Big Ten Roundup (Sunday): Champions Illinois, Wisconsin Knocked Out of NCAA Tournament

The Big Ten is getting ripped apart on Sunday, as all four teams that played in the afternoon got beat, including league champions Illinois and Wisconsin. Michigan State and Ohio State struggled to close out their games. Purdue plays Sunday night.

Tom Brew | Mar 21, 2022

Big Ten Roundup (Sunday): Champions Illinois, Wisconsin Knocked Out of NCAA Tournament /

It was Sunday bloody Sunday for the Big Ten, as the league started the day with four straight losses in the second round of the NCAA Tournament — including ugly defeats by co-champions Illinois and Wisconsin.

Illinois lost to Houston 68-53 in another disappointing early exit for Brad Underwood's team. Kofi Cockburn, Illinois' All-American 7-foot center, scored 19 points, but his teammates were just 11-of-39 shooting, a dismal 28.2 percent.

"I wish I had an explanation for 6-of-25 from three, our poor shooting,'' Underwood said. "I thought for the most part we were really good defensively, played well enough to win on that side of the court. But we turned the ball over 17 times, got outrebounded, and gave up a boatload of offensive rebounds, which gave them a lot of opportunities. When you combine turnovers with offensive rebounds, and the fact that they got nine more field goal attempts than us, it stretches your offense.''

Wisconsin had its worst offensive performance of the season, desperately missing point guard Chuckie Hepburn, who injured an ankle early in the 54-49 loss to No. 11-seed Iowa State. The 49 points were a season low, and the 17 turnovers they made were the most in three years. They were just 2-for-22 from three-point range, also a season-low, shot just 29.8 percent from the field.

Wisconsin star Johnny Davis was just 4-for-16 from the field, and 0-for-7 from three. He finished with 17 points, making 9-of-11 free throws.

Michigan State and Ohio State both lost as well, falling to a pair of No. 2 seeds as underdogs. The Spartans lost to Duke 86-75 in the final meeting between coaching legends Tom Izzo and Mike Krzyzewski. Ohio State 71-61 to Villanova.

The Spartans had a two-point lead at 74-72 with 2:50 left, but got outscored 12-3 down the stretch. It spoiled great games from Gabe Brown and Marcus Bingham, Jr., who had 18 and 16 points, respectively. The Spartans were 11-for-22 from three, with Brown hitting four.

"I thought, if we could get it within two points at ten-minute mark, then pressure goes on them, and now we're five up with four or five minutes left. Like a championship team, they dug down and made some plays,'' Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said of Duke.

"We had a stretch there where we were one-up, and we had two blocks and two turnovers. Then the last five minutes, I think they made every shot. We just didn't have enough. Last year I was mad at my team at the end. This year I'm proud of my team at the end. We'll learn from this and hopefully get better.''

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski (right) hugs Michigan State coach Tom Izzo after a 85-76 win for the Blue Devils in Greenville, S.C.on Sunday. (Ken Ruinard/USA TODAY Sports)

Ohio State was within two points of Villanova with five minutes left, but also struggled to finish, getting outscored 11-3 in the game's final minutes. Freshman Malachi Branham had 23 points and E.J. Liddell added 17, but the rest of the Buckeyes were just 8-for-25 shooting.

The fifth Big Ten team on Sunday's schedule, the No. 3 seed Purdue Boilermakers, play Sunday night in Milwaukee, Wis. against No. 6 seed Texas. (UPDATE: Purdue did save some face for the Big Ten, beating Texas 81-71. Here's the link to the game story: CLICK HERE

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