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BTN analyst Jess Settles thinks the double-bye critical to winning this year’s B1G Tournament
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The B1G has been the most competitive conference in college basketball this season. With the potential of 10 teams receiving bids into the NCAA tournament, it’s been one of the most entertaining years on the hardwood in recent memory for the league.
Sunday marks the end of the regular season, and Wednesday all 14 teams will head to Indianapolis for the B1G Tournament, hoping to earn the chance to land one of the guaranteed spots in the NCAA tournament. But one Big Ten Network analyst thinks that only the four teams with a double-bye have a shot to claim the tournament title.
“I don’t think you can win the tournament this year if you don’t get the double-bye,” Settles said on BTN.
With Wisconsin defeating Indiana on Saturday, three teams have locked in their double-bye — Michigan State, Maryland and Wisconsin. Illinois and Iowa — who play on Sunday — are still vying for that fourth spot.
It adds a little flavor to that final day of the regular season.
This season has been incredibly unpredictable, but Settles still thinks the double-bye is key to winning the B1G Tournament. We’ll find out next week if he’s right.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB