With New Years in the rear-view mirror we have entered conference play in college basketball. After a 76-72 victory over Rutgers on Wednesday, Ohio State basketball started the new year off strong as they currently have a 12-2 record heading into two and a half months of Big Ten basketball.
The conference projects to be very competitive this season with nine of the conference’s 14 teams currently ranking inside the top 75 of the Basketball Power Index (BPI).
Seven of those teams, including Ohio State, are currently projected to be among the field of 68 in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in March by ESPN’s Joe Lunardi and his venerable “bracketology.”
Lunardi has been one of the go-to analysts in college basketball for many years and on Wednesday he updated his predictions for which teams would make the big dance from the Big Ten.
Here’s the latest projection from him.
Purdue (13-1) – Top Overall Seed
USA TODAY Sports
Bracketology Breakdown
Seeding | No. 1 – Midwest Region (Indianapolis)
Opponent | No. 16 seed (winner of Merrimack vs. New Mexico State)
The season so far
Key Loss(es) | at Northwestern
Best Win(s) | Arizona, Marquette, Tennessee, Gonzaga
Illinois (11-2)
Mandatory Credit: Doral Chenoweth-The Columbus Dispatch
Bracketology Breakdown
Seeding | No. 3 – West Region (Memphis)
Opponent | No. 14 seed Fort Wayne
The season so far
Key Loss(es) | Marquette, at Tennessee
Best Win(s) | FAU, at Rutgers, Missouri, Northwestern
Wisconsin (10-3)
Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Bracketology Breakdown
Seeding | No. 4 – East Region (Pittsburgh)
Opponent | No. 13 seed Samford
The season so far
Key Loss(es) | Tennessee, at Providence, at Arizona
Best Win(s) | Virginia, Marquette, at Michigan State
Ohio State (12-2)
Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Bracketology Breakdown
Seeding | No. 7 – Midwest Region (Indianapolis)
Opponent | No. 10 seed Mississippi State
The season so far
Key Loss(es) | Texas A&M, at Penn State
Best Win(s) | Alabama, UCLA, West Virginia
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