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We’ve recapped the weekend that was and asked a couple questions of the mid-week games tipping off tonight—but turns out the bracketologists of the country have given us an idea of the stakes for which teams like Indinaa, Minnesota, and even Purdue are playing this week.
With that, here’s your rundown of Big Ten bracketology for the NCAA Tournament:
B1G Bracketology
B1G Thoughts
- Functionally no change in Maryland rating, though they slid up .13 in their average seed in Bracket Matrix, with marginal bumps in Kenpom and NET. Anything to move them closer to that sweet, sweet 2-seed lock. But no one’s moving Baylor, Gonzaga, Kansas, or San Diego State in the foreseeable future.
- Beating the shit out of Northwestern has moved Penn State onto a pretty firm 3-seed watch. Don’t say we never did anything for you. But the difference between the 2/14 tab—projections vs. New Mexico State and Wichita State or Arizona State—and this one—Hofstra, Wright State, or Stephen F. Austin—is noticeable. Good for the Nittany Lions.
- Prepare for a straight month of bracketologists saying “But no 2- or 3-seed wants to see Michigan State on the line opposite them!” and similar cloying bullshit. Go Paladins.
- Iowa’s high-wire act hasn’t quite paid off yet—thinking here of a line with a mid-major beyond Wichita State—but a wounded Florida or underwhelming USC would be a fine consolation prize.
- Seriously, how is Ohio State on a consensus 6-line and ranked 25th again? HOW?
- Burn your TV if we get a Michigan-Virginia first-round matchup.
- I’m not gonna lie to you, I think it’s a little criminal that none of these projections have given us a wisconsin-BYU first-round matchup. I want to see Brad Davison try to nut-check TJ Haws on national TV and have his hand get caught in the magical underwear. That’s what its purpose is, right?
- Rutgers is the definition of a feel-good 8-seed story that gets a lot of weepy coverage from TruTV, plays a little-watched game with Rhode Island or Oklahoma or something, and then gets its doors blown off by Kansas. Cool.
- Interesting to see that Purdue isn’t even in the tournament in Jerry Palm’s projections. Most metrics have the Boilers in, but like we asked in our mid-week previews earlier—when do they need to start collecting a couple signature wins?
Poll
Who makes the deepest run in the NCAA Tournament?
This poll is closed
-
31%
THIS IS THE YEAR, MARYLAND
(135 votes) -
14%
Penn State: Good shooters, tough inside, lotta moxie
(64 votes) -
9%
Michigan State: No 2- or 3-seed wants to see the Spartans on the line opposite them!
(40 votes) -
15%
Iowa stumbles into the Sweet 16 with a literal role of Scotch Tape at starting point guard
(68 votes) -
3%
Ohio State was just pulling the rope-a-dope all Big Ten season long
(16 votes) -
8%
Michigan has that "cockroaches and Twinkies" thing going for them in the nuclear holocaust of the NCAA Tournament
(38 votes) -
17%
Maybe someone else?
(74 votes)
NIT Watch
The two major sources I use to check up on the Not Invited Tournament are John Templon (@nybuckets, now posting at Mid-Major Madness) and Joe Stunardi (@joestunardi, apparently an Iowa State fan?!) of The Barking Crow. And...it’s an interesting time to look at the NIT projectors versus the NCAA Tournament thinkers, because...
- Both Indiana and Minnesota appear to be caught in a gray area between the NCAA Tournament and NIT.
- Minnesota at least makes it into Templon’s NIT projection—nothing like a 2-vs-7 rematch with the Utah, huh, Goldy? I have a feeling Templon will edit to avoid that rematch in the future—with Stunardi acknowledging that while it’s not likely the Big Ten will land 12 teams in the Dance, his model uses median projection for each team.
- DRatings, for what it’s worth, has Indiana still in the Dance as a 10-seed (above Purdue!) with Minnesota just outside the bonus-ball First Four games as an 11-seed.
That’s the round-up! How do you think the Indiana-Purdue-Minnesota triangle of mediocrity shakes out? Vote in the polls, let us know in the comments, and be sure to check out the mid-week basketball previews and open thread for more Big Ten basketball coverage!
Poll
Purdue winds up...
This poll is closed
-
2%
...a 9-seed or better
(7 votes) -
13%
...a 10-seed
(40 votes) -
13%
...an 11-seed
(38 votes) -
18%
...in Dayton!
(54 votes) -
44%
...in the NIT
(131 votes) -
7%
...at home.
(22 votes)
Poll
How about Indiana?
This poll is closed
-
6%
9-seed or better.
(20 votes) -
8%
10-seed
(26 votes) -
16%
11-seed
(50 votes) -
15%
First Four
(46 votes) -
42%
NIT
(127 votes) -
9%
Is Indiana above the CBI?
(28 votes)
Poll
Aaaaaand Minnesota:
This poll is closed
-
1%
10-seed
(6 votes) -
5%
11-seed
(17 votes) -
5%
First Four
(17 votes) -
59%
Can’t spell Pitino without N-I-T
(186 votes) -
12%
...I can’t find a funny way to spell CBI into Gophers basketball
(39 votes) -
15%
...and that’s because they’re staying home this winter.
(47 votes)