A new horse enters the Big Ten title race, but the Wolverines won’t stop winning.
The NCAA Tournament Selection Committee revealed their top 16 overall seeds on Saturday morning. Three Big Ten teams earned a top four seed, with Michigan State named as a team just on the outside looking in as well. Purdue was given a No. 2 seed (No. 7 overall), Wisconsin earned a No. 3 seed (No. 11 overall) and Michigan slotted in as a No. 4 seed (No. 14 overall). However, there is still nearly a month of games left until Selection Sunday, and the committee’s top 16 already required some adjustment after this weekend’s games.
Wisconsin – No. 3 Seed (No. 9 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 3 Seed (No. 11 overall)
Wisconsin has an argument for the best week out of any team in the conference. Just before the Badgers and No. 7 Purdue tipped off for a clash at Mackey Arena, Wisconsin received the nod as a No. 3 seed from the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee. Then John Tonje took over the game at Mackey Arena, scoring 32 points (on 10-of-15 shooting) in a 94-84 win against the Boilermakers. The Badgers claimed the best possible win in the Big Ten to add to an already incredibly solid resume, and jumped to the brink of a No. 2 seed as a result.
Purdue – No. 3 Seed (No. 10 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 2 Seed (No. 6 overall)
Purdue started the week with a 75-73 road loss to No. 20 Michigan. That loss allowed Michigan to move to the top of the conference standings heading into the weekend. The Boilermakers couldn’t bounce back at home either, losing 94-84 to No. 16 Wisconsin. Purdue was the highest-seeded Big Ten team in the initial top-16 reveal, but the Boilermakers had a very rough week overall. In my previous update, the Boilermakers were the No. 6 overall seed, and were much closer to a No. 1 seed than a No. 3 seed, but an 0-2 week means Purdue now lands on the No. 3 seed line.
Michigan – No. 3 Seed (No. 12 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 5 seed (No. 17 overall)
The Wolverines started out the week by defeating No. 7 Purdue 75-73 at home to take over first place in the standings, but the challenges weren’t over just yet. Michigan was a betting underdog on the road against Ohio State, but the Wolverines escaped with an 86-83 victory. Those two wins were both Quad 1A wins for Michigan, who now has a 6-2 record in Quad 1 games and a 4-1 record in Quad 1A games. The NCAA Tournament Committee gave Michigan the No. 14 overall seed, but due to losses by Arizona and Kentucky (teams ranked a few spots ahead of Michigan), and the Wolverines’ big win on Sunday, Michigan sneaks into position for a No. 3 seed.
Michigan State – No. 4 Seed (No. 14 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 3 seed (No. 12 overall)
Michigan State certainly had an odd week. The Spartans started off with a home game against an Indiana team that has been hovering around the bubble since the calendar turned over to 2025, but lost that game 71-67. After that loss, Michigan State had lost three of its last four games after a 9-0 start to conference play. The Spartans did respond with a 79-65 win on the road against Illinois, powered by Jaxon Kohler’s 23 points on 4-of-5 shooting from behind the arc (no, that’s not a typo!). Unfortunately for Michigan State fans, not only is the Spartans’ seeding sliding, but the schedule only gets harder this week with games against No. 7 Purdue at home and then No. 20 Michigan on the road.
Maryland – No. 5 Seed (No. 20 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 6 seed (No. 24 overall)
Maryland started out the week with a close 83-75 win on the road against Nebraska. That Quad 1 road win was impressive, but the Terrapins’ performance in a Quad 2 home game might have been even more impressive. Maryland defeated Iowa 101-75, and even though the Hawkeyes haven’t been amazing recently, that margin of victory in a conference game is ridiculous. The Terrapins are now 3-1 in their last four road games, putting the narrative that Maryland can’t win on the road to bed. The Terrapins are now playing for a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament, and a chance at a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament if they continue to close the season strong.
Illinois – No. 7 Seed (No. 25 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 7 Seed (No. 25 overall)
Illinois led UCLA wire-to-wire in an eventual 83-78 win, but in a game where it led by as many as 16 points, a close win certainly is a bit disappointing. But the real disappointment came over the weekend against No. 11 Michigan State. First, the Illini raised Terrence Shannon Jr.’s banner upside-down, then they blew a 16-point lead to the Spartans, eventually losing 79-65 at home. Tre White has completely disappeared from Illinois’ rotation, and speaking of disappearances, the Illini’s offense was nowhere to be found in the second half against Michigan State. After a Ben Humrichous bucket gave Illinois a 65-64 lead with 8:29 left, the Illini did not score for the rest of the game. Beating UCLA gave Illinois another Quad 1 win, but the Michigan State result has to infuriate Illini fans.
UCLA – No. 7 Seed (No. 26 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 6 Seed (No. 22 overall)
UCLA continued its struggles when away from the West Coast this week, although the Bruins did finally get a win east of the Mississippi River. The week started out rough for UCLA with an 83-78 loss to Illinois on the road. Despite shooting 12-of-23 from downtown as a team, the Bruins’ comeback efforts came up just short against the Illini. As mentioned earlier, though, the Bruins won east of the Mississippi later in the week when they took on Indiana. UCLA won 72-68 at Assembly Hall, and even though the Hoosiers certainly had some opportunities to win that game, UCLA will settle for the Quad 1 win even if it wasn’t a very clean one.
Oregon – No. 7 Seed (No. 28 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 8 seed (No. 30 overall)
Oregon had two Quad 2 games at home this week, and the Ducks successfully converted on their opportunities. Oregon defeated Northwestern 81-75, and moved on to defeat Rutgers 75-57. The Ducks had an extremely strong non-conference slate, meaning they only need a few more wins to secure a solid seed. The Ducks hadn’t won consecutive games since winning three games in a row against Maryland, Ohio State and Penn State in their first three games of 2025, so this week was much-needed.
Ohio State – No. 9 Seed (No. 35 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 9 seed (No. 35 overall)
Ohio State defeated Washington 93-69 at home to start the week, but the much bigger challenge came on Sunday. No. 20 Michigan came into town to take on the Buckeyes in a rivalry matchup that has even more significance this year considering one of Michigan’s most important players (Roddy Gayle Jr.) was a Buckeye himself for the past two seasons. Ohio State played up to Michigan’s level, but still fell 86-83 in an incredibly entertaining game. The Buckeyes continue to rely on a clean resume to stay on the right side of the bubble, but Ohio State is still multiple solid wins away from being secure in the field.
Nebraska – No. 10 Seed (No. 37 overall)
Previous seeding: No. 10 Seed (No. 40 overall, Last Four Byes)
Nebraska started out the week with a tough 83-75 loss to No. 25 Maryland at home. The Terrapins just couldn’t be stopped down the stretch, but Nebraska flipped that script against Northwestern on the road. After an awful first half offensively, the Cornhuskers rattled off 47 second-half points to pull off a 68-64 road win against the ‘Cats. It was a rocky road to get there, but Nebraska did end the week 1-1 in two Quad 1 games. For a bubble team, that’s about all anyone could reasonably expect, but if the Cornhuskers picked up two victories, they could have moved off the bubble entirely. Instead, Nebraska remains on the right side of the bubble, but definitely not out of the woods just yet.
Indiana – First Four Out
Previous seeding: Next Four Out
I have mentioned many times in many different editions of this column that the Hoosiers just need to close out some games in clutch time to change the outlook of their season. Well, consider the trend of losing close games bucked (kind of). The Hoosiers started out the week by nabbing a signature win by defeating No. 11 Michigan State 71-67 on the road. Indiana had fallen to the Next Four Out after five straight losses, but that win momentarily moved the Hoosiers right back onto the cut line. Unfortunately, Indiana went back to its normal over the weekend, losing 72-68 to UCLA despite having multiple open looks to tie and/or win the game in the final seconds. The Hoosiers still moved up with a 1-1 week in two Quad 1 games, but a 2-0 week would have put them into the field.
USC – Out
Previous seeding: In Consideration
Here’s what I said about USC in last week’s edition of this article: “It’s now absolutely imperative that USC goes 2-0 in winnable games against Penn State and Minnesota at home this week.” The Trojans clearly understood the importance of their first game of the week as they defeated Penn State 92-67. It was a great bounce-back victory, but after leading Minnesota at the half 38-29, USC blew its lead in the second half, losing 69-66 at home against the Golden Gophers. That’s the kind of loss a bubble team just can’t afford and the Trojans have officially played themselves out of tournament consideration currently.
Iowa – Out
Previous seeding: Out
Iowa beat Rutgers 84-73 on the road to start the week. It was the Hawkeyes’ first conference road win this season, and it will either end the season as a high Quad 2 or low Quad 1 win as Rutgers is currently ranked No. 80 in the NET rankings. However, as positive as that win was, Iowa could not follow up its road win with another strong performance. The Hawkeyes fell 101-75 to Maryland on the road, and although they aren’t completely out of the at-large picture, Iowa is only a loss or two away from that unfortunate distinction.
Northwestern – Out
Previous seeding: Out
Northwestern showed flashes of improvement with a new-look roster now that Jalen Leach and Brooks Barnhizer are both out for the season, but the ‘Cats just don’t have enough offense to sneak out close games against more talented teams this late in the season. Northwestern got 23 points from Ty Berry in each of its two games this week, but lost 81-75 to Oregon on the road and 68-64 to Nebraska at home. With a guaranteed sub-.500 record in conference games, the ‘Cats join the growing group of teams that have no path to make the tournament as an at large.
Rutgers – Out
Previous seeding: Out
Rutgers needed multiple upset wins to stay alive in the at-large race. Unfortunately, the Scarlet Knights came up short this week, going 0-2 in one Quad 1 road game and one Quad 2 home game. Rutgers lost 84-73 to a short-handed Iowa team at home and then lost 75-57 on the road to Oregon. The Scarlet Knights got close to the bubble for a bit, but now are back to hoping for a miracle in the conference tournament if they make it.
Minnesota – Out
Previous seeding: Out
The Golden Gophers made a nice impression in their only game this week, as they put a dent in USC’s resume with a 69-66 road win at the Galen Center. Minnesota is now 5-9 in Big Ten play, meaning the Golden Gophers would be participating in the conference tournament if the season ended today, which will be their only avenue to the NCAA Tournament.
Washington – Out
Previous seeding: Out
As expected, Washington was blown out on the road against Ohio State. The Huskies lost 93-69 to the Buckeyes, but bounced back in the second game of their road trip. Washington defeated Penn State 75-73 on the road, continuing the downward spiral of the Nittany Lions, and giving the Huskies their fourth conference win after a 1-8 start.
Penn State – Out
Previous seeding: Out
Remember when Penn State outscored Purdue 40-24 in the first half, led by as many as 27 points, and claimed an 81-70 victory? Well, it’s hard to believe now, but that is how the Nittany Lions started conference play. However, after that win, Penn State has lost 12 of 14 conference games, and this week was just the cherry on top for a bad conference slate. The Nittany Lions didn’t even look competitive in a 92-67 road loss against USC, and blew a 13-point lead to Washington in a 75-73 loss at home. Penn State is currently last in the Big Ten standings, and will need a sudden turnaround to even make the Big Ten Tournament.