2024 Big Ten Tournament Second Round Recap
On the second night of the Big Ten Tournament, there were four games. These games were Maryland vs. Wisconsin, Minnesota vs. Michigan State, Ohio State vs. Iowa, and lastly Penn State vs. Indiana. The first game of the day started around noon while the last tipped off around 9:15 pm. In the first game, Minnesota vs. Michigan State, both teams went back and forth all throughout the first half trading buckets. Yet in the second half, it was a different story as MSU dominated. MSU would go on to outscore Minnesota by 12 in the second half and win 77-67 after entering the halftime down two. Michigan State was led by strong efforts from Guards Tyson Walker and A.J. Hoggard. Walker contributed 15 points and two steals while Hoggard added 17 points shooting a perfect six for six from the field during an impressive performance. Michigan State will now have a huge test next as they take on Purdue and potential player of the year in seven-foot center Zach Edey.
The next game on the slate was Maryland vs. Wisconsin. This one got out of hand very quickly as Wisconsin jumped to an early lead and never looked back. Wisconsin would go on to win by 31 with a final score of 87-56. This marks the end of the road for Maryland who after an impressive win against Rutgers yesterday could not seem to get anything to go their way today. Wisconsin was able to win due to an outstanding game from young guard John Blackwell. Blackwell scored 18 points while also adding five rebounds. Next Wisconsin will play against Northwestern who has had a great season and currently sit at 21-10 overall. This game should prove to be a close one.
The third game of the night featured both Ohio State and Iowa. Ohio State has a great roster this year and took the win tonight 90-78. Much like the Michigan State vs Minnesota game earlier today, it was very close at half but didn’t end up too close as the Buckeyes were able to pull away. Ohio State was led by Forward Jamison Battle who scored an impressive 23 points while also corralling nine rebounds as well. Overall, when looking at the team’s stats it looks as though Iowa could have potentially won the game. The one difference between the two was three-point shooting and this is where Iowa could not compete. Ohio State shot 55% from three while Iowa shot 38%. Tomorrow Ohio State will take on Illinois who this season is 23-8 so this will prove a major challenge.
The last game of the night was Penn State vs. Indiana this one came down to the wire with lots of plays from players on both sides. Some of the best teams in the whole tournament and some of the best players matched up and it made it one of the best games of the year. Indiana won after an incredible performance by Kel’el Ware who dominated the paint with 18 points, 14 rebounds, and three blocks. For Penn State, Puff Johnson had a great game for the team even in the loss contributing 16 points and six rebounds. Indiana will go on to play against a very underrated Nebraska team after the 61-59 win.
