March Madness is looming and college basketball fans are just chomping at the bit to create their brackets for this season, awaiting the inevitable heartbreak when their bracket is broken by a low seed beating a much higher seed. However, before fans can even think about the NCAA Tournament, teams must compete in their own conference tournament to see who will get an automatic bid from their conference championship.
For most conferences, each team will have the ability to have one last fight and go on a magical run to try and steal an automatic bid away from someone, and somehow find themselves in the tournament, someplace no one thought they would be in, we are looking at you 2024 NC State team.
In the Big Ten though, only 15 of the 18 teams in the conference will get a chance to compete in the Big Ten Tournament, leaving the bottom three teams out of it and seeing their season come to an end earlier than anyone else.
So with just a few weeks left in the regular season, let's take a look at how each team is doing when it comes to the NCAA Tournament. Who is in? Who is fighting for their spot? Who needs a miracle? Who is already planning their early vacation?
Ending their season early
Penn State and Northwestern
Sorry Penn State and Northwestern, but it seems like your team will be able to make plans for spring break this season as the Big Ten Tournament doesn't seem to be in the cards. The Nittany Lions are almost certainly out of it with a 13-13 record and a 3-12 conference record, and two games behind the 15th place team.
Northwestern has a little bit more of a chance to make up some ground and maybe find some wins in their final games. The Wildcats are just a game out of 15th place and could use some luck so that other teams lose and they get into the Big Ten Tournament.
It just seems like these teams though probably won't get it done and the end is near.
Needs a miracle
Washington, Rutgers, Iowa, Minnesota, and USC
Washington, Rutgers, Iowa, Minnesota, and USC are all just hoping to win enough games in order to get into the Big Ten Tournament and pray for a miracle. Getting into the conference tournament at least leaves a tiny bit of hope that someone could run the table and steal a spot with an automatic bid.
Washington is on the border of needing a miracle and an early end to the season. They currently sit at No. 16 in the Big Ten and are just half a game behind Rutgers. Rutgers has the talent to be a tournament team, but can't seem to find a way to put it all together. Maybe the Scarlet Knights can figure out a way to do what NC State did last season, but they have to be in the Big Ten Tournament to do that.
Iowa, Minnesota, and USC have a chance to make a run, but it seems unlikely, but at this point, that is the miracle they are hoping for to make it into the tournament because they aren't going to make it in without an automatic bid.
Fighting for their spot
Indiana, Nebraska, Oregon, and Ohio State
Out of all of these teams, the one team that is truly having to fight the most for their spot is Indiana. After finally snapping their five-game losing streak with a win against No. 11 Michigan State, it gave the Hoosiers a boost in their resume for the NCAA Tournament. A win against UCLA would have really helped them out, but instead the Hoosiers lost late, putting them in the "Next Four Out" category in Joe Lunardi's latest Bracketology.
Indiana needs some solid wins in their final games, like a win against No. 7 Purdue coming up in a week, would be huge, along with a win over Ohio State and Oregon.
Nebraska, Oregon, and Ohio State are all in already, but they can't afford a late season collapse or even an early round exit in the Big Ten Tournament. Nebraska is the most at risk with Oregon falling closely behind and Ohio State after that.
Lock in their spots
Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Maryland, UCLA, and Illinois
All seven of these teams are locked in basically no matter what happens, but continuing to win would help their seeding for the tournament. Michigan, Purdue, and Wisconsin all were in the NCAA March Madness early 16 prediction with Purdue projected as a 2-seed, Wisconsin as a 3-seed, and Michigan as a 4-seed.
Michigan State, Maryland, Illinois, and UCLA should all be anywhere from 5-seeds to 7-seeds in the NCAA Tournament and all have a chance at a Big Ten Tournament title.