Top 4 Seed Time
Is it worth bringing all 18 teams to Indianapolis or anywhere else?
We can’t find enough hotel rooms that have properly functioning heat and AC, no one’s filling the stands for USC-Rutgers, and no double-digit seed outside 2023 Penn State has ever made the semifinals, let alone the finals.
The race to the 15 seed was genuinely enjoyable for its stupidity—poor Nebraska might now get Northwestern’s spot in The Crown, I guess—but there’s just not much evidence that it’s worth anything to bring along the Minnesotas and Northwesterns and Iowas of the Big Ten for anything other than cannon fodder.
Of course, that 2023 Penn State run can and probably should be why you do it. The spirit of March, right? That, and in an era in which approximately 28 SEC teams will make the NCAA Tournament, those Big Ten bubble teams will probably want the chance for two more Quad 1 or Quad 2 wins.
So I guess we’ll continue to watch those 7-13 patsies come to play their role of “glorified tune-up”, earn their moral victories, and shuffle off to whatever postseason tournaments are still solvent
Recaps
Oregon 72, Indiana 59
MaximumSam: Not enough for the Hoosiers, who now throw their lot to the Bracketology Gods. Joe Lunardi has them as the very first team out of the dance. That would make them the 69th team in college basketball. Nice.
Kind of…: Indiana can’t have anything nice, so I expect they’ll slide further down the S-Curve. And, given that Oumar Ballo was getting death threats, they don’t deserve anything nice. Get a grip, disphits.
AlmaOtter: Seconded re: death threats on Ballo. Touch grass, etc. It’s a game.
Wisconsin 70, Northwestern 63
MNW: In the postgame presser, Chris Collins made it clear that Northwestern would not accept a postseason tournament invitation, citing injuries and wear on a team that had lost second- and third-leading scorers Brooks Barnhizer and Jalen Leach to season-ending injuries. As they had done for about 2⁄3 of the Big Ten season, Northwestern just ran out of gas and shooters against a wisconsin team that did enough to win. (My favorite was whichever white kid from Lakeville is #33 slide-tackled a ‘Cat on a loose ball.)
I just wish I would’ve known it’d be the last time we’d ride with Ty Berry and Silent Matt, our big beautiful Amish center. Maybe I would’ve appreciated it more.
Nicky Meatballs comes back in 2025-26, the kids are alright, and maybe Chris Collins can work the portal again. Things will be alright.
But it’s a pretty disheartening—and, sure, catastrophic—feeling to know that this was it it for one of the most successful generations in Northwestern history: per West Lot Pirates, the second time since 1934* that the ‘Cats posted winning records in three straight seasons.
Kind of…: I’ll through a little love of the “noble effort gents, you were just outgunned” variety. As for Nolan Winter slide-tackling…honestly I think this is something that needs to be addressed. There’s way too much shit that happens in loose ball situations. Players tend to treat it as an excuse to dive into people. Totally fair point.
Now, can we talk about Martinelli’s flagrant foul? Or Collins trying to narc out Klesmit for leaving the bench, proving he doesn’t know the rules as well as he thinks he does?
Wisconsin played well enough to win. There had their 3-5 minute period where the offense looked glorious. And…they beat a mediocre team by seven. It’s been a successful year of exceeding expectations. But being on the 2-line for a couple of weeks just created expectations that I don’t think this team can fulfil. And I want to appreciate the growth in Blackwell and Winter this year. That’s an excellent tandem to build around next year. If, you know, they’re still here next year.
*Sighs as Chucky Hepburn hits buzzer beater; Snorts seeing that AJ Storr played 9 minutes for Kansas last night*
AlmaOtter: Detective Martinelli was tired. He’d been running this gig for too long. Too many perps, too many cases. He needed a break. Retirement beckoned just a day away. He decided to retire a day early.
Illinois 106, Iowa 94
Kind of…: Iowa shot great…and let Illinois shoot great. Plus, Illinois did pretty much everything else better, including hit the boards and get to the line. Yesterday I said that Iowa was “dumb Illinois” and I don’t feel like I need to revise that. Even the Frantrum was lacking conviction. If Iowa wants to bring Fran back to go through the motions next year, well, as a Wisconsin fan, I wouldn’t mind. But this program’s ceiling is getting lower and lower.
BoilerUp89: That was Iowa basketball under Fran. The Hawkeyes score a lot of points, give up a lot of points, and the coach has a decent chance of picking up a technical due to a Frantrum.
AlmaOtter: Chaos Illinois reigned, but maybe letting Sandfort the Elder bang 8 three-pointers isn’t a super great strategy? I thought that defense would be semi-optional, but defininitely didn’t have “200 pts total” on my card. Anyway, Maryland has had our number for a decade, so good job good effort, Illinois.
Purdue 76, USC 71
Kind of…: Survive and advance, eh Boilers?
BoilerUp89: It wasn’t pretty (9 first half turnovers will do that), but while USC’s collection of long, tall wings gave Purdue some trouble the Trojans also had no answer for TKR.
Credit to Colvin and Heide for playing good defense, knocking down some open 3s, and rebounding. That was what Purdue fans hoped they would get from the two of them coming into the year.
Previews
Oregon v Michigan State. 11:00 AM CT, BTN.
Kind of…: I’ve been hyping Oregon much of the season, and they’re on an eight-game winning streak, so an upset wouldn’t stun me. But Sparty has been playing so well, and seems locked in.
MaximumSam: Could be fun. Sparty beat them in East Lansing but was down 14 at the half. Oregon doesn’t mind going up and down so we might get a real nooner.
BoilerUp89: Altman’s teams get better this time of the season and I have no idea how motivated the 1 seed will be because this is the BTT and the 1 seed isn’t always focused on winning this week. Even if Sparty comes to play, Oregon is one of the few teams that can give them a real challenge in this conference.
Wisconsin v UCLA. 1:30 PM CT, BTN.
Kind of…: Wisconsin let Aday Mara go off in the first game, and I’m not sure if they’re any better equipped to handle him today. I would say it will depend on how Tonje/Blackwell shoot, but the combined for 47 in the previous loss, so maybe it’s just a bad matchup for the Badgers. I’m hopeful, but not confident.
BoilerUp89: Honestly believe that the winner of this game wins the BTT. I’m picking wisconsin but not at all confident in that pick.
AlmaOtter: *checks map By my calculations, Indianapolis is on the eastern side of the Rockies, which does not bode well for UCLA. Sconnie rolls, Cronin gets angry.
Maryland v Illinois. 5:30 PM CT, BTN.
Kind of…: Maryland kind of owns the Illini, right? Am I remember that correctly? Regardless, interesting matchup. How’d the Illini coin come up? Good Illini? Bad? Queen is great, but I think Gillespie is the key to Maryland. He had a good game in the Purdue loss back in December, but, since then, if you want to beat Maryland, you need to hold him down. This might be the best game of the day…unless bad Illinois shows up.
BoilerUp89: Flip the coin.
AlmaOtter: Kind Of…, Maryland very much owns the Illini. Over the past decade, we have played the Fightin’ River Turtles 15 times. We’ve won precisely 3 of those games. And with Morez’s wrist still in a cast, I don’t see who can take on Derrick “the Blizzard” Queen.
Michigan v Purdue. 8:00 PM CT, BTN.
Kind of…: Does Michigan know they have a game? Or are they just going to continue sleepwalking? Then again, Purdue didn’t necessarily look all that awake for stretches last night. Still, give me the Boilers.
BoilerUp89: Is Michigan truly fading? Did they lose their horse shoe? As in the first two games between these teams, turnovers and rebounding are the key.
