T he first round of the Big Ten Tournament kicks off Thursday afternoon, and that means one thing - March Madness officially is here . Check out what to watch for in the day-long opening round taking place in Indianapolis. All games will be televised on Big Ten Network.
-Matt Sheehan
No. 8 Indiana (17-14, 7-11) vs. No. 9 Illinois (18-13, 7-11)
Noon
Hoosier guard Yogi Ferrell has carried Indiana the best he could, but to say he has gone cold would be an understatement. In the last four games, he only has shot above 36 percent once, but Indiana can rely on freshman forward Noah Vonleh to give them an advantage in the paint.
After a disastrous 2-8 start to the Big Ten season, the Fighting Illini are one of the sneakiest teams in the Big Ten as of late. They have won four of their last five games, including wins at MSU and Iowa’s home floor.
No. 5 Ohio State (23-8, 10-8) vs. No. 12 Purdue (15-16, 5-13)
2:30 p.m.
The roller coaster team that is OSU will take on the pile of shambles that is Purdue. OSU is coming off an emotion-filled 69-67 victory over MSU on the Buckeyes’ senior day. LaQuinton Ross has the hot hand for OSU, as he has scored at least 15 points in five of the last seven games.
Purdue has seen better days, as their young team sits at the bottom of the conference. Finding offense has been an issue for the Boilermakers, as no one on their roster is in the top 20 for scoring in the Big Ten.
No. 7 Minnesota (19-12, 8-10) vs. No. 10 Penn State (15-16, 6-12)
6:30 p.m.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the up-and-down Gophers on the bubble for his NCAA Tournament bracket. If first-year head coach Richard Pitino can topple the Nittany Lions, Minnesota might be in the Big Dance for the second consecutive season.
It will be a tough task, as Tim Frazier and D.J. Newbill give Penn State the highest-scoring backcourt in the Big Ten, averaging a combined 33.3 points per game.
No. 6 Iowa (20-11, 9-9) vs. No. 11 Northwestern (13-18, 6-12)
9 p.m.
MSU will play the winner of this contest between two teams that have nearly turned into dumpster fires late in the year.
Iowa has lost five of its last six, and could go to the bubble with a loss to the Wildcats. Iowa guard Roy Devyn Marble likely will lead the team.
Northwestern hasn’t been a prettier sight, as they have lost seven of their last eight games. The Wildcats will be missing their second-leading scorer JerShon Cobb, as he is predicted to miss the remainder of the season with a foot injury.
