IN coach Tom Crean has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year after finishing the regular season with a 25-6 (15-3) record and a first-place conference finish – the program’s second in four years.
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Wisconsin (20-11, 12-6), which got a game-best 30 points from Nigel Hayes, earns the No. 6 seed. Gard took a Wisconsin team that was average at best mid-season and now has them as a lock for the NCAA tournament. Due to tiebreaking procedures, the Badgers will be the No. 6 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, marking the first time they will play on Thursday in the conference tournament since 2000. No. 14 Rutgers, 7:00 p.m. ET Second Round (March 10) Game 3: No. 8 MI vs. The Badgers had a four-game winning streak snapped.
The win put Purdue in a four-way tie for third in the Big Ten, behind Big Ten champion in and runner-up Michigan State. That’s a whole lot of fire power, and it will make for one heck of a conference tournament.
After Showalter cut the Badgers’ deficit to single digits with a 3-pointer, Swanigan answered with one of his own to give Purdue a 72-60 lead with 6:50 left.
Senior forward D.J. Johnson reaches up to block Kansas guard Wayne Selden Jr.’s layup in the second half of the Wildcats’ 72-63 shortcoming to the No. 2 Jayhawks Feb. 20, 2016, in Bramlage Coliseum.
UW junior point guard Bronson Koenig was named to the coach’s third team.
Purdue closed out the season with three wins in a row but is still looking at a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament, according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.
Purdue also held a decided advantage in free throws, going 25 of 33 from the charity stripe.
Earlier this season, Valentine became just the fourth Spartan to record a triple-double when he totaled 29 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists against Kansas and one of three Spartans with more than one when he followed nine days later with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists against Boston College.
Valentine, Indiana’s Yogi Ferrell and Iowa’s Jarrod Uthoff were unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selections by both the coaches and media.
As the Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team comes off a tough loss against hot-shooting Purdue last night, they are attempting to refocus and prepare for the Big Ten Tournament. Hayes had 12 first-half points for the Badgers.
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MI was swept by Ohio State, losing 7-4 and then 6-5 in overtime.
