On the second day of March Madness, the Big Ten was unable to continue its undefeated streak. Two teams, Northwestern and Purdue, moved on. However, Nebraska and Wisconsin were not as lucky, as their title runs came to an end.
Entering the tournament, Purdue had one of the best odds of winning March Madness, and they showed why on Friday night. The Boilermakers held Grambling State to 50 points and a 36.4 field goal percentage. Purdue was led by Zach Edey, who scored 30 points and added 21 rebounds to his resume. The Boilermakers will take on No.8 Utah State on Sunday at 2:40 in the afternoon.
The finishing touch courtesy of @CarsonB34. pic.twitter.com/n358XqKDyv
— Purdue Men’s Basketball (@BoilerBall) March 23, 2024
Joining Purdue in the win column was Northwestern who beat FAU 77-65 in overtime. The Wildcats were led by Ryan Langborg, who scored a team-high 27 points. Northwestern also made the most of their opportunities from three-point range, shooting 34.8 percent. On Sunday, the Wildcats will be back in action against No.1 UConn at 7:45 pm.
Upsets have been abundant through the first few days of March Madness, and No.5 Wisconsin was on the losing side on Friday. The Badgers took on No.12 James Madison and couldn’t recover from a slow start in a 72-61 loss. They also turned the ball over 19 times and were outscored in the paint 30-22.
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The last game of the day featuring a Big Ten team was between No.9 Texas A&M and No.8 Nebraska. In a hard-fought battle, the Aggies emerged with a 98-83 win. They were able to pull away late, partly due to their three-point shooting and success in getting close to the basket. As the Aggies punched their ticket to the Round of 32, they outscored Nebraska in the paint 44-38.