Wisconsin vs. Illinois score: Terrence Shannon Jr., Marcus Damask power Illini to Big Ten Tournament title

Ilinois rode a huge second half to a its second conference tournament title in four years

Illinois topped Wisconsin 93-87 for the Big Ten Tournament title on Sunday behind another huge performance from stars Terrence Shannon Jr. and Marcus Damask. The duo combined for 60 points to help send the Fighting Illini into the NCAA Tournament with momentum.

Wisconsin led 61-51 with 14:38 remaining before Illinois caught fire to secure its second conference tournament title in the past four seasons. AJ Storr led Wisconsin with 24. Though it ended in defeat, the week still helped Wisconsin build momentum after dropping eight of its final 11 regular season games. The Badgers beat Maryland, Northwestern and Purdue before taking the Illini down to the wire.

Shannon and Domask are vastly different but equally dynamic veteran wings, and they will be a problem for whichever teams draw Illinois in the NCAA Tournament. They were the stars of the Big Ten Tournament, especially after No. 1 seed Purdue and Zach Edey were eliminated by the Badgers in the semifinals.

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2024 Big Ten Tournament schedule, scores

Location: Target Center -- Minneapolis
Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free) | Follow live: CBS Sports App  

All times Eastern; some start times approximated

Big Ten Tournament Championship Game -- Sunday, March 17
Game 13: No. 2 Illinois 93, No. 5 Wisconsin 87 | Recap

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First round -- Wednesday, March 13
Game 1: No. 12 Maryland 65, No. 13 Rutgers 51 | Recap
Game 2: No. 11 Penn State 66,  No. 14 Michigan 57 | Recap

Second round -- Thursday, March 14
Game 3: No. 8 Michigan State 77, No. 9 Minnesota 67 | Recap
Game 4: No. 5 Wisconsin 87, No. 12 Maryland 56 | Recap
Game 5: No. 10 Ohio State 90, No. 7 Iowa 78 | Recap
Game 6: No. 6 Indiana 61, No. 11 Penn State 50 | Recap

Quarterfinals -- Friday, March 15
Game 7: No. 1 Purdue 67, No. 8 Michigan State 62 | Recap
Game 8: No. 5 Wisconsin 70, No. 4 Northwestern 61 | Recap
Game 9: No. 2 Illinois 77, No. 10 Ohio State 74 | Recap
Game 10: No. 3 Nebraska 93, No. 6 Indiana 66 | Recap

Semifinals -- Saturday, March 16
Game 11: No. 5 Wisconsin 76, No. 1 Purdue 75 (OT) | Recap
Game 12: No. 2 Illinois 98, No. 3 Nebraska 87 | Recap

Follow below for updates, analysis and highlights throughout the event.

[Mar 17, 2024 at 5:44 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Championship: Illinois 93, Wisconsin 87

No. 2 seed Illinois digs out of a double-digit deficit for a third consecutive game to take down No. 5 seed Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament championship, 93-87, securing its second conference tournament title in four seasons and fourth all-time. Illinois trailed by as many as 10 in the quarterfinals before tracking down Ohio State in a comeback win and trailed by as many as 15 points Saturday in the second round before doing the same to Nebraska. Wisconsin on Sunday led by 10 in the second half before Illinois closed on a monstrous run.

Illini guard Terrence Shannon Jr. was once again sublime in the comeback with a game-high 34 points less than 24 hours removed from dropping 40 in a come-from-behind win vs. Nebraska. Shannon averaged 34.0 points per game in three Illinois wins across three days in the Big Ten Tournament. Marcus Domask also added 26 points.

"Those two have carried us all year," said Illinois coach Brad Underwood on CBS postgame. "Those two guys were elite. They did what they do and we got stops when we needed to." 

[Mar 16, 2024 at 6:45 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Semifinals: Illinois 98, Nebraska 87

No. 3 seed Nebraska led by as much as 15, but couldn't hold off No. 2 seed Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. Illinois struggled out of the gates and the Cornhuskers started red hot, but the momentum flipped in the second half as Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 22 of his 40 points in the final 20 minutes. Illinois outscored Nebraska 58-36 in that span.

Shannon's 40 points is a single-game Big Ten Tournament record, surpassing Michael Thompson's previous record of 35 set in 2011.

[Mar 16, 2024 at 3:51 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Semifinals: Wisconsin 76, Purdue 75 (OT)

No. 5 seed Wisconsin pulled an upset, taking down No. 1 seed Purdue in an overtime thriller in the semifinal round of the Big Ten Tournament on Saturday. Wisconsin started fast, but let Purdue climb back into the game late before Chucky Hepburn hit a go-ahead basket just before the horn to force overtime. The Badgers saved some extra magic for the finish, too, with Max Klesmit hitting his own go-ahead bucket in the final seconds in what would turn out to be the game-winner.

Purdue guard Lance Jones raced down the floor after Klesmit's basket but his attempt went sailing.

Klesmit had 12 points in the win, but it was AJ Storr and Hepburn who really rallied in heroic showings. Storr, coming off a career-high 30 points in the quarterfinals, finished with 20 points, and Hepburn, who missed the quarterfinals game due to injury, scored 22 points -- 16 of which came in the second half and overtime. 

Wisconsin advances to the Big Ten Tournament title game Sunday for the first time since 2017. It will face the winner of Illinois and Nebraska. 

[Mar 15, 2024 at 11:20 pm ET · David Cobb]

Quarterfinals: Nebraska 93, Indiana 66

No. 3 seed Nebraska began its postseason with an authoritative victory over No. 6 seed Indiana behind huge games from Keisei Tominaga and Brice Williams, who led the Cornhuskers with 23 points apiece. Nebraska led 50-27 at halftime and built the advantage to 33 late in the second half. The Cornhuskers will play No. 2 seed Illinois in Saturday's semifinals. The victory pushes Nebraska further onto the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble after it entered the day projected as a No. 9 seed in Jerry Palm's Bracketology.

Indiana had won five straight entering the game to ignite a glimmer of hope that perhaps the Hoosiers were going to make a run. But at 19-14 and with a poor standing in most metrics, they will have no chance of receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

[Mar 15, 2024 at 8:53 pm ET · David Cobb]

Quarterfinals: Illinois 77, Ohio State 74

No. 2 seed Illinois rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half to end Ohio State's Cinderella run. The Illini trailed 56-46 with 11 minutes to play in their postseason opener but used a 13-3 run from there to gain control. Terrence Shannon Jr. led the way with 28 for the Illini, while Dain Dainja contributed 18 points on 7 of 10 shooting.

Ohio State entered as one of the "Last Four In" the projected NCAA Tournament field, according to CBS Sports Bracketology Expert Jerry Palm. But the Buckeyes might need some significant help from other bubble teams to reach the field of 68. Regardless, interim coach Jake Diebler has done a great job to turn the season around and get Ohio State to 20 wins. Jamison Battle led Ohio State with 21 and Bruce Thornton scored 20.

[Mar 15, 2024 at 4:46 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Quarterfinals: Wisconsin 70, Northwestern 61

No. 5 seed Wisconsin advanced to Saturday's Big Ten Tournament semifinals with a 70-61 win over No. 4 seed Northwestern. Wisconsin star AJ Storr scored a game-high 30 points, while Steven Crowl added 19 points and seven rebounds in the victory. The Badgers will face top-seed Purdue in the semifinals on Saturday.

Northwestern is still likely to reach the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid despite an early exit in the Big Ten tourney. CBS Sports Bracketology Expert Jerry Palm has the Wildcats as a No. 10 seed. As for Wisconsin, the Badgers project as a No. 6 seed in Palm's latest bracket. This victory over Northwestern could help them move up.

[Mar 15, 2024 at 2:25 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Quarterfinals: Purdue 67, Michigan State 62

No. 1 seed Purdue gets a scare in the quarters but outlasts No. 8 seed Michigan State to move into Saturday's semifinals. Purdue star Zach Edey finished with 29 points and 12 boards in another dominant showing, and Braden Smith avoided a scary knee injury after leaving midway through the action. Smith finished with five points and eight assists.

Tyson Walker had 15 points for Sparty, but Michigan State struggled with foul trouble all game, struggled making shots down the stretch, and struggled to score enough points to keep up with Purdue's free throw attempts. 

Purdue will face the winner of Northwestern and Wisconsin in the next round. 

[Mar 14, 2024 at 11:19 pm ET · David Cobb]

Second round: Indiana 61, Penn State 59

No. 6 seed Indiana got a go-ahead bucket from Anthony Leal with five seconds left to break a tie with No. 11 seed Penn State. Puff Johnson got a 3-pointer off for the Nittany Lions before the final horn sounded, but it missed. The Hoosiers have now won five straight and are 19-13 heading into Friday's quarterfinal game against No. 3 seed Nebraska.

Indiana still has significant work to do in order to reach the NCAA Tournament, but this squad has been gritting through it the past few weeks and finding ways to win. The loss ends Penn State's first season under Mike Rhoades with a record of 16-17. There were some encouraging signs in the second half of the season for a team that was obviously in rebuilding mode.

[Mar 14, 2024 at 8:37 pm ET · David Cobb]

Second round: Ohio State 90, Iowa 78

No. 10 seed Ohio State continued its impressive run under interim coach Jake Diebler by taking out No. 7 seed Iowa in a battle between two squads that were on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble in Jerry Palm's Bracketology entering the day. The Buckeyes have now won six of their last seven since parting with Chris Holtmann and are surging into the at-large conversation. Jamison Battle led the Buckeyes with 23 on Thursday. Next up is a date with No. 2 seed Illinois in Friday's quarterfinals.

Iowa's streak of five-straight NCAA Tournament appearances is in serious jeopardy as the Hawkeyes will enter Selection Sunday with a record of 18-14. They were led by 19 from Payton Sandfort in the loss.

[Mar 14, 2024 at 4:21 pm ET · David Cobb]

Second round: Wisconsin 87, Maryland 56

Wisconsin came limping into the Big Ten Tournament with eight losses in its last 11 games, but the No. 5 seed Badgers looked like a different team in their systematic dismantling of No. 12 seed Maryland. A 23-0 Wisconsin run over the end of the first half and beginning of the second turned a mere blowout into a humiliating defeat for the Terrapins. The Badgers hit a season-high 16 3-pointers on 25 attempts

Next for the Badgers is a date with No. 4 seed Northwestern in Friday's quarterfinals. It's back to the drawing board, for Maryland, which finishes the season 16-17 and far short of expectations after reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament in coach Kevin Willard's first season a year ago.

[Mar 14, 2024 at 2:02 pm ET · David Cobb]

Second round: Michigan State 77, Minnesota 67

No. 8 seed Michigan State began its postseason journey in dire need of a victory after losing four of five to close the regular season. The Spartans got one, edging No. 9 seed Minnesota after trailing 34-32 at halftime. A.J. Hoggard and Tyson Walker led Michigan State with 17 and 15, respectively, as the Spartans shot 62.1% from the floor in the second half. 

A loss may have jeopardized Michigan State's streak of 25 straight NCAA Tournaments. The Spartans entered as a projected No. 9 seed in Jerry Palm's NCAA Tournament Bracketology but were regarded as a bubble team. Now, Michigan State has a chance to make a serious statement against No. 1 seed Purdue in Friday's quarterfinals. 

[Mar 13, 2024 at 11:04 pm ET · David Cobb]

First round: Penn State 66, Michigan 55

No. 11 seed Penn State outlasted No. 14 seed Michigan 66-55 behind a 3-point barrage from Zach Hicks. The 6-foot-7 forward hit 6 of 11 attempts from beyond the arc and paced the Nittany Lions with 20 points. Penn State will face No. 6 seed Indiana in Thursday's second round after sweeping the Hoosiers during the regular season.

The outcome marked an unceremonious end to an ugly year for Wolverines, who lost their final nine games to finish 8-24 (3-17 Big Ten) under fifth-year coach Juwan Howard. As a legendary former Michigan player who led the program to Elite Eight and Sweet 16 appearances in his first two seasons on the job, Howard is likely to get a sixth season. But the Wolverines will need to be aggressive in the transfer portal to address the shortcomings that plagued them all season, including Wednesday in a 34.5% shooting performance against Penn State.

[Mar 13, 2024 at 8:28 pm ET · David Cobb]

First Round: Maryland 65, Rutgers 51

Maryland played lockdown defense on its way to a 65-51 win over Rutgers in the opening game of the Big Ten Tournament. The Terrapins had dropped five of their last six — the only victory coming on Feb. 25 at Rutgers — entering this game but jumped out to an 11-0 lead in the first three minutes and never looked back. Rutgers shot just 31.3% from the floor and made only 2 of 11 attempts from 3-point range in the first half while digging itself a 36-22 hole, which proved insurmountable. Maryland will play No. 5 seed Wisconsin in Thursday's second round.

The loss ends Rutgers' season at 15-16, marking the second straight year the Scarlet Knights won't be dancing after they were among the best teams left out of the NCAA Tournament field in 2023. However, coach Steve Pikiell has the nation's No. 3 recruiting class coming in next season, headlined by five-star prospects Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper.