The SEC has gotten most of the headlines for for being the dominant conference this year, and deservedly so; they could potentially get a record number of bids when the NCAA tournament bracket it released on Sunday. The Big Ten has quietly been the second best conference in the country this year (at least according to KenPom); while they don't have a high-end title contender like Auburn or Houston, the conference is deep with quality teams that could make a Final Four run and could get as many as 10 teams into the bracket.
Besides the big names, there are other teams in the Big Ten that could potentially steal a bid to the NCAA tournament. The Big Ten tournament is usually one of the last conference tourneys to conclude, often just before the Selection Show is scheduled to air. A stolen bid would force the committee to have a backup plan in place in case one of the bottom seeds in the Big Ten tournament pulls off the massive upset. While unlikely, here are three teams that could potentially steal an NCAA tournament bid in the Big Ten conference tournament:
Rutgers (15-16, #11 seed)
The Scarlet Knights have had a disappointing season. Rutgers was ranked in the AP top-25 to start the season but quickly dropped out after a loss to Kennesaw State. Future NBA lottery picks Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper have been as good as advertised, but the team overall has failed to live up to the preseason hype.
Still, having two of the top three projected NBA picks on your roster gives the team hope that they can make a run to the championship game. Defense has been the Achilles heel of this team, but if they can improve even a little the talent is there to steal an NCAA tournament bid and salvage what has become a lost season.
Minnesota (15-16, #12 seed)
Minnesota has a losing record, but they have shown the potential to hang with the better teams in the Big Ten. The Golden Gophers have wins over Michigan, Oregon and UCLA and were competitive in losses to Maryland and Wisconsin. Minnesota plays at the slowest paces in the Big Ten, giving them the ability to stay within striking distance of superior teams for much of the game
Minnesota is led by senior big man Dawson Garcia and a solid defense. Garcia is averaging 19.1 points and 7.5 rebounds a game and is capable of putting the team on his back. If Minnesota can win a series of close, low-scoring games they could steal a bid and extend their season.
Indiana (19-12, #9 seed)
We're cheating a little here, as Indiana is projected to be just inside most bracket projections, albeit just barely. With ten of the fifteen teams in the Big Ten tourney projected to make the bracket, dark horses are hard to come by (apologies to Iowa, USC and Northwestern). Somewhat ironically, Nebraska is is listed as the first Big Ten team out of the bracket by ESPN, but they didn't make the conference tournament.
We previously touched on Indiana's chances on making a splash in the tournament; the Hoosiers have a couple of advantages the other longshots listed here lack. They will have to win one fewer game than the teams seeded 10-15 to make the final. Indiana also is entering the tournament as one of the hotter teams in the Big Ten; they've won five out of their last seven games. Finally, they have proven their ability to win against the conference heavyweights as they have wins over Michigan State and Purdue. Two wins probably gets Indiana in the Big Dance, but they are capable of winning it all and stealing the auto-bid.