How many Big Ten teams made the NCAA Tournament?

Big Ten basketball will be well represented in this year’s NCAA Tournament. How many Big Ten schools made it to the Big Dance?

Big Ten basketball may not move the needle as much as Big Ten football, but the conference has secured a number of bids in this year’s NCAA Tournament. The Purdue Boilermakers have led the way all season, and Matt Painter’s crew was rewarded on Selection Sunday.

The Boilermakers are still seeking their first Final Four in over 40 years and are hopeful that big man Zach Edey can lead the way to the National Championship.

How many Big Ten teams made the NCAA Tournament?

• Maryland (8-South)
• Purdue (1-East)
• Michigan State (7-East)
• Indiana (4-Midwest)
• Iowa (8-Midwest)
• Penn State (10-Midwest)
• Northwestern (7-West)
• Illinois (9-West)

But Purdue is not the only team from the Big Ten with championship aspirations. The conference was able to send several teams to the NCAA Tournament this year. Outside of the Boilermakers, the Indiana Hoosiers may be the conference’s best bet to make it to Houston this year.

Mike Woodson has the Hoosiers back where they belong in just his second season in Bloomington. It’s been over 20 years since IU has sniffed the Final Four, and senior leader Trayce Jackson-Davis is hoping to take the Hoosier back to the promised land.

Don’t sleep on Tom Izzo in March. The Spartans have not had the year they expected, but it seems like every year you can pencil Michigan State into the Sweet Sixteen.

Iowa made the tournament this season. Fran McCaffery is in his 13th season in Iowa City, and this is the Hawkeye’s seventh trip to the NCAA Tournament. Iowa has yet to get out of the second-round during his tenure.

The Fighting Illi will be back in the tournament after finishing fifth in the conference this season. Northwestern punched their ticket as well. This is only the second time in school history that the Wildcats have been part of the NCAA Tournament.

Penn State surprised a lot of folks with their run in the Big Ten tournament. Micah Shrewsberry has become a hot name among schools who are already looking for a new head coach, but the 46-year-old has work to do as the Nittany Lions prepare for the Big Dance.

Kevin Willard has Maryland back in the tournament after spending just one season at College Park. The Terps haven’t been past the first weekend since their trip to the Sweet Sixteen in 2016.

Rutgers could sneak into the tourney by the skin of their teeth. The Scarlet Knights battled all season and hope to be rewarded with a trip to NCAA Tournament. Rutgers was bounced after a double-overtime loss in the play-in round last season and are hoping for deeper run this March.

While Big Ten basketball is able to boast after getting a huge number of teams into the NCAA Tournament. The bigger story might be the absence of Michigan and Wisconsin. The Wolverines are out for the first time since 2015, and this is the just Badgers second time missing the tourney since 1999.