Big Ten Basketball: 2023 conference tournament preview and predictions
By Joey Loose
The Big Ten Basketball Tournament starts off Wednesday from Chicago; who will shine and take this year’s tournament crown?
Though nobody from this conference has won an NCAA Tournament title for more than two decades, Big Ten Basketball is constantly full of impressive teams. This tournament can often be won by any of a number of teams, as the top seed has only won it in one of the last six years. In fact, six different teams have been represented in the last three title games, with Iowa bringing home last year’s title.
This season, there’s been no question about who’s the best team in the Big Ten. Purdue has spent much of the season near the top of the national rankings and finished ahead of the pack in the conference. They are likely headed for a top seed in the NCAA Tournament and are certainly favorites in Chicago. That being said, the Boilermakers have lost several games in recent weeks and many other teams can win this tournament.
The conference could still get as many as 10 bids to the Big Dance and this league is wide open to any of those teams making a run. The three other teams with the double-byes certainly have an edge, and none has been more surprising than Northwestern, who grabbed the 2-seed and a double-bye for the first time in program history. Indiana swept Purdue but settled for the 3-seed but might be the most dangerous team in the league. Michigan State got the final double-bye and has quietly excelled this season as well.
Among other teams safely in the NCAA Tournament, Iowa, Maryland, and Illinois will look to make an impression, with each of them disappointed to finish outside the Top 4 in the league standings. Each of these three teams has looked like legitimate national threats at times this season but each has struggled with inconsistency at other times.
There are a series of bubble teams in the Big Ten sitting in different positions. Rutgers should be safely in the Tournament if not for a poor stretch to end the season. Michigan, Penn State, and Wisconsin desperately need to perform in Chicago to prove their worth to the Selection Committee. The rest of the conference is in true desperation mode, needing a championship to qualify for the Big Dance.
It’s do or die for some of these teams and it’s a last chance to impress the Selection Committee for others. With at least half the conference heading to the NCAA Tournament next week, which team strives and will cut down the nets on Sunday afternoon, mere moments before the Selection Show begins?