Big Ten Review: The Regular Season is Over

Lots to talk about this week with the final Regular Season week in review and the Big 10 tournament starting Thursday. Expect a year end award post this week as well.

Final Regular Season Big 10 Review

The Champ

(1) Ohio State (29-2, 16-2). Ohio State stamped an exclamation point on the end of their season, destroying Penn State on the road (82-61) and then Wisconsin 93-65. Since losing to Purdue, no one has come within 19 points of the Buckeyes (Illinois 89-70). Ohio State is the deserved champion of the Big 10 and has wrapped up a number 1 seed in the NCAA tournament as well. The Buckeyes will play the winner of Northwestern and Minnesota Friday.

In the Tournament

(2) Purdue (25-6, 14-4). Purdue battled back against Illinois early in the week, but suffered the most shocking upset of the year in the finale, losing at Iowa 67-65 and ending their quest for a share of the Big 10 title. Perhaps most importantly, however, Purdue was making a sneaky late season push for a number 1 seed in the NCAA tournament (BYU lost to New Mexico, Duke lost to North Carolina. With Kansas and Ohio State in as number 1 seeds - and Pitt probably pulling down the third, the last number 1 was wide open). But with the loss to Iowa, Purdue may need to make the finals of the Big 10 tourney to hang on to their number 2 seed.

(3) Wisconsin (23-7, 13-5). The Badgers beat Indiana 77-67 behind Jordan Taylor's 39 points and then ran into a buzzsaw in Columbus. We mentioned last week that the Badgers are competing with Purdue and Notre Dame to get placed in one of the Chicago pods. Wisconsin probably needs to win the Big 10 tournament to catch the Irish and the Boilers. The Badgers will play the Michigan State-Indiana winner Friday.

On the Bubble

(4) Illinois (19-12, 9-9). Are the Illini finally peaking? They played about as well as they could in the first 12 minutes of the first half at Purdue (leading 31-18 when McCamey picked up his second foul) and played their best all around game since January in a 72-48 win over Indiana on Senior Night. Most projections have the Illini safely in the tournament right now, with a better resume than either Michigan or Michigan State. But every story on the Illini mentions that they have way too much talent to be on the bubble right now. If the Illini play as well as they did this week, they should not only make the tournament, but should be in a good position to win their first tournament game since Dee Brown and James Augustine made Champaign home. Bruce Weber should not need to do much motivating to get McCamey, Tisdale, Davis and Cole ready to play Friday against Michigan in the Big 10 Tournament with a chance to redeem their legacy on the line. A win over Michigan and there is no doubt that the Illini are in. A loss and they are probably sweating on Selection Sunday.

(5) Michigan (19-12, 9-9). Michigan did what they needed to do, beating Michigan State to sweep the season series and put themselves firmly in the NCAA tournament discussion. At one point, Michigan was 1-6 in the Big 10 and I was writing about what they needed to do to make the NIT. Now the Wolverines are on the doorstep of the NCAA tournament. How did Michigan get here? They went 0-6 against teams above them in the standings (playing Illinois and Purdue only once each) and went 9-3 against teams below them (including season sweeps over Michigan State and Penn State in addition to losses at Indiana, at Northwestern and home against a healthy Minnesota team). The Illinois-Michigan game in Indianapolis Friday will almost certainly punch the Dance ticket for whichever team wins. Michigan's lack of quality wins probably means that they need that game more than Illinois.

(6) Michigan State (17-13, 9-9). The Spartans easily dispatched Iowa in East Lansing before suffering the aforementioned loss in Ann Arbor. Kalin Lucas tried to will the Spartans to a second half comeback (23 points in the second half) and has been really, really good for Michigan State down the stretch (scoring fewer than 17 points only once since January 27). But the lack of help for Lucas may yet doom the Spartans to the NIT. Michigan State starts their Big 10 tournament with the late game Thursday night against Indiana and then would face Wisconsin Friday in the quarterfinals. A loss to Indiana dooms them to the NIT (and on a Thursday night, in Indianapolis, to say the crowd will be pro Hoosier is a bit of an understatement), a loss to Wisconsin has them sweating, a trip to the Big 10 semis should be enough for Izzo's squad.

Needing to Win the Big 10 Tournament

(7) Penn State (16-13, 9-9). Penn State was dismantled by Ohio State before escaping Minnesota with a 66-63 win. Penn State's tournament hopes hinge on making a run in the tournament. They open with a dangerous Iowa team Thursday. Penn State needs to beat Iowa and then Purdue Friday at a minimum to have a chance to make the tournament.

(8) Northwestern (17-12, 7-11). Northwestern finished their season in style, scoring 43 second half points in a 68-57 win over Minnesota. A season of what ifs for Wildcat fans. The biggest is this: what happens if John Shurna stays healthy all year? Against admittedly inferior competition outside of the Big 10, Shurna scored fewer than 20 points twice. In the Big 10, he scored more than 20 only twice (24 at home against Indiana and Michigan). Northwestern will play Minnesota in the 8-9 game Thursday. Two under achieving teams looking to either (a) make a miracle run to the Big 10 title; or (b) gain some momentum hearing into the NIT.

(9) Minnesota (17-13, 6-12). A once promising season for the Gophers is all but over. Losses at Northwestern and home against Penn State ended any hope of them getting back on the bubble, having now lost 9 of their last 10. Minnesota plays Northwestern Thursday in the Big 10 Tournament.

(10) Iowa (11-19, 4-14). Iowa lost to Michigan State on the road and then made their season with a 67-65 home win over Purdue. Iowa is not going anywhere as far as the postseason is concerned, but will take pride in ending a 25 game losing streak against ranked teams. Jarryd Cole (16 points 10 rebounds) is the only Senior in Iowa's starting lineup and went out in style. Iowa will play Penn State Thursday in the Big 10 tournament. Iowa has a surprising amount of positives to take out of an 11-19 regular season.

(11) Indiana (12-19, 3-15). Indiana battled in a 77-67 home loss to Wisconsin, losing their chance at an upset when Jordan Taylor put the Badgers on his back. Then Indiana ran into a buzzsaw in Champaign. Indiana may have finished last in the Big 10, but they have one of the better recruiting classes in the Big 10 coming in next year and a decent returning core (Watford, Hulls, Verdell Jones). Plus, Indiana gets to play in front of what will likely be a very partisan crowd against Michigan State Thursday in the Big 10 tournament. Indiana has one last chance to pull an upset.