Big Ten Roundup (March 16): Another Early Exit for Iowa, Illinois; Penn State Dominates

Five Big Ten teams took the floor on Thursday in the 2023 NCAA Tournament Round of 64. Iowa and Illinois were sent home with losses, while Maryland and Northwestern secured narrow wins. Penn State was the Big Ten's top performer on Thursday, crushing Texas A&M 76-59 behind eight 3-pointers from Andrew Funk.

Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK

Five Big Ten teams were in action on Thursday in the NCAA Tournament. The conference went 3-2 overall, beginning with Maryland's narrow win in the opening game. 

The Terrapins, along with Northwestern and Penn State, are still dancing, but Iowa and Illinois suffered another early exit in the NCAA Tournament.

After Illinois' 76-71 loss at Purdue on March 5, when the Illini turned a 23-point deficit into a tie game with a minute left, coach Brad Underwood left West Lafayette, Ind. giddy about the Illini's postseason chances.

"I think we're playing our best basketball," Underwood said on March 5. "I really think we've shown we can play with anybody in this tournament. It is win or go home, you know, we're guaranteed nothing from here on out ... I know this, I wouldn't want to play us."

But following a narrow loss at Purdue, Illinois' season ended quickly with a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal exit against Penn State and an NCAA Tournament Round of 64 loss to Arkansas. Illinois has lost in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive seasons, and the program hasn't reached the Sweet 16 since 2005. 

Meanwhile in Birmingham, Ala., Iowa's similar NCAA Tournament struggles continued with an 83-75 loss to Auburn. The Iowa defense couldn't contain Auburn's Johni Broome inside, and the Hawkeyes shot 25.9 percent from 3-point range.

With this loss, Iowa coach Fran McCaffery has still never made the Sweet 16. Across 13 seasons at Iowa, he has just four NCAA Tournament wins, including back-to-back Round of 64 exits. Iowa hasn't made the Sweet 16 since 1999.

Illinois Fighting Illini guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (0) dunks against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the first half at Wells Fargo Arena / Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

Thursday's results

• No. 8 Maryland 67, No. 9 West Virginia 65: Six turnovers in the first seven minutes created an early 16-4 deficit for Maryland, but the Terrapins closed the first half on a 19-9 run to take the lead at halftime. Julian Reese and Jahmir Young scored clutch points down the stretch, and West Virginia's last-second heave fell just short. Reese led Maryland with 17 points nine rebounds, and the rest of the starting lineup scored at least nine points. Kedrian Johnson led West Virginia with 27 points, but the Mountaineers shot 39.3 percent overall.
• No. 8 Arkansas 73, No. 9 Illinois 63: Illinois' late rally made it a five-point game with 2:30 remaining, but Arkansas led by double digits for most of the afternoon. Illinois turned the ball over 16 times, and leading scorers Matthew Mayer and Terrence Shannon Jr. combined to shoot 0-for-8 from 3-point range. Ricky Council IV led Arkansas' fast-paced attack with 18 points and 10 rebounds, followed by 16 points from Davonte Davis. Under coach Brad Underwood, the Illini have lost in the first weekend in three consecutive seasons, and the program hasn't reached the Sweet 16 since 2005.
• No. 9 Auburn 83, No. 8 Iowa 75: Iowa trimmed a 17-point deficit down to a four-point game in the second half, but Auburn went 9-for-11 at the free throw line in the final four minutes to secure the win. Four Tigers finished with double-digit points, led by Johni Broome's 19 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks. Payton Sandfort scored a team-high 21 points off the bench, but Iowa shot 7-for-27 from 3-point range in the loss. Across 13 seasons, coach Fran McCaffery has never reached the Sweet 16.
• No. 7 Northwestern 75, No. 10 Boise State 67: Boise State stayed within striking distance all night, but Northwestern never trailed in this game. Wildcat guards Boo Buie and Chase Audige combined for 44 points to secure the program's second-ever NCAA Tournament win. Max Rice scored 17 points, but Boise State shot 6-for-23 from beyond the arc in the loss. 
• No. 10 Penn State 76, No. 7 Texas A&M 59: By far the most impressive performance from a Big Ten team on Thursday, Penn State played a near-flawless game for 40 minutes. After a back-and-forth start, Penn State went on a 25-10 run in the final 10 minutes of the first half and led by as much as 26 in the second half. Andrew Funk made 8-of-10 3-point attempts, and Jalen Pickett scored 19 points with eight assists and seven rebounds to lead Penn State. 

Friday's slate

(odds via SI Sportsbook)

• No. 7 Michigan State (-2.5) vs. No. 10 USC, 12:15 p.m. ET on CBS
• No. 1 Purdue (-23.5) vs. No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson, 6:50 p.m. ET on TNT
• No. 4 Indiana (-4.5) vs. No. 13 Kent State, 9:55 p.m. ET on TBS