Big Ten tournament wrapup

MSU keeps top-seed hopes alive with 64-56 win

Big Ten Player of the Year Kalin Lucas scored 12 points to help Michigan State reach the conference semifinals. Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Good thing the NCAA selection committee doesn't count style points when selecting the No. 1 seeds.

Chris Allen led three Spartans in double figures, and No. 7 Michigan State kept its hopes for a top seed alive with a 64-56 victory over scrappy Minnesota on Friday in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament. It was Michigan State's sixth straight win, and ninth in 10 games.

But if the Spartans (26-5) were trying to impress the NCAA selection committee, well, there's always that game Saturday against Ohio State. The Buckeyes beat Wisconsin 61-57 on Friday.

"It wasn't pretty," coach Tom Izzo admitted.

The Spartans were outplayed by the Gophers in the first half. They finished shooting 48 percent, had 16 turnovers and were just 19-of-31 from the free throw line. And until making a few free throws in the last minute, they were threatening to finish with one of their lowest point totals of the season.

Allen finished with 17 points, Big Ten player of the year Kalin Lucas had 12 and Marquise Gray added 11.

"This time of year, you're never going to blow teams out by 30, 40 points," Gray said. "It's always going to be a close game."

Damian Johnson had 19 and Devron Bostick added 12 for Minnesota, which now has to wait to see if its 22-10 record will be good enough for its first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2005. The Gophers played in the NIT last year.

The Gophers did their best to make things interesting at the end. After Goran Suton made a pair of free throws to give Michigan State a 58-46 lead with 2:41 to play, Colton Iverson scored on a layup and Paul Carter converted a three-point play. Johnson scooped up a Lucas turnover and scored on a layup to pull Minnesota within 58-53 with 1:23 to play.

But the Spartans went 6-of-8 from the free throw line in the last minute to seal the victory.

"We've had a pretty good year. Not a great year but a good enough year," Minnesota coach Tubby Smith said. "I think looking at the competition and the way we played, obviously we had a tough month -- February -- but those five games we lost that month were all on the road. So hopefully that accounts for something."

With former No. 1s Pittsburgh and Connecticut losing Thursday and higher-ranked Oklahoma going down, too, Michigan State still has an outside shot at one of the four top seeds in the NCAA tournament. But the Spartans probably need to add the Big Ten tournament title to its regular-season crown.

And if the committee is looking for fast-paced, entertaining basketball, the Spartans are in trouble.

The Big Ten's trademark is hard-nosed, defense-oriented, physical basketball -- some call it boring -- and this was it at its finest. Both teams left with plenty of floor burns, and it seemed as if there was a whistle on every other possession. But everybody seemed to be channeling his inner Shaq at the free throw line, with the teams combining to go 32-of-58 at the line.

"Man, I don't know what was wrong with both teams," Lucas said. "I'm a great free throw shooter. I think I missed three or four free throws, but every time I shot it, it felt good."

That was the least of Michigan State's problems early on.

The Spartans never looked comfortable in the first half, unable to find their rhythm offensively. The Gophers actually outrebounded them, too. Just by one, but it's a rarity for anyone to outmuscle the stingy Spartans.

"They're young and they are scrappy, and today they kind of brought it to us in the first half," Travis Walton said. "In the second half we kind of picked it up. But they did a great job of changing defenses on us."

The Spartans started showing some of their regular spunk at the end of the first half, when Lucas missed a jumper, darted in to grab his own rebound and made a layup. It only gave Michigan State a 33-30 lead at the half, but the Spartans celebrated as if it was the game-winner, with Lucas jumping up to bump shoulders with one of his teammates.

Raymar Morgan kept it going, opening the second half with an alley-oop.

"Any time you get those kind of plays, I think it elevates your team's energy a bit," Izzo said. "It was a good play for us, good way to start out the second half."

Suton, limited by foul trouble in the first half, followed with back-to-back buckets inside. Then Walton and Durrell Summers connected on the play of the day. Sprinting upcourt, Walton whipped the ball to Summers, who was already positioned near the basket.

Leaping high, Summers snagged the ball and stuffed it one-handed, bringing the Spartans bench and their fans to their feet. Another dunk by Gray gave the Spartans a 44-36 lead, the largest either team had to that point, and Minnesota wouldn't get close again until Iverson's layup.

"If you have lures of grandeur, of being something bigger than this, we have to get better as a team," Izzo said. "We just got that little run in the second half, and that was the difference in the game. So I am satisfied that we're moving on. I'm not as satisfied with some of the things we did late and we made some mistakes that maybe we'll discuss when we get back."

No Frazier, no problem for Illini vs. Wolverines

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Illinois' Mike Davis and Calvin Brock took turns replacing the injured Chester Frazier on Friday.

Davis provided a steadying influence, while Brock filled in as the defensive stalwart. With the two-man tandem working in perfect unison, Illinois didn't miss a step -- and Michigan didn't stand a chance.

The Fighting Illini got 22 points and 11 rebounds from Davis, and Brock shut down Michigan's Manny Harris to help second-seeded Illinois claim its annual spot in the Big Ten tournament semifinals with a 60-50 victory.

"He (Frazier) told me just play hard defense and your offense will take care of itself and don't worry about missing shots," Davis said. "That's what I did tonight."

Illinois (24-8) has always made the Big Ten tourney its showcase for the NCAA's selection committee. They have more wins, more semifinal appearances and the highest winning percentage of any conference team in this event.

Yet they spent Friday night doing something else: Showing the committee it shouldn't lower the Illini's seed simply because of Frazier's uncertain playing status.

Hours after the Fighting Illini announced Frazier, their all-conference defensive player, had surgery on his right hand and would likely miss the entire tournament in Indy, the replacements delivered a performance reminiscent of Frazier's skills.

Davis was brilliant blocking shots, grabbing rebounds, jumping into passing lanes, and, of course, finishing as the Illini's top scorer. Meanwhile, Brock was just as productive against Harris, who went 3-of-11 and finished with only nine points -- far below his season average of 17.1.

The combination was too potent for the Wolverines (20-13), who were led by DeShawn Sims' 15 points.

Now they'll have to wait to see if early season wins over Duke and UCLA and their best season in years will be enough to end their 11-year absence from the NCAA tournament.

"Me, personally, I think the team is good enough to be selected," Harris said. "Whatever happens, happens. If we don't (get in), we'll work hard and play our best anyway. But I do feel we are an NCAA team."

Illinois shouldn't have the same worries. Another win in Saturday's semifinals against third-seeded Purdue, a 79-65 winner over Penn State, should also make the case that Illinois deserves a high seed -- with or without Frazier.

Team officials said there is a possibility the senior guard could return next week, though it certainly didn't look good Friday night. Frazier spent the game sitting on the edge of his seat, dressed in his uniform with a heavy, black cast peeking out from his warmup shirt and covering the entire hand.

Initially, coach Bruce Weber was concerned how the Illini would respond.

Davis and Brock alleviated any lingering doubts.

"It was just a challenge to me," said Brock, who started his first game since Nov. 16. "I had to prove to my coaches and teammates that I was up for it."

So was Davis, who scored only 12 total points in the first two meetings with Michigan. He nearly matched that total by halftime.

And while he made 11 of 19 shots, Davis also showed he has a multitude of talents. He blocked two shots, had three steals, even delivered an assist and made every big play the Illini needed.

"I think tonight after Chester went down, it's human nature to think we're not going to play well," Weber said. "So I challenged them to step up and take a major step and be special. We needed people to be special. I think that's how it happened."

Davis certainly was.

He dominated the game early when the two teams found themselves slugging it out, then spurred the decisive second-half charge with his versatility.

He started the second half by blocking a shot, then scoring on a fast break and finishing off the 8-2 scoring flurry with a steal and dunk. That turned a 25-24 halftime lead into a 33-26 cushion.

Illinois was just warming up.

After Michigan called a timeout, Davis forced a turnover that led to another basket and followed that with an alley-oop play. When that 17-5 run ended, Illinois led 50-31 with 11:33 left.

Michigan, which opened the second half shooting 4-of-14, finally got in sync late. After trailing 54-34 with 7:01 remaining, the Wolverines ran off 13 straight points.

Then the Illini went back to their sophomore swingman, Davis, who spun around for a 7-foot baseline jumper that essentially ended any chance of a Michigan comeback.

Illinois allowed only three more points to close it out.

"Right now this (injury) gives some other guys opportunities, and they did a great job," Weber said. "Somebody asked about the second half, and I think our defense picked up. We got shutouts. Mike Davis ran and Calvin ran and Trent (Meacham) hit those back-to-backs and gave us the big lead."

Purdue steamrolls Penn State

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Robbie Hummel scored 20 points and No. 24 Purdue beat Penn State 79-65 Friday night in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals.

Hummel missed both regular season games against the Nittany Lions with a hairline fracture in his lower back. He made up for it by making 8 of 12 shots and grabbing five rebounds.

Keaton Grant made his first five 3-pointers and scored 15 points, and E'Twaun Moore added 15 points and six assists for Purdue (23-9), which played with all-conference center JaJuan Johnson in foul trouble for most of the game.

Jamelle Cornley scored 20 points for Penn State (22-11), which would have given its NCAA tournament resume a major boost with a win. Talor Battle, the conference's leading scorer, finished with 15 points on 4-for-12 shooting.

The Boilermakers advanced to play Illinois, a 60-50 winner over Michigan, in Saturday's semifinals.

Ohio State will play No. 7 Michigan State in the other semifinal.

It was Purdue's first tournament win at Conseco Fieldhouse, and just its second tournament win overall since 2002. Purdue lost to Illinois in the quarterfinals last season as a No. 2 seed.

The Boilermakers had lost three of four to fall to the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament.

Their recent struggles seemed forgotten at tipoff. Purdue shot 56 percent from the field and committed just five turnovers. The offensive outburst came on the heels of a miserable performance in a loss to Michigan State in the regular-season finale.

Hummel scored Purdue's first five points on a 3-pointer, then a steal and dunk. After Moore hit a 3-pointer, Chris Kramer, a 6-foot-3 guard, threw down a monster tomahawk dunk over 6-9, 245-pound Andrew Jones to give the Boilermakers a 10-2 lead. Kramer finished with eight points and seven assists.

Purdue's Nemanja Calasan hit back-to-back threes to make it 19-5 just over six minutes into the game.

Purdue never cooled off. The Boilermakers shot 63 percent in the first half and led 51-35 at the break. The Boilermakers made eight of 12 3-pointers in the first half on their way to their most productive opening 20 minutes of the season.

The Lions shot 46 percent in the first half, yet were getting blown out because of poor perimeter defense.

Penn State cut the lead to 56-44 early in the second half before Purdue went on a 10-0 run that included two 3-pointers by Hummel to put the game out of reach.

Penn State closed the game on an 8-0 run to make the score more respectable.

Ohio State tops Wisconsin, will take on Spartans

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- The Big Ten's best-shooting team can play defense, too.

Evan Turner scored 19 points and Ohio State held Wisconsin without a field goal for the final 6 minutes of Friday's 61-57 victory in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament. The win set up a semifinal showdown Saturday against top-seeded and No. 7-ranked Michigan State.

"We've been more consistent in making winning plays, getting stops when we need to and staying in the game," said Turner, who had only six points in the first half and played much of the game in foul trouble.

"I don't really think about the fouls," he said. "I just think about just playing. I don't want to play risky, like I'm scared. If I was going to go out, I was going to go out fighting."

The Badgers led 54-47 with 6 minutes to go but missed their final seven shots, managing only one free throw by Marcus Landry and two by Jason Bohannon during the 14-3 run by the Buckeyes. Turner, playing with three and then four fouls, had six points during that key stretch.

Ohio State led the Big Ten in field goal percentage (.484) during the season. The Buckeyes were slightly better than that this game, but the defense limited Wisconsin to 36 percent shooting from the field.

"We knew it would be pretty much a possession-by-possession game, and it was," Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. "But in the last 5 minutes you've got to knock some shots down, and unfortunately we didn't, and Turner made a lot of good plays. He's that good.

"He proved why he's the best player in the league, because he gets things done and makes his team successful," Ryan said of the Buckeyes' sophomore, who led the Big Ten in scoring at 17.3 points a game this season.

Early in the second half, with Wisconsin seemingly still in control, the Buckeyes were "just out there," Ohio State coach Thad Matta said. "Wisconsin had the ability to do whatever they wanted. We were kind of at their mercy."

But the game turned around when the Buckeyes became more patient, he said.

"We were trying to force him to other guys on the court," Wisconsin's Marcus Landry said of the futile effort to stop Turner. "But he made plays and he found other guys."

Now fifth-seeded Ohio State (21-9), which lost to Michigan State in the Big Ten quarterfinals last year, will get a rematch on Saturday.

"I don't see why not," Turner said of beating the favored Spartans this year. "I don't really too much worry about it. If you take care of business, you don't really have to worry about it. I think it's just all confidence. Anytime you get the ball at crunch time, it's just all confidence."

Jeremie Simmons added 10 points for Ohio State. No. 4-seed Wisconsin (19-12) was led by Trevon Hughes with 15 and Bohannon with 13.

"They were scoring and we weren't. They got baskets in the last 5 minutes and we didn't," Hughes said of the loss to Ohio State. "We were getting looks, they just weren't falling."

Ohio State never led by more than one point until the final minute of the game.

A 3-pointer by Jon Diebler capped an 8-0 run and gave the Buckeyes a 54-55 lead before the final tie on the free throw by Landry. Turner put Ohio State ahead 57-55 on a spinning layup, and two free throws by P.J. Hill put the Buckeyes up by four.

Wisconsin, which won the tournament last year, cut the lead to 59-57 on the two free throws by Bohannon, but Simmons iced the game with two foul shots with 7 seconds left.

Poor shooting hurt both teams at the start, although Wisconsin led most of the way and took a 22-16 lead after Turner, the Big Ten scoring leader this season, left with his second foul with 6 minutes left in the opening period.

The Buckeyes then started shooting 3-pointers and held the Badgers scoreless for the final 2:30.

A basket by Dallas Lauderdale cut Wisconsin's lead to four. Then, after a technical foul on the Wisconsin bench, William Buford and Lauderdale each hit one of two free throws, and Buford hit a 3-pointer with less than a second left to give Ohio State a 29-28 lead at the half, matching its biggest lead of the game to that point.

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