The Big Ten Tournament championship is set.
As expected, the top-ranked Purdue Boilermakers reach the conference title game with a semifinal drubbing of Ohio State, ending the Buckeye’s improbable run. On the flipside, Penn State continues its tournament run by sneaking past Indiana with hopes of playing ‘Spoilermaker.’ Penn State’s success has earned it its first bid to the NCAA Tournament since 2011.
The Big Ten Championship Game will air at 2:30 p.m. CST on CBS and Paramount+ live from the United Center in Chicago on Sunday.
Day 4: Semifinals
Game 11: No. 1 Purdue defeats No. 13 Ohio State, 80-66: Zach Edey could not be stopped Saturday, as the Big Ten Player of the Year recorded a double-double off a massive 32 points scored and 14 total rebounds. He put up a game-high 25 field goal attempts, sinking 12. Purdue scored 36 points in the paint, double that of the Buckeyes. Brandon Newman added 15 points for the Boilermakers and Braden Smith scored 14. No player aside from Edey attempted more than seven shots in the game. For the Buckeyes, Roddy Gayle, Jr. scored 20 points while Justice Sueing added 15.
Edey spoke about his 13 second half rebounds: “I think I attacked the glass the same way both halves. It doesn’t matter if the ball is coming to you or not coming to you. Rebounds, at the end of the day, they’re kind of like a thing of chance. You can get to the perfect rebound spot, you can get to the opposite side, you can get to the weak side, but sometimes the ball will just not bounce your way.”
Game 12: No. 10 Penn State defeats No. 3 Indiana, 77-73: The story of the Big Ten this year is that its been a slugfest, and this game was no different. Jalen Pickett scored a game-high 28 points, going 9 of 19 while sinking 9 of 10 shots at the line. Seth Lundy added 16 points for the Nittany Lions. Indiana won the battle in the paint as the Hoosiers posted 48 points compared to Penn State’s 22. Trayce Jackson-Davis recorded 24 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to lead his side. Tamar Bates scores 14 points, Jalen Hood-Schifino scored 11 and race Thompson 10.
Pickett on where the team is at heading into their fourth game in four days: “It’s a championship game. Nobody’s tired. Nobody’s fatigued. It feels like day one coming up. We’re going to get in with Justin, our trainer, and do some treatment and stretching. We have a routine going at the
hotel, so we’re going to get on top of that.”
