Big Ten Tournament Recap 2023

Story posted March 14, 2023 in CommRadio, Sports by Gia Sabatino

Although Purdue winning the Big Ten Championship wasn’t even the least bit shocking, every other team in the tournament continued to surprise us.

Upset after upset occurred in Chicago, giving fans an early taste of the madness.

Let’s recap what went down this past week:

Penn State Punched Its Ticket To The Big Dance

The No. 10 seed Nittany Lions proved their worth this past week as they were able to show they can compete and defeat some of the best teams in not only the Big Ten but in the country.

Penn State defeated No. 7 seed Illinois, No. 2 seed Northwestern and No. 3 seed Indiana to advance to the Big Ten Tournament Championship.

The blue and white made history becoming the lowest seed to ever advance to the Big Ten Championship.

In total, the Nittany Lions ended up playing four games and each game was right down to the wire as they resulted in a four-or-less point deficit, including the championship.

Penn State’s hot streak came to an end as it lost to No. 1 Purdue 67-65 on Sunday.

Despite losing to No. 1 Purdue in the championship, the Nittany Lions’ tournament run was nearly perfect and earned them the No. 10 seed in the Midwest for the NCAA March Madness Tournament.

This is a huge accomplishment for Penn State because as of a few weeks ago their March Madness hopes were slim to none.

This is the first time Penn State has made the tournament since 2011 and there is little to no doubt the Nittany Lions are going to make it count.

Purdue Remains On Top

Entering the week, Purdue was ranked No. 5 in the country, earning the Boilermakers the No. 1 spot in the Big Ten Tournament.

As dominant as they have been in the Big Ten throughout the season, this tournament run wasn’t exactly easy for them.

In its first game they defeated No. 9 Rutgers by just five points, following that they beat No. 13 Ohio State by 14, and they won the championship by defeating No. 10 Penn State by just two.

This is the Boilermakers’ second time winning the Big Ten tournament, the first time being in 2009 against Ohio State.

Junior center Zach Edey seems to be the difference maker for this team as he deserves a lot of credit for Purdue’s success this season.

In the Big Ten Championship alone, Edey scored 30 points and added 13 rebounds in just 28 minutes of action.

Purdue is the No. 1 seed in the East for the Big Dance and they are most certainly a top contender for this tournament.

Looking for its first NCAA Tournament Title, don’t be surprised if Purdue gets it this year.

Fell Short But Went A Long Way

Ohio State was ranked No. 13 in the Big Ten Tournament and wasn’t really given much thought at all.

However, they made themselves heard as they made it to the semifinals of the tournament, upsetting almost every team they played.

They stole wins over No. 12 Wisconsin, No. 5 Iowa and No. 4 Michigan State. Three big wins in three big days.

Although they fell eventually to the Boilermakers, the Buckeyes made history as they were the first No. 13 seed to make the semifinals.

They fell short of the championship and the tournament but they definitely made a statement and did some damage to other top teams in the Big Ten.

Standout Players

Jalen Pickett, Penn State - Totaled 66 points, 31 rebounds and 18 assists (four games)

Zach Edey, Purdue - Totaled 78 points, 38 rebounds (three games)

Justice Sueing, Ohio State - 59 points, 16 rebounds (four games)

Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana  - 48 points, 19 rebounds, 14 assists (two games)

Seth Lundy, Penn State - 68 points, 31 points (four games)

Once again, the Big Ten leads all conferences in the number of teams invited to the tournament, but this time they are tied with the SEC.

Penn State, Purdue, Maryland, Northwestern, Indiana, Iowa, Illinois and Michigan State are ready to dance so let the madness begin… or shall we say continue?

Gia Sabatino is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email gms6168@psu.edu.