Big Ten Roundup (March 18): Penn State's Historic Run Ends; Two Big Ten Teams Remain

Three Big Ten teams lost in the Round of 32 on Saturday, leaving No. 4 seed Indiana and No. 7 seed Michigan State as the conference's only teams left in the NCAA Tournament. Here's our Big Ten Roundup for March 18, with a recap of Saturday's games featuring Penn State, Northwestern and Maryland, as well as a preview of Sunday's slate.

Penn State's late-season run came to an end on Saturday night, losing 71-66 to No. 2 seed Texas. 

Led by All-American point guard Jalen Pickett and its wealth of 3-point shooters, Penn State won nine of its last 11 games to play itself from the NCAA Tournament bubble to the Round of 32. Andrew Funk made eight 3-pointers in a first-round win over No. 7 seed Texas A&M, but the Nittany Lions ran into a dangerous Texas team on Saturday.

Senior forward Dylan Disu had everything working against Penn State, draining mid-range jumpers, floaters and attacking the rim. He finished with a game-high 28 points on 14-for-20 shooting. Coach Micah Shrewsberry thought Disu was the first player to crack the code on Penn State's ball-screen defense and get into the lane on a consistent basis.

Texas shot just 1-for-13 from beyond the arc, but its defense forced seven turnovers from Pickett and held Funk to a 2-for-10 night from 3-point range. The No. 2 seed Longhorns advance to the Sweet 16, while Penn State best tournament finish since 2001 ends in the Round of 32.

"They were special," Shrewsberry said. "I didn't want to stop. I want to practice again, I want to play again because this group is, like, they deserve it. They deserve it for all the work that they put in that nobody sees, nobody recognizes. It looks easy. It looks easy, but when you put the time, when you put the work in, when you put the right group of people together you can do special things and all credit to these guys for doing something special this year."

Saturday's results

• No. 2 Texas 71, No. 10 Penn State 66: Penn State had no answer for Texas forward Dylan Disu, who scored a game-high 28 points on 14-for-20 shooting with 10 rebounds. The Nittany Lions made a strong comeback effort in the second half with five double-digit scorers, but their 3-point shots simply weren't falling, finishing 8-for-28. After an 8-for-10 night against Texas A&M, Andrew Funk went 2-for-10 from beyond the arc against Texas. With this win, Texas advances to the Sweet 16, where they'll face the winner of No. 3 seed Xavier versus No. 11 seed Pittsburgh, which tips off at 12:10 p.m. ET on Sunday.
• No. 2 UCLA 68, No. 7 Northwestern 63: Despite trailing by 10 points at halftime, Northwestern found itself in a one-possession game with three minutes remaining. Center Matthew Nicholson scored a career-high 17 points with nine rebounds, while Chase Audige and Boo Buie combined for 34 points on 11-for-30 shooting. In the end, UCLA senior point guard Tyger Campbell made clutch plays down the stretch and Jaime Jaquez led the way with 24 points. With this win, UCLA advances to the Sweet 16, where it'll play the winner of No. 3 seed Gonzaga versus No. 6 seed TCU, which tips off at 9:40 p.m. ET on Sunday. UCLA is already without Jaylen Clark (achilles) the rest of the way, and leading 3-point shooter David Singleton rolled his ankle at the end of Saturday's game.
• No. 1 Alabama 73, No. 8 Maryland 51: Maryland hung around in the first half, but No. 1 overall seed Alabama proved why it's the National Championship favorite in the second half. The Crimson Tide outscored Maryland 45-28 in the final 20 minutes, thanks to 22 points from Jahvon Quinerly, 19 from Brandon Miller and a double-double from Charles Bediako. With this win, Alabama will play No. 5 seed San Diego State in the Sweet 16.

Sunday's slate

(Odds via SI Sportsbook)

• No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 2 Marquette (-3), 5:15 p.m. ET on CBS: Both teams used dominant second halves to secure wins in the Round of 64. The matchup of intense coaches Tom Izzo and Shaka Smart, as well as dynamic point guards Tyson Walker and Tyler Kolek, makes for an intriguing game.
• No. 4 Indiana (-1.5) vs. No. 5 Miami, 8:40 p.m. ET on TNT: Somewhat a clash of styles, the small-ball Hurricanes will look to push the pace and beat Indiana from 3-point range. On the other hand, first-team All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis and fellow senior forward Race Thompson will have an advantage inside.