Following a blazing start in the NCAA Tournament, the Big Ten experienced a slight dip over the weekend. Nevertheless, the conference will still have a strong presence in the March Madness regionals, with four teams advancing to the Sweet 16.
On Saturday, Purdue became the first Big Ten team to secure their spot in the tournament’s second weekend. They achieved this with a dominant wire-to-wire victory against McNeese, who had previously upset Clemson in the first round.
Later that day, Michigan, the Big Ten Tournament champion, also made it to the Sweet 16. The Wolverines staged a comeback from a double-digit deficit in the second half to defeat Texas A&M.
On Sunday, Maryland delivered the most thrilling game of the tournament so far. After conceding a go-ahead three-pointer to Colorado State with just six seconds remaining, Terrapins freshman Derik Queen made a stunning buzzer-beater off the backboard, propelling his team to San Francisco for the next weekend.
On Sunday night, Michigan State, the champions of the conference regular season, managed to shake off a sluggish beginning to fend off an upset by New Mexico, advancing to the second weekend. This marks the Spartans’ 16th appearance in the Sweet 16 under the leadership of head coach Tom Izzo, yet it is only their third in the last ten years.
As previously noted, Maryland is set to travel to the West Regional in San Francisco. Purdue will compete in the Midwest Regional in Indianapolis, while both Michigan and Michigan State will make their way to the South Regional in Atlanta.
Latest posts by Priyanka Patil (see all)