Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Even though snow is still blanketing the Midwest, the promise of spring always officially seems to arrive with tournament basketball, and specifically, the contesting of the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis.
After a wild regular season, plenty of teams can make a case for a deep run in the tournament, and two happen to be from the state of Michigan. Both the Michigan Wolverines and Michigan State Spartans would enjoy a run to the title to boost their seeding. Looking to stop them are teams such as the Wisconsin Badgers, Ohio State Buckeyes, Indiana Hoosiers and Iowa Hawkeyes. 2014 could be the most interesting tournament in some time. What should be watched closest? Here’s a primer.
Best First Round Match-Up: #5 Ohio State vs. #12 Purdue. Most of the season, Ohio State has been teetering on the brink of collapse, and struggled their way to a top five finish after plenty went wrong. Now, they get a Thursday date with the Purdue Boilermakers, who lost two games to the Buckeyes this year, but played them tough in West Lafayette. Put the upset alert on Ohio State early, as they’ve had just enough problems offensively and defensively that an early contest with A.J. Hammons could prove tough. The Buckeyes live for runs in Indianapolis, but will that continue during one of their down years?
Best Potential Quarterfinal Match-Up: #1 Michigan vs. #8 Indiana. The Hoosiers have a horrible record and have sustained bad losses in conference. That didn’t stop them from beating Michigan, the number one seed, during the regular season at home and nearly upsetting them on the road a week ago. After that near-miss, Tom Crean would love another shot at the Wolverines. He’ll have the home crowd behind him, and with Noah Vonleh and Yogi Ferrell, Indiana has enough scorers to put another scare into the Wolverines, which pack excellent scoring depth themselves with Nik Stauskas, Caris LeVert and company.
Best Potential Semifinal Match-Up: #3 Michigan State vs. #2 Wisconsin. Unfortunately, the league’s unbalanced scheduling didn’t force the Spartans and Badgers to play twice this year. The one game the teams played in Madison was a firecracker, however, with Adreian Payne draining the game-tying three pointer with under ten seconds on the clock and Traevon Jackson driving the floor and hitting the game-winning jumper with seconds remaining. A rematch could prove interesting, and would give two teams who aren’t as familiar with each other in 2014 a chance to face off with plenty on the line.
Lower-Seeded Team Best Primed For A Run: Iowa Hawkeyes. Though they will have to go through their personal nemesis Michigan State for another year, Iowa has just enough big bodies and tough players to make things rough on the Spartans for a third time and possibly even pre-tournament darling Wisconsin should they get there. Beyond that, Iowa has already beaten teams like Ohio State, Nebraska and Michigan near the top of the bracket, so they could make a case for a championship run providing they can defeat Northwestern and survive Michigan State.
Higher-Seeded Team Best Primed For A Run: Michigan State Spartans. Nobody knows what to expect from the Spartans this tournament season. Usually, they’re the team that needs rest before the big dance, rendering a deep run in the Big Ten Tournament useless. This season, though, the Spartans need to get their lineup back together and gelling prior to the “real” tournament, meaning they need a few games in the Big Ten. There’s no questioning the talent, providing everyone is healthy and mentally engaged. If that’s the case, the Spartans have already beaten Iowa twice, lost a close game at the buzzer to Wisconsin and would love a third shot at Michigan with everything on the line if chalk holds. They’ll come in underrated and unappreciated in every game, and there’s no position Tom Izzo should love more.
Most Important Player To Watch: Keith Appling, Michigan State. Appling hasn’t been right mentally or physically as a result of his wrist down the stretch, and that’s helped Michigan State fall apart over the last month. Another week to rest, though, should help and there’s no questioning the point guard’s dominance when he’s healthy. Appling needs to find his confidence again and knock down a few clutch shots to get hot. If he does, plenty will remember why he’s a top player in conference and the Spartans could have a better March than many expect. Michigan State has long depended on a point guard leading them in the tournament, and as a senior, the clock is ticking for Appling.
MVP Alert: Terran Petteway, Nebraska, Caris LeVert, Michigan and Gary Harris, Michigan State. This time of year, there’s always a player that catches fire and leads his team confidently through the tournament. In this case, it could be one of these three players. Petteway, who has quietly played at an elite level all season long, is an interesting one to watch. If Nebraska is able to stun some people and go on a long run, it will be because of him. LeVert has been playing the best basketball of anyone in the conference not named Stauskas, and is coming into his own as a scorer. If Michigan goes wire to wire, it will be because of him. Finally, with Appling hurting, Michigan State needs Harris to step up big and he’s capable of having a major impact on the tournament as a dominating scorer.
Picks: First round: Indiana over Illinois, Ohio State over Purdue, Minnesota over Penn State, Iowa over Northwestern. Quarterfinals: Michigan over Indiana, Ohio State over Nebraska, Wisconsin over Minnesota, Michigan State over Iowa. Semifinals: Michigan over Ohio State, Wisconsin over Michigan State. Championship: Wisconsin over Michigan
Max DeMara is a senior editor at The Detroit Sports Site. You can find him on Twitter @SportsGuyTheMax