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Jordan Taylor didn’t have a great game, but he had a great final two minutes. The Big Ten Geek Player of the Year was an awful 2-16 from the field, and was severely outplayed by his counterpart, Jacob Pullen (who lit up the Badgers for 38 points). But in crunch time, Taylor made his presence felt, with a key steal that led to a Mike Bruesewitz three pointer, and then later blocked Pullen’s three point attempt that would have tied the game with seconds on the clock. The end result was a 70-65 win for Wisconsin, who advances to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2008. And the good news is that they won’t have to guard Stephen Curry. This game was a physical affair, as both Jon Leuer and Keaton Nankivil were bloodied in the opening minutes of the game. Indeed, it was rough going for the Badgers in the paint, as they converted just forty percent of their two point attempts. But the offense was nonetheless efficient, thanks to the typical combination of great ballhandling (a turnover rate of just 9 percent) and hot outside shooting (45 percent on threes). Leuer led the way with 19 points on 12 shots.
It was over before it began in Ohio State’s 98-66 win over George Mason. The Buckeyes scored 1.48 points per possession, thanks largely to its outstanding shooting performance. Thad Matta’s team was 61 percent from two point range and 62 percent from downtown, all good for a 74.7 effective field goal percentage. OSU also turned it over on less than 15 percent of their possessions, and rebounded over 40 percent of their rare misses. In short, it was domination. Ohio State is playing its best basketball of these season, right now. David Lighty led the way with 25 points on a mere 10 shots, and he was a perfect 7 for 7 from three point range.
Illinois ended their season in an emblematic loss--where the team shows they belong for about 35 minutes, and then crumbles down the stretch. Kansas’ Morris twins were just too much for the Illini, combining for 41 points and 25 rebounds in a 73-59 Jayhawk victory. Illinois got a nice boost from Mike Davis, who finished with a 17 point, 7 rebound line in his final game as an Illini. Despite the fact they shot poorly in this game, Bruce Weber’s team forced Kansas into a surprising number of turnovers.
It’s a shame that Illinois had to play a 1-seed in the round of 32, as this is a better team than your typical 8-seed. But this team brought it on itself. All season long, the Illini blew leads, and failed to convert late in games. Even so, this looked like a team that should have been a bit better than their +0.05 efficiency margin. The offense bears most of the blame, as the Illini once again attempted too many jumpers that counted for only two points. Going forward, the offense will look different. The main offenders of the mid-range jump shot were Mike Davis, Mike Tisdale, and Demetri McCamey. But it’s hard to see this team being better next season. Obviously, a lot of seniors are walking out the door, and though Bruce Weber welcomes a very good recruiting class, it’s not a class that anyone would mistake for the Fab Five in terms of “instant impact.” Illinois figures to have the most problems in the frontcourt, as the only viable alternative to the Mikes this season was freshman Jereme Richmond--and his status appears to be up in the air for the moment.
That’s really the most disappointing part about this season: it was supposed to be a peak of sorts, and instead it was a plateau. The Illini still have a lot of talent going forward, it’s just very young at the moment. In a couple of years, this could be a dominant team once again. That is, so long as the next generation does not settle so much for mid-range jumpers.
And so now we’re down to two teams. That’s somewhat disappointing given how well the conference was on the season, but Ohio State and probably Wisconsin both look like the favorites to win their regions now. Certainly, two Final Four berths will go a long way in solidifying the conference’s reputation. Besides, no conference has more than two teams still dancing. It’s a pretty level field out there.
It was over before it began in Ohio State’s 98-66 win over George Mason. The Buckeyes scored 1.48 points per possession, thanks largely to its outstanding shooting performance. Thad Matta’s team was 61 percent from two point range and 62 percent from downtown, all good for a 74.7 effective field goal percentage. OSU also turned it over on less than 15 percent of their possessions, and rebounded over 40 percent of their rare misses. In short, it was domination. Ohio State is playing its best basketball of these season, right now. David Lighty led the way with 25 points on a mere 10 shots, and he was a perfect 7 for 7 from three point range.
Illinois ended their season in an emblematic loss--where the team shows they belong for about 35 minutes, and then crumbles down the stretch. Kansas’ Morris twins were just too much for the Illini, combining for 41 points and 25 rebounds in a 73-59 Jayhawk victory. Illinois got a nice boost from Mike Davis, who finished with a 17 point, 7 rebound line in his final game as an Illini. Despite the fact they shot poorly in this game, Bruce Weber’s team forced Kansas into a surprising number of turnovers.
It’s a shame that Illinois had to play a 1-seed in the round of 32, as this is a better team than your typical 8-seed. But this team brought it on itself. All season long, the Illini blew leads, and failed to convert late in games. Even so, this looked like a team that should have been a bit better than their +0.05 efficiency margin. The offense bears most of the blame, as the Illini once again attempted too many jumpers that counted for only two points. Going forward, the offense will look different. The main offenders of the mid-range jump shot were Mike Davis, Mike Tisdale, and Demetri McCamey. But it’s hard to see this team being better next season. Obviously, a lot of seniors are walking out the door, and though Bruce Weber welcomes a very good recruiting class, it’s not a class that anyone would mistake for the Fab Five in terms of “instant impact.” Illinois figures to have the most problems in the frontcourt, as the only viable alternative to the Mikes this season was freshman Jereme Richmond--and his status appears to be up in the air for the moment.
That’s really the most disappointing part about this season: it was supposed to be a peak of sorts, and instead it was a plateau. The Illini still have a lot of talent going forward, it’s just very young at the moment. In a couple of years, this could be a dominant team once again. That is, so long as the next generation does not settle so much for mid-range jumpers.
And so now we’re down to two teams. That’s somewhat disappointing given how well the conference was on the season, but Ohio State and probably Wisconsin both look like the favorites to win their regions now. Certainly, two Final Four berths will go a long way in solidifying the conference’s reputation. Besides, no conference has more than two teams still dancing. It’s a pretty level field out there.