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Game one
-- Northwestern 58, Michigan 56
The 11 a.m. game featured the No. 8
and 9 seeds of the tourney, the Northwestern Wildcats and the
Michigan Wolverines. The game featured two contrasting styles and
two teams struggling down the stretch. The first half belonged to
Michigan, as Courtney Sims and Dion Harris controlled the game and
the tempo for the Wolves. Northwestern struggled to get on track and
trailed by six at the break, 26-20. Michigan had a couple of chances
to expand the lead late in the half but was unable to do so, and
this would ultimately prove to be its downfall.
The Wildcats, playing without
starting center and Duke transfer Michael Thompson, came out like a
house of fire in the second half and, before much longer, found
themselves with a 10-point lead at 51-41 on the heels of a 12-0 run.
The game looked to be out of reach for Michigan, but coach Tommy
Amaker rallied his troops and, after a healthy dose of Sims inside,
found themselves down just two at 53-51. A late intentional foul
proved to be too much for the Wolves to overcome, and Northwestern
was set to face No. 1 seed Illinois for the third time this season,
on Friday morning. The 'Cats were led by guards Mohamed Hachad (17
points) and Lisle native T.J. Parker (15 points). Sims finished with
25 points for Michigan.
Friday's first game: Illinois vs.
Northwestern, 11 a.m.; ESPN
Friday's second game: Indiana vs.
Minnesota, 1:30 p.m.; ESPN
Game two
-- Iowa 71, Purdue 52
In what turned out to be the final
game at Purdue for coach Gene Keady, Iowa and guards Jeff Horner and
Adam Haluska shot the Hawkeyes past Purdue in a game that was never
really very close. Many on press row wondered aloud if this season
might be the final one in Iowa City for coach Steve Alford, who has
just one NCAA tournament appearance in six seasons at the helm.
Iowa, once considered a lock for the NCAA tourney and a top 25 team,
looked like a group of players who understood they probably need to
play their way into the NCAAs by winning the conference tournament.
Purdue finished its worst season in
the 25-year reign of Gene Keady, and Thursday was, in many ways, one
big love fest toward the legend of West Lafayette. Conference Comish
Jim Delaney presented Keady with several gifts before the game,
including the opportunity to be the Big Ten's guest (along with his
wife) at the 2006 Rose Bowl. Keady seemed misty-eyed after the game
as he reflected on his quarter-century run at Purdue. "I've had to
be someplace every day of my life since the first grade -- and
tomorrow I don't have to be anywhere," Keady quipped. When asked
what he would do tomorrow, without hesitation he said, "Whatever my
wife says." Bottom line -- he is one of the greatest of all time and
he deserved to go out so much better!
[to top of second column in this article] |
 Iowa secured its 20th win of the
season and won a game in the tournament for the first time since
2002. The Hawkeyes won the tourney during the 2001 event here in
Chicago.
Friday's third game: Michigan State
vs. Iowa, 5:40 p.m.; no local TV
Game
three -- Ohio State 72, Penn State 69
The final game of the day marked the
giant-killers from Ohio State and conference bottom-feeder, Penn
State. Ohio State was playing its first game since rewarding
first-year coach Thad Matta (and Hoopeston native) with an
eight-year deal worth over $11 million. Neither team had the ability
to play beyond this weekend: The Buckeyes will be done because of
self-imposed sanctions. The Lions will be done because there is not
a snowball's chance in a microwave they could win four straight
games against better competition.
The Penn State Lions began the game
as if they had just read the above sentence, as they came out
playing possibly their finest half of the season. They exploded out
to a 15-point lead at 32-17 and led at the half 35-24. The Buckeyes,
who couldn't miss in the final 10 minutes against Illinois on
Sunday, looked like a bad high school team in the first 20 minutes.
No one player personified this more than Buckeye Matt Sylvester. The
Buckeye junior scorched the Illini for 25 Sunday, including the
game-winner, but he finished Thursday's first half with more fouls
than points. Ohio State had the look of a team that was already
checked out on the season.
The first 10 minutes of the second
half was an even affair between the two teams. Penn State led 52-41
with 9½ minutes to go, and many wondered if an upset was in the
making. Ohio State decided to wake up about this time, however, and
promptly went on an 11-0 run to tie the game with 6½ minutes to
play. J.J. Sullinger (11 points -- all in the second half) and Tony
Stockman (25 points) were huge for the Buckeyes in the second half,
while Geary Claxton (20 points and 13 rebounds) and Travis Parker
(19 points) paced the Lions. The Buckeyes scored seven straight late
in the game to take a 59-54 lead, their first lead since the first
minute of the game, but Penn State refused to quit and rallied to
tie the game with under three minutes to play.
However, down the stretch, Ohio
State made the big shots when needed and won the game at the
free-throw line. The Buckeyes secured their 20th win on the season
and moved into Friday's quarterfinals.
Friday's fourth game: Wisconsin vs.
Ohio State, 8:10 p.m.; no local TV
[Greg
Taylor]
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