(AP) Wisconsin riding the nation’s stingiest defense – and admittedly a bit of luck – back to the round of 16. The Badgers held the Southeastern Conference’s two leading scorers in check Saturday night and Ryan Evans grabbed a crucial rebound with 2.1 seconds left to help Wisconsin fend off Vanderbilt 60-57 in the NCAA tournament. Wisconsin held John Jenkins (20.1) and Jeffery Taylor (16.3) to 13 and 9 points, respectively in advancing to face top-seeded Syracuse in the East Regional in Boston.

Aaron Craft scored 17, grabbed three rebounds and handed out 10 assists to help Ohio State past Gonzaga 73-66 on Saturday in Pittsburgh in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Ohio State was trailing when Jared Sullinger converted a field goal with 3:35 to go to give it a lead it would not relinquish. The Buckeyes also got solid contributions from William Buford, who scored 13 and Deshaun Thomas and Sullinger, who each scored 18.

BTN’s stats researcher tweets out great Big Ten stats during the football and basketball seasons via his Twitter account @BTNStatsGuy. If you’re on Twitter, check him out. And if you’re not, you can still see his work on his Twitter page. We’ve selected some of his most recent posts and embedded them below.You can also find some fresh Big Ten stats at BigTen.org.

It was bound to happen. Friday was a day of upsets in the NCAA tournament and the Big Ten did not go unscathed as Michigan fell. But Purdue rose up and won and Michigan State rolled as well leaving five Big Ten teams alive and kicking in the tourney. Read this post for my capsules on Friday’s action plus my take on Northwestern’s NIT loss, too. On now: Ohio State vs. Gonzaga. Later: Wisconsin vs. Vanderbilt, and Indiana vs. VCU.

Draymond Green scored 24 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and handed out 10 assists to lift Michigan State to an 89-67 win over Long Island on Friday in Columbus in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Michigan State (28-7) got solid performances from both Green and Adreian Payne. Green knocked down 10-of-17 shot attempts.

Ohio pulled out a stunning 65-60 upset over Michigan on Friday in Nashville in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. D.J. Cooper sparked the Bobcats with 21 points and four assists, and he made 7-of-11 shots from the floor for Ohio in the game. The Bobcats hit 51 percent of their field goals (22-of-43). Ohio was on fire from beyond the arc during the game, shooting 38 percent (6-of-16).

Rob Jones scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for No. 16 Saint Mary’s, but it was not enough as Saint Mary’s (27-6) fell to Purdue 72-69 Friday in Omaha in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Terone Johnson sparked Purdue (22-12), as he scored 21 points, hauled in four rebounds, had five assists, and made 9-of-13 shots from the floor for the Boilermakers in the game.

Deshaun Thomas scored 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lift Ohio State to a 78-59 win over Loyola (MD) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Earlier Thursday, Jordan Hulls scored 22 points and Cody Zeller added 14 as Indiana won 79-66 victory over New Mexico State while Jordan Taylor scored 17 and grabbed eight rebounds to help Wisconsin past Montana 73-49.

Jordan Hulls scored 22 points and Cody Zeller added 14 points and six boards as they teamed up to lead Indiana to a 79-66 victory over New Mexico State on Thursday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. BTN.com’s Tom Dienhart writes that when the Hoosiers face VCU on Saturday, a big key for Indiana will be the guards. They must handle VCU’s pressure, limit turnovers and also rebound. Read the rest of Dienhart’s take inside.

Jordan Taylor scored 17, grabbed eight rebounds and handed out six assists to help Wisconsin past Montana 73-49 on Thursday at University Arena in Albuquerque in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Ryan Evans had his way inside, hitting 6-of-8 shots en route to notching 18 points vs. an undersized Montana squad. Get Tom Dienhart’s take and more in this post.

Here’s my sixth and final tourney preview for Big Ten men’s teams in the upcoming NCAA Men’s tournament – the others are all right here. Purdue is the No. 10 seed in the Midwest and faces No. 7 seed St. Mary’s on Friday. Earlier, Brent Yarina compiled a helpful post on Purdue’s upcoming opponent. Use the NCAA.com bracket and the BTN scoreboard to track all of the action this tournament.

Let’s roll up our sleeves and look at Michigan, the No. 4 seed in the Midwest Regional. The Wolverines play No. 13 seed Ohio on Friday. What do we know about Ohio? Brent Yarina told us earlier. Now I’m here to tell you about Michigan in this post. Use the NCAA.com bracket and the BTN scoreboard to track all of the action this tournament.

It’s Day 2 of my Big Ten men’s basketball NCAA previews, and here I look at Wisconsin as it prepares for Thursday’s opener against Montana. Want to know a little bit more about Montana? My colleague Brent Yarina answers that question while I give you my Badgers review further down in this post. Use the NCAA.com bracket and the BTN scoreboard to track all of the action this tournament.

For the sixth consecutive season, Purdue is back in the NCAA tournament, this time as a No. 10 seed in the Midwest Region. The Boilermakers take on WCC tourney champ and No. 7 seed Saint Mary’s at 7:27 p.m. ET Friday night. Before the game tips off in Omaha, Neb., BTN.com web editor Brent Yarina introduces you to the Gaels. A little sampling: Did you know a former Northwestern big man is a reserve for the Gaels? Meet Saint Mary’s in this post.

Fresh off claiming a share of the Big Ten regular season title, along with Michigan State and Ohio State, Michigan earned the No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region. The Wolverines face No. 13 Ohio at 7:20 p.m. ET Friday night. Before the game tips off in Nashville, Ten., BTN.com web editor Brent Yarina introduces you to the Bobcats. A little sampling: Did you know a former Ohio State assistant is the head guy at Ohio? Meet the Bobcats in this post.