Big Ten Tournament championship: Six things to watch, how to win $1,000
By Kevin Cooney
Special to FOX Sports
By the time Ohio State and Illinois take the floor Sunday afternoon, the bulk of college basketball will have stepped aside to wait for the final tango.
It is fitting, in this season when one conference dominated the conversation during the sport’s weirdest season, that the last championship of the week should come from two teams, Ohio State and Illinois, that know they are among the small group of squads with legitimate aspirations of winning the really big tournament that begins next weekend.
The Buckeyes and Illini will meet Sunday (3:30 p.m., CBS) for the Big Ten title. The Illini figure to have a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament locked up. The Buckeyes have likely solidified no worse than a 2-seed.
However, Sunday is about pride and a banner to hang from the top of the gym next season.
And you can be part of things by playing FOX’s Super 6 on the Big Ten championship game. Get all six questions right, and you could win the $1,000 jackpot. All you have to do is download the FOX Super 6 app on your phone or mobile device, answer all six questions correctly and watch the title game.
Here are the six things we are looking ahead to on Sunday.
1. The Duane and E.J. show
Duane Washington Jr. and E.J. Liddell came up huge on Saturday in Ohio State's 68-67 win over top seed Michigan, scoring a combined 42 points while grabbing 11 of Ohio State’s 37 rebounds and 11 of the Buckeyes’ 13 assists. Against Illinois on March 6, a 73-68 loss to the Illini in Columbus, those two were held to 42 points on 14-for-35 shooting with just seven rebounds and six assists – all by Washington. The Buckeyes will need another huge night from these two to keep pace.
2. Ayo-K
It was just another great day for Player of the Year candidate Ayo Dosunmu — 18 points, seven rebounds and nine assists — on Saturday in the Illini's 82-71 win over Iowa in the Big Ten semifinals. Against Ohio State on March 6, Dosunmu was stellar, with 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting, four rebounds and three assists in his first game back after a concussion.
3. The wild cards
You want a guy who can create havoc while we focus on the stars in Washington, Liddell, Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn. Remember that in the most recent regular-season meeting between these two teams, Andre Curbelo was awesome for Illinois, with 19 points. In the first game, Curbelo had two points in Ohio State’s 87-81 win in Champaign. For the Buckeyes, Justice Sueing might be big just by giving the team another threat to score. He had nine points and five boards Saturday. A day like that would be enormous.
4. Does tired matter?
Ohio State will play for its fourth straight day Sunday. While that clearly didn’t impact Georgetown in Saturday night’s Big East final, fatigue usually does play a role. However, two of the past three Big Ten champions — Michigan in 2017 and 2018 — were forced to play the extra day. What could be more of a concern for Chris Holtmann is that his team's past two games included overtime in the quarterfinals against Purdue, who beat Ohio State twice during the regular season, and in the semifinals against traditional rival Michigan. In other words, the emotional gas tank could be tapped out.
5. Orange alert
The last time Illinois played in the Big Ten title game was 2008, back when most of these players were in fourth grade or lower. Playing for a conference title can change the way teams operate, especially if they know their NCAA Tournament situation, like Illinois does as a potential No. 1 seed. Will the moment overwhelm this group, or will they rise to the challenge?
6. A Madness prelude
One of the best things about the Big Ten tournament is that it can give you an idea of what the NCAA Tournament will look like. These two teams will be separated, along with Iowa and Michigan, and likely placed in opposite corners of the bracket. It will be fascinating to see if they all get back together in three weeks at the same building.
Play the FOX Super 6 Challenge for college basketball throughout the conference tournaments and March Madness for your chance to win thousands of dollars, absolutely for free. Just download the Super 6 app now and make your picks!
