When the three-balls go up, who knows where they’ll come down…
Good morning and welcome to the…quarterfinals?…of the Big Ten Tournament. We’ve got your recaps and looks ahead to today, but first, it’s time to pay off the headline talker.
In this article…
- Ode to a dead postseason basketball tournament
- Naming arenas after war criminals
- Just HOW BAD was 2025-26 Rutgers basketball?
- Is Nebraska-Purdue the Game of the Day?
- How bad the weekend forecast is for wisconsin
Rest in Peace, You Crazy Format
The College Basketball Invitational is no more — they announced it yesterday on Twitter.
I’m sure we’ll see them next year, in this era of opt-outs and bowl games dying and third-tier tournaments falling by the wayside.
It’s worth noting that I’m not editorializing — when you type College Basketball Invitational into the search bar on Wikipedia, it literally says in the description “third-tier college basketball tournament” before you hit enter.
Rest in peace to the CBI, which joins luminaries like the CIT, Vegas 16, and The Basketball Classic in the “Defunct Postseason Tournaments” section of “NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournaments” on Wikipedia. Illinois State will be your forever-champions.
They Play Their Games WHERE
It’s come to my attention that there’s already been hilarity in the Conference USA Tournament, where 9-seeded Missouri State beat 1-seed Liberty in the opening round.
BUT WAIT!
IS THAT ACTUALLY
The Von Braun Center (known as Von Braun Civic Center until 1997) is an entertainment complex, with a maximum arena seating capacity of 9,000, located in Huntsville, Alabama.
Just phenomenal content. And rest in peace to both the Alabama-Huntsville Chargers hockey team and to, of course, the only person you should think of when you hear the name Wernher Von Braun…
Big Ten Tournament, Day 3 Recaps
[8] Ohio State Buckeyes 72, [9] Iowa Hawkeyes 69
Having a roster outside Bennett Stirtz would be helpful for Iowa. Unfortunately, the Hawkeyes currently lack that.
I will not think about Ohio State basketball, and you cannot make me.
[5] wisconsin badgers 85, [12] Washington Huskies 82
Washington shot poorly from deep and allowed the badgers to get theirs from the outside — even as Terry Breidenbach got his inside (25 and 16 against a Winter-less badger club), it wasn’t enough for the Huskies, particular as wisconsin nailed 15 of an eye-watering 39 three-point attempts (John Blackwell alone was 6/12 as part of his 34 points).
The badgers will need Nolan Winter back or be absolutely on fire from deep to make much deeper of a run, either here or in the NCAA Tournament.
[7] Purdue Boilermakers 81, [15] Northwestern Wildcats 68
Northwestern ran out of gas and was, notably, a bad basketball team. And yet, I still found myself hoping they would play another game or two in The Crown or the NIT; two-time Big Ten scoring champion Nick Martinelli’s tears at the game’s end, though, said it all — this is the end of the line for the 2025-26 Northwestern Wildcats. May you never speak of them again.
And yet, seeing the farewells, I remains selfishly disappointed: there had been projections and prognostications that the ‘Cats would seek an NIT bid. Those tears put everything to rest.
I can’t say I loved the 2025-26 ‘Cats—more maddening than inspiring—but the youth movement, the Nicky Meatballs Experience, and the way in which their collective game came in fits and starts all had me believing. I would’ve loved to see more, and yet, I know there’s no more needed.
Thanks for everything, Nicky Meatballs — that final standing ovation was joined by so many of us at home.
[6] UCLA Bruins 72, [14] Rutgers Scarlet Knights 59
Rutgers won six Big Ten games all year:
- vs Oregon (88-85, OT)
- vs Northwestern (77-75, OT)
- vs Maryland (68-57)
- at Penn State (85-72)
- at Maryland (69-65)
- vs Penn State (74-62)
The Big Ten Tournament game against Minnesota (72-67) was the first game all season the Scarlet Knights won against a team above them in the conference standings. A hearty rest in piss to the 2025-26 Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Let us never speak of them again.
Big Ten Tournament, Day 4 Previews
[8] Ohio State Buckeyes vs. [1] Michigan Wolverines
11am | BTN | Mich -12.5 | O/U 155.5
Gross.
[5] wisconsin badgers vs. [4] Illinois Fighting Illini
1:30pm | BTN | Illinois -8.5 | O/U 157.5
There’s some narrative about these two teams playing, but I assume Thump will be by to scream about it sometime soon.
[7] Purdue Boilermakers vs. [2] Nebraska Cornhuskers
5:30pm | BTN | Purdue -3.5 | O/U 143.5
The Boilers are the only underdog favored today — will Nebraska ever get its respect?
Honestly, I like how Purdue matches up, with the size to frustrate Rienk Mast. Can Tre Kaufman-Renn have a better outing on offense than their last meeting (6 and 19), an overtime game that the Boilers won after blowing a 22-point lead?
Eh, who cares. Just want to see if Nebraska finally wins one in the Big Dance.
[3] Michigan State Spartans vs. [6] UCLA Bruins
8pm | BTN | MSU -5.5 | O/U 139.5
Just two cantankerous assholes prowling the sidelines. I cannot wait.
As a fun side note: I am supposed to drive to Detroit by way of a brief layover in Chicago(ish) on Sunday night. Here, at the moment, is the forecast for wisconsin, where I am due to spend most of my time on I-94:
So, excitingly, my options are “drive south through Iowa, then over on I-90,” “miss a research trip I’ve been waiting two months for,” or “pack a shovel and about 4 days’ worth of rations, because I’m never getting home.”
Here’s your open thread for Friday’s basketball. Enjoy.