As the Big Ten regular season is winding down, the race between the Big Ten's top five teams - Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Wisconsin - is largely unsettled. There are five games remaining that will effect the outcome of the Big Ten title race and the seeding for the Big Ten tournament.
Wisconsin @ Michigan State - Tonight, 8:00 pm CT - ESPN
Wisconsin @ Penn State - Sunday, 11:00 am CT - BTN
Illinois @ Ohio State - Sunday, 11:30 am CT - ESPN
Indiana @ Michigan - Sunday, 3 pm CT - CBS
Northwestern @ Michigan state - Sunday, 5 pm CT - BTN
I put together a chart of all the possible outcomes of the 5 games listed above. The columns
represent the seed in the Big Ten tournament, and the number listed in parentheses is the team's final position in the standing for that particular outcome. e.g. In the first outcome Indiana would win the Big Ten outright at 14-4, followed by a 12-6 three-way tie for second with Wisconsin receiving the 2 seed, OSU the 3, and Michigan the 4 due to tiebreakers. Michigan State would finish 11-7, finishing in 5th place and earning the 5th seed.
What this means:
-Indiana is guaranteed an outright Big Ten championship if they beat Michigan.
-The loser of tonight's Wisconsin/MSU game has only an 18% chance of securing a top 4 seed and first round bye in the Big Ten tournament. A loss by either team will also eliminate them from earning a share of the Big Ten title.
-If MSU wins tonight, Indiana clinches the #1 seed in the Big Ten tournament
-Ohio State is eliminated from earning a share of the conference title should they lose to Illinois.
-Michigan is eliminated from earning a share of the conference title should they lose to Indiana.
I'm not sure how this will all shake out in the end, but I do know this, it will be fun to watch.
