This would be the path of least resistance for the Indiana Hoosiers to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament

The Indiana Hoosiers are in desperate need of a strong showing this week at the Big Ten Tournament. Firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble, a one-and-done performance in Chicago at the conference tournament would severely hinder IU's March Madness chances.

Indiana's NCAA Tournament hopes take a big hit as other bubble team pulls major upset

The first game for Indiana at the Big Ten Tournament is on Wednesday, March 11 at 6:30 p.m. ET. However, their opponent is not yet known. As the No. 10 seed, Indiana will face the winner of Tuesday's matchup between No. 18 Penn State and No. 15 Northwestern.

Indiana has faced both of those teams this season, and there is a clear preference among the two potential opponents that would present a much more ideal matchup for the Hoosiers.

This is the ideal path for Indiana to make a run in the Big Ten Tournament

Indiana's ideal path to make a run in the Big Ten Tournament would start with facing Penn State. The Nittany Lions finished in last place of the Big Ten during the regular season, and won just three conference games. The Nittany Lions are the worst team in the conference when it comes to points per game allowed (79.5), and their opponents are shooting a strong 50% from the floor against them.

Indiana had little trouble with PSU back on December 9, as the Hoosiers cruised to a dominating 113-72 win in Bloomington. IU's 113 points were a season-high, and they shot a whopping 69% from the field while going 17-for-31 from beyond the arc.

The Hoosiers lost their matchup against Northwestern during the regular season, and it came at the worst possible time. Northwestern defeated IU 72-68 at Assembly Hall on February 24, which was a part of a four-game losing streak for the Hoosiers.

Indiana led for the majority of the game and even had a win probability as high as 93.7% with 12 minutes to go in the 2nd half according to ESPN, but the game slipped out of grasp down the stretch. The play that all IU fans remember from that contest was the controversial no call on a Tucker DeVries three-point attempt in the closing seconds to tie the game. It was a brutal way to lose, and that loss drastically dipped Indiana's NCAA Tournament chances.

While facing Northwestern again would present a great revenge opportunity for Indiana, facing Penn State would be a much more favorable matchup.

Following the initial matchup on Wednesday, IU's path of opponents is already known for the next two rounds. After a win on Wednesday, Indiana would face No. 7 Purdue in the third round. A win in that contest would see them face No. 2 Nebraska in the quarterfinals. Getting to that point would be a huge boost to IU's NCAA Tournament resume.

From there, the Hoosiers would need some upsets to avoid No. 3 Michigan State in the semifinals and No. 1 Michigan in the title game. As we've seen before, anything can happen in the Big Ten Tournament. A tournament run in The Windy City would be just what the doctor ordered for Indiana's NCAA Tournament hopes.