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Game 1 No. 8 Penn State 60
No. 9 Northwestern 42
The first game of the day was really not a game at all, as Penn
State controlled the action for the most of the game and cruised to
victory in a meeting of the No. 8 and 9 seeds. Geary Claxton
recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while
Travis Parker and Mike Walker each scored 10 for the Lions.
Northwestern struggled from 3-point land, making just seven of 31
attempts and getting to the free-throw line just six times for the
game.
Penn State, which beat Northwestern twice in the regular season,
proved it is really not all that difficult to beat a team three
times during a season. The Lions were in charge from the beginning,
and their reward is an 11 a.m. game on Friday against league
champion Ohio State. Penn State battled the Buckeyes tough in their
only meeting of the year, an 11-point loss in mid-January.
Game 2
No. 10 Minnesota 59
No. 7 Michigan 55
Game two was the battle of two teams appearing to go in very
different directions. Michigan seemed to have much to play for, as
many experts considered them a "bubble" team in need of a win or two
to improve their NCAA resume. The Gophers, however, were just trying
to get through the year, finishing 5-11 in conference after starting
0-6. Michigan started out hot and looked as if they were one or two
possessions from blowing out the Gophers. Minnesota, however,
refused to quit and battled back late in the first half to make it a
game.
The second half belonged to Minnesota, as they quickly turned a
four-point Michigan halftime lead into a six-point Gopher lead at
the midway point of the half. Down the stretch, both teams struggled
to execute well, but Minnesota did just enough to hold on and beat
Michigan by four, 59-55. Minnesota, which lost to Michigan twice in
the regular season by double digits, proved how hard it is to beat a
team three times during a season.
Minnesota was led by Mo Hargrow's 15 points, while Michigan's
Dion Harris scored 16 and Daniel Horton chipped in 14. Minnesota now
plays the second seed, the Iowa Hawkeyes, in the third game on
Friday. Game time is set for 5:30 p.m.
Game 3
No. 6 Michigan State 70
No. 11 Purdue 58
The final game of the day featured two teams that sported
disappointing conference seasons this year. Michigan State was a
consensus top 10 pick and was everyone's favorite to win the
regular-season title. Despite such projections, Michigan State was a
middle-of-the-pack team, finishing 8-8 in the conference while being
forced to play on Thursday of the conference tournament.
[to top of second column] |
 Purdue experienced several transitions this year, from the
retirement of longtime coach Gene Keady to the injuries of key
players like Carl Landry and David Teague and the dismissal of
promising freshman Korey Spates. The Boilers won just three
conference games and finished the regular season 9-18. First-year
coach Matt Painter must be wondering what he has gotten himself
into.
The game should have been blowout city for the Spartans, and
Michigan State did lead for much of the game. Purdue, however,
battled for 40 minutes and refused to roll over and play dead for
Michigan State. The Spartans opened up a 15-point lead around the
eight-minute mark of the game, but Purdue dug in and battled back to
get within five points. Michigan State held on, however, and finally
won by a dozen.
The Spartans were led by their wonderful trio of Maurice Ager,
with 18 points; Shannon Brown, 11 points; and Paul Davis, 11 points
and seven rebounds. Three Boilers scored in double figures, led by
Gary Ware's 19 points and Matt Kiefer's 16. Michigan State will now
battle Illinois in the late game Friday. Tip is scheduled for 8 p.m.
and the game can be seen on WCIA.
Preview of Friday's schedule
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11 a.m. -- No. 1 Ohio
State vs. No. 8 Penn State
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1:30 p.m. -- No. 4
Wisconsin vs. No. 5 Indiana
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5:30 p.m. -- No. 2
Iowa vs. No. 10 Minnesota
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8 p.m. -- No. 3
Illinois vs. No. 6 Michigan State
Illinois will be attempting to beat Michigan State for the third
time this year -- something that Penn State proved is a piece of
cake but something that Michigan failed to accomplish. Illinois has
pulled off this feat in the past, beating both Michigan and
Northwestern three times last season. Dee Brown has played his best
basketball this season against the team that recruited him heavily,
MSU, and Brown will have one more career game against coach Tom Izzo.
Illinois is also playing for a strong NCAA seed. Most bracket
projections have Illinois listed as a No. 2 seed heading into
Friday's action. A victory can only help this seed, but a
first-round loss could slide Illinois down a notch and force them to
travel farther than the preferred Dayton, Ohio, pod. Game time is
set for 8 p.m.
[Greg
Taylor]
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