Tag: Big Ten Basketball

LOOK: Former Wisconsin basketball guard visits a Big Ten rival

LOOK: Former Wisconsin basketball guard visits a Big Ten rival

Former Wisconsin basketball guard Connor Essegian took a visit to Big Ten rival Maryland, according to On3’s Joe Tipton.

Essegian departed after two years with the Badgers. The young guard had a fantastic freshman season in 2022-23 before losing much of his playing time in 2023-24. He averaged just 7.3 minutes and 3.2 points per game in 2023-24, down from 27.4 and 11.7, respectively, in 2022-23.

Related: Tracking Wisconsin basketball’s reported transfer portal visits and targets

He entered the portal last month after Wisconsin’s season came to a close with an NCAA Tournament loss to James Madison. The move was a bit of a surprise after a recent report indicated he might stick around. But it is not a surprise given his slide down the depth chart and outlook with the program.

Essegian was a fan-favorite in Madison — enough so that some fans were calling for him to play more down the stretch of the season. But those fans should recognize the grass is likely greener for him elsewhere given Wisconsin’s influx of backcourt talent.

With interest already reported between Essegian and Michigan, there appears to be more Big Ten teams in the mix.

 

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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What did Rutgers basketball head coach Steve Pikiell say about Zach Martini?

Zach Martini officially joins Rutgers basketball.

Need met talent for Rutgers basketball last week, with Zach Martini committing to the Big Ten program out of the transfer portal. For a team with high expectations heading into next season, Martini is a big addition to Rutgers.

On Tuesday, Martini’s addition out of the transfer portal was announced by Rutgers basketball and head coach Steve Pikiell. He adds a Big Ten caliber skillset to the program.

Martini comes to Rutgers having made 29 starts last season for Princeton where he averaged 8.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game for Princeton. In his final game for the Tigers, a loss to UNLV in the first round of the NIT, Martini scored 17 points.

The 6-foot-7 forward fits a major need for Rutgers. A solid scorer with range, Martini is a strong defensive presence and a high-character player. He adds experience and leadership to the program.

“We are thrilled to officially welcome Zach Martini to The Knighthood,” Pikiell said on Tuesday in a release from Rutgers basketball.

“Zach is a player that brings all the things we are looking for in the transfer portal with his experience, toughness, and the ability to shoot the basketball. Zach comes from a tremendous family and his ties to Rutgers and love for New Jersey were evident during the entire process. He is a proven winner, and I am so excited that he has embraced being a part of the unique opportunity next season provides.”

Earlier in the transfer portal process, Rutgers added guard Tyson Acuff.

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Last year for Eastern Michigan, Acuff averaged 21.7 points per game.

Big Ten Notebook: UConn secures back-to-back championships with win over Purdue

UConn and Danny Hurley won the NCAA Tournament on Monday night over Purdue.

On Monday night, Purdue’s magical March Madness run ended in the National Championship with a 75-60 loss to UConn. While Zach Edey continued to dominate, the Boilermakers could not prevent UConn from making history.

As the Huskies became the first team to win back-to-back championships since Florida in 2006 and 2007, they were relentless on the boards. The Huskies outscored the Boilermakers in the paint 44-40. They also were better from beyond the arc, making seven three-pointers compared to Purdue’s one.

While Monday ended in disappointing fashion for Purdue, there were a few bright spots, such as Zach Edey. The talented center scored a team-high 37 points while adding 10 rebounds to his resume. He also got some help from Braden Smith, who scored 12 points.

BASKETBALL CAPITAL OF THE WORLD#EVERYTHING pic.twitter.com/aUUx92LiTG

— UConn Men’s Basketball (@UConnMBB) April 9, 2024

Although Purdue put up a good fight, there was no denying this UConn team. Over the last two years, the program has put together a dominant run that head coach Dan Hurley is not taking for granted.

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“I think it’s up there in terms of the greatest two-year runs that a program maybe has ever had,” Hurley told ESPN. “I just think it’s the best two-year run I think in a very, very long time just because of everything we lost from last year’s team. To lose that much, and again, to do what we did again, it’s got to be as impressive a two-year run as a program’s had since before whoever did it before Duke.”

As Purdue turns their focus to the 2024-2025 campaign, they have plenty to be proud of. 

Purdue basketball can break the Big Ten’s horrid streak in national title games

The Big Ten has a terrible record in national championship games since 2002:

The Big Ten’s Purdue Boilermakers will play in the NCAA Tournament national championship Monday night against the UConn Huskies — the No. 1 overall seed and defending national champion.

UConn is looking for history. Florida was the last team to repeat as national champions back in 2006-2007, plus the Huskies are looking for a second consecutive tournament run with every win being by double-digits.

Related: Evaluating the Big Ten’s next targets for conference expansion

Purdue, on the other hand, is looking to reverse the Big Ten’s recent horrid performance in the title game. The conference has sent members to 13 of the last 25 Final Fours and seven of the last 21 title games. It does not have a national championship in that span, somehow, despite being arguably the nation’s best basketball conference.

As preparations are made for the title game on Monday night, here is the Big Ten’s history in the title game since 2000:

With the Big Ten on their backs, Purdue advances to NCAA Tournament’s championship game

Purdue basketball is on the national championship in the NCAA Tournament.

On Saturday, Purdue continued its national championship run with a 63-50 win over NC State. The Boilermakers are one win from making history and the program’s first NCAA title.

While NC State defied the odds to make it to the Final Four, they had no answer for Purdue and their talented center, Zach Edey. The Toronto native continued to dominate with a team-high 20 points and 12 rebounds. Along with his teammates, Edey is now ready to play on the biggest stage in college basketball, a moment he has been dreaming about.

“The reason I came back is for playing games like this,” Edey told ESPN. “It’s the reason I’m playing college basketball for four years, to finally get this game, big-time.”

Livin’ for one more day. pic.twitter.com/opnYU1yOaq

— Purdue Men’s Basketball (@BoilerBall) April 7, 2024

Although Edey dominated on the boards, Purdue was able to pull away late due to its success from beyond the arc. The Boilermakers shot 40 percent from three-point range, while NC State shot 26.3. For Purdue, Fletcher Loyer came up huge in those situations, making three of his five shots from three-point range.

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After a one-day hiatus, Purdue will be back in action on Monday night to take on UConn. Entering the National Championship, UConn is the favorite, according to ESPN. The Huskies will be looking to win their second straight title and sixth in school history.

Rutgers basketball: Dylan Harper reacts to the news of Jeremiah Williams’ return

Jeremiah Williams’ return to Rutgers basketball is welcomed by Dylan Harper.

Jeremiah Williams confirmed that he is returning to Rutgers basketball, and five-star commit Dylan Harper was all about it.

A transfer portal addition last summer, Williams was a big addition to the Rutgers basketball program when he was finally reinstated midseason. Williams missed the season’s first 20 games over allegations of violating the NCAA’s rules on gambling.

The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 12.2 points per game while shooting 44.4 percent from the floor. Upon making his debut in early February, Rutgers won its first four games with Williams playing.

It is a season of expectations for Rutgers basketball, especially with a star-studded recruiting class coming in.

Harper, who recently signed with Rutgers, is a five-star recruit and one of the top players in the nation. He is expected to partner with Williams and form one of the best backcourt in the Big Ten.

 

Coming off a strong senior season at Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, New Jersey), Harper is the sixth-ranked recruit in the nation according to USA TODAY High School Sports.

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He is one of two recruits in the class of 2024 who are ranked as consensus five-star players. Harper joins forward [autotag]Ace Bailey[/autotag] as the only five-stars to ever sign with Rutgers basketball.

Bailey is the top-ranked player in the nation in the USA TODAY High School Sports rankings.

Huskers fall to No. 3 Oregon State in second round of NCAA Tournament

The Nebraska women’s basketball team entered the second round of the NCAA tournament on Sunday afternoon.

On Sunday afternoon, the Nebraska women’s basketball team entered the second round of the NCAA tournament. The No. 6 Huskers faced off against host No. 3 Oregon State for a chance to reach the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2013. However, this did not come to pass. Nebraska fell to the Beavers 61-51, ending its run and the season.

The Beavers took a 19-11 lead at the end of the first quarter and kept their cushion of a lead for the remainder of the game. The middle quarters resulted in 34 total points combined, with Nebraska outscoring Oregon State 18-16. The Huskers scored 22 points in the fourth, but the Beavers scored 26.

Jaz Shelley scored 10 points, leading Nebraska in the field as its only double-digit scorer. Alexis Markowski and Annika Stewart both scored eight points in the loss. Markowski also hauled in eight rebounds to lead the team. Oregon State meanwhile finished with three players in double-digits for scoring.

Nebraska concluded the season with a final record of 23-12, the second-best record under head coach Amy Williams.

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.

Michigan basketball hires Juwan Howard’s replacement

Michigan basketball hires Juwan Howard’s replacement

Michigan is hiring Florida Atlantic’s Dusty May as its new head basketball coach, according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

May is set to take over a program that went 8-24 in 2023-24. The disaster season led to the firing of program legend Juwan Howard — more than two years after his altercation with Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard in the postgame handshake line.

Related: Evaluating the reasons for and against Wisconsin basketball firing head coach Greg Gard

The young coach took Florida Atlantic to the Final Four in 2022-23 in only his fifth season on the job. He now goes to Michigan with a career record of 126-69 and a resume mostly just bolstered by the 2022-23 run.

The contract is a five-year deal with an average salary of $3.75 million, according to a press release from the program.

Michigan basketball has fallen off since a trip to the Elite Eight in 2020-21. Recruiting was still a strength in Howard’s final seasons at the helm, but the star ratings did not translate to wins on the basketball court.

 

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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Former Wisconsin G Brad Davison has perfect response to Minnesota fan blog’s criticism

Former Wisconsin G Brad Davison has perfect response to Minnesota fan blog’s criticism

Former Wisconsin guard Brad Davison is in his second season of professional basketball in LEB Oro, Spain’s second-division league.

While he’s halfway across the world, the former Badger is still active enough on X to fight back against critics of the Wisconsin basketball program and his play in college.

IT’S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY’s NCAA tournament bracket contest for a chance at $1 million prize.

We saw a terrific example Wednesday afternoon when a member of a Minnesota Golden Gopher fan blog posted the following on X:

“It’s the 2 year anniversary of Brad Davison playing his last college game. Cheers to all that celebrate! The Big 10 is a much safer league without him in it.”

To which the long-time Badger had the perfect response:

Davison was hated by rival Big Ten fans during his time at Wisconsin, which is a testament to his quality as a player.

It also must be noted the Badgers have finished the season ahead of the Golden Gophers for each of the last 26 years. All that while making Minneapolis and its surrounding suburbs a hub of recruiting.

Wisconsin fans enjoyed Davison’s response to the ‘celebration’ on Wednesday afternoon.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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Big Ten Notebook: Big Ten semifinals set after busy Friday

The Big Ten Tournament is rolling along.

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.

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.