Big Ten tournament roundup: Nick Martinelli, Northwestern oust Penn St.

Field Level Media|published: Wed 11th March, 03:07 2026

NCAA Basketball: Big Ten Conference Tournament First Round-Northwestern vs Penn State

Mar 10, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Northwestern Wildcats forward Nick Martinelli (2) scores against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Nick Martinelli had 24 points and nine rebounds and Jayden Reid added 14 points and nine assists as Northwestern defeated Penn State 76-66 in the opening round of the Big Ten tournament Tuesday in Chicago.

The 15th-seeded Wildcats (14-18) advance to face No. 10 seed Indiana in the second round on Wednesday.

Ivan Juric paced 18th-seeded Penn State with 22 points and six rebounds. The Nittany Lions (12-20) shot 51.1% from the field compared to 50.9% for the Wildcats. But the visitors struggled to sustain momentum, committing 17 turnovers that Northwestern converted into 24 points.

Northwestern set a Big Ten tournament record with 21 assists. Jake West contributed five assists to follow Reid. Tre Singleton chipped in nine points for the Wildcats, who were without Arrinten Page (illness).

Maryland 70, Oregon 60

David Coit scored 17 points to help the 17th-seeded Terrapins earn a wire-to-wire victory over the 16th-seeded Ducks in the opening round of the Big Ten tournament in Chicago.

Elijah Saunders made 5 of 6 shots from 3-point range, scoring all 15 of his points from deep for Maryland (12-20), which will oppose ninth-seeded Iowa on Wednesday.

Nate Bittle scored 16 points and pulled down six rebounds to pace Oregon (12-20), which finishes the season with its worst record since 2008-09. Kwame Evans Jr. added 14 points and nine rebounds.

--Field Level Media