LIVE! Purdue 47, Illinois 30; Halftime

Scott Richey, The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
·2 min read

Mar. 5—Follow along with beat writer Scott Richey all afternoon from Mackey Arena:

Tweets by srrichey

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There are 64 remaining Big Ten tournament seeding scenarios now that Michigan State took care of Ohio State on Saturday. Four of those 64 scenarios would get Illinois to the No. 2 seed line, and 22 of them (34.3 percent) have the Illini receiving a double bye next week in Chicago.

That's based on an Illinois win, of course, at Purdue. Then some help from the half of the league.

I'll update the Big Ten seeding scenarios throughout the day as games finish. To start, enjoy this chaotic mess of potential seeds:https://t.co/IjJmXLwK5a

— Matt Hackman (@mjhackman) March 5, 2023

Big Ten Tournament Seeding — The Final 64 Scenarios: pic.twitter.com/i7YXbIBrex

— Matt Hackman (@mjhackman) March 4, 2023

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Former Illinois defensive coordinator turned Purdue head coach Ryan Walters is on the sideline at Mackey Arena with several recruits. Walters spent a couple minutes talking with Illini athletic director Josh Whitman and had a quick word with former Illini Deon Thomas, too.

Walters in charge of the closest program to Champaign — and a Big Ten West rival at least for one more year — is an interesting development. Illinois and Purdue will play in West Lafayette, Ind., this fall. Should be a fun game.

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The Big Ten title is already Purdue's. That's already decided. But that doesn't mean there isn't plenty to play for today in West Lafayette, Ind.

The Boilermakers are still playing for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Because after losing four of their last seven, they might be closer to a No. 2 seed at this point.

Illinois is playing for its Big Ten tournament seeding. Anything from a No. 2 to a No. 9 is still on the table. Somehow. The Big Ten this year is chaos personified. The Illini are also trying to shore up their spot in the NCAA tournament ... either by getting to a No. 6 or No. 7 seed or dropping to a No. 10 seed. Avoiding that 8/9 game isn't a bad idea.

The Paint Crew has already started to file in at Mackey Arena. It's a unique setup given the Purdue student section is split in two, with sections at either end of the court. It's a sellout this afternoon in West Lafayette, and given the dimensions of this building I should have brought my ear plugs.

But it's what you want college basketball to be. Two teams (good teams when they want to be) playing with something on the line in front of a fired up crowd.