7 Big Ten teams make the Big Dance

Congratulations to Ohio State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Penn State, and Michigan State for being selected by the committee to participate in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament!

The Big Ten sent the second most amount of teams to the tournament this year, behind the Big East who sent 11.

Penn State makes the tournament for the first time since 2011 as a 10 seed.

Ohio State - as expected - gets a #1 bid.

Originally published on Sunday, March 13 at 6:50 p.m.

COUNTDOWN TO INDY

BIG TEN TOURNAMENT TIPS OFF AT THE CONSECO FIELDHOUSE IN INDIANAPOLIS TODAY!

Here is the schedule of games:

Northwestern 75, Minnesota 65

Michigan State 66 Iowa 61

Penn State 61, Indiana 55

Originally published on Thursday, March 10 at 12:24 p.m.

Tournament tickets could be punched with key wins

By John Williams

At this time of year, all major sports seem to be at a lull.

The NFL is in its off-season, the NBA is three-quarters of the way through the regular season and spring training is underway for professional baseball.

What makes the sports calendar in March much more bearable and interesting, in my mind, is the Big Ten tournament, Selection Sunday and the looming NCAA tournament.

With key losses by bubble teams Nebraska and Baylor, spaces have opened up for Big Ten teams currently on-the-fence.

What should help these bubble teams in the Big Ten is their “Strength of Schedule” ranking. Penn State is at 6, Michigan State is at 8, Illinois is at 16 and Michigan comes in at 20. What doesn’t make it much easier for the committee is their mutual 9-9 conference record.

Michigan’s best wins on the season are against conference foe Michigan State – who they beat twice – and a home game early in the season against Ivy-League contender, Harvard. Are they worthy of a tournament bid? With that being said, Michigan will play Friday versus Illinois. The difference will be whether Michigan’s superior guard play will neutralize one of the Big Ten’s leading scorers, Demetri McCamey.

Michigan State is in dire straits. Iowa is coming off a huge win versus Purdue and has a legitimate chance to upset the Spartans. If the Spartans lose, their hopes of earning an at-large bid are slim-to-none.

Penn State is taking on high water right now. They must beat Indiana, Wisconsin and possibly Purdue to punch their ticket to the tournament. Wisconsin is a winnable game. The Nittany Lions outplayed the Badgers on Jan. 29 at the Bryce Jordan Center and received much buzz from ESPN insiders and bracketologists concerning possible NCAA tournament consideration.

Originally published on Thursday, March 10 at 12:20 p.m.

GLARING STAT OF THE DAY

In the Buckeyes thumping of Wisconsin, they shot an astounding 14-of-15 from behind the 3-point line.

Jon Diebler was 7-of-8 from three and four OSU starters were in double figures in points.

COUNTDOWN TO INDY

TOURNAMENT BRACKET:

March 10

#8 Northwestern vs. #9 Minnesota @ 2:30 p.m.

#7 Michigan State vs. #10 Iowa @ 5 p.m.

#6 Penn State vs. #11 Indiana @ 7:30 p.m.

March 11

#1 Ohio State vs. Winner of NW/Minn. @ Noon (ESPN)

#4 Michigan vs. #5 Illinois @ 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

#2 Purdue vs. Winner of MSU/Iowa @ 6:30 p.m. (Big Ten Network)

#3 Wisconsin vs. Winner of PSU/Indiana @ 9 p.m. (Big Ten Network)

March 12

Winner of first Quarterfinal @ 1:40 p.m. (CBS)

Winner of second Quarterfinal @ 4:15 p.m. (CBS)

March 13

Big Ten Championship @ 3:30 p.m. (CBS)

Michigan locks up unlikely tournament bid

By Conor O’Brien

Although overmatched athletically, the Michigan Wolverines (19-12, 9-9 in conference) have overcome the odds and put themselves in a position to be invited to the big dance next Sunday.

John Beilein’s effect on the team has undoubtedly been a major asset to the Wolverine’s success. They may be lacking the physically gifted players that the upper echelon teams possess, but they run their offense with patience and precision. Beilien restored the program to relevance when it reached the NCAA tournament in the 2008-2009 season. However, they suffered a disappointing season with NBA talent Manny Harris and All-Big Ten performer DeShawn Sims last year. Part of that was due to Harris’ inability or unwillingness to buy into Beilein’s system. Yes, I know he made the NCAA tournament with Beilein in 2009, but Harris didn’t seem to be as focused as he was the previous season. Michigan’s offensive success is often predicated on ball movement, rotation and sharp cuts. This was lacking last year as Harris often destroyed their offensive fluidity.

But now, in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year, Michigan has catapulted itself into the forefront of the NCAA discussion. Beilein has a group of selfless players who put the name on the front of their jersey before the name on the back.

Many preseason prognosticators predicted the Wolverines to finish at the bottom of the league and Michigan was proving them right for the first half of the season. But freshman guard Tim Hardaway Jr. has been a surprise in recent weeks. When outside sharp shooters Stu Douglass and Zack Novak have struggled from the field, Hardaway Jr. has taken the reins. The offense tends to run through Hardaway throughout the crucial moments of the game. He has the ability to create his own shot anywhere on the floor and has done so successfully in many critical moments down the stretch.

Sophomore guard Darius Morris (15.2 ppg, 6.8 apg) has also been stellar throughout much of the season. He has been the star player most Wolverine fans didn’t think they had. He has the ability to carve through the teeth of the defense anytime he wants, and has the skills and intangibles to make players around him better.

It was a game Michigan State desperately needed as much as the Wolverines on Saturday in Ann Arbor. However, a team comprised of senior leadership and final four veterans were unable to defeat the home team. Despite Kalin Lucas’s admirable performance, Michigan completely shut down the Spartans most influential player, Draymond Green. The Wolverines won 70-63.

Michigan has been a team that most bracketologists have brushed aside the last few weeks, dismissed due to the absence of a signature win on their resume. But they have quietly been one of the steadiest teams in the conference throughout the last six weeks.

They started the conference slate with a 1-6 record, but secured a season-altering win in January in East Lansing. They finished the season 8-3 since that point and now they have swept Michigan State (rpi 43) and Penn State (rpi 59). They beat Minnesota in the barn and also boast victories over Ivy leader Harvard and potential tournament teams Oakland and Clemson. The three losses they have suffered have been narrow escapes for the heavily favored team. They played the Buckeyes down to the last few possessions on Feb. 3 in Columbus and had a chance to beat Illinois on their final possession in Champaign. And who can forget their gut-wrenching loss to Wisconsin last week. They had the Badgers on the ropes, but freshman guard John Gosser buried an off balanced heave at the buzzer.

They need to avoid a first round loss in the Big Ten Tournament, but that should not be a problem against lowly Indiana on Thursday. If they can defeat the Hoosiers, they will have the opportunity to avenge their loss to Wisconsin Friday night.

Michigan has quietly been one of the hottest teams in the nation in the last few weeks. Expect them to win multiple games in the Big Ten Tournament and don’t be surprised if they topple a top seed or two on the first weekend of the dance.

Big Ten schedule for Saturday, March 5

We're inching closer to the Big Ten tournament - here are today's Big Ten matchups:

Indiana 48, Illinois 72. Final.

Michigan State 63, Michigan 70. Final.

(UPSET ALERT) Purdue 65, Iowa 67. Final.

Originally published on Saturday, March 5 at 9:51 a.m.