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Big Ten men's basketball news, March 7 - UCLA and Ohio State dominate
Summary
Purdue's credibility as a Big Ten basketball contender took a hit as the Wisconsin Badgers got the best of the Boilermakers. UCLA, Ohio State, and Wisconsin all look like teams that are ready to be contenders and make March even more exciting. The USC Trojans ended the season as the biggest losers in the conference and seem ready for the next season to start.
Here are the scores and the rest of my analysis from the games in Big Ten basketball, played on Saturday:
This is the elite Wisconsin team that needed to show up, and the Purdue Boilermakers revealed themselves as a potential contender in this loss. The Badgers' two stars were as good as they could have been. Nick Boyd had 23 points, and John Blackwell had 25 points. The Badgers' offense was blazing hot, as they shot 52.9% from 3 and 55.8% from the field. The Badgers got outmatched on the glass, but they used their second-highest single-game 3-point total with 18 3-pointers to get the victory over ranked Purdue. 12 of their 3 pointers were drilled in the first half, a record as well. When the Badgers' offense is playing like this, Purdue is not the only top contender they can take down in the Big Ten, and the entire country. This is a dangerous team that is picking up steam late.
Not the season both teams wanted to have this year, but that did not stop them from delivering a classic game in their last game of the season. Martinelli had had great moments, and he has made game winners this season, but he came up short. Northwestern came back from a 15-point deficit and took Minnesota to the brink of an upset with quite the second-half run. It was the great defense from the Wildcats that helped spoil their run, and the shots started to go in to follow. Martinelli finished his last college game going down swinging with another 23-point performance and 9 rebounds. He was great this season, and he should be sought out as a player in the draft. Cade Tyson and the Gophers leaders pulled this one out, finishing the season with a win. As ugly as the season was at one point for Minnesota, it is reassuring that this team was able to finish the season playing better and with a great win.
In the season finale for the Trojans, they get embarrassed by their rival. Alijah Arenas had a better performance than in his most recent games, as he had 20 points and 3 3-pointers. The Bruins' offense got production from everyone, 19 points from the bench, and 3 of their starters had 16 points or more. Donovan Dent outmatches the Trojans in yet another matchup. He was the lead guy for the Bruins, with his 25 points and 7 assists. The Bruins as a whole had an elite offensive day, shooting 57.6% from the field and getting second-chance opportunities at a high rate, with a 35-25 rebound win. It has been two different stories for both teams to finish the season; the Trojans completely collapsed, losing 7 straight games. The Bruins have won 4 of their last 5 games, two of which were top 10 rivals. The Bruins have finished the season exactly how they needed to.
Ohio State puts up another offensive masterclass as its top guy, Bruce Thornton, becomes the Buckeyes ' all-time leading scorer. Bruce Thornton put a stamp on his legacy at Ohio State while dominating the Hoosiers with his 25 points, only missing 2 shots from the field. Thornton was not the only guy with a hot hand, as the big 3 for OSU was in full effect. John Mobley Jr. and Amare Bynum both chipped in 18 points, scoring as much as the Hoosiers' top guy, Lamar Wilkerson. The Buckeyes' unstoppable offense propelled them to this lopsided win and gave them great confidence moving forward that this is the version that will be present in both tournaments.
The Ducks had multiple guys step up in this game to pull off the upset, but no performance was more impactful than Kwame Evans Jr. Evans Jr. posted 20 points on the day and was getting to the line all game long. Evans Jr. had 9 of his 20 points come down the stretch, leading his team to the win. Hannes Steinbach was the best player on the court with his 26-point, 13-rebound performance. The Huskies just did not get enough off the bench and in their rotation. The Ducks got off to a hot start and could not miss from beyond the arc; that trend would continue as they needed to take back control of the game, finishing the game shooting 45% from 3. This game was an encouraging win, but sad in the regard that this season could have been much more for the Ducks. Washington, on the other hand, has wasted an elite season by Hannes Steinbach.
Wisconsin, UCLA, and Ohio State all end the season with very necessary momentum to take the Big Ten tournament by storm and have their shot to make some noise in the NCAA tournament as well. USC, on the other hand, lost that shot 5 losses ago. The season ended with a completion and some dysfunction mixed into the losses. Minnesota was able to do the opposite and end the season on a high note with a win over the Wildcats.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Biggest winners & losers - March 7 Big Ten men's basketball
Here are the scores and the rest of my analysis from the games in Big Ten basketball, played on Saturday:
This is the elite Wisconsin team that needed to show up, and the Purdue Boilermakers revealed themselves as a potential contender in this loss. The Badgers' two stars were as good as they could have been. Nick Boyd had 23 points, and John Blackwell had 25 points. The Badgers' offense was blazing hot, as they shot 52.9% from 3 and 55.8% from the field. The Badgers got outmatched on the glass, but they used their second-highest single-game 3-point total with 18 3-pointers to get the victory over ranked Purdue. 12 of their 3 pointers were drilled in the first half, a record as well. When the Badgers' offense is playing like this, Purdue is not the only top contender they can take down in the Big Ten, and the entire country. This is a dangerous team that is picking up steam late.
Not the season both teams wanted to have this year, but that did not stop them from delivering a classic game in their last game of the season. Martinelli had had great moments, and he has made game winners this season, but he came up short. Northwestern came back from a 15-point deficit and took Minnesota to the brink of an upset with quite the second-half run. It was the great defense from the Wildcats that helped spoil their run, and the shots started to go in to follow. Martinelli finished his last college game going down swinging with another 23-point performance and 9 rebounds. He was great this season, and he should be sought out as a player in the draft. Cade Tyson and the Gophers leaders pulled this one out, finishing the season with a win. As ugly as the season was at one point for Minnesota, it is reassuring that this team was able to finish the season playing better and with a great win.
In the season finale for the Trojans, they get embarrassed by their rival. Alijah Arenas had a better performance than in his most recent games, as he had 20 points and 3 3-pointers. The Bruins' offense got production from everyone, 19 points from the bench, and 3 of their starters had 16 points or more. Donovan Dent outmatches the Trojans in yet another matchup. He was the lead guy for the Bruins, with his 25 points and 7 assists. The Bruins as a whole had an elite offensive day, shooting 57.6% from the field and getting second-chance opportunities at a high rate, with a 35-25 rebound win. It has been two different stories for both teams to finish the season; the Trojans completely collapsed, losing 7 straight games. The Bruins have won 4 of their last 5 games, two of which were top 10 rivals. The Bruins have finished the season exactly how they needed to.
Ohio State puts up another offensive masterclass as its top guy, Bruce Thornton, becomes the Buckeyes ' all-time leading scorer. Bruce Thornton put a stamp on his legacy at Ohio State while dominating the Hoosiers with his 25 points, only missing 2 shots from the field. Thornton was not the only guy with a hot hand, as the big 3 for OSU was in full effect. John Mobley Jr. and Amare Bynum both chipped in 18 points, scoring as much as the Hoosiers' top guy, Lamar Wilkerson. The Buckeyes' unstoppable offense propelled them to this lopsided win and gave them great confidence moving forward that this is the version that will be present in both tournaments.
The Ducks had multiple guys step up in this game to pull off the upset, but no performance was more impactful than Kwame Evans Jr. Evans Jr. posted 20 points on the day and was getting to the line all game long. Evans Jr. had 9 of his 20 points come down the stretch, leading his team to the win. Hannes Steinbach was the best player on the court with his 26-point, 13-rebound performance. The Huskies just did not get enough off the bench and in their rotation. The Ducks got off to a hot start and could not miss from beyond the arc; that trend would continue as they needed to take back control of the game, finishing the game shooting 45% from 3. This game was an encouraging win, but sad in the regard that this season could have been much more for the Ducks. Washington, on the other hand, has wasted an elite season by Hannes Steinbach.
Wisconsin, UCLA, and Ohio State all end the season with very necessary momentum to take the Big Ten tournament by storm and have their shot to make some noise in the NCAA tournament as well. USC, on the other hand, lost that shot 5 losses ago. The season ended with a completion and some dysfunction mixed into the losses. Minnesota was able to do the opposite and end the season on a high note with a win over the Wildcats.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Biggest winners & losers - March 7 Big Ten men's basketball
AI Description
The article discusses the performance of Big Ten men's basketball teams, highlighting UCLA and Ohio State as dominant forces. Purdue's struggles are noted, and Indiana's position is questioned.