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Friday, March 10

Big Ten tournament -- Day 1       Send a link to a friend

By Greg Taylor

[MARCH 10, 2006]  Thursday marked the beginning of the ninth annual Big Ten conference tournament, hosted this year by the city of Indianapolis. Three games were played on Thursday, with the winner of each game moving into Friday's quarterfinal action. While Thursday participants Penn State, Northwestern and Purdue have played regularly on the first day of the conference tourney, this year saw Michigan State forced to play in the prelims for the first time in conference tourney history.

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.

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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

  • 11 a.m. -- No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 8 Penn State

  • 1:30 p.m. -- No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 5 Indiana

  • 5:30 p.m. -- No. 2 Iowa vs. No. 10 Minnesota

  • 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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