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Big Ten Basketball questions: 2023 POY picks, under-the-radar storylines

By Tristan Freeman

Jan 11, 2019; Madison, WI, USA; The Big Ten logo on the floor at the Kohl Center before the game between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Purdue Boilermakers. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 11, 2019; Madison, WI, USA; The Big Ten logo on the floor at the Kohl Center before the game between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Purdue Boilermakers. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports /
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Big Ten Basketball Michigan Wolverines guard Jett Howard Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports /

5. How many bids will this conference get in the NCAA Tournament?

Kay

I believe when it is all said and done that the Big Ten gets nine teams in the tournament this season. Some teams may just sneak in and maybe on participates in one of the so-called play-in games, but nine teams in the NCAA tournament come March is a very reasonable prediction.

Lidskin

Nine Teams. Purdue, Ohio State, and Wisconsin should all be pretty safe at the moment. The conference has enough quality opportunities that six more of Rutgers, Indiana, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State, Maryland, Illinois, Northwestern, and Iowa get in. The resumés that the teams in the Big Ten usually have (compared to other bubble teams) do them a lot of favors.

Simberg

This is a hard question to answer but it appears the committee and metrics like the NET will favor the Big Ten as opposed to some other leagues. The league is already cannibalizing itself but it’s imperative the bubble teams avoid losses to Minnesota and Nebraska.

Next. Latest Big Ten power rankings. dark

At this point, I feel like the locks are Purdue, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Michigan State. Illinois’ two non-conference wins should get them in. Maryland, Michigan, Penn State, and Rutgers feel like perpetual bubble teams, while Indiana would be in as of today, but I worry about their long-term hopes without two starters. Iowa and Michigan both have work to do but have looked better as of late. Those bubble teams will need to steal some wins from the top to rise. With all those teams in the mix, I’ll go with eight.

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