The Big Ten had two games on Wednesday night and both had significant NCAA Tournament implications. Purdue hosted Minnesota and Wisconsin traveled to face Nebraska.
Let’s take a look at what happened.
Game of the Night:
–No. 23 Nebraska Cornhuskers 90, Wisconsin Badgers 60
This one looked pretty even heading into tip. While Nebraska had gotten off to a great start, Wisconsin had an impressive statistical profile and looked primed to prove it was better than its raw record. However, that didn’t end up being the case, as Nebraska absolutely boat raced Wisconsin in a 30-point
blowout. Nebraska’s offense finished with 1.29 points per possession. Rienk Mast finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the win.
For Nebraska, this was just another notch in the team’s belt. The Huskers entered Wednesday at 9-0, but it was a relatively soft schedule, with no opponent inside the top 50 on KenPom. Well, Wisconsin fit that bill and Nebraska not only won, but did it in blowout fashion. It was a remarkable performance and shows that the Huskers should be firmly in the race for an NCAA spot on Selection Sunday.
On the other side, Wisconsin fans have to be crushed with this result. The Badgers got run off the court by BYU in November and struggled against TCU on Black Friday. The team needed to show those were aberrations. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen and the margin of defeat sent a lot of Badger fans into panic mode. Wisconsin is now down to 39th on KenPom, which raises some real concerns about its postseason hopes.
Nebraska improved to 10-0 overall and 1-0 in Big Ten play with the win, while Wisconsin fell to 7-3 overall and 1-1 in Big Ten play with the loss. The Huskers will now prepare for Illinois on the road on Saturday. Wisconsin will try and rebound against Villanova in Milwaukee on December 19th.
The Rest:
–No. 6 Purdue Boilermakers 85, Minnesota Golden Gophers 57
There was a little extra intrigue about this one after Minnesota shocked Indiana at home last week. Many were wondering if that version of the Gophers would show up against Purdue. However, that wasn’t the case, as the Boilers cruised to an easy home win. Braden Smith led the way with 15 points, 12 assists, and six rebounds. Trey Kaufman-Renn also had 14 points.
Purdue improved to 9-1 overall and 2-0 in Big Ten play with the win, while Minnesota fell to 5-5 overall and 1-1 in Big Ten play with the loss. The Boilers will now prepare for Marquette at home on Saturday. Minnesota will get Texas Southern at home on Sunday.
