Big Ten Tournament 2016: Round 2 Scores, Updated Bracket, Quarterfinals Schedule

After a couple of lopsided games to tip off the Big Ten men's basketball tournament, Thursday's action promised to provide a bit more competitive fire and an improvement overall on the quality of play.  

Illinois and Nebraska advanced through the first round but now have far greater challenges to tackle in taking on Iowa and Wisconsin, respectively. Ohio State is slated to square off with Penn State, as well.

But Thursday's opener between Northwestern and Michigan provided more entertainment than the prior two contests in the tourney, as the Wolverines came out on top, 72-70, in an overtime thriller.

Continue reading for recaps and reaction from each second-round matchup, along with an overview of what lies ahead in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals.

Michigan 72, Northwestern 70 (OT)

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

After leading by nine points at halftime, the Wolverines let their advantage slip down the stretch. Northwestern's Alex Olah grabbed an offensive rebound and made a jumper with one second left in regulation to knot the score at 60.

But Michigan saved its best clutch moments for last. The Wildcats grabbed a 70-67 lead late in the extra period before Zak Irvin found Duncan Robinson, who connected on a three-pointer with 48 seconds remaining.

Then, it was Irvin's turn to take the big shot. His contested, pull-up jumper proved to be the game-winner with three seconds left.

Big Ten Network had the footage of Irvin's late offensive heroics on Twitter:

Seth Davis of CBSSports.com could already feel the madness of March setting in as he witnessed the sensational finish:

Irvin was only 6-of-16 shooting on the day for 19 points, but he drained the most important bucket and set up Robinson for the momentum-changer. Robinson led the victors with 21 points, draining 4-of-6 three-pointers in the process.

Olah had a monster game with 20 points and 13 boards to go with three assists, and he was outscored only by Robinson and Wildcats guard Tre Demps. The senior poured in 21 points but needed 21 shots from the field to reach that mark.

The Wolverines have to be inspired by their will to win, but they need to focus on the next task at hand. No. 1 seed Indiana awaits in the quarterfinals.

In the two teams' only meeting this season, the Hoosiers blitzed Michigan with a 25-0 run as they jumped out to a 45-24 halftime lead and won 80-67. Per ESPN.com, it was Indiana's most lopsided victory in Ann Arbor since 2008.

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Reaction

The Big Ten Network interviewed Irvin, who spoke about his journey back to the hardwood following offseason back surgery:

Flipping the narrative a bit from Irvin's deservedly celebrated winner, Michigan coach John Beilein complimented his squad's form at the other end of the floor.

"That was some of the best defense we've played," said Beilein, per the Wolverines' official basketball Twitter feed.

Northwestern coach Chris Collins lamented the missed opportunity to pull off a comeback win, saying, per Sports Illustrated's Brian Hamilton, "I guess our name isn't big enough yet. We don't have the brand name yet. That's what I'm fighting."

But Collins does have the Wildcats moving in the right direction. There is reason for optimism in 2016-17 after Northwestern improved from 15-17 last season to a 20-12 mark in Collins' third year at the helm. 

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Illinois 68, Iowa 66

Upsets involving 12th and fifth seeds are often reserved for the NCAA tournament. The Big Ten tourney got a stunner of that variety before the Big Dance.

Iowa is indubitably bound for more March Madness action, but it came out flat against a fiery Fighting Illini bunch who parlayed the momentum from a blowout win over Minnesota into an improbable triumph.

ESPN's Andy Katz believes Iowa will take a big hit with the selection committee due to Thursday's defeat:

Trailing by 11 with 3:35 on the clock, though, the Hawkeyes woke up and made things mighty interesting down the stretch. Reserve Iowa guard Nicholas Baer completed an old-fashioned three-point play to suddenly knot the score at 66 with 1:40 left to cap a stunning surge.

But Malcolm Hill responded on the next possession on what amounted to the winning jumper with 1:15 left. 

Sean Merriman of BTN.com referenced how Illinois has a historical knack for playing spoiler in the conference tournament:

Junior Hawkeyes guard Peter Jok fouled out but not before filling it up for a game-high 29 points on only 16 shots from the floor.

Illinois followed Wednesday' barrage of 14 three-point field goals with 10 in the landmark win over Iowa, getting five treys and a team-best 17 points from freshman guard Jalen Coleman-Lands. Center Maverick Morgan added 16 points of his own, while Kendrick Nunn had 15 to help the winning side.

Another Cinderella act needs to happen for the 14-18 Illini to progress through the quarterfinals. They will gear up to face fourth-seeded Purdue in a matchup that may overshadow the other games on tap if Illinois keeps this level of play up.

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Reaction

Newly hired Illinois football coach Lovie Smith couldn't help but congratulate the Illini on their success:

Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery was a bit frustrated in the immediate aftermath, saying of the last unsuccessful play call, per Shannon Ryan of the Chicago Tribune, "It's none of your business what the play call was."

McCaffery did calm down and applaud Illinois' effort, saying, "I don't think you could ever say anything other than this team keeps coming."

Per Ryan, Nunn spoke about how the Illini have risen to the occasion when it's mattered most: "March Madness is here and we're trying to play our best."

Asked about the victory in a post-game interview with the Big Ten Network, Coleman-Lands simply said, per Illinois on BTN, "We just kept fighting."

The Illini have responded well to coach John Groce and could be generating legitimate momentum for 2016-17 regardless of what happens versus Purdue.

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Ohio State 79, Penn State 75

Marc Loving and JaQuan Lyle combined for 46 points and helped Ohio State overcome a three-point halftime deficit in a second-round victory over Penn State.

Loving had 24 and Lyle 22 in a game the Buckeyes won despite their bench scoring just five points. Penn State shot better from the floor, and the two schools both hit two-thirds of their free throws. But Ohio State was 26-of-39, while the Nittany Lions connected on just 14-of-21.

A three-pointer from Loving at the 18:11 mark of the second half gave Ohio State a 40-39 lead it held until Penn State went ahead 67-66 with 4:12 left. Loving and Lyle hit 19 of 25 free throws, including six in the final 44 seconds to help seal the victory.

Penn State's Shep Garner had a game-high 25 points in the loss to go along with five rebounds and five assists, while Keita Bates-Diop had 14 points for Ohio State.

The Buckeyes have a long way to go to get into the NCAA tournament, as ESPN's Joe Lunardi has them in his "Next Out" category in his latest Bracketology update, but a deep run in the tournament could move them past bubble status and into the field of 68.

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Reaction

Ohio State head coach Thad Matta told his players they had to focus on the positive, per ESPN.com.

"I was trying to explain to these guys this week that if you hang onto something in this tournament, you're going home," Matta said. "You've got to really play forward. And fortunately for us, I thought probably the last 24 minutes with a few blips, they did a pretty decent job of that."

Penn State head coach Pat Chambers lamented over the amount of free throws his team allowed the Buckeyes to shoot, per ESPN.com.

"We lost our aggressiveness because we were in foul trouble most of the day. I mean 39 free throws says it all," Chambers said. "We've got to get better, we've got to get bigger, we've got to get stronger."

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Nebraska 70, Wisconsin 58

In one of the biggest upsets of Championship Week, Nebraska (16-17) knocked off No. 6 seed Wisconsin (20-12) in convincing fashion.

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports noted how March Madness doesn't wait for the NCAA tournament:

A Michael Jacobson free throw gave Nebraska a 30-29 lead early in the second half, and the Badgers never regained a lead in dropping their second straight game.

It was the freshman's only point of the game, but he had help from senior Shavon Shields, who had 20 points and nine rebounds, while Glynn Watson Jr. had 16 points off the bench.

The Cornhuskers won despite recording just four assists, mainly because of how efficiently they put the ball in the basket. They connected on 46.9 percent of their field goals compared to just 30.2 for Wisconsin. The Badgers missed 16 of 20 three-point attempts.

Wisconsin's bench was outscored 18-2 but did get 17 points from freshman Ethan Happ. Vitto Brown added 16 and eight rebounds. Leading scorer Nigel Hayes was held to just 10 points.

The 'Huskers have no shot at the Big Dance without a conference tournament victory, and while Wisconsin is in, its seed will most likely take a hit with this loss.

Lunardi had the Badgers in as a No. 6 seed prior to the loss, and Matt Norlander of CBSSports.com noted that it wasn't the way the Badgers, who struggled during nonconference play, wanted to finish the season:

Nebraska moves on to face the third-seeded Maryland Terrapins on Friday in the quarterfinals.

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Reaction

Nebraska on BTN shared highlights of the 'Huskers' big win:

The 'Huskers took to Twitter to celebrate the victory and let Maryland know they are ready for the quarterfinal matchup on Friday:

Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard praised Shields, who scored 20 for the fourth time in five games, following the loss, per ESPN.com.

"He's their best player on both ends of the floor and I knew that was going to be a factor," Gard said. "He's a senior who has been through it and is going on his last lap so to speak. He's a very good player who has hurt us before."

Nebraska head coach Tim Miles was glad to have Shields on his side, according to ESPN.com.

"His leadership and his presence really matters to the guys," Miles said. "When he starts driving to the basket I feel sorry for the guy trying to step in his way because he's a big, physical guy trying to go to the rim."

Updated Bracket, Quarterfinals Schedule

The Big Ten's official website has a bracket that updates in real time with live game developments and results. Below is a glance at the quarterfinals schedule:

Time (ET)	Matchup
Noon	No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 8 Michigan
2:30 p.m.	No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 12 Illinois
6:30 p.m.	No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 7 Ohio State
9 p.m.	No. 3 Maryland vs. No. 11 Nebraska