Big Ten bracketology is getting updated with a trio of teams squarely on the bubble with work to do entering Feb. 4.

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi dropped his updated outlook for the NCAA Tournament Saturday morning ahead of the beginning of the action. In particular, 3 B1G squads are looking for crucial wins down the stretch heading toward March.


According to Lunardi, Wisconsin has moved up slightly but still remains in the “first four out” section. The Badgers will face Northwestern on Sunday.

Penn State landed in the “next four out” and will need multiple statement wins or a huge showing in the B1G Tournament to make the field. The Nittany Lions next face Nebraska on Sunday.

Michigan is the current B1G bubble team with the most work to do. The Wolverines are currently rated the No. 83 team overall and are outside of even the “next four out” section. Juwan Howard’s squad faces Ohio State on Sunday.

As for the top of the conference, Lunardi has Purdue as the No. 1 overall seed and is unlikely to move the Boilermakers anytime soon. The ESPN analyst believes Matt Painter’s squad will stay in the No. 1 overall spot regardless of a win or loss on Saturday at Indiana.