Big Ten Tournament, Semi-Finals: Bears, Trains, and Several Types of Weasels

Yesterday's Games

Michigan 71, Ohio State 67

MaximumSam: It wasn't a win, but I am officially Not Depressed about OSU basketball anymore. They actually played defense against a good team, which continues their trend of playing defense. A team that plays both offense and defense can get some wins here and there. They didn't even play that well offensively and still almost nipped the Wolverines.

Kind of...: Yes, as far as not-wins go, this was a good one. The Buckeyes are playing better than they have most of the year. And, honestly, while they do have 12 losses, only the first one, to Pitt, is bad. At Washington is perhaps regrettable, but otherwise, it's all NCAA tournament teams. Buckeyes seem likely to play in the 8/9 games, but are playing more like a 6 or a 7.

Wisconsin 91, Illinois 88 (OT)

BoilerUp89: Fantastically entertaining game even if I am sad we won't get to see Thump in the gamethread today. One day after Blackwell set a Wisconsin BTT record with 35 points, Nick Boyd one up'd him with 39. Blackwell added 31.

This was a well balanced game but the Badgers made their freebies at the charity stripe (25 of 30) while Illinois went just 9 of 15.

Kind of...: I know, I know, "who do you take off?" But Boyd is not playing like he's happy he was named second-team All-B1G, is he? He certainly responded well to Kylan Boswell deciding to get in his face and yap after...the game's first possession. Most important stat of the game is that Wisconsin held their own on the boards, out rebounding the Illini 37-36, and 11-9 on the offensive glass. Did not expect that.

Purdue 74, Nebraska 58

BoilerUp89: That was fun. Matt Painter said it best post-game walking off the court. Purdue played 40 minutes of defense. Nebraska honestly hung around on the glass for a long time. Difference in this game was points off turnovers. Purdue won that mini-game 17-0 in the first half.

Kind of...: Could it be that Purdue is emerging from the dark night of the soul that was their 2-4 finish to the regular season? Or maybe--and work with me here--we need to remember that when you build superconferences, and put more of the best team in fewer leagues, and then add in NIL so those teams are more talented and better constructed, one consequence might be that teams that would've gone 26-5/16-4 in years past are now going to go 23-8/13-7? Is Purdue an eight loss team? Well, yeah they are. Does that regularly get you a top 3 seed? I'd have to check. Will it this year? Yep.

And now Nebraska is feeling like Purdue was. "Oh no. We're only 6-6 in our last 12 games. The wheels are coming off." "Well, who'd you lose to?" "Um, Michigan. Illinois. Purdue a couple of times. And, um, oh yeah, Iowa and UCLA on the road." "Yeah, you suck." Huskers were more of a Sweet 16 team when starting 20-0. But they're STILL a Sweet 16 team. Who could play a helluva 2/3 game if they keep a 3 seed. Hoiberg's squad gelled quick than others. That will be a feature of NIL ball. But, just because other teams are now gelled, don't let that make you think Nebraska isn't any good. They are.

HoustonBoiler: BoilerUp89 and Kind Of... have already made some great points about this game and these teams. I'll add that Purdue started fast with good ball movement and defense and was up by 10 after only 4 minutes of play. Purdue won the rebounding and turnover battles 37 to 29 and 9 to 10, respectively. Both teams had identical numbers, 10 for 31, on 3-point shots, but on an equal number of fouls (12 for both teams), Purdue went 12 of 14 on free throws while Nebraska was 4 for 9. Right there is 8 points in a 16 point game. Nebraska hung around and that's what you would expect from a good, well-coached team, but Purdue kept their intensity up for 40 minutes and that was the difference.

MaximumSam: My power went out during this game. Note: you should not try to drink all the beer during a power outage "before it gets warm."

UCLA 88, Michigan State 84

BoilerUp89: UCLA looked to be pulling away but a knee sprain to Bilodeau was followed by Xavier Booker fouling out. The Bruins just don't have that much post depth. That allowed MSU to make a push but some careless turnovers and big plays by Dent and Clarke held Sparty at bay.

Kind of...: Good win for the Bruins. Is it enough to get them out of the 8/9 games? Not sure. But they're playing more like the top 15 team they were expected to be. Of course, Bilodeau's health is the story hear. With him, they could scare somebody really good in the second round. Without him, not so much.

Sparty will go suck on some batteries and be ready for the tournament, I'm sure.

Previews

Wisconsin v Michigan

1:00 ET, 12:00 GTZ. CBS.

MaximumSam: Hopefully Wisconsin still has some shots left in the tank.

Kind of...: This worked out well. The last two years, Wisconsin lost the BTT title game as their fourth game in four days then played worse than seed in the NCAA tournament. I DID NOT want that to happen again. But, if it does, that means they'll beat Michigan for a second time, which is a helluva consolation prize.

Michigan was challenged yesterday by OSU, but it also seemed like they didn't flip the switch at any point. Maybe Boyd/Blackwell will a close game. Maybe their legs leave them with 12:00 to go and it gets ugly. House money, baby!

Purdue v UCLA

3:30 ET, 2:30 GTZ. CBS

BoilerUp89: Don't know whether Bilodeau will go or not. He didn't return to the MSU game. If he's out, expect Purdue to attack the paint with their bigs early to open up outside shooting opportunities.

The battle between Dent and Smith should be a classic. Dent won the head to head matchup and the Bruins won the game in LA but this is two top 5 PGs in the country battling head to head.

Kind of...: I'm not saying that Dent and Smith AREN'T two of the top 5 PGs in the country. But I am saying, I really hope somebody tells Nick Boyd this. Definitely huge edge to Purdue if Bilodeau can't go. And, unless he's 100%, why would he?

Title game doesn't get considered by the committee. Purdue win here locks a 3-seed, I think. Maybe a 2 is still possible. Who do you want if you make the Sweet 16, Boilers? UConn? Iowa State? Houston? (Given bracketing principles, it could be Illinois, Nebraska, or Sparty, too) The answer is Gonzaga/Virginia, but I don't think that's going to be possible. Just typing this makes me realize how good the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 could be this year.

HoustonBoiler: In their first matchup in LA, Purdue had opportunities to win, but let the game slip away in the final two minutes. I hope they come out salty in this one. Again, the usual performance indicators apply for Purdue, they need to rebound, limit their turnovers, contain the dribble, and make some shots. The Dent versus Smith matchup should be a great one.