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Big Ten Basketball: Buy or Sell Maryland, Purdue, Michigan and MSU

By Austin Walther

EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN - JANUARY 08: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans talks with his team during the second half at Breslin Center on January 08, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan State won the game 77-59. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN - JANUARY 08: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans talks with his team during the second half at Breslin Center on January 08, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan State won the game 77-59. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN – FEBRUARY 09: Jon Teske #15 of the Michigan Wolverines celebrates a second half basket with Jordan Poole #2 while playing the Wisconsin Badgers at Crisler Arena on February 09, 2019 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan won the game 61-52. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN – FEBRUARY 09: Jon Teske #15 of the Michigan Wolverines celebrates a second half basket with Jordan Poole #2 while playing the Wisconsin Badgers at Crisler Arena on February 09, 2019 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan won the game 61-52. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Big Ten Basketball has been one of the best conferences this season and holds six teams in the top-25 as we roll into the second week of February. So which teams locked to make the Tournament is poised for a big run in March?

Big Ten Basketball sure has been doing great this year. Especially compared to what happened last year. There were still about four teams that were capable of making a big run in March, but those were the only four to make the Big Dance. This year, there has been upwards of 10 teams from the conference that could make the NCAA Tournament.

Four teams from the Big Ten were listed in the Bracket reveal on Saturday morning. Lukas Harkins made his latest bracketology reflect that. Michigan (2), Michigan State (2), Purdue (3) and Wisconsin (4). Three out of four of those teams just lost earlier this week with the Badgers losing twice. To the top-two teams. There’s nothing wrong with losing to the Wolverines or Spartans, but the Badgers could be slipping away from a protected seed.

The Spartans seemed to have bounced back from their three-game losing streak. They beat Minnesota at home and Wisconsin on the road. The Wolverines are also fine despite the loss to Penn State. There’s no way either of those two teams loses a protected seed. They both have a strong enough resume and play each other at least twice still this season.

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A month ago, Maryland seemed like the third sure-fire lock from the Big Ten. Purdue then beat Wisconsin on the road and started an eight-game winning streak. The Terrapins did go a respectable 5-3 during that stretch, but one loss came to Illinois and the other to Wisconsin in a chance to sweep the Badgers.

Then Maryland and Purdue played in what seemed like a battle for third place in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers were in control for one half, but Maryland held Purdue to just 18 points in the second half and won. The Terps are right back in the thick of things.

Wisconsin and Iowa were certainly thought of for this piece. The Badgers responded from losing four out of five to a six-game winning streak. But they couldn’t split a tough two-game stretch with the top-two teams in the Big Ten. Iowa also has a win over one of the top-two teams in the conference, but like Wisconsin, they still need to finish-strong. The Hawkeyes currently sit as a six-seed and there’s no room to move. So we’ll take the four most consistent teams this season and let you know if they have what it takes to make a run this year.

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