Standings

1. Purdue (13-5)

2. Maryland, Northwestern, Indiana, Michigan (11-7)

6. Iowa, Illinois, Rutgers (10-8)

9. Michigan State (9-8)

10. Penn State, Nebraska, Wisconsin (8-10)

13. Ohio State (4-14)

14. Minnesota (1-16)

Summary: Purdue has clinched a share of the conference and wins it outright with another win in their last two games. Sorting out the rest is still way up in the air.

Sunday, February 26th

Maryland Terrapins 75, Northwestern Wildcats 59

MaximumSam: Northwestern kept it close for a half, but the Terps shots 64% from three, which is generally a recipe for winning handily. It drops Northwestern into the mess of teams fighting for the double by. I’d try to figure out the various scenarios for teams to to get the double bye, but that is a level of commitment to math that I haven’t made.

Michigan Wolverines 87, Wisconsin Badgers 79 (OT)

MaximumSam: Michigan was dead - Max Klesmit rejected Kobe Bufkin again on a three point shot to tie, and it felt like the game was over. Hunter Dickinson, fresh off stomping Tyler Wahl, got to be the hero and just nail a 30 footer for the tie, and Michigan got the win in OT. They are, improbably, in second place, though they now have two tough road games against Illinois and Indiana to finish the season. The Slapping Howards still have tourney life.

Ohio State Buckeyes 72, Illinois Fighting Illini 60

MaximumSam: How ‘bout them Buckeyes? The Baby Bucks finally got a win, thanks to Bruce Thornton being able to control a lot of the game. Neither team could get anywhere from range, though the Illini once again didn’t let things like percentages keep them down, as they shot 29 threes (and made 6). Weirdly, it seemed like Chris Holtmann and Brad Underwood made a handshake agreement to not play centers, as Felix Okpara and Dain Dainja both played fewer than ten minutes.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights 59, Penn State Nittany Lions 56

MaximumSam: Oof. That might be the sound of Penn State slipping off the bubble, asthey blew a 7 point lead with 5 minutes left. Caleb McConnell did a great job holding Jalen Pickett to 11 points, and Seth Lundy went 0-11 from three to keep the score low enough for Rutgers to sneak the win.

Tuesday, February 28th

#50 Iowa Hawkeyes (18-11, 10-8) at #24 Indiana Hoosiers (20-9, 11-7), 6 pm, ESPN2

MaximumSam: Purdue isn’t likely to lose their last two games. But if they do, the Hoosiers have a chance. Both their remaining games are at home, though they lost their first game to Iowa in a thriller, 91-89. TJD and Kris Murray both dropped 30, and there’s no reason to expect any different tonight. Of note, Mike Woodson says Xavier Johnson won’t play tonight but may be available in their finale against Michigan. Torvik goes Hoosiers, 85-78.

#27 Michigan State Spartans (17-11, 9-8) at #108 Nebraska Cornhuskers (15-14, 8-10), 8 pm, BTN

MaximumSam: Sparty’s game against Minnesota, postponed due to the tragic shooting, has officially been cancelled. That leaves them in a weird position in the mushy middle where they won’t tie with anyone. They’ll essentially be behind anyone they tie in the loss column and ahead of anyone they tie in wins. Even I can figure out that math. The Huskers have won four straight and have generally been a tough out at home. Torvik goes Sparty, 67-64.

Other Action

I generally pretend the rest of basketball doesn’t exist, but March Madness has begun and BoilerUp89 has been doing the Lord’s work in documenting all the action. The Sun Belt, Horizon, and Patriot Leagues all start their tourneys today, while the Atlantic Sun started yesterday. Check it out!