All Things Terrible Tuesday Big Ten Tournament Updates

Donate To GopherHole
S

SelectionSunday

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 12, 2008
Messages
26,594
Reaction score
7,075
Points
113
As we still mourn the passing of Weakling Wednesday (formerly known as the "Rutgers Invitational"), 2025-26 brings us to our first "Terrible Tuesday", the first day of an all-18 team Big Ten Tournament.

Our frontrunners at roughly the halfway point of the Big Ten season are #15 Oregon (1-8), #16 Northwestern (1-8), #17 Maryland (1-8), and #18 Penn State (0-9).

The Gophers (3-6) currently are the #13 seed.
 


Terrible Tuesday through Feb. 4:

Tuesday, March 10
#16 Maryland (1-9) vs. #17 Penn State (1-10), Oregon, 4 (Peacock)

#15 Northwestern (2-10) vs. #18 Oregon (1-10), 6:30 (Peacock)
 
Last edited:

Couple more wins should keep us safely out of this group. It is cliche but we definitely are not a team that other teams will be excited to play come conference tournament time (as long as our 7 are healthy of course). We won't be a real threat to win the tournament but also won't be an easy out.
 

SelectionSunday said:
Terrible Tuesday through Feb. 4:

Tuesday, March 10
#16 Maryland (1-9) vs. #17 Penn State (1-10), Oregon, 4 (Peacock)

#15 Northwestern (2-10) vs. #18 Oregon (1-10), 6:30 (Peacock)
Click to expand...

Looks like Gophers are still in the #13 seed (or #12, tied with Washington at 4-8 in conference). From what I can see, #12 and #13 play each other on Day 2 of the tournament so those two seeds are virtually the same for that purpose.

Looking at the remaining schedule for those two teams, I could see them both going 4-4 and being tied at the end of the regular season. ESPN's BPI rates Washington's remaining schedule at #76 (easiest remaining schedule in the conference) and the Gophers' remaining schedule at #70 (third easiest in the conference).

The #10 and #11 teams are Indiana and USC, both tied at 6-6. Ohio State could join that tie with a loss in its next game.
 


Have the Gophers have clinched a ticket to Wednesday in the Big 10 Tournament?

They are currently sitting Tied for 11 Place as the 12 seed. I think it's still possible for there to be a 5 way Tie for 11th (USC-Min-Was-NW-Rut). Whichever team that would be 5th with all the Tiebreakers would be fall down to the 15TH seed and have to play Tuesday.

The Gophers would be 2-3 Head-to-Head amongst that group.

If Rutgers loses at Mich St or Northwestern falls while hosting Purdue, that would clinch it with 100% certainty.
 
Last edited:

Ope3 said:
Have the Gophers have clinched a ticket to Wednesday in the Big 10 Tournament?

They are currently sitting Tied for 11 Place as the 12 seed. I think it's still possible for there to be a 5 way Tie for 11th (USC-Min-Was-NW-Rut). Whichever team that would be 5th with all the Tiebreakers would be fall down to the 15TH seed and have to play Tuesday.

The Gophers would be 2-3 Head-to-Head amongst that group.

If Rutgers loses at Mich St or Northwestern falls while hosting Purdue, that would clinch it with 100% certainty.
Click to expand...
I suppose if we lose out and NW wins out, tiebreakers could make it possible to have to play Tuesday. Let's just beat them and remove it from the realm of possibilities.
 

Ski-U-Ham said:
I suppose if we lose out and NW wins out, tiebreakers could make it possible to have to play Tuesday. Let's just beat them and remove it from the realm of possibilities.
Click to expand...

Rutgers would also have to win out (@ Mich St & vs Penn St), since the Gophers won the only matchup.

While a USC win would impale the Gophers chances to climb to the 11th seed, it would help if there was a 4-way tie for 12th (Min-Was-NW-Rut), as it would take away a loss.
 
Last edited:






Ope3 said:
Rutgers would also have to win out (@ Mich St & vs Penn St), since the Gophers won the only matchup.

While a USC win would impale the Gophers chances to climb to the 11th seed, it would help if there was a 4-way tie for 12th (Min-Was-NW-Rut), as it would take away a loss.
Click to expand...

I don't think there's a scenario where we play on Tuesday. In fact, I don't think we can fall below a #13 seed.
 

tjgopher said:
I don't think there's a scenario where we play on Tuesday. In fact, I don't think we can fall below a #13 seed.
Click to expand...
Overall I’m glad most of you are as uncertain as I am.
 




Just beat Indiana and remove all sembelence of doubt.......
 

Without trying to flesh out all the tiebreakers the easiest way to look at it right now is like this....

Our magic number is 1 - 1 win by us or one loss by either Rutgers or Northwestern and we are assured that we can't finish in the bottom 4.
 

Despite the rout in Bloomington, BTN indicated that the Gophers can not drop lower than the #14 Seed.

Minnesota will not be participating in Terrible Tuesday.




Oh, by the way, Peacock sucks.
 


howeda7 said:
Would prefer to play anyone but Washington. They just seem like a bad match-up with out JCJ.
Click to expand...

It looked like last week Washington was the most likely opening opponent, but I think it is veering toward USC, assuming the Trojans lose to UCLA. USC seems done with the season. That would be a fine matchup to move on with and if we beat them would help us in the Crown tourney possibility.

Ope3 said:
BTN indicated that the Gophers can not drop lower than the #14 Seed.

Minnesota will not be participating in Terrible Tuesday.
Click to expand...

As someone said on here on Monday.:D
 

tjgopher said:
It looked like last week Washington was the most likely opening opponent, but I think it is veering toward USC, assuming the Trojans lose to UCLA. USC seems done with the season. That would be a fine matchup to move on with and if we beat them would help us in the Crown tourney possibility.



As someone said on here on Monday.:D
Click to expand...
USC is mailing in the rest of the season in and will probably get routed by UCLA.

If we can beat Northwestern and Washington loses @ Oregon, we should get the #11 seed and play...Rutgers looks like?
 

tjgopher said:
I don't think there's a scenario where we play on Tuesday. In fact, I don't think we can fall below a #13 seed.
Click to expand...
Ope3 said:
Despite the rout in Bloomington, BTN indicated that the Gophers can not drop lower than the #14 Seed.

Minnesota will not be participating in Terrible Tuesday.
Click to expand...
tjgopher said:
As someone said on here on Monday.:D
Click to expand...

Correct on the most important part, but there was a chance the Gophers could have fallen to #14.

I presume that is no longer possible with Northwestern falling to Purdue last night, but again I am not certain if Rutgers pulls off the upset and there is a multi-team tie somehow.
 

Ope3 said:
Correct on the most important part, but there was a chance the Gophers could have fallen to #14.

I presume that is no longer possible with Northwestern falling to Purdue last night, but again I am not certain if Rutgers pulls off the upset and there is a multi-team tie somehow.
Click to expand...

Minnesota 7-12 - vs. Northwestern
USC 7-12 - vs. UCLA
Washington 7-12 - @Oregon
Rutgers 5-13 - @MSU, vs. Penn State

USC and Washington both have head to head tiebreaker against us so if we tie with either of them I assume they get the higher seed. Assuming Rutgers loses tonight it comes down to us and the two former Pac 12 schools to duke it out for the 11, 12, and 13 seeds.

We beat Rutgers in our lone matchup so even if by some miracle both finish 7-13 gotta think we are the 13 seed.
 
Last edited:

MNVCGUY said:
Minnesota 7-12 - vs. Northwestern
USC 7-12 - vs. UCLA
Washington 7-12 - @Oregon
Rutgers 5-13 - @MSU, vs. Penn State

USC and Washington both have head to head tiebreaker against us so if we tie with either of them I assume they get the higher seed. Assuming Rutgers loses tonight it comes down to us and the two former Pac 12 schools to duke it out for the 11, 12, and 13 seeds.

We beat Rutgers in our lone matchup so even if by some miracle both finish 7-14 gotta think we are the 13 seed.
Click to expand...

If Rutgers pulls off the upset tonight to force a 4-way the first Tiebreaker would be combined record against the other 3 teams.

I went ahead and figured it out. Wash is 2-0 vs USC & 1-0 vs both Minn & Rutgers . USC was 1-0 vs Rutgers.

If it was a 4way tie between Wash - USC - Min - Rut, the Huskies at 4-0 would get the nod as the 11 seed.

USC would get the #12, because they were 2-0 vs Min & Rutgers combined.

Gophers indeed would get the #13 seed.
 

Here's a tool to play around with the possibilities:

mred's Big 10 MBB Tournament Seeding Tiebreaker

Big 10 Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Seeding and Tiebreakers
bball.notnothing.net

Only path to the 11 seed is to beat NW, and have both USC and Wash lose their games. While that's the only path, it may also be one of the likelier outcomes - the Wash @ Ore game is the hardest to hit of that particular parlay.
 



You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom