The Big Ten had four games on Saturday. Three of the four ended up going down to the final minutes, with some cray results.
Let’s take a look at what happened.
Game of the Night:
–Nebraska Cornhuskers 105, Oklahoma Sooners 99
For the first time since 2023 and only the second
time since 2011, Nebraska faced off against rival Oklahoma on the hardwood. It figured to be a game with a lot of emotions, even though it was being played in South Dakota and not on either of the schools’ campuses. The Huskers entered as mild favorites before tip.
Unfortunately, things started off roughly for the Huskers. Oklahoma had a 10-0 run early on and then followed that with a 17-3 run later in the first half. By the break, it looked as if the Sooners were in full control. However, Nebraska found its footing at the half and started chipping away steadily in the second half, thanks to a massive 14-1 run of its own. Pryce Sandfort came up huge in the contest, finishing with 28 points, seven assists, and five rebounds in the game. Rienk Mast also had 26 points, as Nebraska eventually scored a 105-99 win.
This one is a big one for the Huskers. Not only because it’s a rivalry game against an opponent Nebraska might not see again anytime soon, but also because it came away from home against a quality opponent. These are the kinds of games that slipped away from the Huskers so many times last year and cost the program an NCAA Tournament bid. If the Huskers are going to make the cut, the team needs to find ways to win games like this and Saturday was a great start.
Nebraska improved to 4-0 with the win. The team will now get a few days off before heading to Kansas City to face off against New Mexico on Thursday.
The Rest:
–Indiana Hoosiers 69, Incarnate Word Cardinals 61
This figured to be a tune up opportunity for the Hoosiers and the team performed well in it, scoring a comfortable win at home against Incarnate Word. The final score was also deceptively close, thanks to some garbage time scoring from the Cardinals. Sam Alexis led the way for Indiana, finishing with 16 points and eight rebounds. Tucker DeVries also had 14 points and five rebounds. Indiana now sits at 4-0 and will prepare for Lindenwood at home on Thursday.
–Maryland Terrapins 89, Marquette Golden Eagles 82
Expectations weren’t high for the Terps after the team’s disappointing performance against Georgetown, but the team came to play on Saturday and eventually knocked off a solid Marquette squad on the road. The Eagles made their push around halftime, but Maryland was able to overcome it with a 17-3 run in the second half. David Colt led the way with 19 points, five assists, and three rebounds. Isaiah Watts also had 18 points off the bench.
Maryland improved to 3-1 with the win and got the team’s first resume win of the year. The only disappointing part of the outing was that Pharrel Payne suffered an injury that may be season-ending. Obviously, that would be devastating to Maryland’s long-term hopes. Everyone is hoping and praying that’s not the case. The Terps will now return home to face Mount St. Mary’s on Wednesday.
–Minnesota Golden Gophers 72, Green Bay Phoenix 65 (OT)
This is a game that shouldn’t have been close. Green Bay entered the matchup as one of the worst teams in the country and didn’t do all that much on the evening, finishing with an underwhelming 0.92 points per possession. However, Minnesota couldn’t get out of its own way for much of the game. The only Gopher to do much was Cade Tyson, who finished with 27 points and five rebounds. The game eventually came down to a few big buckets at the buzzer and then into overtime, where the Gophers did just enough to escape.
Minnesota sits at 3-1 following the win. The team will return to action on Tuesday at home against Chicago State, who projects around the same level as Green Bay.
–Ohio State Buckeyes 64, Notre Dame Fighting Irish 63
This game looked like it would be a close one heading into tip and it certainly played out that way, as things swung wildly back and forth between Ohio State and Notre Dame. The Irish got a 11-point lead early in the first half, but things were otherwise generally within a bucket or two after that. Ultimately, Ohio State was able to do just enough to get out with the win at home. Bruce Thornton led the way with 24 points and four rebounds. Christoph Tilly also had 18 points.
Ohio State improved to 4-0 with the win. The team will now get a few days off before returning to action against Western Michigan at home on Thursday.
–Penn State Nittany Lions 83, La Salle Explorers 69
The Nittany Lions took care of business in Philly on Saturday, cruising past La Salle with a final score of 83-69. Freshman Melih Tunca led the way with 20 points and four assists. Freddie Dilione V also had a nice showing off the bench, with 16 points. Penn State improved to 4-0 with the win and now quietly has the nation’s second-longest winning streak at five games. The team will return to action on Wednesday at home against Harvard.
–No. 2 Purdue Boilermakers 97, Akron Zips 79
The Boilers returned home after Thursday’s monster win over Alabama and continued rolling, handling what’s a pretty good MAC squad in Akron. Trey Kaufman-Renn had 17 points and 15 rebounds. Braden Smith also had 16 points and 10 assists. Purdue now sits at 4-0 and will prepare for Memphis in the Bahamas on Thursday.
