With one week of regular season play remaining, here’s the current state of the Big Ten standings:
- No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (24-3, 15-1)
- No. 14 Indiana Hoosiers (22-4, 13-3)
- No. 6 Iowa Hawkeyes (24-4, 13-3)
- Nebraska Cornhuskers (19-9, 11-6)
- Michigan State Spartans (20-7, 10-6)
- Michigan Wolverines (17-11, 8-8)
- Maryland Terrapins (16-11, 8-8)
- Illinois Fighting Illini (13-13, 7-9)
- Penn State Lady Lions (16-11, 7-9)
- Wisconsin Badgers (13-13, 6-10)
- Minnesota Golden Gophers (15-12, 5-11)
- Purdue Boilermakers (12-15, 5-11)
- Northwestern Wildcats (8-19, 3-13)
- Rutgers Scarlet Knights (8-22, 2-15)
Ohio State already has clinched a share of the regular season Big Ten title. The Buckeyes, riding a 14-game winning streak, would have to lose their final two games to not become the sole winners of the regular season crown.
That’s not impossible. The last team to beat red-hot Ohio State? Michigan. The Buckeyes and Wolverines meet again on Wednesday. Then, on Sunday, Ohio State closes out the season with Iowa. However, expect the Buckeyes to get revenge on the Wolverines, locking up sole possession of the championship before an end-of-season showdown against the Hawkeyes.
If that’s the case, determining which team finishes fourth will be the most consequential development in the games ahead. The fourth-place finisher earns a bye until the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Nebraska has the inside track; not only are they currently ahead of Michigan State, but the Huskers also own the tiebreaker, having defeated the Spartans by six points in early December.
Nebraska has just one game this week, traveling to Illinois on Sunday. The Huskers beat the Illini in Lincoln in early January. But first, Michigan State meets Illinois, a must-win game for the Spartans to put pressure on the Cornhuskers. In short, Illinois, which claims a slight edge over Penn State for the eighth spot in the conference standings, could significantly impact how things shake out for the coveted No. 4 seed.
Game information
No. 14 Indiana Hoosiers (22-4, 13-3) vs. Northwestern Wildcats (8-19, 3-13)
When: Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, IL
How to watch: Big Ten Network
Michigan Wolverines (17-11, 8-8) vs. No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (24-3, 15-1)
When: Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Value City Arena in Columbus, OH
How to watch: Peacock
Penn State Lady Lions (16-11, 7-9) vs. Purdue Boilermakers (12-15, 5-11)
When: Wednesday,…
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