A close look at just how eerily similar Big 10 bubble teams are

[SelectionSunday]

Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State & Wisconsin. ... here's how eerily similar their resumes look heading into the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. Teams are listed in order of RPI.

Ohio State
RPI: 35
Record: 20-9
Big 10 Record (including BTT): 10-8
Record vs. Big 10 Bubblers: 4-2
Road/Neutral: 5-6
Record vs. Top 50: 5-8
Record vs. Top 100: 9-9
Wins vs. 201+ RPI: 6
Bad Losses (RPI 101+): 0
Last 12: 7-5

Minnesota
RPI: 36
Record: 21-9
Big 10 Record (including BTT): 10-9
Record vs. Big 10 Bubblers: 4-4
Road/Neutral: 6-6
Record vs. Top 50: 5-7
Record vs. Top 100: 9-9
Wins vs. 201+ RPI: 8
Bad Losses (RPI 101+): 0
Last 12: 6-6

Wisconsin
RPI: 40
Record: 18-11
Big 10 Record (including BTT): 10-8
Record vs. Big 10 Bubblers: 5-2
Road/Neutral: 6-8
Record vs. Top 50: 4-9
Record vs. Top 100: 9-10
Wins vs. 201+ RPI: 5
Bad Losses (RPI 101+): 1
Last 12: 7-5

Michigan
RPI: 43
Record: 19-12
Big 10 Record (including BTT): 10-9
Record vs. Big 10 Bubblers: 3-5
Road/Neutral: 6-9
Record vs. Top 50: 6-9
Record vs. Top 100: 10-11
Wins vs. 201+ RPI: 6
Bad Losses (RPI 101+): 1
Last 12: 6-6

Penn State
RPI: 67
Record: 22-10
Big 10 Record (including BTT): 11-8
Record vs. Big 10 Bubblers: 2-5
Road/Neutral: 7-8
Record vs. Top 50: 6-8
Record vs. Top 100: 7-9
Wins vs. 201+ RPI: 11
Bad Losses (RPI 101+): 1
Last 12: 7-5

 

[Holy Man]

Penn State

still looks like the odd man out in this scenario, if it comes to that. As our 'hole bracket specialist, Hodger, how does the "record against Big Ten Bubblers" weigh in? You have emphasized, and rightly so, that teams get bids, not conferences, and the competition is not inherently with the other guys in your conference, but with all the rest of the "bubblers." The more important question is where our bubblers stack up against teams like KState, USC, Providence, and Creighton. It still looks pretty good to me, but I'll take a win today against State to make that question moot.

Will your parents throw pizza at you while you cheer for the Gophers today?