The Big Ten opened a five-day run at Madison Square with Jordan Bohannon leading Iowa past Illinois 96-87 in the first game of the conference tournament.

Bohannon scored 25 points and had six assists, including a bounce pass to Luka Garza for a jam with 34 seconds left to keep the Illini at bay. No. 12 seed Iowa will face fifth-seeded Michigan on Thursday

Corey Sanders scored 23 points and last-place Rutgers won a Big Ten Tournament game for the second straight season, beating Minnesota 65-54 at Madison Square Garden. The 14th seed Scarlet Knights plays sixth-seeded Indiana on Thursday night.