Updated Big Ten Tournament Bracket

[SelectionSunday]

Gotta' admit, typing this is pretty depressing.

1st Round (March 10)
1:30 p.m. -- #8 Northwestern (7-11) vs. #9 GOPHERS (6-11), ESPN2
3:55 p.m. -- #7 Penn State (8-9) vs. #10 Indiana (3-13), ESPN2
6:30 p.m. -- #6 Michigan (8-9) vs. #11 Iowa (3-14), BTN

Quarterfinals (March 11)
11 a.m. -- #1 Ohio State (15-2) v. Northwestern/GOPHERS winner, ESPN
1:25 p.m. -- #4 Michigan State (9-8) vs. #5 Illinois (8-9), ESPN
5:30 p.m. -- #2 Purdue (14-3) vs. Penn State/Indiana winner, BTN
7:55 p.m. -- #3 Wisconsin (12-4) vs. Michigan/Iowa winner, BTN

Notes on the Bracket
**The winner of Saturday's Michigan-Michigan State clinches a spot in the #4-5 game and obviously avoids play-in Thursday, which is important if you're a bubble team. In all likelihood, I think the winner all but assures itself of a NCAA Tournament bid.

**If Indiana and Iowa end up tied in the standings (which is likely) they'll flip-flop, with Iowa getting the #10 seed and Indiana the #11 by virtue of the Hawkeyes' season sweep of the Hoosiers. As much as I can't stand the pacing maniac, Tom Crean, I think if I'm a NCAA bubble team (read: Illinois, Michigan, MSU) I want to avoid the Hoosiers in the #6-11 first-round finale on Thursday night. Something tells me the Hoosiers, who haven't won since beating the Gophers, are going to spring an upset.

**Against Penn State on Sunday, the Gophers are playing for their jersey color in Indianapolis. If they beat the Nittany Lions, they'll wear the light jerseys (white or gold) vs. Northwestern. If they lose it'll be the dark jerseys (maroon or gold).

**If ever there's a year I want to see the top two seeds (Ohio State & Purdue) meet in the title game, this would be the year. I think both are national-championship material.

Past Champions
1998: Michigan (#4 seed)
1999: Michigan State (#1 seed)
2000: Michigan State (#2 seed)
2001: Iowa (#6 seed)
2002: Ohio State (#2 seed)
2003: Illinois (#2 seed)
2004: Wisconsin (#2 seed)
2005: Illinois (#1 seed)
2006: Iowa (#2 seed)
2007: Ohio State (#1 seed)
2008: Wisconsin (#1 seed)
2009: Purdue (#3 seed)
2010: Ohio State (#1 seed)

Looks like there's a 77% chance Ohio State or Purdue will win the BTT, as the #1 or #2 seed has won it 10 of 13 years.

 

[howeda7]

Very sad that we join Northwestern, Penn State and Indiana as the 4 losers who have never won it.

 

[SelectionSunday]

Amazingly, Northwestern has never even made it to the semifinals. Not once.

Thanks to our improbable run last season, NW and Penn State are now the only two schools to never appear in the finals.

 

[OSUfan]

Very sad that we join Northwestern, Penn State and Indiana as the 4 losers who have never won it.

Well, Michigan didn't technically win it. Something about Louis Bullock taking $71K from Ed Martin ...