Updated Big Ten men’s basketball tournament bracket projection (March 7)

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The Michigan State Spartans clinched the outright Big Ten title with their road win over Iowa on Thursday night.

That result eliminates much of the drama of the regular season’s final weekend. Now, the scheduled games will be played with Big Ten Tournament seeding at stake, plus with some teams needing a few more wins to make the NCAA Tournament field.

The stakes of Wisconsin’s final weekend are clear. A win over Penn State, and the team clinches a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament. It is currently tied for third place in the conference standings with Purdue and Maryland. The team’s February win over the Boilermakers should serve as the tiebreaker, with Maryland holding onto the No. 3 spot. Those standings are all pending the results of this weekend’s games: Wisconsin vs. Penn State, Maryland vs. Northwestern and Purdue at Illinois.

Penn State and Washington are already eliminated from Big Ten Tournament contention, with the field only including 15 of the conference’s 18 teams. Iowa will get one final chance at claiming a spot when it closes its season against Nebraska. There is currently a five-way tie for 11th in the standings. That pack increasing to six teams would create tiebreaker chaos.

Before the games are played and tiebreakers are analyzed, here is an updated snapshot of the Big Ten Tournament bracket entering the season’s final weekend:

Note: Michigan State (16-3 Big Ten), Michigan (14-5), Maryland (13-6) and Wisconsin (13-6) are projected to receive double-byes, seeded No. 1 to No. 4 in order. Iowa (6-13), Penn State (5-14) and Washington (4-15) are in line to miss the field entirely.

Projected Big Ten Tournament bracket as of March 7

Michigan State’s head coach Tom Izzo show disappointment after arguing a call with the referees during the second half in the game against Wisconsin on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.

First Round

No. 12 Northwestern vs. No. 13 Minnesota

No. 11 Rutgers vs. No. 14 USC

No. 10 Ohio State vs. No. 15…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/updated-big-ten-mens-basketball-152630878.html

Author : Badgers Wire

Publish date : 2025-03-07 15:26:00

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