We’re quickly nearing the final stretch of the season, and that means every team is making its final push to improve its seeding for the Big Ten Tournament as they hope to make it to the big dance. Other than the top two projected teams in the bracket dominating, upsets up and down the standings stole the show in a very eventful week of games in the conference.
Michigan – No. 1 Seed (No. 1 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 1 Seed (No. 2 overall)
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At first glance, it looks like the Wolverines had two comfortable victories against two unranked teams, but in reality, both games were a tale of two halves. Michigan trailed Northwestern 44-35 at the half, but outscored the ‘Cats 45-17 to claim an 87-75 victory. The Wolverines followed up that massive comeback at home with a much more dominant performance on Saturday. Although Michigan only led UCLA 40-38 at halftime, the Wolverines outscored the Bruins 46-18 in the second half to finish with an 86-56 victory. Michigan enters its toughest week of the season next week, as the Wolverines will take on Purdue on the road and Duke in Washington, D.C., in a battle of two projected No. 1 seeds.
Purdue – No. 2 Seed (No. 7 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 3 Seed (No. 9 overall)
The Boilermakers had a tough assignment, as they attempted to win two straight road games against NCAA Tournament-caliber teams, but they rose to the task. Purdue started out the week with an 80-77 victory in overtime against Nebraska, grabbing arguably its best win of the season in the process. The Boilermakers kept it rolling on the road, dominating Iowa 78-57 in Iowa City to grab their second Quad 1 road win of the week. Purdue’s seeding was in flux after losing a few games and playing close against Oregon, but the two great wins this week gave the Boilermakers some much-needed cushion within the top-ten overall seeds, and put them back on the inside track to a No. 2 seed.
Illinois – No. 2 Seed (No. 8 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 2 Seed (No. 7 overall)
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The Fighting Illini suffered a surprising loss this week to Wisconsin at home to open the week. Illinois led by as many as 12 points, but ultimately fell 92-90 in overtime. The Illini played that game without Andrej Stojaković and Kylan Boswell, though, and Boswell became a valuable reinforcement to Illinois over the weekend. The Illini were able to utilize a much more normal rotation against Indiana in a 71-51 win. Overall, the overtime loss barely affected Illinois’ positioning within the projected field, as many other teams around it also lost games this week.
Nebraska – No. 3 Seed (No. 10 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 2 Seed (No. 8 overall)
The Cornhuskers had two home games this week and went 1-1 in those games. Nebraska started the week by playing in one of the more entertaining games of the season in conference play, as it trailed by 16 at the half and by as many as 22 points against Purdue at home, but mounted a comeback to send the game to overtime. The Boilermakers eventually defeated the Cornhuskers 80-77, but Nebraska fought hard to keep that game close. The ‘Huskers bounced back from that loss at home with a comfortable 68-49 home victory against Northwestern, but fell to the three-seed line as a result of Purdue’s great week.
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Michigan State – No. 4 Seed (No. 15 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 3 Seed (No. 10 overall)
The Spartans had one game this week, and it was a rough one. Michigan State traveled to Madison to take on Wisconsin and lost 92-71. The Spartans’ defense was shredded by the Badgers’ outside shooting as Wisconsin hit 15 threes in the game. Nick Boyd (29 points) was the individual performer who especially hurt Michigan State in the loss. The Spartans will now return home for two games against UCLA and Ohio State, which are absolute must-win games to stay in the conference title race.
Wisconsin – No. 8 Seed (No. 29 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 10 Seed (No. 38 overall, Last Four Byes)
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The Badgers arguably had the best week any team in the conference has put up this entire season. Wisconsin was an underdog against two top-ten teams in the AP poll, but found a way to get it done in both games. First, the Badgers took the show on the road, knocking down 16 threes and beating Illinois 92-90 in overtime. But Wisconsin wasn’t done just yet. The Badgers returned home and knocked down 15 more threes against Michigan State in a 92-71 beatdown against the Spartans. All of a sudden, Wisconsin goes from on the bubble with a resume anchored by a massive road win against Michigan to a team with three extremely high-quality victories. The Badgers now loom as an incredibly high-potential No. 7 or 8 seed in the big dance.
Iowa – No. 9 Seed (No. 33 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 7 Seed (No. 25 overall)
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Last week, I said that the Hawkeyes could finally make some positive movement in the bracket if they could get a signature win against Purdue, but Iowa did just the opposite. In fact, the Hawkeyes couldn’t even beat Maryland on the road, falling 77-70 and snapping a six-game winning streak. That loss already sent Iowa much closer to the bubble than it has been throughout most of the season, and that was before the weekend. The Hawkeyes couldn’t even keep it close against Purdue at home, falling 78-57. Iowa is now just 2-5 in Quad 1 games (check this), and with a Quad 3 loss also on its resume, the Hawkeyes are getting dangerously close to being a true bubble team.
Indiana – No. 10 Seed (No. 38 overall, Last Four Byes)
Previous seeding: No. 9 Seed (No. 34 overall)
The Hoosiers played two games that were polar opposites of each other this week. Indiana defeated Oregon 92-74 at home to start the week, but fell 71-51 on the road against Illinois over the weekend. The Hoosiers are still in a good position to make the big dance, but have a golden opportunity to lock up a bid this week by completing the season sweep against Purdue. For now, Indiana sits just above the true bubble teams.
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UCLA – No. 10 Seed (No. 41 overall, Last Four Byes)
Previous seeding: No. 10 Seed (No. 40 overall, Last Four Byes)
The Bruins’ only game this week was either going to be a prime opportunity to shock the world and move off the bubble or a loss that probably wouldn’t affect their resume if the game was close. The caveat on that statement turned into the story of the game, as UCLA kept it close with Michigan at the half, but eventually fell 86-56. The Bruins are still in the tournament field as things stand, but need to take care of business down the stretch to keep it that way.
USC – No. 11 Seed (No. 42 overall, Last Four In)
Previous seeding: No. 11 Seed (No. 41 overall, Last Four Byes)
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The Trojans only played one game this week, and it was another game without Chad Baker-Mazara. USC lost 89-82 against Ohio State on the road, but all things considered, there’s a lot to feel good about for the Trojans. Alijah Arenas wasn’t exactly efficient (he went 6-for-19 from the field), but he scored 25 points against the Buckeyes, which marked his third straight game with 24 points or more. If Arenas and Baker-Mazara can build up more chemistry, USC might have a lethal scoring duo in March Madness.
Ohio State – First Four Out
Previous seeding: No. 10 Seed (No. 44 overall, Last Four In)
The Buckeyes performed right at their expected level this week. Ohio State beat USC 89-82 at home on Wednesday, but fell 70-66 to Virginia in a rare late-season non-conference matchup. The lack of quality victories has always been a sticking point for why the Buckeyes’ resume potentially isn’t good enough to be on the right side of the bubble, and as more teams around the country have picked up quality victories, Ohio State has lagged behind. Three of the Buckeyes’ next four games are Quad 1 games, with their next game (against NET No. 33 Wisconsin) just on the wrong side of the threshold necessary for a Quad 1 game. If Ohio State can’t get at least two wins in that span, the Buckeyes won’t be hearing their name called on Selection Sunday.
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Washington – Out
Previous seeding: In Consideration
The Huskies have finally turned the corner on their schedule, with multiple games in a row against the bottom teams in the conference, but Washington couldn’t take care of business. The Huskies fell 63-60 to Penn State in a game that turned into, in all likelihood, the final nail in the coffin for an already weak NCAA Tournament resume. Washington bounced back by defeating Minnesota 69-57, but the Huskies don’t really have many opportunities left to claim resume-defining wins until conference tournament play, leaving almost no room for error for the rest of the season.
Minnesota – Out
Previous seeding: Out
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The Golden Gophers started their trip to the Pacific Northwest this week, taking on Washington on the road. Minnesota fell 69-57 on the road while allowing Washington to shoot 63% from the field. Next up for the Golden Gophers is the second leg of the road trip against Oregon, before returning home to face Rutgers.
Northwestern – Out
Previous seeding: Out
The Wildcats’ relatively young rotation continued to flash moments of potential, but still hasn’t been able to play at a consistently high level for 40 minutes. Northwestern led Michigan by nine at the half, but collapsed in the second half and fell 87-75. The Wildcats had another late lead against a conference championship contender, as they led Nebraska 39-38 with 12:32 left in the game on the road. But the Cornhuskers woke up, outscoring Northwestern 30-10 to secure a 68-49 victory.
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Oregon – Out
Previous seeding: Out
The Ducks finished off their road trip to the state of Indiana with a 92-74 loss to the Hoosiers. Oregon returned home over the weekend and defeated Penn State 83-72 behind 22 points each from Nate Bittle and Takai Simpkins. The Ducks came very close to winning a few games in the last month or so, but this week they finally got back in the win column, snapping a 10-game losing streak.
Penn State – Out
Previous seeding: Out
The Nittany Lions were able to squeeze out a split on the Pacific Northwest road trip. Penn State shockingly upset Washington 63-60 to claim its first Quad 1 win of the season, but couldn’t finish the road trip 2-0 as it fell 82-73 to Oregon. The Nittany Lions return home to face Rutgers in the middle of the week before a road trip to Nebraska over the weekend.
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Maryland – Out
Previous seeding: Out
Maryland was a win away from being the team of the week, as the first game it played this week was a big story. The ‘Terps knocked off Iowa 77-70 at home in a big upset victory. Maryland looked for a three-game winning streak following its 1-10 start in conference play, but unfortunately, the Terrapins didn’t have what it took to beat Rutgers on the road, falling 68-57 in that game. Maryland will play Northwestern to finish off its road trip before playing Washington at home this weekend.
Rutgers – Out
Previous seeding: Out
The Scarlet Knights had an entire week to prepare for Maryland, and the extra rest definitely paid off. Rutgers beat Maryland 68-57 in a game that won’t have any NCAA Tournament implications, but was important for Big Ten Tournament seeding. The Scarlet Knights will now go on the road to take on Penn State and Minnesota.
