Holding a Pair of Twos: Big Ten NCAA Tournament Bracketology Update

Basketball’s not fun and I hate everything.

Observations:

• Even if they fall to a 2-seed, Michigan State can’t be quaking in a quadrant with Virginia as the #1 seed. Then again, there’s a bracket where, somehow, Xavier is still a #1.
• There’s poor Purdue, looking up at Kansas once again. The Boilermakers play a lot more defense than the smoking remains of Trae Young and Oklahoma, but you have to figure that bracket’s going Rock Chalk.
• That two-game swoon cost the Ohio State Buckeyes dearly, as they’re still finding themselves at the top of the 5-seeds in Bracket Matrix, but stuck in a couple tricky 5-12 matchups with a defensively-minded Middle Tennessee and a fun-and-gun South Dakota State Jackrabbits club.
• That’s assuming, of course, that the Jacks make it out of the Summit League unscathed. Tune in for the DAKOTA SHOWDOWN with in-state rival South Dakota tomorrow night at 7pm. USD plays a lot better defense than their bitter blue-and-gold enemies, wasted them 86-67 in DAKOTADOME a month ago, and are still surprisingly not getting love from bracketologists. Big fan of former Nebrasketball assistant Craig Smith and his ‘Yotes.
• This has been your Summit League basketball update.
• Jeez...I almost want to fall to a 6- or 7-seed if I’m Michigan. Loyola-Chicago has something special cookin’ on the Red Line this year, assuming they survive the Horizon League. I think I’d rather take the usual 6-11 or 7-10 matchup of “flawed P6 team vs. flawed P6 team.” Michigan thrives in that shit.
• Well look at Penn State. Riding that strong RPI and a signature win over Ohio State, the Nittany Lions have burst past languid Maryland and are jockeying with Nebraska for the last B1G team in. They’re catching fire at the right time, and I’d guess that a split of the last two and no bad loss in the Big Ten Tournament would get them into Dayton at least.

Disagree? Enraged by the Summit League coverage? Enraged by something else? Let us know in the comments.