The B1G Notebook, Volume 9: Big Ten Tournament Recap and conference awards
Mayhem in Minneapolis
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With its first sellout in tournament history, the 2024 Big Ten Tournament was one for the record books. Iowa fans huddled in blankets as they waited in line hours before the games would begin to get the best seats possible to witness Caitlin Clark in her final Big Ten Tournament.
But Clark wasn’t the only player to shine over the weekend. Jaz Shelley of runner-up Nebraska was lights out from three all weekend, while Michigan’s Laila Phelia and Maryland’s Shyanne Sellers both led their teams to upset wins in the quarterfinals on Friday.
Quarterfinal Chaos
Last year, the top four seeds in the Big Ten Tournament all won their first game and moved on to the semifinals. This year, just one of the top four moved on to the semifinals, as the No. 1, No. 3 and No. 4 seeds were all upset on Friday.
The first game of the day set the tone and was perhaps one of the best upsets of the season as Maryland toppled No. 1 seed Ohio State, 82-61. The Terps lost to the Buckeyes twice in the regular season before getting their first ranked win of the season and first win over a top-five opponent since 2014.
Maryland was led by Sellers who finished with 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Veterans Jakia Brown-Turner and Brinae Alexander both added 19 points. The team’s defense held Cotie McMahon and Jacy Sheldon to 12 and 10 points, respectively, and outrebounded Ohio State 55-31.
Next, No. 5 seed Nebraska beat No. 4 seed Michigan State, 73-61, by dominating in the second and third quarters, outscoring the Spartans 41-20 in the two frames.
No. 2 seed Iowa handily defeated No. 7 seed Penn State, 95-62, even with a slow start from Clark, showing the Hawkeyes’ depth and talented roleplayers.
In the final game of the night, No. 6 seed Michigan trailed by 14 points at the half to a Mackenzie Holmes-less No. 3 seed Indiana. But the Wolverines flipped the script, holding the Hoosiers to 21 points in the second half, the same amount the Wolverines had in the first half. A career-high 30 points from Phelia sealed the victory for Michigan, even as Holmes checked into the game in the fourth quarter.
Overtime is Iowa time
Trailing by 11 points at halftime with star Caitlin Clark scoring just four points on 1-for-13 shooting, Iowa looked nothing like itself in the first 20 minutes of the conference final on Sunday.
But the Hawkeyes did what the Hawkeyes did best in the second half: run in transition and get the ball to Clark. They scored nine fastbreak points in the second half and Clark shot 9-for-13 from the floor, including the game-tying basket with 29 seconds left in regulation.
Iowa held Shelley scoreless in overtime while Kate Martin scored more points in the final five minutes of play than she did in the first 40 minutes, boosting her team to its third straight Big Ten Tournament Championship.
The Her Hoop Stats All-Big Ten Team
While the Big Ten Conference announced its season honors the week before the conference tournament, the Her Hoop Stats All-Big Ten team will feature just five players based on position, as well as a freshman of the year and most improved player award.
Point guard: Caitlin Clark, Iowa, 31.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 8.9 apg
Shooting guard: Sara Scalia, Indiana, 16.2 ppg, 43.3 FG%, 43.2 3-FG%
Small Forward: Cotie McMahon, Ohio State, 14.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg
Power Forward: Serah Williams, Wisconsin, 17.8 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 2.9 bpg
Center: Mackenzie Holmes, Indiana, 20 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.4 bpg
Freshman of the Year: Grace Grocholski, Minnesota, 11.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 83.3 FT%
Most Improved Player:Bri McDaniel, Maryland, from 3 ppg in 9.7 minutes and zero starts to 12.7 ppg in 25.7 minutes and 24 starts.
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