The championship game is here! Wisconsin handled Purdue with ease after a first half scare, and Michigan State edged Maryland in a close game before they pulled away in the final minutes of the game. So there we have it, Wisconsin (1) vs. Michigan State (3). Who on MSU will attempt to contain Frank Kaminsky? Will Travis Trice get hot again? We'll see at 3:30pm EST.
That being said, it's also Selection Sunday! Wisconsin, Maryland, Iowa, Purdue, Ohio State, and Michigan State have all locked up bids to the tournament. Can Indiana and/or Illinois make it in off the bubble? Currently Indiana is close, but they appear to be in good position after getting one tournament win before falling to Maryland in the tournament quarterfinals. They have a decent record against Top 50 RPI teams at 4-8, which is better than most bubble teams still out there. Illinois? They are most likely on the outside looking in after dropping the first round game in the B1G tournament.
Where is everyone going to end up? Wisconsin appears to be a lock for a 2 seed with a chance at a one seed, but really they are just hoping to avoid Kentucky just like everyone else. Maryland has a 3 seed locked down, and after their disappointing loss to Sparty it would appear they have washed away all of the talk of creeping into the two seed area. The remaining locks are all a mystery for seeding, as Purdue and their 12-6 conference record were somehow on the bubble to many before winning a conference tournament game while MSU, OSU, and Iowa all had up and down seasons but have all locked up tournament bids.
How to watch:
Championship Game:
Date and Time: Sunday, March 15th, 2:30pm EST
TV: CBS
2015 Selection Sunday:
Date and Time: Sunday, March 15th, 6:00pm EST
TV: CBS is airing the live reveal of the brackets, and ESPN will do some sort of concurrent analysis of them. Greg Gumbel, Clark Kellogg, Doug Gottlieb, and Seth Davis are all offering "insight" to the selections as they air. Jim Nantz, Grant Hill, and Bill Rafferty are all going to be at the United Center in Indy offering insight as well as a satellite location from the afermath of the Big Ten Tournament.
This will serve as the championship game gamethread and selection sunday open thread too. If you all get crazy we will put up an overflow. Let the fun begin! We'll have a printable bracket up as soon as one is available, because obviously are doing absolutely nothing at work tomorrow but filling out at least 10 brackets to figure out which one you are entering and which one you keep to yourself.
UPDATE: Can't wait for the printable bracket? SBN has a blank bracket that you can fill out as you go.