Boilermakers Country

Quick Hits from Day 3 at the 2025 Big Ten Basketball Tournament

Iowa parts ways with Fran McCaffery, Wisconsin goes off, MSU looks championship worthy and more from Day 3 at the 2025 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament.

Dustin Schutte

Wisconsin Badgers guard John Tonje (9) celebrates after a play
Wisconsin Badgers guard John Tonje (9) celebrates after a play / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images
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INDIANAPOLIS — Well, there were some exciting moments and stellar individual performances on Friday, but the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament turned out to be a bit of a dud — at least when you look at the final scores.

All four games on Friday were decided by double digits, with Michigan State's 10-point win over Oregon being the closest game. But that doesn't mean there weren't any takeaways from the quarterfinal round.

Here are the quick hitters from Friday in Indianapolis.

Quarterfinal final scores

  • No. 1 Michigan State def. No. 8 Oregon 74-64
  • No. 5 Wisconsin def. No. 4 UCLA 86-70
  • No. 2 Maryland def. No. 7 Illinois 88-65
  • No. 3 Michigan def. No. 6 Purdue 86-68

Fran McCaffery out at Iowa

There will be a new face on the sidelines in Iowa City next season. On Friday, Iowa announced that it has parted ways with Fran McCaffery after 15 seasons as the coach of the program. The Hawkeyes finished the year with a 17-16 record and were eliminated from the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday after a 106-94 loss to Illinois.

McCaffery was ejected with over 13 minutes remaining in the game. It will mark his last game as the coach of the Hawkeyes.

"Fran McCaffery has been an integral part of our Hawkeye family for the past 15 years. He is a tremendous coach and teacher, and we are grateful for the positive impact he has made on the institution and the community," said athletic director Beth Goetz. "We have a deep appreciation for his dedication to our student-athletes and his passion for the game that will have a lasting impact on our program."

McCaffery took over at Iowa in 2010. In his 15 seasons, he guided the program to a 297-206 record, seven NCAA Tournament appearances, four trips to the NIT and won a Big Ten Tournament title in 2022.

Is Michigan State a title contender?

Once again, Michigan State looked pretty impressive in its 2025 Big Ten Tournament debut, defeating Oregon 74-64 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Eight different players scored at least five points in the game, led by Jase Richardson with 17 points.

The Spartans proved this season that they were the best team in the Big Ten, winning the league with a 17-3 mark in conference play. They're looking to add a Big Ten Tournament championship to their resumé this season.

But one question still remains: Can Michigan State win it all? Richardson thinks the Spartans have all the pieces to bring a national championship.

"Most definitely. I think we have the tools to do it and the coaching staff to do it," Richardson said after Friday's game. "We just have to believe in ourselves, do our job — tonight, we didn't shoot it as well from the free throw line, I didn't shoot as well from the free throw line. So, we just have some things we have to improve on."

Badgers get red-hot from 3

In the house that Reggie Miller built, Wisconsin put on a three-point shooting clinic on Friday. The Badgers caught fire from behind the arc in their quarterfinal matchup against UCLA and never cooled off.

Wisconsin finished the game making 19-of-32 shots from three-point range, tying the Big Ten Tournament record for most made three-pointers in a game. Three Badgers were perfect from distance, with John Tonje making all six of his shots from deep and Steven Crowl and Kamari McGee both going three-for-three.

Greg Gard's team has been one of the most explosive offensive squads in the Big Ten this season. When they're shooting well, the Badgers are capable of beating anyone in the country.

An acting career for Rodney Rice?

Rodney Rice might be responsible for the most unique three-pointer in the Big Ten Tournament this year. In Friday's 88-65 drubbing of Illinois, the guard appeared to fake an injury during a play, which then left him open to knock down a triple while drawing a foul.

Rice slipped on the floor in the second half of the game and appeared to be in some pain, grabbing his leg. But when he saw an Illinois defender leave him, he stood up, got the basketball and made a three-pointer while also getting fouled.

It was part of a 26-point nice for Rice, who made seven shots from three-point range in the blowout win.

A Wolf in Wolverines clothing

Danny Wolf's first Big Ten Tournament game went about as well as you can imagine. The Michigan 7-footer put up huge numbers on an 86-68 victory over Purdue on Friday, pushing the Wolverines to the semifinal round of the event.

Wolf scored 18 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out six assists in his Big Ten Tournament debut, one of the best all-around performances of the day. As a result of his efforts, Michigan will play Maryland on Saturday with a trip to the championship hanging in the balance.

If he continues to play at that level, Michigan is going to be a tough team to beat this month.

Related Big Ten stories

DAY 2 AT BIG TEN TOURNAMENT: Fran McCaffery is ejected, John Tonje goes off, a near fight after the Purdue-USC game and more from the second round of the Big Ten Tournament. CLICK HERE

DAY 1 AT BIG TEN TOURNAMENT: Chris Collins wasn't pleased with his team's hotel accommodations, Ohio State's bubble is burst and more from Day 1 at the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament. CLICK HERE

ALL-BIG TEN TEAMS ANNOUNCED: The All-Big Ten men's basketball teams for the 2024-25 season were announced on Tuesday, as well as winners of the individual awards. CLICK HERE

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Dustin Schutte
DUSTIN SCHUTTE

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