No poetic touch-y feel-y crap here as no introduction is needed. Let’s just dive right into the Big Ten Tournament predictions and #Analysis
Wed, 3:30, #12 Nebraska 52, #13 Penn State 49
What’s the over/under on attendance for this one? Not paid attendance, but actual butts in seats? 5,000? If this was football, and the 1980s, it would be a great match-up
6, #11 Minnesota 67, #14 Rutgers 56
The Big Ten has seen some bad teams in its time but 2014-15 Rutgers is to bad basketball what Norah Jones is to piped in music at Starbucks
Thu, 11, #8 Illinois 69, #9 Michigan 58
This one is more predictable than a Kate Hudson Rom Com. Illinois will blow a double digit lead, only to win ugly, but with a margin that is deceptively decisive at the end over a bad team. (Bad only because they’re severely depleted, but still bad) Also, the halftime score will be 24-22 or the first 12 minutes will yield a 9-7 score or something like that.
1:30, #5 Iowa 61, #12 Nebraska 43
On the plus side, Tim Miles is witty and hilarious so he makes “great copy.” Of course, no one reads that good copy though because Nebrasketball articles are page views death.
5:30, #10 Northwestern 73, #7 Indiana 67
Chris Collins said with decisiveness and authority that the home win over Michigan was “definitely program changing.” That statement is wrong on so many levels that to begin deconstructing it is to do nothing more than grab really low hanging fruit. Calling a win for the “itchy and scratchy of the Big Ten,” and when it happens, I do hope we don’t have more ridiculous hyperbole overrating the victory.
Indiana is a really proud program, but they are a nonetheless a bubble team; whose season is in free fall. Northwestern also beat the Hoosiers the last time the two teams met in the Big Ten Tournament, so again, beating them would be nice for NU, but it would certainly not be ground-breaking.
8, #11 Minnesota 66, #6 Ohio State 63
OSU has been falling in and out of the polls all season, and they’ve never belonged there to begin with. It’s like AP voters are really lazy and just assume we need to have a third Big Ten team in the polls, so they default to a traditional power. We don’t a third team in the polls. Wisconsin is elite, Maryland is very good and then there’s a lot of mediocrity. Period.
Fri, 11, #1 Wisconsin 71, Illinois 54
Fighting Illini includes the letters NIT. For some reason, Illinois is ALWAYS in the morning game of this tournament EVERY single year.
1:30, #5 Iowa 68, #4 Purdue 61
Yeah, I don’t know why Purdue always has issues in the Big Ten Tournament, but they do. Whatever, they’re unexpectedly dancing this year, so I know their fans will be excited about that.
5:30, #2 Maryland 83, #10 Northwestern 60
Testudo gets revenge for the having-to-rally-in-the-final-minutes-the-first-time
8, #3 Michigan State 74, #11 Minnesota 69
For some reason, MSU is ALWAYS in the late night game in the Big Ten Tournament EVERY single year. Therefore, Michigan State fans get as much time as possible to drink for this one. What could go wrong?
Sat, 12:40, #4 Iowa 79, #1 Wisconsin 71
Badgers are pretty much locked into a #2 seed, so this result doesn’t matter all that much for them
3:15, #2 Maryland 81, #3 Michigan State 66
Tom Izzo recently called out the national media for portraying the Big ten as mediocre. Yet there is no single fact more emblematic of the league’s mediocrity than a really unimpressive Spartans team earning the #3 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. Saturday’s victory at Indiana was about as embarrassing as a win can get.
Watch them go to the Elite 8 this year though, after looking really pedestrian most of the year.
Sun, 2:30, #4 Iowa 70, #2 Maryland 70
FEAR THE TURTLE! HERKY HAWKEYE! And hey thanks for coming to the Big Ten Tournament, good night, drive safely, remember to please tip your bartenders.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with Fox Sports Digital. You can read Banks’ feature stories and op-eds in the Chicago Tribune RedEye newspaper and hear his regular guest spots on numerous sports talk radio stations all across the country.
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