Big Ten Country

Mid-Major Mess

The NCAA Bubble Landscape in the upper right hand corner has been updated as we set the stage for the power conference tournaments, which began yesterday in New York when the Big East tipped off. This weekend will be one of the most consequential tournaments the Big Ten has ever had, with eight teams in legitimate contention for a bid, but only three (Michigan State, Illinois and Purdue) really secure.

Another conference tournament in Indianapolis concluded last night, and it was quite unfavorable for the Big Ten. In the Horizon League, Cleveland State stepped up to upset Butler, who was already a lock. The Horizon would likely have been a one-bid league had Butler won, but now will take a bid off the bubble. The Missouri Valley was even worse, where third-place Northern Iowa won, but Creighton is still very likely to make it, and Illinois State isn't out of the running either.

On a more positive note, Gonzaga and Siena, both locks for the Dance, took care of their business in their tournaments, ousting St. Mary's and Niagara respectively. Both runner-ups are still very much alive, but their resumes are not appreciably stronger than any Big Ten team. It was the best circumstance we could have hoped for.

Perhaps the biggest question about the Big Ten teams' chances is what sort of strike zone the committee will look at. Because our landscape is muddled. Of the bubble teams, Penn State has the impressive record 21-10 (and win #22 likely to come against Indiana on Thursday), but an RPI rank of only 63, thanks to an awful non-conference schedule. But the committee has also shown a propensity to reward teams who show themselves capable of beating top-notch competition within their league. PSU's 3-0 record against Michigan State & Illinois, the top two seeds in the tournament, will bode in their favor. How much weight will it get? Michigan's record of 18-12 isn't very impressive. How much weight will their wins over Duke & UCLA, back in December get? Wisconsin, at 18-11, doesn't have the spiffy record, nor any dazzling wins. But their non-conference losses were to UConn, Texas and a healthy Marquette. None of their conference losses were blowouts (seven were in the final minute of the game, the other being at Michigan State). Will they committee look at not just caliber of wins, but caliber of losses? 

All are questions known only to the members of the committee, which is why no one outside of East Lansing, Champaign or West Lafayette can be too secure of what will transpire Sunday evening. It will make for an exciting tournament. Big Ten Country's coverage plans are to let the first two rounds play out on Thursday and Friday, then check back in here Saturday morning before the semis start. See you then, and everybody enjoy the tourney!

1st Round
Minnesota-Northwestern (Noon)
Michigan-Iowa (2:30, ESPN2)
Penn State-Indiana (5, ESPN2)

2nd Round
Michigan State vs. Minn/NU (Noon, ESPN)
Wisconsin vs. Ohio State (2:30, ESPN)
Illinois vs. Michigan/Iowa (6:30)
Purdue vs. Penn State/Indiana (9:00)

Crunch Time Weekend

With crunch-time fights going in four of the five games on tap this final regular season weekend, that sound you heard was crunching and gnashing of teeth in Minneapolis and Happy Valley. Because Minnesota and Penn State each missed a chance to put the lock on an NCAA Tournament bid. Both schools are still in decent shape, but after losses this weekend, they both need to win a game in this coming week’s conference tournament, lest they turn Selection Sunday into a white-knuckle affair for their fans.

Minnesota’s loss was all the more frustrating because it was at home and by losing to Michigan, created the double problem of letting the Wolverines keep their own tournament hopes alive. UM managed to win this game in spite of getting only 11 rebounds. In any Big Ten season that didn’t involve a 38-33 final score, this would qualify as the most bizarre box score circumstance. One thing decidedly *not* bizarre was the play of DeShawn Sims, who rang up 24 points when his team needed him most. Laval Lucas-Perry came off the bench for 19.

Penn State went to double overtime before falling to Iowa. The Hawkeye starting backcourt trio of Matt Gatens, Devan Bawinkle and the magnificent Jake Kelly played 147 out of a possible 150 minutes, and the Hawks used only seven players in this marathon game. Kelly ended up with 22 points, but Iowa won the game on the boards, where they crushed PSU 39-25. One has to ask where Jamelle Cornley was. The Lion forward got only one rebound, and allowed a brilliant outing by Talor Battle (26 points/10 rebounds) to go to waste. During football season, Penn State saw its national championship hopes end with a crushing loss in Iowa City. Will the basketball team be looking back on their own trip to the cornfields with similar sadness?

Two teams needing to win stood up and delivered at home. Ohio State faced off with Northwestern and won a hard-fought 52-47 game. Evan Turner scored 17, and the Buckeyes got key help off the bench from William Buford and B.J. Mullen. The pair combined for 21 points and 14 rebounds, helping negate an 18-point outing from Craig Moore. OSU straggled to the finish line, but their NCAA hopes are still very much alive.

Wisconsin forced 16 turnovers against Indiana while committing only five, and routed the Hoosiers 85-61 in front of a Kohl Center crowd. The Hoosiers shot the ball well, hitting 54 percent from the floor, but the turnovers and a 28-19 rebounding deficit did them in. Joe Krabbenhoft was the star of the day for UW, scoring 19 points and grabbing nine rebounds.

A week and a half ago, it’s hard to imagine the Michigan State-Purdue game would have been the afterthought to the weekend. But with the Spartans already drenched in champagne, the main purpose of their 62-51 win was to send off the seniors in fashion. Kalin Lucas led all scorers with 21, and Goran Suton’s 10 boards were the prime reason for yet another commanding MSU edge inside. The Boilermakers’ surge of February has given way to the slump of March and they need to reverse momentum this week in Indianapolis.

Player Of The Sequence: Talor Battle. If he’d gotten help from Cornley, even a little bit, the Lion guard’s effort on the road would have put his team in the NCAAs.

Coast To Coast Bubble Battles

From coast to coast, so to speak, in the Big Ten, bubble teams came up with huge wins in front of raucous home crowds and increased the likelihood that Selection Sunday will see at least seven conference teams get their dance card punched.

On the conference's far west end, Minnesota hosted Wisconsin. Both teams need more wins, but the consensus seems to be that the Gophers needed it more. In a bruising defensive struggle, they got it. Overcoming a 46-40 deficit late in the game, Minny rattled off the last 11 points to get the victory. Lawrence Westbrook didn't start, but came off the bench and gave Tubby Smith 15 points, including the most important ones at the end. Wisconsin committed 13 turnovers, not a horrible figure, but their recent win streak has seen them keep that number in single digits.

Earlier in the week, on the "west coast", Ohio State went into Iowa and snuck out with a 60-58 win. The Buckeyes shot 56 percent from the floor, and with the money on the table, Evan Turner stepped it up and played like an MVP, scoring 22 points and dishing out nine assists. Jake Kelly continued his amazing run for Iowa, with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Hawkeye guard Devan Bawintel was the top scorer in the entire league with 24.

And on the east end, Penn State went to the wire to beat Illinois 64-63 on Talor Battle's basket with 0.3 seconds left. Battle had 15 points, and running mate Stanley Pringle led all scorers with 20. The free throw line was a huge dividing line in this game, as PSU went there often and shot well, at 12-of-15. Illinois went there rarely and tossed up bricks when they did, at 2-of-7. The Nittany Lions have broken the 20-win barrier and are 3-0 against Michigan State & Illinois, arguably the two best teams in the conference. I know their RPI is not the best, but can they really be denied?

With an NCAA bid in hand and the conference race settled, Purdue doesn't have anything to play for right now, and it showed on Wednesday night against Northwestern. The Wildcats played like a team that still believes in can make the Dance. With Kevin Coble getting 16 points and 8 rebounds, and NU holding JaJauan Johnson to just three rebounds, the 'Cats stole a 64-61 win in West Lafayette.

*We touched on Michigan State's championship-clinching win against Indiana in the post below.

Player Of The Sequence: Evan Turner. The assists total puts him over the top. In the biggest game of his team's season, he not only scored but distributed the ball well. After one of his worst games over the weekend, he stepped it up on the road and did what an MVP is supposed to do.

Finishing The Job

Sunday's win at Illinois had made it all but inevitable, and Michigan State sealed the deal last night in Bloomington. With a 64-59 win over Indiana, the Spartans locked up the Big Ten title outright, the first time they've had exclusive space in the penthouse since 1999. On the level of historical footnote, this now marks seven straight years the Big Ten has had an outright champ. The last time the trophy was shared was the four-way train wreck of 2002.

Clinching a championship is heartening enough, but Raymar Morgan's 14-point/7-rebound effort was one of his most balanced games since he's been slowed with illness. Having him at full strength is an absolute necessity if the Spartans are to finish the season off right back at home in Ford Field for the Final Four.

But that's looking ahead. For now, Tom Izzo and the entire Michigan State program has earned the right to enjoy the moment. In the modern world of college basketball, the all-consuming obsession with the NCAA Tournament has unfortunately detracted from the significance of accomplishments like these. But that shouldn't be. Regardless of what happens the rest of the month, another championship banner will be hung at the Breslin Center. Other teams still have the opportunity to get a banner of their own, be it in Indy or with a Final Four run. But only the regular season champion ensures itself of that honor before the vagaries of one-and-done competiton start. Congrats to MSU!

All But Over

We were oh-so-close to having a thrilling three-way run to the finish line in the Big Ten regular season. Illinois pulled even with Michigan State, 58-58 and the screaming throngs of Champaign were ready to will their troops to victory. An Illini win would have put both them and Purdue just a game back of the front-running Spartans in the final week. But Tom Izzo's club would not be denied and they pulled away in the closing minutes for a 74-66 win. Instead of a race, we have a coronation. Michigan State has secured at least co-championship and needs just one more win to make the trophy all theirs.

MSU was led up by Kalin Lucas with 18 points, and Goran Suton had 10 rebounds. Illinois had four players in double figures, but couldn't overcome 17 turnovers.

In other games...

Purdue 75 Ohio State 50
The Buckeyes are tanking fast as Selection Sunday approaches and this was simply a non-appearance in West Lafayette. Evan Turner had a modest 14-point effort and his four rebounds was symptomatic of a game where Purdue pounded the glass to the tune of a 32-17 edge. E'Twaun Moore crashed the boards for 10 rebounds. That the Boilermaker point guard could more than double the OSU forward and MVP candidate in rebounding is just inexplicable.

Wisconsin 60 Michigan 55
In the race for NCAA Tournament bids this was a huge game for both teams. In a tough game, UW got 19 from Trevon Hughes and Joe Krabbenhoft's 11 rebounds keyed a 31-21 advantage in this area. Michigan's big two of DeShawn Sims and Manny Harris came to play, combining for 34 points and 15 rebounds, but no one else did anything of note and Michigan missed a chance for a big road win.

Penn State 61 Indiana 58
The Nittany Lions were sternly tested at home by the Hoosiers in a game that was almost even in every aspect. Both Verdell Jones for IU and Talor Battle for Penn State each posted lines of 16 points and 8 rebounds, and PSU escaped with a win they absolutely had to have.

Northwestern 55 Iowa 49
When I updated the NCAA Bubble Landscape (upper right of the blog) on Saturday morning, it became apparent that the improvement of teams in the Big 12 & SEC realistically mean that Northwestern doesn't even have a longshot hope of an at-large NCAA bid. But the Wildcats continued their nice season in a way familiar to their fans--heavy dependence on the Big Three of Kevin Coble, Michael Thompson and Craig Moore who accounted for 41 of their points. Iowa fell, but also saw what's become a familiar sight--Jake Kelly lighting it up, as he poured in 23 points and grabbed five rebounds.

Player of the Sequence: Jake Kelly. He singlehandedly keeps Iowa in games, even if he doesn't have the help to get them over the top. We were into February when he began to really find his form, so he's not viable in the MVP race, but no one in this league has been better the past three weeks.

Purdue's Loss Is Illinois' Gain

Purdue lost control of its destiny in the Big Ten race, while Michigan scored a huge victory in its push for the NCAA Tournament last night in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines scorched the nets, hitting 63 percent from the floor and getting dynamic performances from the duo of DeShawn Sims and Manny Harris. Sims led all conference scorers this week with 29 points, while Harris poured in 27. We've said it here before and we'll say it again--when Manny is on, no one in the Big Ten lights up the board the way he does.

Purdue was inefficient from the three-point stripe, taking 25 shots to hit only 7, in a game that saw both teams launching from downtown. Robbie Hummel had perhaps his best game of the season, with 24 points. But it was not enough to prevent the Boilermakers from falling two games back. All is not lost yet for Matt Painter's team. If Michigan State loses at Illinois on Sunday, Purdue can then make up the remaining game head-to-head with the Spartans. But whatever hopes Painter had of an outright conference title is now gone.

In other games...

Illinois 52 Minnesota 41
Purdue's loss was Illinois' gain. As we discussed in the post below, the Illini still have hopes of angling their way into a co-championship and they got a must-win game in Champaign on Thursday. Neither team shot well and neither took care of the ball particularly well, but Minnesota's 19 turnovers were too much to overcome. Mike Davis was the only player for the Illini who bothered to rebound, collecting 11 boards on a night his team was beaten decisively (37-25) on the glass. Damian Johnson had a big night for the Gophs, scoring 18 and picking up five steals.

Michigan State 62 Iowa 54
The Spartans took care of business at home, with a workmanlike win over Iowa. Another double-digit edge in rebounding, along with 16 from Delvon Roe, was enough to overcome Jake Kelly, who continued his huge late-season run with 20 points.

Ohio State 73 Penn State 59
In the game with the most implications for the NCAA Tournament, the Buckeyes got what they desperately needed. Having lost three in a row, OSU would have been in a major danger area if they'd have dropped another one on their home floor. Evan Turner was MIA in this one though, being held to six points. It was the Buckeye bench that delivered for Thad Matta, as reserve guard Jeremie Simmons nailed 14 points, while backup center B.J. Mullins came through with 13 and five rebounds. Penn State had four players sitting on 10 and 11 points, and it's been a while since either Jamelle Cornley or Talor Battle had a truly big game. Because PSU already got a big road win at Illinois, this one wasn't a must, but the Lions absolutely have to take care of business this weekend against Indiana.

Northwestern 75 Indiana 53
Speaking of Indiana, Northwestern continued to solidfy an NIT invitation and keep hope alive for one big run at the NCAA, as they feasted on the Hoosiers in Bloomington. The NU backcourt of Craig Moore and Michael Thompson finally functioned in tandem, combining for 33 points. It was a welcome performance for Thompson, whose scoring has been down this year. Devan Dumes was held to three points for IU on 0-of-6 shooting from treyland. Tom Crean knew it was going to be a rough year this season, but you wonder if he has any regrets as he languishes in the Big Ten basement, while the Marquette team he built is near the top of the Big East.

Player Of The Sequence: Robbie Hummel, Purdue. I'm giving Hummel the edge based on the fact that Harris and Sims had each other to split defensive attention, while Hummel had to carry Purdue.

The Race In The Homestretch

Down the stretch they come in the race for the 2009 Big Ten basketball championship. Michigan State still holds the driver's seat at 11-3, Purdue is in hot pursuit at 10-4 and Illinois is still viable at 10-5. Everyone else has at least seven conference losses.

It can be surprising, when you think about it, that the Spartans have not won even a piece of the conference title since 2001 and not taken it outright 1999 (though they are in the Wikipedia record book as an outright champ in 2000, since Ohio State forfeited its share due to NCAA sanctions). Surprising, because Tom Izzo has the league's most consistent program and the one that's shown it's capable of winning on the big stage, most notably its trifecta of Final Fours from 1999-2001, with a national title mixed in for 2000. The fact MSU made a Final Four run as recently as 2005 can also obscure how long the conference drought has been. As for Purdue, they haven't been on top since Gene Keady lead the program to the glorious heights of 1994-96, when they took three straight outright titles, a feat you have to go back to 1960-62 to find. Illinois has been in the winner's circle more recently, taking the title home with their great team in '05, that came within a couple baskets of winning the national title.

How does it all size up this year. Can Michigan State put it away? Right now, everything is pointing to the season finale on March 8 in East Lansing. Purdue comes to town. Izzo's team can have at least a share of the crown put away prior to that, but they have to go through a road game in Champaign this Sunday. Otherwise, feasting on Iowa at home and Indiana on the road shouldn't be too much of a problem.

What about Purdue, can they keep pace and at least control their destiny for a half of the prize that eluded them down the stretch last year? The stretch run doesn't start easy. They're in Ann Arbor tonight against a desperate Wolverine squad. While home games against Ohio State and Northwestern will see them favored, they aren't gimmes either.

Illinois has the most intriguing case. Since they play Michigan State, they can close to within a game of their own accord. But they have to get some help elsewhere, otherwise both the Spartans and Boilers would each showdown in the finale with 4 losses apiece, while Illinois would be stuck on 5. At least one of their rivals has to lose, and then the team that lost has to turn around and win the showdown game on the final Sunday of the regular season. Purdue, with their more difficult closing schedule, is the likeliest bet and the best shot comes tonight in Ann Arbor.

Even given all that, Illinois still has to take care of a home game with Minnesota, a team that's managed to win in Madison. And they have to go to Penn State, in a reprise of that 38-33 defensive brawl, the game that's sitting there like a huge black mark on Bruce Weber's championship hopes. All the other losses were on the road to good teams (Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Minnesota). Penn State's a good team too, but not the kind you can lose to at home if you want to win a title.

The betting here is that March 8 will see Michigan State and Purdue face off in the same situation they're at right now. With the Spartans having one foot in the door and the Boilers looking to share the wealth. It may be with 3 and 4 losses respectively, or it may be 4 and 5, but I'm guessing it will come down to that.

                              ********************
There's good conference race action going on across the nation. In the ACC, North Carolina's surprise loss to Maryland last Saturday opened the door for Clemson and Duke to pull within a game of the front-running Tar Heels. The Big 12 saw Kansas get a leg up on a Blake Griffin-less Oklahoma this week and they're one game ahead of both the Sooners and Missouri. It doesn't get easier for Bill Self, who has another championship-type battle on Sunday when he plays Mizzou. The Pac-10 is still up for grabs, as everyone has at least four conference losses. Washington and Arizona State are tied in the loss column, while slumping UCLA, along with Cal, are one game behind.

The Big East is also a free-for-all, with Louisville, UConn and Marquette tied with two losses apiece. But with 16 teams in the league, the Big East comes nowhere close to having its team play comparable schedules, making this the one conference I'm more inclined to give deference to the league tournament as the more prestigious prize. And the SEC is all put away, as LSU is three games ahead of the pack.

The Spirit of '79

Michigan State celebrated the 30th anniversary of Magic Johnson's national championship team back in 1979 when they hosted Wisconsin on Sunday. And with a furious second-half flurry, the '09 edition of the Spartans kept alive their hopes for an outright conference championship and showed why, in spite of Tuesday's bad showing at Purdue, they remain a threat to reach the Final Four and perhaps even cut down the nets this year.

Tom Izzo's team hasn't lost when both Raymar Morgan and Goran Suton are at full strength. Morgan is still not full strength, but he's getting there. And Suton gave Izzo a strong 16-point, 10-rebound effort to help key his team's 61-50 win. Despite bad shooting from the three-point line, MSU compensated by hitting 47 percent inside the arc. And Suton's performance was just the lead role in a rebounding display that saw State assert a 34-18 advantage on the glass.

The loss ended Wisconsin's six-game winning streak, but the Badgers had moved into the Top 30 of the RPI prior to this game and are in pretty good shape to go back to the NCAA, so long as they close out remaining home games with Michigan and Indiana.

Purdue 81 Indiana 67
Matt Painter didn't allow his team to let up now that they're in the hunt for a championship. In a rivalry game that's always tough, both teams shot well, though both had some turnover issues. But the Boilermakers had E'Twaun Moore, who continued his late-season surge by scoring 26 points, the top figure in the conference this weekend. JaJuan Johnson cleaned up on the glass, grabbing 10.

Illinois 70 Ohio State 68
It wasn't the best of weeks for the Buckeyes, who dropped their third straight game and are falling back to the bubble. This was a well-played game, where both teams shot well and took care of the ball well. Rebounding was even. Mike Davis led Illinois with 22 points and 8 rebounds, while Trent Meacham hit for 17 and Demetri McCamey dished out 7 assists. Ohio State's Evan Turner was his usual versatile self, with 17 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. And the backcourt of William Buford and Jon Diebler combined for 31. But OSU wasn't quite good enough on their home floor and needs to arrest this slide quickly.

Iowa 70 Michigan 60
Just when Michigan was looking good for the tournament, they come up short on the road. If anyone hasn't noticed, Iowa's Jake Kelly is making a strong case for All-Conference, particularly as some name players (Talor Battle and Manny Harris most prominently) have disappearing acts. Kelly was extraordinary on Saturday, pouring in 23 points, hauling down 8 rebounds and distributing 9 assists. Iowa's defense was also strong, holding UM to 32 percent shooting.

Minnesota 72 Northwestern 45
Lawrence Westbrook looks like he's finally found his groove again. The slumping Gopher guard had finally broke double-digits again earlier this week and Sunday night he knocked down 17 against a Northwestern squad that Bob Knight (in the ESPN broadcast of Duke-St. John earlier this week) called one of the nation's truly good stories this season. The Gopher defense was stifling, holding NU to 30 percent shooting and preventing Minnesota from suffering from Ohio State's problem of unlocking their bid and returning it to the bubble.

Player of the Sequence: Jake Kelly. Can the Hawkeye guard make first-team All-Conference with his February run?

A Good Week For The Big Ten

The NCAA Bubble Landscape link in the upper right has been updated, and it was a good week for the cause of getting a lot of Big Ten teams into the Dance. The week opened with five teams (Michigan State, Illinois, Purdue, Minnesota, Ohio State) classified as locks. All five are still locks, and with Wisconsin moving up to #29 in the RPI standings, they join that group. Michigan's still on the bubble, but strengthened its position, moving to a #48 RPI rank. And Penn State's big road win at Illinois made them the big winner of the week. The Lions' record is now at a solid 19-8, and their RPI soared from 83 (where they would likely be left out) to #59 which puts them right on the bubble. And Northwestern's still a long shot, but that home win over Ohio State makes them a little less longer than they were a week ago.

All classifications are based on whether the season ended today, so the locks, namely Minnesota, Ohio State and Wisconsin, can still play their way out of that status. But as we enter weekend play, Jim Delaney has reason to smile. Seven bids looks very realistic right now and even eight isn't out of the question. 

It's A Race!

Michigan State had a chance to salt away the Big Ten race on Tuesday night in West Lafayette. But the Spartans were outplayed by Purdue in a performance that left Tom Izzo deeply disappointed. The end result was a 72-54 loss that let the Boilermakers pull to within one game of the conference lead with five to play.

Purdue's win was keyed by superior shooting, as the Boilers outshot the Spartans 48-33% from the floor. They were able to mitigate MSU's rebounding edge, holding it to a 34-29 margin. All three Purdue guards hit the glass, grabbing six boards apiece. JaJuan Johnson led the way in scoring with 17 points.

In other games...

Penn State 38 Illinois 33
When I checked the scores on Thursday morning, I could have sworn ESPN.com had malfunctioned and left the halftime score up here. But that's not a misprint. On their home floor with a chance to join Purdue in being one game on the heels of first place, the Illinois offense completely imploded. Of course Penn State's wasn't much better, but victory cures all ills. Talor Battle's 11 points constituted a virtual offensive explosion in this game, and he was the only scorer in double digits. Amazingly, Illinois did not attempt a single free throw in a home conference game. Penn State got a win that dramatically boosts their NCAA chances, as discussed in the post below.

Northwestern 72 Ohio State 69
The Wildcats' dreams of a miracle NCAA bid are still on the respirator after a win that was marked by superlative individual efforts on both sides. Kevin Coble had 26 and Craig Moore delivered 23 for NU. In the meantime, Jon Diebler for Ohio State showed that when he's hot, he can really light it up, cashing in 28. Evan Turner was kept somewhat in check, though he still posted 14 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. If Turner doesn't win the MVP, a reason would be a tendency to turn the ball over and he had a season-high eight miscues in this game.

Michigan 74 Minnesota 62
Yet another team strengthens its NCAA case, as the Wolverine bench comes up big in Ann Arbor. It was three reserves leading the way, none more so than Zack Novak who scored 18 points on 6-of-10 three-point shooting. It was the key to the entire UM win as they shot 13-of-28 from behind the arc, while Minnesota stumbled to 5-of-21. Novak got help from fellow second-teamers Stu Douglass and Kelvin Grady, who each chipped in 12.

Wisconsin 68 Indiana 51
The Badgers got their fifth win in a row, pulling away from IU in the second half. For the third straight game, Bo Ryan's team won the turnover battle big, 15-5 in this case. Trevon Hughes had a hot night with 21 and Joe Krabbenhoft added 18. Devan Dumes returned to the lineup for the Hoosiers after a two-game suspension for throwing an elbow, and scored 12, nine of them from the free throw line.

Player of the Sequence: For the second time this year, it goes to a bench player. I'll take Zack Novak, who came up with the game that kept his team alive to dance in March.