Take a look at the updated Big Ten Tournament bracket after the first round of play Wednesday night.
The Big Ten Tournament has finally begun and that means that the NCAA Tournament is right around the corner. Wednesday was the first round of play for the conference’s bottom four seeds as the games didn’t quite play out as expected.
In the first game, No. 12 seed Illinois took on No. 13 Minnesota and just about everyone believed the Fighting Illini would come out on top. Illinois took care of business, destroying the hapless Golden Gophers, 85-52. No one could have predicted a blowout such as this one. The Illini took a 16-point lead into halftime and then extended it to 33 by the final buzzer.
Charles Buggs and Ahmad Gilbert were the only Gophers in double figures, scoring 12 and 11 points, respectively. Kendrick Nunn scored 15 points and Malcolm Hill added 14 as Illinois will move on to face No. 5 seed Iowa at about 4:30 p.m. ET Thursday.
The second game of the night was between No. 14 Rutgers and No. 11 Nebraska. The Cornhuskers took down the Scarlet Knights 89-72 and will move on to face No. 6 Wisconsin in the second round Thursday at about 9:00 p.m. ET.
Here’s a look at the Big Ten Tournament bracket after round one:
Thursday’s games will feature even more exciting action as Northwestern vs. Michigan will kick off the day at noon with Illinois vs. Iowa, Penn State vs. Ohio State and Nebraska vs. Wisconsin rounding out the evening.
Who do you believe will win the Big Ten Tournament this season? Let us know in the comment section below.