>>Illinois At Purdue In Battle Of Bubble Teams
It could very well be one of the most important games in the tenure of John Groce at Illinois when his Fighting Illini visit Mackey Arena for a 3:30 pm showdown with the Purdue Boilermakers.
Both squads come in at 19-11 and precisely in the midst of the bubble conversation. A win for either side could put them into the NCAA tournament.
Coming off a 64-57 win against Nebraska Wednesday, Illinois has won two straight following a three game losing streak. Led by Rayvonte Rice the past two games, the senior guard returned to the starting lineup against Northwestern last Sunday and is averaging 21.6 points and seven rebounds per game in his last three outings.
For the 'Boilers, they've lost two in a row following a stretch where they won seven of eight.
With the Big Ten Tournament looming next weekend, the loser could still play themselves into the tournament, but a win puts either side into better standing heading towards selection Sunday.
>>ISU Takes on Evansville This Afternoon in St. Louis
The Missouri Valley Conference Tournament is here as mid-major schools look to upend a pair of national powers and punch their tickets to the NCAA tournament.
Chasing No. 8 Wichita State and No. 11 Northern Iowa, the rest of the Missouri Valley is hoping to upend the two powers and punch an automatic birth into the NCAA tournament.
Fourth seeded Illinois State will meet up with fifth seeded Evansville this afternoon from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, the 25 year host of the Valley tournament.
The Redbirds concluded their season at 20-14 while Evasville was 19-12.
The winner moves on for a date with either top-seeded Wichita State or Southern Illinois, who meet today.
Bradley defeated Drake Thursday to move on to take on Northern Iowa today. The winner meets Loyola-Chicago or Indiana State Saturday.
>>College Basketball Notes
The first ticket to the NCAA tournament will be stamped tonight in the northeast as the Harvard Crimson host the Yale Bulldogs in a regular season matchup that will determine the champion of the Ivy League.
At 20-6 overall, Harvard is seeking their fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament as the Champion of the Ivy League. 21-8 Yale has not made the tournament since 1962.
At 10-2, the co-leaders of the Ivy League meet at 7 pm from Lavietes Pavilion in Cambridge, MA.
Frank Kaminsky had 25 points, seven assists, six rebounds and two steals as the sixth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers won the Big Ten Conference regular-season crown outright with a 76-63 victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Sam Dekker added 20 points and six rebounds for the Badgers (27-3, 15-2 Big Ten), who have won four in a row against Minnesota. Nigel Hayes tallied 12 points and nine boards.
Nate Mason ended with 15 points for the Golden Gophers (17-13, 6-11), who have lost four of five. Carlos Morris contributed 11 points.
Arizona clinched its second straight outright Pac-12 title in a most convincing fashion, with the fifth-ranked Wildcats dominating California in all facets in a 99-60 rout at the McKale Center.
Brandon Ashley led the way with a career high-tying 21 points, Kaleb Tarczewski added 14 with eight rebounds and T.J. McConnell dished out 11 assists without a turnover as Arizona (27-3, 15-2 Pac-12) kept itself in the hunt for a possible No. 1 regional seed in the NCAA Tournament.
NCAA Top 25 Basketball Scoreboard
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#13 Utah 67, Washington State 59
#18 Arkansas 78, South Carolina 74
