Rutgers survives grind against Michigan in Big Ten opener

Call it epic defense or the tightest possible lid on the basket, Thursday's opening game of the Big Ten Tournament featured an extended dry spell.

Michigan hit just 1 of 17 shots from the field in the second half until center Hunter Dickinson hit a 3-pointer with 1:04 remaining as Rutgers pulled away for a 62-50 victory.

"A good old Rutgers grind-you-down win right here," Rutgers guard Caleb McConnell said. "Sometimes we just end up winning these ugly games."

This was generally regarded as an elimination game. The winner was not necessarily guaranteed an NCAA Tournament bid, but the loser seemed fairly certain to be out of the running. It was a tough ending for the Wolverines (17-15), after they dropped overtime decisions at Illinois and Indiana during the final week of the regular season.

"Yes, we have a young team but we do not make excuses," Michigan coach Juwan Howard said. "I think they grew up a lot this year. Yes, they want to keep playing, I want to see them playing, I want to be out there coaching them in the postseason. We'll go back home and talk about what the plan is for the future and go from there."

Dickinson finished with a game-high 24 points, but with the Wolverines focused on post-ups, they couldn't get their guards going. Second-leading scorer Kobe Bufkin needed a late 3-pointer to finish with 9 points.

"This game I should have done a better job of trusting my teammates," Dickinson said. "I think that's one thing if I could go back and change is just try to kick it out a little bit more. We've got guys who will be playing professionally someday whenever they choose. I've got to do a better job as a leader to trust my guys and instilling confidence in them."

Rutgers gave freshman guard Derek Simpson his fourth start of the season and he finished with 13 points. Senior guard Cam Spencer scored 18 to lead the Scarlet Knights, who will face top-seeded Purdue on Friday morning.

Close shave for Buckeyes:

It was a 5 vs. 13 game, but Ohio State and Iowa played an absurdly close contest Thursday.

The decisive basket arrived when OSU forward Justice Sueing bobbled a pass, then stepped back and drained a 3-pointer from in front of his own bench to put the Buckeyes ahead 67-63 with 1:59. It was the first 4-point lead by either team in the second half and too much for Iowa to overcome.

Ohio State survived 73-69 and will face No. 4 Michigan State in Friday's quarterfinals. Buckeyes leading scorer Brice Sensabaugh wasn't feeling well and sat out during the final minutes. Someone needed to make a play and Sueing decided to launch one.

"At start of second half, I was a little hesitant shooting the 3," Sueing said. "(A teammate) was telling me I need to let that go regardless of how I was feeling. It's just trust and confidence."

Iowa had a chance to tie it up in the final minute. Trailing by 2, the Hawkeyes knocked the ball free in the backcourt and a crazy length of the court scrum ensued. Iowa seemed to have gained possession two or three times, but referees finally called a kicked ball violation under the OSU basket. The Buckeyes kept possession and Iowa didn't get another chance to tie.

"I thought we should have jumped on the ball and called time out," Iowa coach Fran McCaffrey said. "The arrow was our way. I think we thought we had it and we fumbled it again."

OSU guard Bruce Thornton saw it this way: "It basically summed up the whole game. It had been a back and forth game the whole game. For us to come up with that possession, it showed we wanted it more."

The Buckeyes (15-18) were picked to finish sixth in the Big Ten's preseason media poll, ended up 13th, but have now won four of their last five games. This result marked the first time lower-seeded teams won the first four games of the Big Ten tourney.

Hoiberg's return ends poorly:

Fred Hoiberg's return to the United Center didn't last long. His 11th-seeded Nebraska Cornhuskers never led in the second half and lost to Minnesota 78-75 in Wednesday's opening round.

Hoiberg used to call the building home, having played for the Bulls, then serving as head coach beginning in 2015. He was let go 24 games into his fourth season.

"This one hurts," Hoiberg said after Wednesday's loss. "It's a tough way to end our tournament. This team has meant the world to me. It's meant the world, I think, to our fan base. It crushes me for it to end this way."

By finishing 16-16, this was the Huskers' best record in Hoiberg's four seasons at Nebraska.