image: Athlon Sports
by: Steve Tichenor
So much for my proclamation last week about the Big 10 crashing the Sweet 16 with three teams. None of them made it past that.
Though only one game was a blow out, Purdue was roughed up by Kansas, losing by 32 points. The other two games came down to a possession. Michigan was one Derrick Walton Jr. jump shot short against Oregon and Wisconsin lost a crazy game to Florida on Chris Chiozza’s running 3 point prayer in overtime in a Madison Square Garden classic.
FLORIDA WINS ON A BUZZER-BEATER! #Sweet16 pic.twitter.com/t8ooUMf7Gy
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 25, 2017
Wow! That’s a tough way to go down. The Big 10 was that close to putting 2 teams in the Elite Eight. I know…horseshoes and hand grenades. But, I’ll stick with my original point. Before the tournament, the Big 10 was getting a bad rap from the critics. After this tournament, even with no team in the Elite 8, I think the conference may have quieted a few of them. Just a few.