The first day of the 2011 Big Ten tournament is in the books following Penn State's 61-55 win over Indiana. The game capped off the first round of the tournament, which included wins by Northwestern and Michigan State earlier in the day.
In the game between Penn State and Indiana, the Nittany Lions had the upper hand at the start. They opened the game on an 8-0 run, and it looked like this might be a blowout. Indiana responded by going on a 15-1 run, however. The Hoosiers suddenly looked like they were in control of the action, but things evened out and remained close for most of the game.
It wasn't until the midway mark of the second half that Penn State managed to widen the gap by taking a 53-44 lead. Even then, Indiana didn't back down and got within four points before the Nittany Lions pulled away again. In the end, Indiana came up short of a possible comeback and lost by a score of 61-55.
Three Penn State players scored in double digits against IU: Jeff Brooks (15), Talor Battle (13) and Andrew Jones (12). Only one Indiana player, Christian Watford, scored in double digits (he had nine points). The scoring was much more balanced for the Hoosiers, though. All 10 players that got in the game for Indiana scored at least one point, and five of them had at least five points.
Penn State's win means it will take on Wisconsin, the No. 3 seed, on Friday night. It also means Penn State's NCAA tournament hopes are still alive. While the Nittany Lions still have a lot of work to do, at the very least they are still in the conversation for the time being. If they manage to beat Wisconsin, who knows what could happen with the bubble teams in the days leading up to Selection Sunday.
Adding in Penn State's victory, the updated Big Ten tournament bracket looks like this:
No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 8 Northwestern (beat Minnesota, 75-65, in first round)
No. 4 Michigan vs. No. 5 Illinois
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No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 7 Michigan State (beat Iowa, 66-61, in first round)
No. 3 Wisconsin vs. No. 6 Penn State (beat Indiana, 61-55, in first round)
For more on the 2011 Big Ten tournament, check out SB Nation Detroit's StoryStream.