE #B1GMBBT SEMIS ‼️‼️ pic.twitter.com/6cyck3hDAl
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 16, 2024
In the matchup between Michigan State and Purdue, the Spartans nearly shocked the college basketball world in a 67-62 loss. Purdue outscored Michigan State 34-27 in the first half but was outscored 35-33 in the final 20 minutes. The Boilermakers were led by Zach Edey, who scored 29 points for the third-ranked team in the country. They will face Wisconsin who beat Northwestern on Friday.
Against the Wildcats, Wisconsin was on fire from beyond the arc. The Badgers shot 45.5 percent from three-point range, which allowed them to build an early lead. They were led by AJ Storr, who had a team-high 30 points. They also dominated close to the basket, outscoring Northwestern 28-16 in the paint.
The final game of the night ended with a 93-66 Nebraska win over Indiana. Nebraska thrived from beyond the arc, shooting 50 percent from three-point range. They were led offensively by Brice Williams who had 23 points, while only missing five shots.