Big game by Cockburn gets Illini back on track
Kofi Cockburn was dominant at both ends of the court, scoring 21 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and blocking four shots to lead No. 22 Illinois to a 79-65 victory Tuesday against Penn State in Champaign. He leads the country with 11 double-doubles this season.
Ayo Dosunmu and Trent Frazier added 13 points each for the Illini (10-5, 6-3 Big Ten), who held the Nittany Lions (3-6, 0-5) to 34% shooting en route to ending a two-game losing streak.
Myreon Jones scored 20 points and Seth Lundy 13 to pace Penn State, which was done in by its poor shooting and its 16 turnovers.
The game was delayed for about 10 minutes with 2.7 seconds left in the first half after a benches-clearing shoving match that resulted in two technical fouls on the Nittany Lions and one on Illinois.
Earlier in the day, the Big Ten reprimanded interim Penn State coach Jim Ferry and fined the university $10,000 for comments Ferry made about the officiating after a loss Sunday to Purdue.
Butler 67, DePaul 53
Jair Bolden scored a season-high 21 points, and the Bulldogs (5-7, 4-5 Big East) shot 50% from the field and kept the Blue Demons (2-5, 0-5) winless in conference play with a victory at Wintrust Arena.
Myles Tate, Bryce Golden and Chuck Harris added 10 points apiece for Butler. Kobe Elvis scored 12 points and Charlie Moore 11 for DePaul, but Javon Liberty-Freeman — who entered the game averaging 13 points — was held to two on 1-for-9 shooting.
Michigan 87, Maryland 63
Isaiah Livers scored 20 points, and the No. 7 Wolverines (12-1, 7-1 Big Ten) bounced back from their first loss of the season by crushing the Terrapins (8-7, 2-6) in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Michigan made its first five three-pointers — three by Mike Brown and two by Livers — to open a 17-3 lead and rolled from there. The Wolverines shot 12-for-24 from three-point range overall.
Purdue 67, Ohio State 65
Jaden Ivey made a tiebreaking threepointer with five seconds left, and the streaking Boilermakers (11-5, 6-3 Big Ten) earned their fourth victory in a row by edging the No. 15 Buckeyes (11-4, 5-4) in Columbus, Ohio.
Trevion Williams scored 16 points and Ivey and Sasha Stefanovic 15 apiece for Purdue. Duane Washington Jr. led Ohio State with 21 points, including six three-pointers.
NCAA shuffles March Madness schedule
The NCAA unveiled a modified March Madness schedule that will feature the playin games Thursday, March 18; first-round games Friday, March 19, and Saturday, March 20; second-round games Sunday, March 21, and Monday, March 22; Sweet 16 games Saturday, March 27, and Sunday, March 28; and Elite Eight games Monday, March 29, and Tuesday, March 30.
The Final Four still is scheduled for Saturday, April 3, and the championship game for Monday, April 5. All games will be played in or around Indianapolis.