Big Ten Bracketology: 10 teams likely make NCAA Tournament

Big Ten Bracketology update where the league will send double-digit teams to the NCAA Tournament, but for bubble teams, there is work to be done.

The Big Ten will have the most teams in the NCAA Tournament this season. The league may not have a true national title contender outside of Maryland, but the Big Ten is the deepest league in America.

Outside of Northwestern and Nebraska, everyone has a chance to make a run at the NCAA Tournament. Let’s take a quick look at whether each team in the league would be in or out if the field was picked today, starting at the top of the standings with the Maryland Terrapins who have a chance to secure a No. 1 seed.

Maryland (22-5, 12-4 in Big Ten): In

Despite losing at Ohio State on Sunday, the Terrapins are a slam dunk lock to go to the NCAA Tournament. But they may have lost their chances to get a No. 1 seed. Maryland hasn’t lost yet to a team that is projected to miss the field, and they have showcased serious guts by picking up road wins at Michigan State and Indiana. The question with Maryland is how high up the seed line they will go, with a two remaining in play. If the Terps win out, they will be in play to take a No. 1 seed depending on what happens with San Diego State and Dayton.

Penn State (20-7, 10-6): In

A two-loss week won’t hurt Penn State, which is safely in the field thanks to a tremendous body of work. The Nittany Lions are one of the only teams in the Big Ten to have a winning record away from home and road wins mean a lot to the selection committee. A recent eight-game winning streak that includes wins at Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue makes Penn State a lock.

Iowa (19-8, 10-6): In

The Hawkeyes have done solid work in the Big Ten and non-conference wins over Texas Tech and Cincinnati will come in handy. Luka Garza‘s presence on the interior will make Iowa a big matchup problem in the NCAA Tournament.

Michigan State (18-9, 10-6): In

It hasn’t been easy to be green this season but the Spartans are going dancing. The national title hopes that came with being preseason No. 1 are likely done, but Tom Izzo’s team remains dangerous in March. Senior point guard Cassius Winston and junior forward Xavier Tillman are as good as any 1-2 punch in America.

Wisconsin (17-10, 10-6): In

The Badgers’ four-game winning streak has been well-timed, taking advantage of their tremendous home-court advantage at the Kohl Center. Winning away from campus has been a harder task for Wisconsin, whose only road win since mid-January came at Nebraska. Improving on the road could be the key to boosting Wisconsin’s seed come March.

Illinois (17-9, 9-6): In

It has been a resurgent year for the Fighting Illini who are poised to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013. Most of Illinois’ resume has come from beating up on fellow Big Ten schools so they are a bit vulnerable to a tumble-down the seed line if they start dropping some games down the stretch.

Michigan (18-9, 9-7): In

The Wolverines own the most impressive non-conference result in the Big Ten with their neutral-site win over Gonzaga in the Battle 4 Atlantis. Juwan Howard‘s squad has leveled off a bit since returning to the states after that tournament win but Michigan has done more than enough to get a bid to the dance.

Rutgers (18-10, 9-8): In

It has been nearly 30 years since Rutgers went dancing and they are poised to snap that drought this season. An early win over Seton Hall is a big boost to the Scarlet Knights’ resume but they have trended in the wrong direction for a few weeks. Given the thin non-conference slate outside of Seton Hall, Rutgers could be sweating if they don’t secure a few more wins down the stretch.

Indiana (18-9, 8-8): In

The Hoosiers were slipping of late but have done tremendous work over the past two weeks by winning three out of four. That run includes victories over Penn State and Iowa, which go nicely with victories over Michigan State and Ohio State. A non-conference victory over Florida State has also gotten much better as the year progresses so this solid collection of top-flight wins should get Indiana into the dance.

Ohio State (18-9, 8-8): In

A rough stretch at the start of Big Ten play is the only reason Ohio State is so far down the conference standings. The Buckeyes did strong work in the non-conference season with wins over Villanova and Kentucky and they just toppled Maryland in Columbus over the weekend. The quality of the Ohio State roster combined with the number of excellent wins they have will get the Buckeyes in.

Minnesota (13-13, 7-9): Out

Minnesota has played a ton of excellent teams but they simply haven’t beaten enough of them to get to the NCAA Tournament. There are very few at-large teams who could crack the field with a .500 record so the Golden Gophers need to get hot quickly to avoid getting left at the door in March.

Purdue (14-14, 7-10): Out

The Boilermakers do have a win over Virginia and played Florida State tough in the non-conference season, but there are simply too many losses piling up. There is no chance the committee will take a Purdue team with a losing record to the tournament so they need to run the table in the regular season and make some noise in the Big Ten Tournament to have a chance.

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