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Championship Week recap: Day 12’s best game, top player

Big Ten Basketball Tournament - Quarterfinals

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 09: Rob Wilson #33 of the Wisconsin Badgers celebrates during the game against the Indiana Hoosiers during the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 9, 2012 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Wisconsin won 79-71.(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

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Over the next 13 days, the brackets will start to take shape. Teams with no at-large aspirations will make one final push at the post-season. Teams on the bubble will look to assert themselves as worthy members of “The Big Dance”, and contenders will start priming their engines for a national Championship run. While “March Madness” officially begins following Selection Sunday, the real madness starts now.

Until Sunday, March 11, this will be your home for Championship Week recaps and previews. The players and teams are starting to prepare for March Madness, so you should too.

Game of the Night: New Mexico 72, UNLV 69
We projected this game to be the game of the night, and it certainly lived up to expectations. Drew Gordon led the way for the Lobos with 19 points and 13 rebounds. New Mexico trailed for much of the game, but shut the Runnin’ Rebels down for a key potion of the second half, in with the Lobos erased a seven point lead in a matter of minutes. New Mexico took the lead with 1:53 and never looked back.

Player of the Night: Rob Wilson
The senior forward entered the game averaging just 3.1ppg in 10mpg. But against Indiana in the Big-Ten quarterfinals he scored a career-high 30 points and hit a career-high seven 3-pointers to lead the Badgers to a 79-71 win. Wilson scored just 15 3-pointers all season, but compiled nearly half of his season total in just one game. Before last night, Wilson’s season high was 11 points. The post-season is when superstars are supposed to shine, but with Jordan Taylor having an off night, a senior role player stepped up big time.

Team of the Night: Marshall Thundering Herd
The Thundering Herd has now won four games in a row, two against Southern Mississippi and three in the conference tournament, including their triple-overtime duel with Tulsa. Marshall was one of the preseason favorites to win the league, and have a chance to do so against Memphis on Saturday.

Friday Results

Atlantic Coast Conference Quarterfinals
#5 North Carolina State 67 #4 Virginia 64
#3 Florida State 82, #6 Miami 71
#2 Duke 60, #10 Virginia Tech 56
#1 North Carolina 85, #8 Maryland 69

Atlantic-10 Conference Quarterfinals
#8 Massachusetts 77 #1 Temple 71
#4 St. Bonaventure’s 71, 5 St. Joseph’s 68
#3 Xavier 70, #6 Dayton 69
#2 Saint Louis 78, #7 LaSalle 71

Big East Conference Semifinals
#7 Louisville 64, #3 Notre Dame 50
#4 Cincinnati 71, #1 Syracuse 68

Big-Ten Conference Quarterfinals
#4 Wisconsin 79, #5 Indiana 71
#3 Ohio State 88, #6 Purdue 71
#2 Michigan 73, #10 Minnesota 69 OT
#1 Michigan State 92, #8 Iowa 75

Big-XII Conference Semifinals
#4 Baylor 81, #1 Kansas 72
#2 Missouri 81, #6 Texas 67

Big West Conference Semifinals
#3 UC-Santa Barbara 64, #4 Cal Poly 52
#1 Long Beach State 68, #7 UC-Irvine 57

Conference-USA Semifinals
#5 Marshall 73, #2 Southern Miss 62
#1 Memphis 83, #4 Central Florida 52

Mid-American Conference Semifinals
#3 Ohio 77 #2 Buffalo 74
#1 Akron, #4 Kent State 74

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Semifinals
#4 Bethune-Cookman 81, #8 Hampton 72
#2 Norfolk State 58, #11 Florida A&M 46

Mountain West Conference Semifinals
#2 New Mexico 72, #3 UNLV 67
#1 San Diego State 79, #4 Colorado State 69

Pac-12 Conference Tournament Semifinals
#6 Colorado 70, #2 California 59
#4 Arizona 72, #9 Oregon State 61

Southeastern Conference Quarterfinals
#7 Ole Miss 77, #2 Tennessee 72
#4 Florida 66, #5 Alabama 63
#3 Vanderbilt 63, #11 Georgia 41
#1 Kentucky 60, #8 Louisiana State 51

Southwestern Athletic Conference Semifinals
#2 Texas Southern 60, #6 Alcorn State 55
#1 Mississippi Valley State 71, #5 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 64

Western Athletic Conference Semifinals
#5 Louisiana Tech 78, #1 Nevada 73
#2 New Mexico State 92, #6 Hawaii 81