Minnesota 77, Illinois 72 OT: Minnesota was down by three in regulation with time winding down. Austin Hollins drove in for a layup instead of kicking it out for a three. He made the layup and an official called a cheap foul on Meyers Leonard. Hollins hit the free throw to tie it up and Minnesota took control in overtime. Brandon Paul had 28 to lead all scorers, but the Minnesota bench outscored the Illini by 30. The Gophers have won 4 of 5 and the Illini have lost three in a row.
Purdue 58, Northwestern 56: It was far from a pretty game, as neither team managed to break sixty, but Robbie Hummel's awkward baseline jumper with eight seconds left gave the win to Purdue. Drew Crawford had 23 points for the Wildcats, who only had six players who saw action. The win helps the Boilermakers stay in the hunt for a tournament bid, but it almost certainly kills Northwestern's chances of an at-large selection. Northwestern bloggers Loretta8 and Rodger Sherman from Sippin on Purple seemed to be in agreement on twitter that it might be to time for NU to find a different coach.
Up Next for These Teams:
Illinois: vs MSU on Tuesday
Minnesota: at Iowa on Wednesday
Purdue: vs Indiana on Saturday
Northwestern: vs Nebraska on Thursday