MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Steven Crowl had a career-high 21 points and nine rebounds, and No. 24 Wisconsin struggled to put away Illinois State, winning 89-85 in its first game after a two-week break because of COVID-19. Johnny Davis, the Badgers’ leading scorer, had 20 points on 6-of-23 shooting and 11 rebounds. Second-leading scorer Brad Davison was held to seven points on 1-of-9 shooting. Illinois State battled back from a 19-point deficit early in the second half and got within 81-80 on Antonio Reeves’ 3-pointer with 2 minutes left. But the Redbirds couldn’t take the lead. Reeves led Illinois State with 23 points but fouled out late.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Zach Edey scored 21 points, Jaden Ivey added 19 and No. 3 Purdue beat Nicholls State 104-90. Purdue shot 57.4% and cracked 100 points for the first time this season. The 7-foot-4 Edey made 7 of 8 shots and 7 of 9 free throws. Ivey was 5-for-9 from the field. Ty Gordon led Nicholls State with 29 points, hitting 9 of 15 3-pointers. Purdue took a 55-36 lead into halftime but allowed Nicholls State to hang around in the second half thanks to outside shooting. The Colonels shot 58% from the field after halftime.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments are scheduled to go on as planned amid a rise in postponements and cancellations. NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt told NCAA.com the NCAA Tournament was slated to go on in the normal format and there’s been no discussion of playing in a bubble like last season. Gavitt said there was no reason to alter plans for the 2021-22 season since it started on time and and there are a variety of mitigation aspects to combat the virus, including vaccines and boosters. He added games that aren’t played will be declared no contest and the selection committee will be aware of those games. The 2022 men’s NCAA Tournament is scheduled to be held in New Orleans and the women’s in Minneapolis.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Tight ends could play a big role in the College Football Playoff this week when No. 1 Alabama faces No. 4 Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl and No. 2 Michigan play No. 3 Georgia in the Orange Bowl. Michigan and Georgia have combined this season to play 46% of their offensive snaps with multiple tight ends on the field. Alabama and Cincinnati don’t use theirs as often, but circumstances and matchups could mean more targets for the tight ends for both teams in the Cotton Bowl.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Michigan defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald went to high school in Georgia. He’s a University of Georgia graduate. He once worked on the staff at Georgia under Mark Richt as a graduate assistant. And now he gets to try to beat Georgia in the Orange Bowl. Same goes for Cincinnati running back Jerome Ford, who used to play for Alabama and now gets to face the Crimson Tide in the Cotton Bowl. There are plenty of ties that bind for all four teams going into the College Football Playoff semifinals Friday.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud directed the nation’s most prolific offense this season and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. But the redshirt freshman has a chip on his shoulder as the seventh-ranked Buckeyes prepare for Saturday’s Rose Bowl matchup against No. 10 Utah. Stroud agreed Alabama’s Bryce Young was the best player this year but Stroud isn’t happy about finishing fourth behind Young, Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson and Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett in the Heisman voting. Stroud says that will continue to drive him.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Jim Harbaugh leaned on advice from his brother nearly a year ago when he was looking for a new defensive coordinator at Michigan and ended up hiring Baltimore Ravens linebackers coach Mike Macdonald. Harbaugh also brought back former Wolverines players Mike Hart and Ron Bellamy as assistants, part of a coaching-staff shakeup after going 2-4 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Harbaugh seemed to make all the right moves and it helped the No. 2 Wolverines earn a spot in the College Football Playoff and a semifinal matchup with No. 3 Georgia in the Orange Bowl on Friday night.
