Big Ten Roundup (March 9): Nebraska's Hot Streak Ends with Loss to Northwestern; Penn State Wins

The Big Ten Tournament tipped off with first-round action on Wednesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, with Northwestern and Penn State posting victories to advance to the second round.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Nebraska came roaring into the Big Ten Tournament with three head-spinning wins, so it was no surprise that Fred Hoiberg's Cornhuskers led Northwestern by 14 points at halftime on Wednesday night in the first round game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

But even down 15 points with 15 minutes to go, the Wildcats simply weren't ready to go home. Led by Boo Buie's 14 second-half points, Northwestern came back to win 71-69 to advance to the second round and get their first conference tournmenet win in five years.

"It was kind of a tale of two halves,'' Northwestern coach Chris Collins said. "We're not a high turnover team, and we had 10 in the first half and no one was more confident coming into this tournament that Nebraska. They played with a lot of energy and really had us on our heels.

"But we showed some resolve and we stuck together. We hit some shots, but even more importantly we made some stops. They were really in a rhythm, and our zone sort of took them out of things. These guys deserve it. They come every day, win or lose, and they're a resilient group of guys that really want to win. They played hard in the second half and made a lot of big plays.''

Buie had a quiet first half and admitted he sort of lost control in the locker room. But his teammates and coaches settled him down and picked him up, reminding him how much they needed him.

And it showed.

''In the locker room, I was kind of frustrated with myself and letting my emotions out because I didn't do anything in the first half,'' Buie said. "My teammates kept me positive, and I was able to come out and play a lot better. It's early March, and guys are trying to continue their seasons. None of us are ready to go home.''

Nebraska led 50-35 with 15:28 to go before the Wildcats went on a 14-0 run just three minutes, with a Buie three-pointer cutting the lead to one

Northwestern finally got ahead at the 6:24 mark, taking the lead at 63-62 on another Buie three. He hit another three with 1:42 to put Northwestern ahead by four. Nebraska tied the game at 69-69 on two Alonzo Verge Jr. free throws, but they didn't score again. Verge and Bryce McGowens both missed driving layups in the final minute, and free throws by Chase Audige and Buie was enough for the win.

Bryce McGowens, who missed the season finale with a wrist injury, struggled with his shot. He was just 2-for-10 from the field and scored only six points. 

Northwestern gets Iowa on Thursday afternoon in the second game of the day. They'll play 25 minutes after Indiana and Michigan, at approximately 2 p.m. ET

"It really means a lot (to finally get a win in the tournament),'' Northwestern forward Pete Nance said. "You want to change things, and this proves we're not that same team like the past few years. We came together and got a win, which really means a lot to our team and our program. It all comes down to belief in your teammates. It's what we all have in each other. 

Penn State, Minnesota 

Jalen Pickett scored 22 points and Penn State defeated Minnesota 60-51 in the first round of the Big Ten Conference tournament on Wednesday night.

Minnesota, the 14th-seed, led at halftime 28-24 before the Nittany Lions got hot. Sam Sessoms finished with 14 points for Penn State, while Seth Lundy scored 11. John Harrar had 12 rebounds to go with six points.

Penn State led the Big Ten in scoring defense, yielding 66.2 points per game, and held the Gophers to 16 points below their average. It was the first time that Minnesota had lost to Penn State in five tries in the conference tourney.

The Nittany Lions advance to play No. 6 seed Ohio State in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

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