|
Game One:
#1 Ohio State 63
#8 Penn State 56
Top-seed Ohio State began
their day by learning about sanctions from the NCAA. In addition
to paying back $800,000.00 in NCAA revenue and facing three years
probation, the school also was forced to wipe out any records from
the 1999-2002 basketball seasons. The Buckeyes took the court and
appeared to be still stinging from the heavy hand of the NCAA.
Penn State opened the game hot, jumping out to a 7-0 lead, and led
for most of the game before Ohio State finally got hot from the
outside and survived an upset bid.
Penn State was led by
conference freshman of the year Jamelle Cornley’s 18 points, while
super sophomore Geary Claxton contributed 12 points and 12
boards. The Lions had the game well in hand for almost 35 minutes
despite shooting poorly from three-point land. The Buckeyes, who
killed Illinois with eight first half three’s a month ago, made
just two in the first half against Penn State before recovering
with eight bombs in the second half. The Buckeyes were led by Ron
Lewis’ 17 points and also received 13 points and 10 rebounds from
conference player of the year Terence Dials.
Ohio State, in the battle
for a #1 NCAA seed, will now advance to the conference semi-finals
against Indiana. The Buckeyes improve to 24-4 on the season,
while Penn State falls to 15-14 on the year. The Lions are
eligible for a possible N.I.T. bid.
Game Two:
#5 Indiana 61
#4 Wisconsin 56
The second game of the day
featured two teams going in very different directions. Since
losing to Illinois back on February 19, the Indiana Hoosiers
promptly reeled off four straight wins for embattled and out-going
coach Mike Davis. Wisconsin limped to the finish, losing three of
four to miss any chance at a conference title.
Indiana started hot, jumping
out to an early 10-2 lead and looking poised for a fifth straight
win. Marco Killingsworth was hot early and the Hoosiers seemed
willing to feed him the ball in the post. Wisconsin, however,
refused to quit and turned the 10-2 deficit into a 17-10 lead – a
15-0 run if my math is correct. Indiana couldn’t buy a basket for
much of the last ten minutes of the half. Bucky Badger went into
the break with a four point lead at 19-15.
The second half was all
Indiana, however. The Hoosiers exploded out of the gate on a 22-9
run through the first seven minutes of the second half.
Killingsworth was again a force for Indiana, while the Alando
Tucker show kept Wisky from getting blown out. Tucker scored 16
points in the second half, finishing the game with twenty, but in
the end, too much Marco made the difference for Indiana (20 points
and 12 rebounds).
Indiana moves to 18-10 on the year, while Wisconsin drops
to19-11. Indiana will face Ohio State in the second semi-final
game of the day on Saturday. Both Indiana and Wisconsin seem to
be safe for NCAA bids, but the Badger seed could be in free fall
as we go to press.
Game Three:
#2 Iowa 67
#10 Minnesota
57
The third game of the day
featured the 10th seeded Minnesota Gophers and
second-place finisher Iowa. The Hawkeyes, featuring three
senior starters, over-achieved for much of the year, while
Minnesota was fighting for their post-season lives. Iowa
started out strong, jumping out to an early six point lead, but
Minnesota refused to quit. Several times in the half, Minnesota
seemed to be very close to being blown out, but each time the
Gophers found a way to make a basket. Minnesota finished the
first half strong, and went into the break tied w/ Iowa at 30
all.
[to top of second column]
 |
The second half began much
like the first ended. The Hawks and the Gophers battled back and
forth with neither team being able to sustain a run and grab
control of the game. Iowa’s Jeff Horner and Minnesota’s Vincent
Grier both put on offensive show for much of the game. At the
11:33 mark of the game, Iowa led 41-40, and both Horner and Grier
already had 19 points in the scorebook.
The Gophers finally grabbed
the lead 43-41 on three free throws by Adam Boone and led by four
at 45-41 when Iowa coach Steve Alford burned a timeout. The
strategy must have worked, because the Hawks went on an 18-4 run
to seize control of the game. In the end, Iowa was just good
enough to live another day and won 67-57. Horner led the Hawks
with 26 points and Greg Brunner added 16 points, while Grier
finished with a tourney high 29 points for Minnesota. Iowa will
face Michigan State in the first semifinal game on Saturday.
Game Four:
#3 Illinois 56
#6 Michigan State 61
As the final game of the day
began, something had to give. Illinois had never lost in the
quarterfinals of the conference tourney (8-0), while Michigan
State was undefeated in the conference tourney when playing
Illinois (2-0). As the game tipped at 9:10 Indy time, someone
would need to step. Would it be Illinois? All the Illini did was
sweep Michigan State in the season series and boasted an all-time
16-6 conference tourney record. Or would it be Sparty? Four
trips to the final four in the past seven seasons and Coach Tom
Izzo always seems to have his boys ready to play.
The answer? It was all
Michigan State! From the get-go, the Spartans wanted it more and
seemed to play with a sense of urgency. The LDN staff estimates
as many as ten loose balls were up for grabs during the game, and
we’re pretty sure State got to each one of them. Illinois tried
desperately to get back in the game, but could never completely
catch up. Twice in the second half, the Illini were able to get
within one point, including 55-54 at the 1:50 mark of the game.
But, each time, the boys in orange couldn’t secure a defensive
rebound and Michigan State was able to extend the lead.
Trailing 59-56, Dee Brown
attempted a three-pointer to tie the game, and the ball went in
and out, and with it went the Illini chances for victory. The
Spartans were led by Paul Davis’ 16 points and 8 rebounds, Maurice
Ager’s 16 points, and Shannon Brown’s 14 points. Illinois senior
James Augustine was great with 16 points and 15 rebounds, while
Rich McBride added eleven.
For Illinois, it is now time
to regroup. The optimist will say the Illini can use the extra
rest and now is time to get ready for a deep NCAA run. The
pessimist, however, says Friday is another tough loss in a season
that has seen close losses at Indiana, against Penn State and at
Michigan. Again, time will tell, but this much we know: Illinois
needs more than 5 points a game from Dee Brown if they plan to
move on in the NCAA’s. Look for Illinois to get a #3 seed in the
tourney and be sent to either Dayton or Auburn Hills.
Saturday’s Conference
Tourney Semifinals:
Game 1 - #2 Iowa vs. #6
Michigan State – 12:40 p.m. (CBS)
Game 2 - #1 Ohio State vs.
#5 Indiana – 3:05 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday’s conference
championship game will air on CBS at 2:30 p.m.
NCAA selection show will air
on CBS at 5:00 p.m.
[Greg
Taylor]
For more information
|
