Big Ten Madness
For those of you Midwesterners or fans of the Big Ten, here is the lowdown on the teams hoping to make the NCAA tournament and their chances. Let the postseason scramble begin.
Regular season champ Michigan State, along with Illinois and Purdue, will move onto the Big Dance no matter what happens in the conference tournament this week in Indianapolis.
Five other Big Ten teams have arguments for getting an invite into the NCAAs, and a sixth, Northwestern, could have a shot if they can pull off a few upsets. Here is a breakdown of the Big Ten teams’ chances…
Indiana (1-17), Iowa (5-13) These two bottom teams need to win the Big Ten tournament to get into the Big Dance.
Michigan (9-9), Minnesota (9-9) Both finished behind Penn State, but since the selection committee looks at a team’s entire season, the Gophers (41 RPI) and Wolverines (42) can make strong cases for at-large bids. Michigan’s road win at Minnesota on Saturday could prove huge.
Ohio St. (10-8), Wisconsin (10-8) Both are in good shape, but they play each other Friday in the quarterfinals. The loser might miss the Big Dance.
Penn St. (10-8) A step behind Ohio St. or Wisconsin, but the Nittany Lions have a winning league record and wins at Michigan State and Illinois. Another win strengthens their claim.
Northwestern (8-10) The Wildcats lost their finale at Ohio State on Sunday which would have improved their chances of getting into the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. An RPI of 71 and a losing conference usually means no at-large bid, so the Wildcats need to make a run.
It has to be said but sorry Northwestern, Illinois is likely the only state team from Obama-land going to the NCAA tournament. Good luck all the same anyway.