Keegan Murray scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to be No. 24 Iowa beat No. 9 Purdue 75-66, to win the Big Ten Tournament Championship. This was the league’s first championship since 2006. It will also earn an automatic bid to Sunday’s NCAA Tournament.

Sixth-seeded Hawkeyes (26-9), became the fourth conference team to win the title, winning four games in a span of four days. Iowa was the first school to achieve this feat in 2001. Michigan did it again in 2017 and 2018.

One week after the Iowa women won on the same court the Big Ten tourney, the Hawkeyes won the title for the first time since 2006.

Murray was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. “And we changed today’s direction for the Iowa program.”

Iowa won with a record-breaking scoring performance. They also beat the Boilermakers, who were located about an hour away from their West Lafayette campus. Ohio State’s tournament record, 322, was broken by Iowa’s 351 points.

Iowa enters the NCAA Tournament having won nine of its 10 previous games.

Jaden Ivey had 20 points, Trevion Williams had 11, and Trevion Williams had 11. These numbers led Purdue (28-7), who failed to win either the tournament or regular-season title. Despite being the top-ranked team in the conference for most of the season. Since 2009, Purdue has not won the Big Ten Tournament.

It’s not like the Boilermakers had no chance.

Purdue was unable to convert nine of its shots, made four missed free throws, and did not lead in the second half. The Hawkeyes led 35-32 at halftime.

The Purdue-friendly crowd was roaring in the second period, and it seemed like the Boilermakers would answer when Eric Hunter Jr.’s 3 pointer with 3:13 to play captained a 7-0 run that reduced the deficit to 63 to 62.

Connor McCaffery replied with a three point play on the ensuing possession. Iowa allowed only four points for the remainder of the game, closing the gap at the line and stifling the crowd. This set off wild celebrations near midcourt.

Fran McCaffery, Iowa coach, said that it was difficult to describe. “This game is really special because I get the chance to coach my boys, and to see them celebrate together. It’s a great feeling.

Tony Perkins, an Indianapolis native, had 11 points and four assists to help the Hawkeyes. Payton Sandfort contributed 10 points.

Fran McCaffery stated, “We had many goals and sometimes you need to make changes.” “But this team accepted their roles and beat a really great team today.”

Zach Edey scored 12 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for Purdue.

BIG PICTURE

Iowa: A strong finish and the title in the tourney could help propel the Hawkeyes into a top five seed or even a No. A possible trip to Milwaukee could be in their future as a 4 seed. No matter who they play, or where they land in the country, they will be one of America’s most prolific scoring team.

Purdue: Losing in the championship game could be costly for the Boilermakers. They could slip from the No. They could slide from the No. 3 line. It could cost them another bus trip down I-65 from Indianapolis. Maybe. Purdue must make fewer mistakes on offense and produce more 3-point shooters.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Iowa may crack the top 15 on Monday as it continues to climb in Monday’s rankings. It is not clear if Purdue was able to sustain its record of consecutive weeks in top 10 rankings to 19.

ALL-TOURNEY

Both Murry and Iowa’s guard Jordan Bohannon were selected to the all tournament team. They banked the tiebreaking 3-pointer with just 0.8 seconds remaining to defeat Indiana. They were joined by Trayce Jackson Davis of Indiana, Williams, and Ivey Williams.

NEXT

The teams are eager to find out where they will fit in the 68-team field.