CBB: Big Ten Tournament Preview
First Round: The opening game at Madison Square Garden will take place on Wednesday night, and it will pit No. 12 Iowa (13-18, 4-14) against No. 13 Illinois (14-17, 4-14). Neither team has been very good this year, but they both won their most recent game and are looking to keep that momentum going. The Hawkeyes are the more experienced team so they are the pick here, but this one could go either way. Also, Iowa averages 4.0 more points per game than the Fighting Illini. In the second game of the night, No. 11 Minnesota (15-16, 4-14) faces No. 14 Rutgers (13-18, 3-15). Let's not even get started on how disappointing the Golden Gophers have been this year, but they should have enough talent to get by the worst team in the conference. Minnesota is +11.3 points per game compared to the Scarlet Knights. Look for Iowa and Minnesota to keep their season alive for at least one more day, advancing to the Second Round.
Second Round: After both teams earned a bye, No. 8 Maryland (19-12, 8-10) and No. 9 Wisconsin (14-17, 7-11) will face off. The Terrapins have more on the line in this one so expect them to come out more energized, and their defense (gives 67.1 points) should earn them a tight victory. No. 5 Michigan (24-7, 13-5) will get the winner of Iowa/Illinois, and should defeat either one with ease. Watch for Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman to have a big game, as he's putting up 17.4 points per in his last five games. No. 7 Penn State (19-12, 9-9) needs at least two wins to have a chance to an at-large berth into the Big Dance, so defeating No. 10 Northwestern (15-16, 6-12) is an absolute must. We'll take them in a close one. Lastly, No. 6 Indiana (16-14, 9-9) is likely headed to the NIT, but first they'll face the survivor of Minnesota/Rutgers. Indiana is 3-0 and +50 points against those teams so the Hoosiers should be able to live on for one more game.
Quarterfinals: The top seed will see their first action of the tournament, as No. 1 Michigan State (28-3, 16-2) will face either Maryland or Wisconsin. The Spartans are riding a 12-game winning streak and defeated Maryland twice by a combined 36 points. It wasn't as easy against the Badgers, though, as Michigan State just won 68-63 in the final game of the regular season. Either way, Sparty will advance. If Michigan wins their first matchup, they'll meet No. 4 Nebraska (22-9, 13-5) who beat them 72-52 earlier in the year. This one obviously won't be played at Pinnacle Bank Arena, though. Michigan will exact revenge in this quarterfinal. No. 2 Ohio State (24-7, 15-3) is 0-2 against Penn State this year, including getting beaten down by 23 points in the second matchup, but Keita Bates-Diop, the Big Ten Player of the Year won't let his team lose to the Nittany Lions again. In the last matchup, No. 3 Purdue (26-5, 15-3) will easily have their way with rival Indiana.
Semifinals: Michigan State wants to get another shot at Michigan after allowing an 82-72 victory for the Wolverines in early January. If both teams advance this far, it should be a great one. The Spartans have a size advantage in the paint with Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Jaren Jackson Jr. (11.4 points and 5.8 rebounds) and Nick Ward (13.0 points and 7.5 rebounds), but when the Wolverines are clicking from deep, they can beat just about anybody in the country. Moritz Wagner had 27 points the last time they met and Michigan had four double-digit scorers. If that happens again, Michigan has a shot. But because of the all around talent, State has to be the pick. The second semifinal should see Ohio State and Purdue, if all things go as planned. In an earlier meeting between the two, Ohio State escaped with a 64-63 road triumph. Carsen Edwards had 28 points on 13 shots that game, so his teammates must step up. We'll take the Boilermakers in another nail bitter.
Championship: The Spartans beat the Boilermakers, 68-65, behind a Miles Bridges game-winner a couple of weeks ago. If they meet in the Big Ten title, we can all hope that it will be as close. Isaac Haas was really good for Purdue, scoring 25 points in 27 minutes. The reason the Boilermakers lost was because their best player, Carsen Edwards, wasn't as efficient as normal. He shot just 33.3 percent against Michigan State, when he normal scores at a 47.4 percent clip. The team shot just 31.6 percent from deep. If Purdue can bump those numbers up a bit, then they'll have a chance to claim the championship. On the other end, Bridges must do what he did last time, scoring 20 points and grabbing three rebounds. The reason Michigan State might have an advantage in this one is because Jackson Jr. barely played the first time around. He finished with two points in 13 minutes. If he and Bridges combine for 40+ points, the Spartans will win the Big Ten title.
Photo Credit: Land of 10.
