Let's cut to the chase - the Big Ten will be battling for the championship all the way up to the final seconds of the regular season.
Following Ohio State's win at Indiana on Monday night, the conference title hopes opened up for as many as five teams. The Hoosiers could have clinched an outright regular-season title with a win, but the Buckeyes denied that opportunity.
So when the league's final game of the season tips off at 6pm on Sunday, the seedings in the conference tournament will likely not be the only thing left undecided.
Indiana - 13-4Ohio State - 12-5Michigan - 11-5Wisconsin - 11-5Mich State - 11-5
Michigan @ Purdue - WednesdayWisconsin @ Michigan State - ThursdayWisconsin @ Penn State - Sunday, NoonIllinois @ Ohio State - Sunday, 1pmIndiana @ Michigan - Sunday, 4pmNorthwestern @ Michigan State - Sunday, 6pm
Five teams still have a shot at the title, but there cannot be a five-way tie. Wisconsin/MSU has to have a losing team, after all. The loser of Thursday's game will be on the outside looking in.
If you're a Buckeye fan, here's the good news - a win on Sunday vs. Illinois will guarantee a first-round bye in the Big Ten Tournament next week. The top four seeds in the conference tournament in Chicago all get byes.
The scenarios are all still up in the air, especially with the shocking upsets that have recently taken place in the league (PSU over Michgan, Purdue over Wisconsin). But if the power teams beat the second-tier teams this week, the entire conference should come down to just three games - Thursday night's battle between Wisconsin and MSU, Ohio State's game vs. Illinois, and Indiana at Michigan.
The tiebreakers in the Big Ten are simple - head-to-head is still the standard-bearer, and when more than two teams tie, they compare head-to-heads involving all teams involved.
This is where the Buckeyes and Badgers have it the best. If Wisconsin beats MSU and wins out, and the Buckeyes topple Illinois while Michigan takes down Indiana, it creates a four-way tie for the championship. In that scenario the top four seeds would go to;
1 - Wisconsin2 - Ohio State3 - Indiana4 - Michigan
But you know what…let's just let it play out. Sunday should be interesting in the league, that's for sure.
- Jeff Seemann
