Dec. 17 Big Ten Hoops Roundup

It was a busy Saturday of Big Ten men's hoops, with nine teams in action. The Big Ten went 7-2, headlined by No. 20 Indiana moving to 10-0 with a win over Notre Dame (recap). Also victorious, Iowa took down Drake (recap), Nebraska dropped Alcorn State (recap), No. 23 Michigan State topped Bowling Green (recap), Northwestern held off CCSU (recap), No. 18 Michigan blew away Alabama A&M (recap) and No. 2 Ohio State rallied past South Carolina (recap). On the losing end, No. 19 Illinois lost to UNLV (recap) and Purdue fell to Butler (recap). Catch up on all the action on our Big Ten scoreboard and get video and recaps in this post.

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Michigan 87, Alabama A&M 57: BOX | AP RECAP | SCOREBOARD

FINAL: Evan Smotrycz scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lift No. 18 Michigan to an 87-57 win over Alabama A&M on Saturday at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor. Smotrycz and Trey Burke both had good games for Michigan (9-2). Smotrycz made 4-of-5 shots from the floor. Burke contributed 19 points and shot 6-of-10 from the field. Alabama A&M (2-4) allowed the Wolverines to go above their season average of 69.6 points per game. Michigan hit 56 percent of its field goals (30-of-54). The Wolverines were on fire from beyond the arc during the game, shooting 48 percent (10-of-21). Michigan also got double-digit performances from Zack Novak, who had 13 points and Tim Hardaway Jr., who scored 13. The Bulldogs had trouble finding their touch, shooting just 33 percent (20-of-61) from the field. Alabama A&M was on fire from beyond the arc during the game, shooting 41 percent (9-of-22). The Bulldogs also got double-digit contributions from Jeremy Ingram, who scored 14 points, Jeremy Crutcher, who scored 12 points, and Brandon Allen, who scored 10. The Wolverines won the rebounding battle en route to victory, pulling down 38 boards to 25 for Alabama A&M. Free throws played a key role in the outcome, as Michigan not only went to the line nine more times than the Bulldogs, but made the most of its opportunities, shooting 17-of-21. Alabama A&M committed 20 fouls and made 8-of-12 free throw attempts.

HALFTIME: Zack Novak and Evan Smotrycz combined for a successful first half as No. 18 Michigan leads 41-27 over Alabama A&M. Novak scored 10 points and shot 5-of-6 from the field. Smotrycz scored six points and grabbed eight rebounds. The rebounding edge belongs with the Wolverines, by a 23-13 margin on the boards. Michigan got points from eight different players. Michigan was able to put the clamps on the Bulldogs' leading scorer, Demarquelle Tabb. The sophomore enters halftime with zero points, well below his season average of 11.8. Brandon Allen led the way for Alabama A&M in the first half, with eight points.

Ohio State 74, South Carolina 66: BOX | AP RECAP | SCOREBOARD

FINAL: Deshaun Thomas scored 30 points and grabbed six rebounds to lift No. 2 Ohio State to a 74-66 win over South Carolina on Saturday at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia. Both Thomas and William Buford played well for Ohio State (10-1). Thomas made 13-of-16 shots from the floor. Buford tallied 17 points, corralled five rebounds, and had five assists. When the second frame got underway, the Buckeyes took control of the game. Ohio State trailed 35-29 early in the second half, but went on a 14-4 run over the next 3:58 to take a four-point lead. The Buckeyes hit 51 percent of their field goals (27-of-53). Ohio State gave itself second chances during the game, snatching 14 offensive rebounds. Malik Cooke had 21 points and knocked down 6-of-10 shot attempts for South Carolina (4-6) in the loss. Anthony Gill shot 4-of-5 from the field and scored 11 points for the Gamecocks. South Carolina shot 48 percent from the field (23-of-48). The Gamecocks shot 6-of-16 from three-point range during the game, good for 38 percent. Winning the rebounding battle was a key to victory for the Buckeyes as they outrebounded South Carolina 32-20.

HALFTIME: No. 2 Ohio State led South Carolina late in the first half, but allowed the Gamecocks to use a 11-3 run to take a 33-29 lead into halftime. Eight South Carolina players scored in the half. The Gamecocks put the clamps on the Buckeyes' three-point game, and Ohio State may try to work the ball inside more in the second as the Buckeyes made 58 percent of two-point attempts (11-of-19) and 14 percent (1-of-7) from long range. Ohio State's leading scorer, Jared Sullinger, has been contained by South Carolina thus far. The sophomore is averaging 18.3 per game for the year, but has just three points at the break. The Buckeyes goes into the break with the offensive rebounding advantage. The Gamecocks may have to adjust their strategy after allowing Ohio State to grab seven offensive boards. The Buckeyes demonstrated their offensive efficiency by racking up eight assists on 12 baskets. Malik Cooke led the way for South Carolina in the first half, with 10 points. Ohio State's William Buford already has 10 points.

Butler 67, Purdue 65: BOX | AP RECAP | SCOREBOARD

FINAL: Butler trailed in the crunch time on Saturday, but took the lead for good on a field goal with 17 seconds remaining by Chase Stigall and hung on for a 67-65 win over Purdue at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Purdue (9-3) had a rough night from the free throw line, shooting 58 percent (7-of-12). Robbie Hummel had a good game for the Boilermakers in defeat with 16 points. Kameron Woods sparked Butler (5-6), as he tallied 12 points in the win. Andrew Smith was 4-of-5 from the floor and chipped in 12 points for the Bulldogs. Butler was on fire from beyond the arc during the game, shooting 44 percent (7-of-16). The Bulldogs also got double-digit efforts from Stigall, who scored 11 points. Terone Johnson had a quality shooting game, nailing 4-of-6 shots from the field and scoring eight points. More Purdue scoring came from Ryne Smith, who had 14 and Lewis Jackson, who scored 13 points. Butler was more effective from the floor, shooting 45 percent (24-of-53) to Purdue's 41 percent (26-of-64).

HALFTIME: Purdue took full advantage of the stellar combination of Ryne Smith and Robbie Hummel, ending the first half against Butler up 46-35. Smith scored 14 points, shot 5-of-8 from the field, and hit 3-of-5 three-point tries. Hummel scored 12 points and shot 5-of-9 from the field. The Boilermakers led by as many as 15 points in the first half and never trailed. The game was knotted up when the Bulldogs went 3:21 without scoring, allowing Purdue to take a 11-2 lead early in the game. In the second half, the Boilermakers may look to shut down the excellent long-distance game of Butler, which hit 5-of-8 attempts from three-point range. The Bulldogs' Erik Fromm had a big first half, with nine points.

Northwestern 70, CCSU 64: BOX | AP RECAP | SCOREBOARD

FINAL: Kyle Vinales scored 27 points for Central Connecticut State, but it was not enough as the Blue Devils fell to Northwestern 70-64 Saturday at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston. Reggie Hearn sparked Northwestern (9-1), as he contributed 17 points and shot 6-of-7 from the field for the Wildcats in the game. More Northwestern scoring came from John Shurna, who added 14 and Drew Crawford, who scored 14. Central Connecticut State (5-5) was hot from long range, hitting 8-of-21 threes for a 38 percent night from beyond the arc. The Blue Devils also got double-digit games from Ken Horton, who scored 17 points and Robby Ptacek, who scored 15. Down 29-21 with 3:34 left in the first half, Northwestern broke out for a 9-0 run to take a one-point lead late in the first. Shurna capped the run off with a field goal that helped the Wildcats lead 30-29 at the half. The Wildcats outshot Central Connecticut State 45 percent (25-of-56) to 40 percent (24-of-60).

HALFTIME: Kyle Vinales is enjoying a big game, but Central Connecticut State still trails Northwestern 30-29 at the break. In the first 20 minutes, the Blue Devils' Vinales scored 15 points and shot 6-of-10 from the field. The Wildcats were trailing 29-21 before Northwestern went on a 9-0 run to take the lead late in the half. The Wildcats trailed when they broke out for a 9-0 run to overtake Central Connecticut State and seize a 30-29 lead. Northwestern has generated more of its offensive production from inside the three-point line, making 10-of-17 two-point field goals and hitting 2-of-13 from beyond the arc. John Shurna led the way for the Wildcats in the first half, with eight points.

Indiana 69, Notre Dame 58: BOX | AP RECAP | SCOREBOARD

FINAL: Cody Zeller scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead No. 20 Indiana to a 69-58 win over Notre Dame on Saturday at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Indiana (10-0) was able to carry momentum into the break and sustain it to start the second half. The Hoosiers trailed 15-6 in the first, but a 22-5 run allowed them to take an eight-point lead with 19:42 in the game. Victor Oladipo was 6-of-7 from the floor and chipped in 16 points for Indiana. The Hoosiers were able to secure second chance opportunities, grabbing 12 offensive boards. Indiana also got double-digit efforts from Jordan Hulls, who scored 12 and Christian Watford, who contributed 10 points. Jack Cooley scored 12 points, grabbed five rebounds, and went 4-of-5 from the field for Notre Dame (7-5) in the loss. The Fighting Irish shot just 38 percent from the field (16-of-42). Notre Dame went 22-of-32 from the charity stripe as a team (69 percent). The Fighting Irish also got double-digit games from Eric Atkins, who scored 15 points and Jerian Grant, who had 14. The Hoosiers won the rebounding battle en route to victory, pulling down 33 boards to 24 for Notre Dame.

HALFTIME: Cody Zeller scored 14 points for No. 20 Indiana as the Hoosiers lead Notre Dame 26-20 at the half. The Fighting Irish have been held to 20 percent shooting in the first half. Notre Dame was leading 15-6 before it allowed the Hoosiers to make a late 20-5 run and take a lead into the half. Indiana earned valuable second chances and enters the second half with the offensive rebounding advantage. After giving up seven offensive rebounds, the Fighting Irish will be looking to keep the Hoosiers off the boards in the second half. Notre Dame's Alex Dragicevich's big game so far includes nine points.

UNLV 64, Illinois 48: BOX | AP RECAP | SCOREBOARD

FINAL: Mike Moser scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Quintrell Thomas added 13 points and seven boards as they teamed up to lead UNLV to a 64-48 upset victory over No. 19 Illinois on Saturday at United Center in Chicago. UNLV (11-2) was winning 52-44 with 4:32 remaining before it went on a 12-2 run to extend its lead to 18 points with 38 seconds to go. Illinois (10-1) was held well below the 71.6 points per game it came in averaging on the season. The Runnin' Rebels held the Fighting Illini to 26 percent shooting from the field and hauled in 34 defensive boards, while only allowing 11 offensive rebounds. Moser carried the offensive load for UNLV, finishing with 6-of-11 shooting from the field. D.J. Richardson contributed 19 points, hauled in eight rebounds, and made 5-of-8 three-pointers for Illinois in the loss. Tyler Griffey had a quality shooting game, nailing 3-of-5 shots from the field and scoring six points. The Fighting Illini shared the ball to the tune of 12 assists on 16 baskets. Winning the rebounding battle was a key to victory for the Runnin' Rebels as they outrebounded Illinois 39-33. UNLV had the free throw shooting advantage, converting on 85 percent (17-of-20) attempts to 50 percent (9-of-18) for the Fighting Illini. With the loss, Illinois' 10-game winning streak came to an end.

HALFTIME: UNLV trailed No. 19 Illinois late in the first half before going on a 14-2 run to take a 33-22 lead into the break. Each team took a turn in the driver's seat as the lead changed hands 10 times. Both teams have been able to control the opposition's leading scorer. The Fighting Illini's D.J. Richardson and the Runnin' Rebels' Chace Stanback have both been held in check during the first half. Richardson has three points and Stanback has scored zero. Illinois led 20-19 when a drought lasting 3:11 coincided with a 7-0 run by UNLV that allowed the Runnin' Rebels to take a 26-20 lead. Illinois got points from seven different players. The Fighting Illini distributed the ball with seven assists on eight field goals in the first half. Seven UNLV players scored in the first half. The Runnin' Rebels' Mike Moser already has five points and six rebounds.

Michigan State 74, Bowling Green 60: BOX | AP RECAP | SCOREBOARD

FINAL: Draymond Green scored 12 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and handed out six assists to lead No. 23 Michigan State to a 74-60 win over Bowling Green on Saturday at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing. Michigan State (9-2) seized control of the contest after the break. The game was a stalemate at 35-35 when the Spartans went on a 20-3 spurt to take a 17-point lead in the middle of the second half. Neither team could seize control of the game, as there were eight lead changes. Brandon Wood shot 5-of-8 from the field and scored 16 points for Michigan State. The Spartans shot 47 percent from the field (25-of-53). Michigan State shot 19-of-27 from the free throw line. The Spartans were tough on the offensive boards, grabbing 13. Michigan State also got solid contributions from Derrick Nix, who had 14 and Branden Dawson, who scored 13. Torian Oglesby tallied eight points, corralled nine rebounds, and made 4-of-5 shots from the floor for Bowling Green (5-5) in a losing effort. Jehvon Clarke had a quality shooting game, nailing 4-of-6 shots from the field and scoring 14 points. The Falcons struggled from the floor, shooting 38 percent (24-of-64). Bowling Green also got double-digit efforts from A'uston Calhoun, who scored 12 points and Jordon Crawford, who contributed 11 points. The Spartans have now won nine-straight games with the victory.

HALFTIME: Nobody has been able to take control of the game thus far as No. 23 Michigan State and Bowling Green traded the lead eight times in the first half. Currently the Spartans lead 35-33. Michigan State trailed 13-10 when it broke out for a 7-0 run to overtake the Falcons and seize a 17-13 lead. Eight Michigan State players have scored. The Spartans played team basketball in the first half, to the tune of eight assists on 12 field goals. Bowling Green won the battle on the offensive boards. Michigan State may have to adjust its strategy after allowing the Falcons to grab 12 offensive boards. The Spartans' Derrick Nix already has eight points. Bowling Green's Torian Oglesby had a big first half, with six points and seven rebounds.

Nebraska 60, Alcorn State 46: BOX | AP RECAP | SCOREBOARD

FINAL: Nebraska used stingy defense to defeat Alcorn State 60-46 on Saturday at Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln. Scoring so few points is rare for Alcorn State (1-8), a team that came in averaging 61.8 points per game this season. Nebraska (7-3) held the Braves to 48 percent shooting from the field and just eight free throw attempts. Toney McCray boosted the Cornhuskers, with 20 points and 9-of-11 shooting from the field. Nebraska also got double-digit performances from Brandon Ubel, who added 13 and Bo Spencer, who scored 11. Ken McDonald scored 16 points and went 8-of-14 from the field for Alcorn State in the game.

HALFTIME: Nebraska leads 23-21 over Alcorn State at the half thanks to solid production from Toney McCray. In the first 20 minutes, the Cornhuskers' McCray scored 10 points and shot 4-of-5 from the field. The Braves have found a way to neutralize Nebraska's leading scorer, Bo Spencer. The senior enters halftime with zero points, well below his season average of 16.7. Alcorn State's Ken McDonald had a big first half, with 10 points.

Iowa 82, Drake 68: BOX | AP RECAP | SCOREBOARD

FINAL: Matt Gatens led five of Iowa's players in double digits with 20 points as Iowa (6-5) defeated Drake 82-68 on Saturday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. More Iowa scoring came from Bryce Cartwright, who had 12, Aaron White, who scored 10, Roy Devyn Marble, who scored 10 points, and Melsahn Basabe, who scored 10. The Hawkeyes hit 51 percent of their field goals (28-of-55). Iowa shot 23-of-29 from the free throw line. Zach McCabe shot 4-of-5 from the field and scored eight points for the Hawkeyes. Rayvonte Rice had 23 points for Drake (6-4) in a losing effort. Jeremy Jeffers had a quality shooting game, nailing 3-of-5 shots from the field and scoring nine points. The Bulldogs also got a double-digit effort from Jordan Clarke, who scored 10 points. Trailing 21-18 in the first, Iowa went on a 24-7 run to seize a 14-point advantage late in the first. Josh Oglesby finished the run off with a field goal, which helped Iowa lead 44-30 at halftime.

HALFTIME: Iowa went on a 15-3 run to close the first half on a high note and leads Drake 44-30. Both teams took turns controlling the momentum as there were six lead changes. The Bulldogs went into a funk with the score 33-28, going 2:55 without a point while the Hawkeyes went on a 9-0 run to open up a 42-28 lead. Seven Iowa players have scored. Drake's leading scorer, Ben Simons, has been shut down thus far. The junior is averaging 16.8 per game for the year, but has just zero points at the break. Iowa's Matt Gatens already has 12 points. The Bulldogs' Kurt Alexander's big game so far includes nine points.

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