The Big Ten had a great slate of games on Saturday, highlighted by three ranked teams in action. All three ended up surviving, but they had to work to get there.
Let’s take a look at what happened.
Game of the Night:
–Minnesota Golden Gophers 84, Northwestern Wildcats 78
This
was a wild one. Despite entering the afternoon as a sizable underdog, Minnesota went on the road to Northwestern and shocked the Wildcats with a late comeback. For perspective, the Gophers had just a 6.1 percent win percentage with 4:39 left, but still managed to grab the win. It was largely thanks to 24 points and six assists from star Cade Tyson. Langston Reynolds also had 13 points and 13 assists.
For Minnesota, it’s hard to understate the significance of this one. The Gophers improved to 9-5 overall and 2-1 in Big Ten play, but, perhaps more importantly, the win injected a ton of energy into a program that desperately needed it. Minnesota fell outside the top 100 on KenPom in December and seemed destined for a lost year. However, this will give the team and fans far more hope moving forward. If the Gophers can pull off an upset like this, perhaps some of those likely losses forthcoming could be wins. That would be huge for Niko Medved in his first season at the helm.
On the other side, Northwestern fell to 8-6 overall and 0-3 in Big Ten play. It’s an absolutely crushing loss for the team’s postseason hopes. This was a game Northwestern needed to win. Falling short, especially thanks to a second half collapse, is going to leave a mark. While an NCAA bid was never likely this year, the team had an outside shot. This loss is going to weigh heavily against that goal.
Minnesota will now prepare for rival Iowa at home on Tuesday. The Wildcats will try and bounce back on the road against Michigan State on Tuesday.
The Rest:
–No. 20 Illinois Fighting Illini 73, Penn State Nittany Lions 65
On paper, this looked like a mismatch. Illinois entered the game ranked in the top 20, while Penn State was just 9-4 and had yet to beat a top 175 KenPom opponent. However, add in some desperation for the Nittany Lions and a great environment in the Palestra and it seemed like an upset might be possible.
However, those hopes proved misguided.
Illinois not only won the game, but controlled things from the start, jumping out to an early lead and never really looking back. The final score ended up being closeish, but much of that had to do with late scoring that didn’t really impact the outcome. David Mirkovic led the way with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Kylan Boswell also had a nice showing with 18 points and four rebounds.
Illinois improved to 11-3 overall and 2-1 in Big Ten play with the win, while Penn State fell to 9-5 overall and 0-3 in Big Ten play with the loss. Illinois will now prepare for Rutgers at home on Thursday. The Nittany Lions will try and bounce back against Michigan at home on Tuesday.
–No. 25 Iowa Hawkeyes 74, UCLA Bruins 61
This projected as the Big Ten’s Game of the Night heading into the day, but Iowa had other thoughts, jumping out to a double-digit lead in the opening minutes and cruising to a 13-point home win over the Bruins. Bennett Stirtz was virtually unstoppable in the game, finishing with 27 points, five assists, and four rebounds in the win. Alvaro Folgueiras also had a great game off the bench with 13 points and five rebounds. Iowa’s defense also controlled UCLA well, holding the Bruins to just 0.98 points per possession.
Iowa improved to 12-2 overall and 2-1 in Big Ten play with the win, while UCLA fell to 10-4 overall and 2-1 in Big Ten play with the loss. The Hawks will now prepare for rival Minnesota on the road on Tuesday. UCLA will get Wisconsin on the road on Tuesday.
–No. 5 Purdue Boilermakers 89, Wisconsin Badgers 73
This looked like a potential upset opportunity, but Purdue had other thoughts, as the Boilers rolled to a 16-point win on the road in Madison. Although Wisconsin started well, the Badgers just couldn’t get enough stops on Purdue to make it a game late. Fletcher Loyer had a hot night, finishing with 20 points and five rebounds. Braden Smith also had 14 points and 12 assists.
Purdue improved to 13-1 overall and 3-0 in Big Ten play with the win, while Wisconsin fell to 9-5 overall and 1-2 in Big Ten play with the loss. The Boilers will now prepare for Washington at home on Wednesday. Wisconsin will get UCLA at home on Tuesday. KenPom favors the Badgers.
