How Tre Holloman's Buzzer Beater Helped Purdue in Big Ten Standings

When Tre Holloman's Hail Mary from half court found the bottom of the net, you probably heard more than just Michigan State fans celebrating. That buzzer beater for the Spartans guard to beat Maryland on Wednesday night was also beneficial for Purdue.

Holloman's shot resulted in a 58-55 victory for Michigan State, keeping the Spartans in the top spot of the Big Ten standings at 14-3. It also dropped Maryland to 11-6 in conference play, the same league record as Purdue and UCLA.

With Maryland losing, Purdue moved ahead of the Terrapins in the Big Ten standings, owning the tiebreaker thanks to an 83-78 victory for the Boilermakers in the head-to-head matchup in December.

TRE HOLLOMAN AT THE BUZZER!!!!!!! 🚨 @MSU_Basketball pic.twitter.com/clqNj65VHk
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 27, 2025

That puts Purdue back into fourth place in the Big Ten standings currently, as Maryland owns a tiebreaker with UCLA for the fifth spot. The top four teams earn a double-by in the Big Ten Tournament and won't play until Friday, March 14. The conference tournament begins on Wednesday, March 12.

Obviously, Purdue still needs to do its job in order to secure a spot in the top-four of the Big Ten. That starts Friday, as the Boilermakers host UCLA at Mackey Arena. They also host Rutgers on Tuesday, March 4 and travel to Illinois to close out the regular season on Friday, March 7.

So, a lot could change, obviously. But if both Purdue and Maryland win out — the Terrapins still play Penn State, Michigan and Northwestern — the Boilers will get that double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament with a top-four spot.

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