For about 38 of the 40 minutes Northwestern and Michigan struggled with each other Thursday, their first-round Big Ten Tournament game looked to be a case of who wanted less to advance to play No. 1-ranked Illinois on Friday.
Finally, Michigan showed it wanted nothing to do with the “prize” as the Wolverines made a succession of mistakes while Northwestern was making just enough free throws to escape with a 58-56 victory in a game neither team played well enough to win.
Mohamed Hachad scored 17 points, and T.J. Parker had eight points during a 12-0 second-half run.
Northwestern (15-15, 6-10 Big Ten) needs to upset Illinois (29-1, 15-1) to be eligible for the NIT. They meet in a quarterfinal game at 11 a.m. Friday.
Northwestern vs. Illinois
When they met: Illinois won both games, 78-68 at Welsh-Ryan Arena and 84-48 at Assembly Hall.
Story line: Northwestern played a ragged game in edging Michigan 58-56 in the first round. It must get its act together against the nation’s No. 1 team. The Illini have something to prove after suffering their only loss Sunday at Ohio State.
Ones to watch: Illinois guard Dee Brown, the Big Ten Player of the Year, will be out to make amends after an out-of-character mediocre performance against the Buckeyes. NU forward Vedran Vukusic had a substandard game against Michigan, scoring only seven points and fouling out.
Wildcats win: If they play their best game of the season and Illinois plays its worst game. Their Princeton offense and full-court trapping defense will have to be operating at optimum efficiency.
Illini win: If they play their normal game. The Wildcats will make it easy for the Illini if Thursday’s hang-ups continue–abysmal free-throw and 3-point shooting and foul problems.
What we see: Illinois will win. Northwestern needs a victory to stay in the hunt for an NIT bid, but it’s not going to happen.
Thursday’s results
Iowa 71, Purdue 52: It’s the end of the line for Purdue coach Gene Keady as Iowa (20-10) routed the Boilermakers (7-21). Keady, who scowled at the bad shots and squirmed in his seat, shook hands with every Iowa player, then got a warm standing ovation for his 25 years with Purdue. He finishes 550-289 overall.
Ohio State 72, Penn State 69: Tony Stockman scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half as the Buckeyes rallied and beat Penn State (7-23). The Buckeyes (20-11) needed a 27-7 second-half run, but whatever they do in the conference tournament, they go home with a loss thanks to a self-imposed school ban on postseason play.
