The Big Ten was supposed to be the elite conference.
Before Robbie Hummel went down for Purdue, before Devoe Joseph transferred and Al Nolen got hurt at Minnesota — and before Michigan State became a train wreck and Illinois turned into Jekyll and Hyde.
The whole season all we’ve heard about is the Big Bad Big East.
All the ranked teams — and the record-setting 11 NCAA tournament bids.
But the Big Ten re-established some measure of dominance on Friday, a day after going 1-2 to kick off the Big Dance.
First came the shocking Michigan 30-point rout over Tennessee, then Purdue ran away from St. Peter’s, Ohio State pummeled UTSA and Illinois capped off the day with an impressive victory over UNLV.
The gap has closed.
Big East 7, Big Ten 5.
Game of the day: Arizona vs. Memphis — This one pitted Tigers coach Josh Pastner against his alma mater and also had Wildcats star Derrick Williams going against the school that finished second in his recruitment. It was a nail-biter in which Williams’ block at the buzzer gave Arizona the victory.
Big shot: Luke Hancock, George Mason — The 6-foot-5 sophomore may not look the part, but he drained the game-winning shot, a 3-pointer with 21 seconds left to knock off Villanova. Hancock, who had made just two trifectas in the last nine games, finished with 18 points and also had five assists in the 61-57 win.
The savior: Derrick Williams, Arizona — It’s only fitting that the Wildcats star may have saved Arizona’s season. Williams had 22 points and 10 boards, but it was his somewhat controversial block of Wesley Witherspoon as time expired that gave Arizona a 77-75 victory over Memphis.
More studs:
1. Tristan Thompson, Texas — The Canadian freshman came up huge against Oakland’s big man Keith Benson, finishing with 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks in an 85-81 victory.
2. Zack Novak, Michigan — He’s only about 6-foot-4, but he finished with 10 rebounds and the Wolverines dominated Tennessee on the glass, 35-24, and also dominated the Vols in every other area. Novak also finished with 14 points in the 30-point rout.
3. North Carolina trio — The threesome of John Henson, Harrison Barnes and Tyler Zeller combined for 84 points and 26 rebounds in the Tar Heels' 102-87 win over No. 15 Long Island.
4. Mike Davis, Illinois — The senior forward has been criticized for his inconsistent play and effort, but he came up huge in the 73-62 win against No. 8 UNLV with 22 points and 10 boards.
5. Brandon Rozzell, VCU — The senior led the Rams with 26 points and shot a blistering 6-of-10 from beyond the arc in the upset win over Georgetown.
Story of the day: It was a mellow day without a whole lot of big-time upsets. A pair of No. 11s knocked off 6s — VCU beat Georgetown and Marquette took down Xavier. No. 10 Florida State defeated Texas A&M and No. 9 Illinois beat No. 8 UNLV. None of them qualify as huge surprises.
Biggest upset: No. 11 VCU’s shellacking of No. 6 Georgetown. The Hoyas got Chris Wright back, but they couldn’t make a shot. VCU was 12-of-25 from beyond the arc while Georgetown made just 5-of-26 shots from deep.
Most impressive: Michigan’s annihilation of Tennessee. The Wolverines led by just four at the break, but basically pounded the Vols into submission in the second half and won by 30 points. They outrebounded Tennessee, 35-24, and got strong efforts from Zack Novak and Darius Morris.
Most unimpressie: Georgetown — The Hoyas may not have had Chris Wright at 100 percent, but these guys bowed out in the first round for the second consecutive season. A year ago, it was Ohio University. This time it was VCU — and it wasn’t even close. Georgetown made just one of its first 14 shots from beyond the arc in the loss.
Laying an egg: You’d think the Tennessee Vols would have played harder following athletic director Mike Hamilton’s comments about the uncertain job status of Bruce Pearl. However, these guys admittedly gave up in a 30-point loss to Michigan — and it could end up putting the final nail in the coffin to Pearl’s tenure in Knoxville.
Mercifully over: Villanova — The Wildcats' season came to an end with their sixth consecutive setback. It was also the second straight year that Jay Wright’s team bowed out in the first round. This was a team that was ranked in the Top 10 in the preseason, but didn’t get enough leadership from its senior trio of Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes and Antonio Pena.
Best third-round matchup: No. 2 Florida vs. No. 7 UCLA – Ben Howland gets another crack at Billy Donovan in the tourney. The Gators, en route to back-to-back national titles in 2006 and 2007, knocked off the Bruins both years in the national semifinals.
Finally: Duke freshman Kyrie Irving made his return after missing the past 26 games with a toe injury. Irving looked rusty — understandably so — but played 20 minutes and finished with 14 points. He made both of his shots from beyond the arc, grabbed four boards and also hit all four of his free throws. Look for Irving to continue to improve each game he plays.
We’ll miss you: Steven Pearl, Tennessee — I give Bruce Pearl’s son a ton of credit. No one thought he was good enough when he was added to the team as a freshman, but the undersized 6-foot-5 forward got the most out of his ability — and had to endure plenty off the court with the divorce of his parents and also his father’s NCAA investigation.
Never would have thought: That Illinois would have handed it to UNLV. The Illini have been as difficult a team to figure this year as anyone, but Bruce Weber’s team played with the sense of urgency that had been lacking for much of the season. Seniors Mike Davis and Demetri McCamey came through.
Happy returns: Kyrie Irving wasn’t the only guy who came back after a lengthy layoff. Chris Wright returned for Georgetown and Florida State’s Chris Singleton came back after missing a month with a broken foot. Singleton didn’t quite look like himself, but played 16 minutes and had five points.
Stat of the day: Michigan became the first team in the history of the NCAA tournament to win a game without making a free throw. John Beilein’s club missed its only attempt.
Quote of the day: "We just didn’t play with heart out there." — Tennessee freshman Tobias Harris
Can’t wait till Saturday:
1) No. 3 BYU vs. No. 11 Gonzaga, 7:45 p.m. ET (CBS) — This is a contrast in styles. It’s all about The Jimmer and his offensive prowess against the ‘Zags — who are huge up front with Robert Sacre and Elias Harris.
2) No. 1 Pittsburgh vs. No. 8 Butler, 7:10 p.m. ET (CBS) — The Bulldogs more than held their own on the glass against Old Dominion, the top rebounding team in the country. Can they do the same against another big, strong group?
3) No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 5 Kansas State, 8:40 p.m. ET (TNT) — Two of the top guards in the nation match up in the Badgers' Jordan Taylor and K-State’s Jake Pullen. The key will be whether Curtis Kelly produces for the Wildcats.
4) No. 2 Florida vs. No. 7 UCLA, 2:45 p.m. ET (CBS) — Ben Howland owes Billy Donovan since he was knocked out in the Final Four two straight years as the Gators won consecutive national titles.
5) No. 4 Kentucky vs. No. 5 West Virginia, 12:15 p.m. ET (CBS) — Bob Huggins has owned John Calipari in his career with an 8-1 mark, but the Wildcats can overwhelm West Virginia with talent.
