College Basketball

Six things to watch Friday in the Big Ten Tournament (and how to win $1,000)

Updated Jul. 20, 2021 6:38 p.m. ET

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Kevin Cooney

By Kevin Cooney
Special to FOX Sports

Not all teams coming into a conference tournament are created equal. That is especially true when a five-day grouping reaches the third day.

After all, the third day is when the elite group arrives at the party. They are well-rested, have been able to get a few extra scouting sessions on their opponents and usually end up being less fatigued by the time the final five minutes of a contest arrive.

Friday is Day 3 in the Big Ten Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium – the day when Michigan, Purdue, Illinois and Iowa arrive for what appear to be some stellar matchups.

It’s an all-day binge of basketball on BTN, starting at 11:30 am Eastern Time with Maryland looking to bolster its NCAA resume with a matchup against top-seed Michigan. That’s followed by a titanic matchup between Ohio State and Purdue at 2:30 to wrap up the afternoon session. In the evening, Rutgers looks to keep its feel good story going against No. 3 Illinois (6:30 p.m.) before Wisconsin and Iowa wrap the evening up at 9 p.m.

Along the way, you can get into the action by playing FOX Super 6 for your chance to win $1,000 every round of the Big Ten Tournament! All you have to do is download the Super 6 app and answer six questions about each day of the conference tournament – all absolutely for free.

To get you set for Friday in ‘Nap Town’, here’s our six things to watch for in the quarterfinals.

1. One line at a time

Three of the four teams who are playing for the first time on Friday have legitimate shots for No. 1 seeds in given regions of the NCAA Tournament behind Gonzaga – the tourney’s likely overall top seed — and Baylor of the Big XII. Coaches often dismiss the importance of that and stress the need to be "playing our best basketball at this time of year," but it is a storyline on Friday for Michigan and Illinois, since a loss by either could open the door for Luka Garza and Iowa to steal one with a conference title.

2. What’s Maryland got left in the tank?

The Terrapins began Thursday morning as a team who needed some help to get into the NCAA Tournament, and an 11-point victory over Michigan State probably put the Terps into the field in some form. Eric Ayala was outstanding in a 21-point, nine-rebound performance for Maryland, who had Aaron Wiggins score 19 as well.

The problem for Maryland is that Michigan has absolutely owned them in both meetings this year, winning 84-73 in College Park then following it up by an 87-63 margin on Jan. 19 in Ann Arbor. Michigan shot over 50 percent in both victories and had a combined advantage on the boards of +16.

If that happens on Friday, Maryland doesn’t have a chance.

3) Has Ohio State caught up with Purdue?

One of the reasons that the Buckeyes had to spend Thursday afternoon sweating out a 79-75 win over Minnesota is the fact that they dropped both games against the Boilermakers. The one wild card in this was both games were early in the season – Dec. 16 and Jan. 19.

After that last loss — a 67-65 Purdue win in Columbus decided by a Jaden Ivey late 3-pointer with five seconds to play — the Buckeyes went on their best stretch of basketball this season with a eight game winning streak that had them into the third spot in the national rankings.

Meanwhile, Purdue has been that quietly consistent team that has gone 11-4 since Jan. 2. A win on Friday would give Purdue some deserved respect. 

4. The Ayo and Luka Show

One of the best parts about the Big Ten this year is being able to watch a National Player of the Year conversation just by toggling between Illinois and Iowa games. On Friday night, you will get a front row seat for four hours. Ayo Dosunmu will take center stage first against Rutgers, who has an ability to frustrate teams with different styles. (Remember that the Scarlet Knights beat the Illini in the first go around this year in Piscataway.)

Luka Garza will then take center stage in a second game within a week against Wisconsin, looking to grab the one thing that has eluded him during his career.

5. Does Wisconsin have anything left in the tank?

When the Badgers were up double digits against Penn State in the second half on Thursday night, it looked like head coach Greg Gard could sit back and relax. By the end of the night, the Badgers needed a massive defensive stop in the final seconds to beat the Nittany Lions 75-74.

Remember that the Badgers have not fared well against ranked teams this year, losing their last eight games after winning their first three games against AP Top 25 teams. A win over Iowa would take that away and add some power to the Badgers resume for a sixth or seven seed.

6. Don’t count on chalk

Over the last four Big Ten tournaments (2016-19), the teams that have been given the double byes as Top 4 seeds are just 8-8 in the quarterfinals.  The Top 4 seeds have not all made the semifinals since 2015. While freshness is important, expecting the favorites to all get through is not what history tells us.

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!

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