Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, January 22, 2013

It?s never too early to think about March Madness and how the NCAA tourney bracket may fill out. The Big Ten figures to be well-represented in March, with as many as seven projected tourney teams in some mid-January brackets.

Five Big Ten teams would figure to be locks for the Big Dance: Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan State and Ohio State. It?s seemingly all about playing for a seed the rest of the way for that quintet.

Wisconsin and Illinois are in most brackets but need to keep winning. Keep an eye on Iowa, which is in no brackets but could make a move. The only other Big Ten squad with even a remote shot at the NCAA tourney is Purdue, but it will take a big finish for the Boilermakers to get there.

Here is ESPN?s Joe Lunardi's most recent snapshot of the bracket.

The Big Ten is well-represented. Michigan is a 1; Indiana is a 2; Minnesota is 3; Ohio State is a 4; Michigan State is a 4; Wisconsin is a 7; Illinois a 10.

Here is the bracket of Jerry Palm of CBSSports.com.

Michigan is a 2; Indiana is a 3; Minnesota is a 3; Michigan State is a 3; Ohio State is 5; Illinois is a 7; Wisconsin is a 7.

Here is the bracket from SI.com by Andy Glockner.

Michigan is a 1; Indiana is a 3; Minnesota is a 3; Michigan State is a 4; Ohio State is a 5; Illinois is an 8; Wisconsin is an 8.

Here is the Sporting News view of the field.

Michigan is a 1; Indiana is a 3; Michigan State is a 3; Minnesota is a 3; Ohio State is a 4; Wisconsin is a 7; Illinois is  a 9.

About Tom Dienhart BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart is a veteran sports journalist who covers Big Ten football and men's basketball for BTN.com and BTN TV. Find him on Twitter and Facebook, read all of his work at btn.com/tomdienhart, and subscribe to his posts via RSS. Also, send questions to his weekly mailbag using the form below and read all of his previous answers in his reader mailbag section.

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