Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, February 2, 2015
Time to take the weekly temperature of the Big Ten?s NCAA hopes with the nation?s two leading bracketologists: Jerry Palm of CBSSports.com and Joe Lunardi of ESPN.com.
According to these experts, the Big Ten will get six teams in the Big Dance: Wisconsin, Maryland, Indiana, Ohio State, Michigan State and Iowa.
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Purdue and Michigan look like the only other league teams with a shot to get in. Lunardi has Purdue and Michigan as the ?next four out? after the ?first four out.? But each may be trending in opposite directions, as the Boilermakers are hot and the Wolverines are dealing with injury.
Illinois and Nebraska have big hills to climb, but time is on their sides.
The highest-seeded Big Ten team remains Wisconsin, which each expert has as a No. 2. Palm and Lunardi also agree that Indiana is a No. 6; Ohio State is a No. 7 and Iowa is a No. 10.
But Palm and Lunardi differ on Maryland and Michigan State. Palm has the Terrapins as a No. 3; Lunardi has UM as a No. 4. But the biggest discrepancy in the brackets is with the Spartans, who Palm has as a No. 11 and Lunardi has as a No. 8.
Jerry Palm, CBSSports.com
No. 2 Wisconsin vs. No. 15 Georgia Southern, second round, East
No. 3 Maryland vs. No. 14 Yale, second round, South
No. 6 Indiana vs. No. 11 Texas A&M/George Washington, second round, East
No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 10 Xavier, second round, East
No. 10 Iowa vs. No. 7 Seton Hall, second round, South
No. 11 Michigan State vs. No. 6 Oklahoma, second round, Midwest
Joe Lunardi, ESPN.com
No. 2 Wisconsin vs. No. 15 Georgia Southern, second round, Midwest
No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 13 Murray State, second round, East
No. 6 Indiana vs. No. 11 Texas A&M, second round, East
No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 10 LSU, second round, South
No. 8 Michigan State vs. No. 9 Seton Hall, second round, South
No. 10 Iowa vs. No. 7 SMU, second round, West