An afternoon of upsets (Michigan and Penn State both toppled higher-seeded foes) gave way to a more predictable evening at day two of the Big Ten Tournament. Meanwhile, the two bubble teams in action may have each punched tournament tickets… to different, less-prestigious tournaments. Indiana may be good to dance after defeating Northwestern, but Illinois is surely NIT-bound after its decisive loss to Michigan. A few other news and notes on Thursday’s action from the United Center:
John Groce’s Seat Warming Up: Thursday’s loss to Michigan means Illinois is almost certainly headed to the NIT, where the Illini will seek to salvage some shred of meaning from a disappointing season. John Groce has recruited well since arriving in Champaign, but the former Ohio University head man has yet to finish a season with a winning Big Ten record. His only NCAA Tournament appearance at Illinois came in 2012-13, and that happened with a team largely constructed by his predecessor, Bruce Weber. Groce is going nowhere this offseason, but if the Illini find themselves in a similar spot next postseason, his job status will be far less certain. The good news for Illinois is that the return of Tracy Abrams and another talented incoming freshman class could, and maybe even should, lead to a happier result in Champaign a year from now. It will be interesting to see how much the Illini miss Rayvonte Rice next year. On the one hand, he was a legitimately efficient volume scorer – a player prototype that doesn’t exactly grow on trees. But Illinois’ 6-3 record without Rice this season raise the question of whether his ball-dominating nature might have often been counterproductive. We’ll find out in a critical 2015-16 campaign for Groce and the Illini.
John Groce, Rayvonte Rice And The Illini Saw Their Tournament Hopes All But Die Thursday Afternoon (Getty Images)
Nittany Lions Drop Hawkeyes: Iowa was a trendy sleeper pick heading into the action yesterday, but Penn State quickly and effectively ended the Hawkeyes’ Big Ten Tournament. The loss changes little for the Hawkeyes except for the fact that Fran McCaffery’s team is now squarely staring down the barrel of a dreaded #8/#9 game. Things could be worse, though – they seem to be safely in the field, and unlike last year, shouldn’t be headed to Dayton. On the other side, Penn State won its third straight Big Ten game — no small feat considering the Nittany Lions had won just three of 17 league games before embarking on their recent surge. More good news for Penn State fans: Purdue awaits the Lions in the next round. No disrespect to the Boilers and their impressive 12-6 Big Ten season, but they are clearly the easiest option among the four teams that received double-byes. Penn State pushed Purdue to overtime in State College in their only meeting of the season; can the tournament’s most unexpected quarterfinalist find a way to extend its stay in Chicago for at least another day?
Cobb, Sobolewski Lay Foundation for Northwestern’s Future: With a little over a minute left in Northwestern’s game versus Indiana, Chris Collins subbed out seniors JerShon Cobb and Dave Sobolewski for the final time in their careers. Neither player will go down as a program great, but the United Center crowd stood for a brief moment in offering their recognition for a pair of young men who always represented their university well. As Cobb headed off the floor he was grabbed by Hoosiers’ head coach Tom Crean, who said after the game that he told Cobb “he had a great career” and that he was “a big fan of how he played, how he handled himself.” It’s a scene similar to many that will play out across the country in the weeks to come, each instance a salient reminder of the suddenness with which a team’s season ends. After confirming that Northwestern’s season was indeed over (no CBI bid will be accepted by the Wildcats), Chris Collins also spoke highly of his seniors:
“They’ve been good guys. They’ve been great representatives of not only our basketball team, but our school. I was emotional for them because it stinks when you’ve played your last game… But I want them both to feel great about where we’re headed, and I want them – when we do get there, I want them to know how big a part they played in us getting where we need to go.” – Chris Collins, on seniors JerShon Cobb and Dave Sobolewski
Thad Matta Sets Mark at Ohio State: Thad Matta became Ohio State’s all-time winningest men’s basketball coach with Thursday night’s Ohio State victory over Minnesota. He passed Fred Taylor in winning his 298th game as a Buckeye, which earned him a strange looking Ohio State jersey with the number ‘298’ on the front. Win number 299 will be slightly harder to earn than the record-breaker, though: The Buckeyes take on Michigan State tonight in a battle that looks to be the game of the day.