Big Ten Tournament 2016: Round 1 Scores, Updated Bracket and Round 2 Schedule

The Big Ten men's basketball tournament tipped off Wednesday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, as the conference's sub-.500 teams fought for the right to play another game.

It would take nothing short of a minor miracle for any of the four first-round squads to advance past the next phase of the tourney, so pride was mostly what was at stake.   

The 13-18 Illinois Fighting Illini took on the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the opener, followed by a matchup between Rutgers and Nebraska. Those latter two squads are relative Big Ten newcomers and have yet to find their stride on the hardwood, with the unenviable task of facing Wisconsin in Round 2 in the event of a win.

Read on for recaps on Wednesday's slate, along with a look ahead at the more notable games on tap for Thursday.

Illinois 85, Minnesota 52

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What theoretically should have been a tight battle between the 12th and 13th seeds was an unmitigated blowout orchestrated by the slight favorites.

The Illini rained from beyond the arc, connecting on 14 of 26 three-point attempts, led by freshman Michael Finke. He came off the bench and sank five treys and led all scorers with 17 points. Kendrick Nunn and Jalen Coleman-Lands pitched in a trio of three-pointers apiece to help the cause.

Scout.com's Jeremy Werner highlighted how long it had been since Finke went off to such a degree:

Credit goes to Illinois for keeping the pressure on the Golden Gophers. Despite leading 38-22 at halftime, the victors weren't complacent and proceeded to light up the scoreboard even more often in the final 20 minutes.

Playing without three suspended core players, including No. 1 scorer Nate Mason, Minnesota was short-handed, and it showed. Having only won two conference games all year, it was hard to expect the Golden Gophers to come out on top, but the lopsided nature of the loss has to really sting.

ESPN Stats & Info referenced the history Illinois made in its win:

Jordan Murphy was Minnesota's top offensive threat in lieu of Mason, but the Illini neutralized him. Murphy was only 3-of-14 shooting from the field, which offset about any impact his teammates had. The Golden Gophers also only got a grand total of six bench points.

Per Illinois' official basketball Twitter feed, the team matched a season-best in three-point field goals and held its largest lead of the season (37 points). It's not going to be easy to even make it through the next contest, though.

Fifth-seeded Iowa awaits the Illini in the second round. The Hawkeyes shoot 38.2 percent from three-point range as a team and can easily match Illinois if it opts to use the deep stripe as a potential equalizer in an upset bid.

Reaction

Minnesota head coach Richard Pitino tried to remain upbeat afterwards, saying, per Werner, "It stings now, but I feel really good and excited about the future of this program moving forward."

Finke spoke about his breakout performance, emphasizing how important it was to find a rhythm early and the reasoning behind his prior struggles.

"Teammates told me to kept shooting. That's all I did. When that first one went in, it felt good," said Finke. He added, "I think it's more mental. My mechanics/shot weren't changing. I think was all mental. I just had to have confidence in myself."

Illini guard Malcolm Hill, who had a fine game with 14 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals, implied his squad would move on quickly, saying, "We're happy we got this win, but as soon as we leave this gym, we have to focus on Iowa."

"Today was the best way we've played all season," said Illinois coach John Groce—and it was hard to dispute that assessment.

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Nebraska 89, Rutgers 72

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In what was a widely-expected result, Rutgers was quickly dismissed from the Big Ten Tournament with a 89-72 loss to Nebraska.

The Scarlet Knights finished the season with only one conference win all year in 19 contested. But they fought valiantly in an attempt at an upset Wednesday.

After trading the lead throughout the first half, Rutgers left for the locker room trailing 37-33.

It wasn’t until Nebraska went on a 17-2 run midway through the second half when the wheels came off. From there, the Cornhuskers’ lead consistently stayed in double digits.

Here is a look at some of the highlights, courtesy of Nebraska on BTN:

Nebraska got steady contributions across the board, with five players shooting in double figures. All-Big Ten second-team honoree Shavon Shields posted game-highs with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Both teams were mostly even in the stat sheet, but it was the 17 turnovers and the 27 points scored off them that plagued Rutgers.

Nebraska moves on with its first Big Ten tournament win since 2013 and will take on defending champion Wisconsin Thursday.

Reaction

Shields talked about the Cornhuskers’ low morale entering Wednesday riding a five-game skid, but how they regrouped in the second half, per Nebraska on BTN:

Following another disappointing season for Rutgers, finishing 7-25, Steve Politi of the Star-Ledger speculated athletic director Pat Hobbs may make a coaching change this offseason:

Eddie Jordan has been on the Rutgers sidelines since 2013 and has gone 29-68 in that span with a 8-47 record in conference play.

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Updated Bracket and Thursday Schedule

The Big Ten's official website provided a PDF version of the bracket and also has a live updated version that tracks the games as they go on. Below is an overview of Thursday's slate:

Time (ET)	Matchup
Noon	No. 8 Michigan vs. No. 9 Northwestern
2:30 p.m.	No. 5 Iowa vs. No. 12 Illinois
6:30 p.m.	No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 10 Penn State
9 p.m.	No. 6 Wisconsin vs. No. 14 Rutgers