The big storyline on Day 3 of the Big Ten Tournament was the debuts of the No. 1 seed USC Trojans and No. 2 seed UCLA Bruins. Both teams had earned double byes into the quarterfinals.
Both teams have National Player of the Year contenders in USC’s JuJu Watkins and UCLA’s Lauren Betts, and both players shined on the national stage.
Here’s a look at how the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament went in Indianapolis on Friday.
Watkins, USC survive Indiana scare
The Trojans survived a late challenge from the No. 9 seed Indiana Hoosiers to advance, 84-79. The Hoosiers had pulled within 2 points heading into the fourth quarter. But USC was able to hold them off late despite missing starting center Rayah Marshall due to illness.
Watkins paced USC with a game-high 31 points. She shot 10-for-19 from the field and got to the free-throw line 13 times. She also added 10 rebounds.
Watkins moved into second place for most 30-point games as a Trojan as she continues to rewrite the USC history books.
”I don’t really think about it much, if I’m being honest. … I just go out there and play for the team, and whatever’s needed from me, I do,” Watkins told reporters postgame about her place in USC lore. “I think it’s just a testament to the long nights in the gym and a team and a coach that really trusts in me. I’m able to play to the best of my ability.”
Despite the loss, Indiana is still safely in the NCAA Tournament. That’s a testament to how tough and how talented the Big Ten has been this season.
Indiana head coach Teri Moren is confident her team will be ready for the tournament, no matter where it’s seeded or who it faces.
”We’ve had some really good moments where we played good basketball prior to coming to Indy,” Moren told reporters postgame. “It will be a fresh new opponent for us. I think there will be a whole new level of excitement.”
Michigan surprises Maryland as Wolverines keep rolling
No. 5 seed Michigan’s youth shined during the Wolverines’ win over Washington in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament. Freshmen Syla Swords and Olivia Olson both had big games as well in Michigan’s dominant 98-71 win against No. 4 seed Maryland in the quarterfinals. But it was senior Jordan Hobbs who led the way with a team-high 23 points.
Amid an offseason exodus to the transfer portal that left the Wolverines with an incredibly young roster, Hobbs was one of the few upperclassmen who decided to stick it out. After Friday’s game, Hobbs spoke about the message she sent to the team at halftime that carried over into the second half.
”My message probably wasn’t the best that it could have been. I was freaking out a little bit myself,” Hobbs told reporters. “Going into halftime, though, they were like, ‘All right, Jordan, we’re good, chill.’ They honestly helped me, which was really special.”
Maryland, which has been one of the top teams in the Big Ten all season, heads home early and will await its seeding in the NCAA Tournament. Following the game, Terrapins head coach Brenda Frese acknowledged just how prepared Michigan head coach Kim Barnes Arico’s team was.
”Kim’s done an incredible job with her team and with those freshmen. … Just to watch this team grow — again, that’s the sign of a great team,” Frese told reporters. “Credit to Kim and her staff. Phenomenal job to be able to have her team ready to play against us.”
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Lauren Betts’ huge game gets UCLA back on track
After UCLA lost to USC in the final game of the regular season and dropped to the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, head coach Cori Close challenged her team to be better. While No. 10 seed Nebraska gave the Bruins a tough game on Friday, UCLA was better when it mattered down the stretch, pulling off a 85-74 win.
Betts was simply dominant on both ends of the court. She finished with a game-high 28 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and seven blocks.
The Cornhuskers had no answer for Betts as she scored at will and disrupted Nebraska’s offense on the other end. Following the game, Betts spoke about how she was challenged to step up after the USC loss.
”I just wanted to do what I had to do to win this game today, and show up for my teammates and show up for my coaches,” she told reporters. “I learned a lot from the last game, and I just wanted to kind of earn some of that trust back from my teammates and my coaches. … I’m just proud of my communication and my leadership. That’s all I really wanted to focus on today. … The stats will come, but that was my primary focus.”
Nebraska is another team that will undoubtedly make the NCAA Tournament, once again highlighting how impressive the Big Ten has been. The Huskers were a much different team on Friday than the one that was blitzed by UCLA, 91-54, in December.
Freshman guard Britt Prince was the star for Nebraska for the second consecutive game. She finished with a team-high 24 points, displaying impressive maturity for a young player on such a big stage.
Following the game, Prince acknowledged how this performance helps the Huskers as they await the NCAA Tournament.
”Obviously, the Big Ten has a lot of great teams, and I think just throughout the season we’ve gotten a lot better handling the really good teams,” Prince told reporters. “Just being this close to UCLA, they’re one of the top teams in the country, and I think we showed how we can hang with them. I think that’s really important for us and a big momentum booster heading into the rest of the season.”
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Ohio State escapes Iowa in thrilling finish
The No. 11 seed Iowa Hawkeyes have been playing some of their best basketball of the season, and they came awfully close to continuing their run against No. 3 Ohio State. But after a pair of Cotie McMahon free throws in the final seconds of the game, Iowa’s Sydney Affolter and Hannah Stuelke both missed potential game-winning shots, and the Buckeyes escaped, 60-59.
Following the game, McMahon spoke about her clutch free throws amid a raucous crowd. She had missed two free throws earlier in the game but came through when it mattered most.
”Honestly, I didn’t really hear anything. I was kind of cussing myself out, like, ‘If I don’t make these free throws, then we’re going home.’ So I just made them,” McMahon told reporters. “It felt good. Like we’ve said before, this game is always personal. So it felt good.”
For Iowa, it’s been a fairly successful year under first-year head coach Jan Jensen. The Hawkeyes are headed to the NCAA Tournament, and Jensen spoke about how this team met the challenge despite losing key players from the previous season.
”I think these guys should feel really good,” Jensen told reporters postgame. “It was big shoes when they all started. Their shadows were looming. [Nonconference play] went pretty well, hit a little rockiness, but boy I think we should feel pretty good going into the [NCAA] Tournament. But as I felt every year, when we’re No. 1 seed or whatever we get, it’s all about the matchups. … The kids deserve it. They battled.”
Day 4 of the Big Ten Tournament will feature semifinal games between USC and Michigan and between UCLA and Ohio State.
