Big Ten Dominates Sweet Sixteen

0:00On March 27, the Big Ten Conference dominated the first night of the sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament, going 3 for 3. Second seeded Purdue, edged out 11 seeded Texas, 79 to 77. Ninth seeded Iowa, topped 4th seeded in Nebraska, 77 to 71. And third seeded Illinois handled second seeded Houston 65 to 55. Purdue's win came down to the wire with Trey Kaufman-Rin tipping in the game winner. Their senior stepped up big, as Fletcher lawyer added 18 points efficiently from three point range, and Braden Smith chipped in 16. Nebraska's surprising run ended against Iowa, which has been riding a wave of momentum all tournament. Fans are buzzing about the Hawkeye's ability to pull out close ones, stealing some magic from the corn huskers in the process. Illinois put on a defensive clinic against Houston, holding them to just 34.4% shooting while dominating the rebounds. 27 to 25. It shows they're not just an offensive team anymore, but can win gritty battles too.

1:04All three Big Ten squads advanced the Elite 8, setting up an inter-conference clash between Illinois and Iowa on Saturday, plus Purdue facing. Arizona. With this kind of form, the conference could send multiple teams even deeper.