Big Ten teams crowd NCAA Tournament bubble in Joe Lunardi's latest projections
Big Ten basketball is just about to hit the stretch run with teams fighting to get to March Madness at the end of the season. As we prepare for the end of January, a number of teams from the league are projected to reach the Big Dance, but the bubble is a treacherous place to be right now.
In Joe Lunardi’s latest bracketology projections for ESPN, he has 10 teams from the B1G reaching the final field. However, he only has the quartet of Michigan State, Purdue, Oregon and Illinois as teams worthy of a 4-seed or better.
As it pertains to the Big Ten race, DraftKings currently has Michigan State — undefeated in league play — at +150 to win the conference. Michigan, in its first season under Dusty May, is +230 with Purdue (+350) and Illinois (+550) following behind. Be sure to get in on the action with our Michigan online sports betting links.
As for the bubble, things get much more crowded for the B1G. The conference currently occupies 3 of the 8 slots in the last four in/first four out sections, including the last team in (Indiana) and the first team out (Ohio State). (Penn State and Iowa are also referenced just outside of the “first four out” section.)
Lunardi also writes that Indiana needs to beat Northwestern on the road Wednesday night to maintain a spot in the tournament for the Hoosiers. Mike Woodson’s group has yet to beat a team that is .500+ in B1G play, a good sign for the matchup with the Wildcats at 2-5 in the conference entering the game.
As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes registered a crucial road win over Purdue, but that is only the 3rd Quad 1 win of the season. Ohio State is 3-6 in Q1 and 4-8 overall across Q1 and Q2.
Here is Lunardi’s latest update:
— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) January 22, 2025