Fansided

NCAA basketball: Predicting who wins every major conference tournament

By Mike Phillips

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 07: Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts during the second half of their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 07, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 89-76. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 07: Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts during the second half of their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 07, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 89-76. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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Big Ten

  • Dates: March 11-15
  • Location: Indianapolis, IN
  • Top Seed: Wisconsin

There isn’t a deeper conference in the country than the Big Ten, which still has the potential to send 11 of its 14 members to the NCAA Tournament. The Big Ten features the preseason no. 1 in Michigan State, but the top seed in the conference tournament actually belongs to Wisconsin.

A hot finish and tiebreaker edges on both Maryland and Michigan State secured Wisconsin’s first top seed in the Big Ten Tournament since 2015. The Badgers are certainly peaking at the right time, and having the top seed gives them a much more favorable path to the crown.

Maryland has been the most consistent team in the Big Ten this season, but the Terrapins have stumbled a bit down the stretch, while Michigan State is doing its usual routine of stumbling in January before surging into March. Add in other capable contenders like Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Penn State, and Ohio State and the Big Ten’s automatic bid could go pretty much anywhere outside of Nebraska or Northwestern.

This is a gut call here, but it is still hard to bet against Tom Izzo in March. The Spartans also get a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament, and that extra rest should be just enough to help them take home another tournament title.

Prediction: Michigan State