Big Ten Notebook: Purdue advances to Sweet Sixteen, Northwestern falls to UConn
As the final slate of games in the Round of 32 came to a close, the Big Ten was well represented. Purdue and Northwestern were in action, but only one team was able to extend its championship run.
For the Big Ten, Sunday got off to an encouraging start as No.1 Purdue beat No.8 Utah State. In the Boilermakers latest win, Zach Edey had another big performance. The talented center added 23 points to his resume while hauling in a team-high 14 rebounds. He also got some help from Trey Kaufman-Renn, who scored 18 points.
Purdue will be back in action on Friday when they take on No.5 Gonzaga.
UCONN’s Tristen Newton with a TOUGH layup 🤯 pic.twitter.com/5gHXhej1NK
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 25, 2024
The final game of the night ended with a win for No.1 UConn over No.9 Northwestern. As the Huskies continued their impressive run, they were led by Tristen Newton. The El Paso native scored a team-high 20 points while dishing out 10 assists. He helped UConn build an early lead they would not relinquish.
In this matchup, the Huskies dominated close to the basket. They outscored Northwestern 52-26 in the paint. UConn also won the blocked shots battle 9-0. From the first whistle, Northwestern was no match for the defending champs.
After three days off, UConn will be back in action on Thursday night against No.5 San Diego State.
