{"id":32951,"date":"2026-03-16T07:53:38","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T12:53:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/?p=32951"},"modified":"2026-03-16T07:57:45","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T12:57:45","slug":"purdue-wins-big-10-mens-basketball-tournament-championship-illinois-falls-to-wisconsin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/sports\/basketball\/32951-purdue-wins-big-10-mens-basketball-tournament-championship-illinois-falls-to-wisconsin\/","title":{"rendered":"Purdue Wins Big 10 Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship, Illinois Falls To Wisconsin"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"image_print\"Print<\/span><\/a><\/div>

BY UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Purdue won the championship of the Big 10 Men’s Basketball Tournament.<\/p>\n

Purdue defeated No. 1 Michigan, 80-72 Sunday.<\/p>\n

In Friday action, Michigan won over Ohio State 71-67, Wisconsin downed Illinois 91-88, Purdue defeated Nebraska 74-58 and UCL edged Michigan State 88-84.<\/p>\n

Ninth-ranked and No. 4 seed Illinois fell to No. 5-seeded Wisconsin, 91-88, in overtime in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals Friday afternoon at United Center.<\/p>\n

The freshman duo\u00a0of\u00a0Keaton Wagler<\/a><\/dfn>\u00a0and\u00a0David Mirkovic<\/a><\/dfn>\u00a0each scored 19 points to lead the Illini. Wagler also led the Illini with eight assists in the game, while Mirkovic added five rebounds (three offensive) and five assists. Junior G\u00a0Andrej Stojakovic<\/a><\/dfn>\u00a0added 17 points and tied\u00a0Zvonimir Ivisic<\/a><\/dfn>\u00a0for the team lead with seven rebounds.<\/p>\n

Zvonimir, his brother\u00a0Tomislav Ivisic<\/a><\/dfn>, and\u00a0Kylan Boswell<\/a><\/dfn>\u00a0all chipped in with nine points.<\/p>\n

The Illini fell behind early as the Badgers built a 10-5 edge to open the game. The Orange and Blue answered with a 23-3\u00a0run to take control of the game, 28-13, with nine minutes left to play in the first half.<\/p>\n

A 12-0 Badgers run cut the Illini lead to 32-29 before the teams headed into the locker room with Illinois leading, 36-30.<\/p>\n

Out of the break, Illinois pulled away steadily to rebuild a 15-point lead, 60-54, with 11:30 left in regulation. But Wisconsin responded, tying the game at 67-67 with just under five minutes on the clock. Neither team lead by more than three points the rest of the way, and the game headed to overtime.<\/p>\n

Mirkovic scored all 10 points for the Illini in the extra period. Wisconsin’s lead reached as high as seven points with 14 seconds to play before a Mirkovic 3-pointer and a quick layup just two seconds later kept the Illini within striking distance, 90-88, After a free-throw miss by Wisconsin, Wagler’s\u00a0game-tying\u00a03-point attempt rimmed away.<\/p>\n

Illinois now looks ahead to Sunday’s NCAA Tournament selection. The Fighting Illini will make their sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.<\/p>\n

Players<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n