(1) Northern Iowa 76, (4) Bradley 62
Neither No. 1 Northern Iowa nor No. 4 Bradley led by more than five points until midway through the second half, when the Panthers used a 10-0 run to build a double-digit lead that the Braves couldn’t overcome. Junior forward Adam Koch led Northern Iowa with 22 points and nine rebounds.
(3) Illinois State 73, (2) Creighton 49
Bubble teams everywhere now have another reason to sweat on Selection Sunday. No. 2 Creighton, with its 25 wins on the season, is now in the mix for an at-large bid thanks to No. 3 Illinois State, which upset the Bluejays 73-49. Creighton could do little right against the Redbirds, shooting an abysmal 27 percent from the field. A day after bailing out the Bluejays against Wichita State, senior guard Booker Woodfox got little support from his teammates as he led the way with 13 points.
Junior guard Osiris Eldridge helped move Illinois State within a game of an NCAA Tournament bid with his 21 points and seven rebounds. The Redbirds played efficient basketball, shooting 55 percent from the field and hitting 13-of-19 three-point attempts. Illinois State lost twice to Northern Iowa by a total of six points in the regular season.
