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BIG TEN CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT SEEDING:

1. Illinois
2. Michigan State
3. Wisconsin
4. Indiana
5. Minnesota
6. Ohio State
7. Iowa
8. Northwestern
9. Michigan
10. Purdue
11. Penn State

The conference has three definite NCAA tournament teams in Illinois, Michigan State, and Wisconsin. There are also a couple other teams trying to play their way in, like Indiana and Minnesota. The two play each other in the quarterfinals, and the winner could be on their way to the Big Dance, and the loser headed to the NIT. With both teams needing that win, Indiana a little bit more than Minnesota, this game is bound to be filled with intensity and should be one of the better games this tournament field has to offer.

Ohio State pulled the shocker of the year by handing Illinois its first loss of the season in the last game of the regular season. Illinois maintained its top spot in the conference, but the Buckeye win begs the question: What if Ohio State wins the conference championship? The Buckeyes are banned from postseason play this year, so they are playing with zero pressure, and have absolutely nothing to lose. Matt Sylvester, Tony Stockman, Terence Dials, and Co. proved they can beat Illinois, and a rematch would be very interesting. Ohio State would have to run the gauntlet, probably going through Wisconsin and Michigan State to get to play Illinois again, but with nothing to lose, don’t count out Thad Matta’s Buckeye squad.

The last four seeds in this bracket are a combination of also-rans, disappointments, and bad luck. Michigan has been struck by the injury/ineligible-due-to- misdemeanor-crime bug, Purdue has not even come close to going out on top for head coach Gene Keady’s final season, and Northwestern and Penn State pose no real threat to anybody.

Look for the top four seeds in the Big Ten to make it to the semifinals, where the real fireworks of the tournament could go off, especially in a match-up between Michigan State and Wisconsin. The two teams split the season series, with each one winning on its respective home court. Since this one is at a neutral site, they will probably tie. No? Fine. Take Wisconsin in a close one.

The Fighting Illini should have no problem in capturing the conference crown. The tournament is in nearby Chicago, and perhaps the loss to Ohio State was a blessing in disguise, as it will undoubtedly help them refocus as they seek to become college basketball’s national champion. They’ll get by Indiana who will get the one win they need to reach the NCAA tournament, and then the Illini will beat the Badgers for the third time this year, to capture the conference title. Sounds pretty simple, but when your trio of guards are Dee Brown, Deron Williams, and Luther Head (who is a native of tournament site Chicago), and you’ve got a frontcourt led by Roger Powell and James Augustine, winning big games becomes a whole lot simpler.