The dust has settled and the bracket is out (officially this time, none of that leaked nonsense), and the Big Ten has seven teams in the tourney spanning three of the four brackets.
The Big Ten Tournament champion Michigan State Spartans were the Big Ten’s highest seed, but were robbed of a No. 1 seed and will settle for the Midwest Region’s No. 2 seed. As all MSU fans know, the Spartans thrive on disrespect, so this may just be the boost the team needed to thrive in another charge through March. Assuming the higher seed wins every game, their first major challenge will be against No. 1 seed Virginia in the Elite Eight, but MSU has had the Cavaliers’ number recently, knocking them out of the tournament the past two seasons. I’ve got Michigan State losing in the championship game, but don’t be surprised if they end up winning the whole thing.
Continuing the trend of no love for the Big Ten, the next highest seed was a five, although the conference had a lock on it, taking up three of the four No. 5 seeds. The Big Ten regular season champion Indiana is the No. 5 seed in the East, a region that contains three of the seven Big Ten teams. The Hoosiers will be easy favorites to win in the first round against No. 12 Chattanooga, but their potential second-round matchup with rival Kentucky is one of the matchups I’m most excited for. I would give the Hoosiers the edge in that one, but I don’t see them beating North Carolina in the Sweet 16.
The next No. 5 seed is Purdue in Michigan State’s Midwest Region, but facing the Spartans seems like a fringe case. Purdue has a tough slate starting with a potential matchup against Iowa State in the Second Round, although I think the Boilermakers can out-height their way to a win in that one. I don’t think they will be able to handle No. 1 seed Virginia in the Sweet 16, so that is their ceiling for me.
Maryland rounds out the Big Ten in terms of No. 5 seeds, and is, in my opinion, the most dangerous five seed in my recent memory. The Terrapins are a top-seed talent with a No. 3 seed resume that somehow slipped to a five seed. Their first rough matchup, in my eyes, isn’t until they face Kansas in the Sweet 16, and if everything goes well they could win, but Kansas is my projected National Champion, so I don’t think Maryland will make it to the Elite Eight.
Staying in the South Region, the first of the Big Ten’s two No. 7 seeds is Iowa. Iowa was a top-five team before it lost six of its last eight games, and that trend seems incredibly likely to continue. They face Temple, who has looked great all season, but faced heartbreak in the conference tournament, getting upset by the hot UConn Huskies. I have to predict Temple beating the downtrodden Hawkeyes in the First Round.
The next No. 7 seed is the hometown Badgers and they have a favorable bracket layout, in my opinion. Pittsburgh is a solid squad, but UW is a scary No. 7 seed, and they would be able to easily beat any team with a lower seed. Their Second Round matchup is a tough call, as Xavier certainly has an impressive resume, but they don’t pass the eye test, and I think Wisconsin can beat them. I predict Wisconsin goes down in the Sweet 16 to a West Virginia team that has come on very strong at the end of the year.
There are Big Ten teams ranging from championship contenders to teams fighting to make the field of 64, but in March, anything goes. Despite relatively low seeds for the majority of them, there’s a few that are certainly capable of making waves, but specifically, watch out for Denzel Valentine and the talented Michigan State Spartans, who have a legitimate shot at being the National Champions.
