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By Zach Wagner | @zachwagner22 Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS — Michigan State senior Denzel Valentine stood face to face with teammate Bryn Forbes with 8.6 seconds remaining in the Big Ten Tournament final and the Spartans leading Purdue, 64-62. The Big Ten Player of the Year and first team All-Big Ten selection knew the …

By Jennifer Brugh | @JenniferRBrugh Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS – Purdue’s five-game winning streak ended suddenly when the Boilermakers lost to Michigan State, 66-62, in the 2016 Big Ten Championship game. The noise from the Boilermaker fans in Bankers Life Fieldhouse was overwhelming at times during a second-half comeback, but the Boilermakers fell short …

By Jennifer Brugh | @JenniferRBrugh Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS – The winning coach had his head in his hands. When the final horn sounded and there was no more grinding left to be done, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo turned his back on his team’s celebration, faced away from the court at Bankers Life …

By Zach Wagner | @zachwagner22 Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS — Purdue center A.J. Hammons said that one of his biggest goals coming into his senior season was to be remembered as a champion rather than just another great player. After this season’s Big Ten Men’s Defensive Player of the Year and first team All-Big …

By Jennifer Brugh | @JenniferRBrugh Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS – The third-seeded Maryland Terrapins set a single-game scoring record in their 97-86 victory over Nebraska in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament Friday night. But don’t be fooled by the final score. The 11-point margin did not reflect the control Maryland established for …

By Zach Wagner | @zachwagner22  Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS — Three games against Ohio State, three star-studded dominating performances from Michigan State senior and Big Ten Men’s Player of the Year Denzel Valentine. Valentine had 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists as the second-seeded Spartans defeated No. 7 Ohio State, 81-54, in the …

By Jennifer Brugh | @JenniferRBrugh Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS – Of the two teams from the state of Indiana that played in the afternoon quarterfinal doubleheader of the Big Ten tournament, Purdue became the one to advance to the semifinals. The No. 4 Boilermakers handed No. 12 Illinois an emphatic 89-58 loss at Bankers …

By Zach Wagner | @zachwagner22  Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS – As the ball and the moment arrived all at once, the final seconds disappearing near the end of the Big Ten tournament quarterfinal, Michigan’s Kameron Chatman found himself in unfamiliar territory with a game and potential NCAA bid on the line. Chatman was in …

By Jennifer Brugh | @JenniferRBrugh Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS — If there was any question that the Nebraska Cornhuskers were tournament-ready coming into the second round of the Big Ten Tournament, their victory over No. 6 Wisconsin, their second win in as many days, may have hushed their critics. The 11th-seeded Huskers, who had …

By Zach Wagner | @zachwagner22 Sports Capital Journalism Program INDIANAPOLIS — Coming out of Thursday’s 79-75 second-round Big Ten Tournament win over Penn State, Ohio State coach Thad Matta looked and sounded as if he had just finished playing in the game. His face was cherry red. His shirt was covered in perspiration. His voice …