Sean Merriman, BTN.com web editor, March 17, 2016
Who's ready for March Madness?
The NCAA Tournament is officially underway as two Big Ten teams, Purdue and Indiana, will be in action today.
Here is a look at 64 Big Ten facts heading into this year's NCAA Tournament.
1. This is the sixth straight season that the Big Ten has had at least six teams selected to play in the NCAA Tournament.
2. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo is one of four active coaches to appear in at least six Final Fours, joining Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, Louisville's Rick Pitino and North Carolina's Roy Williams.
3. The four No. 1 seeds in this year's NCAA Tournament have a total of 23 losses, which is the highest total ever in NCAA Tournament history.
4. Indiana is making its 39th NCAA Tournament appearance, which is the seventh-most in NCAA history and most among Big Ten schools.
5. Michigan State is making its 19th straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, which is the third-longest current streak in the country.
6. Over the last 11 years, the Big Ten has sent 10 different teams to the Final Four, including at least one participant in each of the last four years.
7. Wisconsin enters this year's NCAA Tournament with a chance to advance to its third consecutive Final Four. The last Big Ten team to make three straight Final Fours was Michigan State from 1999-2001.
8. Indiana has only advanced past the Sweet 16 once in the past 22 years.
9. Michigan State's Denzel Valentine averages more assists per game than any player in the NCAA Tournament.
10. Maryland has won 11 consecutive first-round games, which is the second-longest active streak in the country.
11. The last time a Big Ten team won a National Championship was back in 2000 when the Michigan State Spartans beat Florida.
12. Michigan State is the best 3-point shooting team in this year's NCAA Tourney (43.4 percent).
13. Three members on Purdue's 1992-93 roster will be coaching in this year?s tournament: Purdue?s Matt Painter, California?s Cuonzo Martin and Green Bay?s Linc Darner.
14. The Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and the ACC all got seven teams in the NCAA Tournament this year.
15. Michigan State won this year's Big Ten Tournament Championship. In the past 18 years, 11 of the 18 national champions (61 percent) won their conference tournament.
16. Indiana ranks in the Top 10 nationally in four different offensive offensive categories, including efficiency (7th), effective field goal percentage (58.6), 3-point field goal percentage (41.5 percent) and 2-point field goal percentage (56.1 percent).
17. Michigan State is one of only six team's in this year's NCAA Tournament to rank in the Top 20 in both offensive and defensive efficiency this season.
18. Indiana is a No. 5 seed, which is the lowest an outright Big Ten champion has been seeded since 2004 when Illinois won the league and was a No. 5 seed.
19. Michigan State has the longest streak of NCAA Tournament appearances in Big Ten history (19).
20. Michigan topped Tulsa in a "First Four" game on Wednesday night. At least one "First Four" winner has made at least the Round of 32 in each of the last five years.
21. Michigan State has the highest NCAA Tournament winning percentage among Big Ten teams (.692).
22. Purdue has won at least one game in 14 of their last 15 NCAA Tournament appearances.
23. Indiana has won at least one NCAA Tournament game in six of the program's last eight appearances.
24. Iowa coach Fran McCaffery has taken four teams to the NCAA Tournament (Lehigh in 1988, UNC Greensboro in 2001, Siena from 2008-10, Iowa 2014-16).
25. Michigan is a No. 11 seed in this year's NCAA Tournament, which is the Wolverines' lowest seed ever.
26. Iowa's last trip to the Sweet 16 was back in 1999.
27. The lowest any Big Ten champion has been seeded in the NCAA Tournament was Wisconsin in 2002 (No. 8 seed).
28. Michigan State is 10-1 all-time with a national title and two title game appearances as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
29. Michigan and Iowa are the only Big Ten teams to play in the "First Four." Iowa lost in overtime to Tennessee that year.
30. Maryland has won at least one NCAA Tournament game in each of its last 11 appearances.
31. Michigan has made it to at least the Elite 8 in each of its last two NCAA Tournament appearances (2013-14).
32. Michigan State first round opponent, Middle Tennessee, leads the nation in 3-point field goal percentage.
33. Iowa's first round opponent, Temple, turns it over fewer than 14 percent of their possessions, which ranks second nationally.
34. Michigan State is the Big Ten's top seed at No. 2. Overall. No. 2 seeds are 117-7 against 15 seeds.
35. Mo Wagner recorded a career-high eight rebounds in Michigan's win over Tulsa in a "First Four" game.
36. Mo Wagner's four blocks against Tulsa tied Chris Weber for the highest block total for a Michigan player in an NCAA Tournament game.
37. Only one time in the past 19 NCAA Tournaments have all four No. 2 seeds made the Sweet 16. Michigan State is a No. 2 seed in this year's tournament.
38. No. 7-seeded Iowa will play a No. 10 seed in Temple. A No. 10 seed has never made a Final Four.
39. Eight teams will open the weekend in Des Moines. Those eight teams have 18 combined national championships (Kentucky has eight, Indiana has five, UConn has four and Kansas has three).
40. Purdue's first round opponent, Little Rock, ranks in the top 20 in the nation in effective field goal percentage, forcing turnovers, and steals percentage.
41. Maryland has made 26 NCAA Tournament appearances, but the Terps have not reached the Sweet 16 since 2003.
42. Three Big Ten coaches have coached in the Final Four — Tom Izzo (Michigan State), Tom Crean (Marquette) and John Beilein (Michigan).
43. This is Maryland's first back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearance since 2009 and 2010.
44. Since 2005, five Big Ten teams have advanced to the NCAA Tournament championship game.
45. Iowa is 2-0 all-time against its first round opponent, Temple, beating the Owls in 1956 and 1990.
46. Michigan's Duncan Robinson recorded his first career double-double in Michigan's win over Tulsa.
47. Only five teams seeded higher than No. 8 Wisconsin in 2000 have reached the Final Four (since 1979).
48. The Big Ten has three No. 5 seeds in this year's tournament — Indiana, Maryland and Purdue. Last year was just the fourth time since 1985 that a No. 12 seed failed to win a game (1998,2000 and 2007).
49. Iowa is a No. 7 seed in this year's tournament. No. 7 seeds have won nine of the 12 total meetings the last three seasons.
50. With a win over Tulsa on Wednesday, No. 11 Michigan will play No. 6 Notre Dame. No. 6 and No. 11 seeds have split 24 meetings since 2010.
51. Yogi Ferrell became Indiana's all-time assist leader this season.
52. Purdue had won 14 straight first-round NCAA Tourney games before losing to Cincinnati last season in an 8/9 matchup.
53. The Big Ten has had eight No. 1 seeds since their last national champion was crowned in 2000 (Michigan State).
54. Indiana freshman Thomas Bryant has the highest field goal percentage of any player in the NCAA Tournament (.686).
55. Indiana is tied with North Carolina as the second highest scoring team in this year's NCAA Tournament (82.3 points per game).
56. Michigan State leads the nation in assists per game heading into this year's NCAA Tournament.
57. Indiana sports the second best field goal percentage of teams in this year's NCAA Tournament.
58. Michigan State has a better 3-point field goal percentage than any team in the tournament (.435).
59. Little Rock, who plays Purdue in the first round, has the second best scoring defense in the tournament.
60. Middle Tennessee's Giddy Potts leads the nation in 3-point accuracy (50.3 percent).
61. Notre Dame is the second-worst team in the tournament at defending the three, while Michigan scores just under 40 percent of its points from deep.
62. Purdue ranks in the top 20 in the nation in both offensive and defensive efficiency.
63. Notre Dame and Michigan play each other on Friday. The Irish and Wolverines rank No. 3 and No. 4 in the nation in turnovers per game.
64. Michigan State has the best assist-to-turnover ratio of any team in this year's NCAA Tournament.