Illinois Basketball: 3 scenarios left for Illini Big Ten Tournament seeding

The Big Ten Tournament seeding scenarios are narrowing as the Illinois basketball team inches closer to the final game of the season.

Saturday proved to be a big day for the Illini even though the Orange and Blue didn’t play a game. There was a big game for Illinois, as the Indiana Hoosiers took on the Purdue Boilermakers.

Why was this such a big game for Illinois? Well, if Indiana would have beaten Purdue, that would have locked the Illini into a top-two seed in the Big Ten Tournament. I wasn’t rooting for Indiana to win the game, but I was rooting for Purdue to lose. I will never cheer for the Hoosiers.

With that being said, Indiana couldn’t pull off the victory. Some boneheaded plays down the stretch cost the Hoosiers the game, and this would cost Illinois a guaranteed spot in the top two in the conference.

What are the Illinois basketball seeding scenarios for the Big Ten Tournament?

Illinois’ seeding scenarios could have been narrowed even more on Saturday, but with that Purdue win, we still have three possibilities for seeding.

Scenario 1 – Illinois #1 seed (10:30 a.m. CT, Friday, March 11)

In scenario one, Illinois can still make the No. 1 seed spot for the Big Ten Tournament. This would take a slight miracle, though.

The Illini would have to beat Iowa on Sunday. That isn’t the miracle. The miracle would then be Nebraska, the worst team in the Big Ten, would then have to beat Wisconsin, the current best team in the Big Ten.

If Illinois and Nebraska win on Sunday, the Illini would then take the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, and we would also take home a share of the Big Ten regular season.

Scenario 2 – Illinois #2 seed (5:30 p.m. CT, Friday, March 11)

I think this is the most realistic scenario out of all three that I am laying out. This scenario would put Illinois as the No. 2 seed.

For the No. 2 seed to happen, Illinois would have to beat Iowa. This would give the Illini an automatic either No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.

The next thing that would happen is Wisconsin beats Nebraska. The Badgers are a tough team, so they are most likely going to beat the Cornhuskers. So, if Illinois and Wisconsin win on Sunday, the Illini will be the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.

Scenario 3 – Illinois #3 seed (30 minutes after 5:30 p.m. CT game or roughly 8:00 p.m. CT, Friday, March 11)

This is the worst of the three scenarios. If Illinois lands at the No. 3 seed, it means we lose to Iowa on Sunday. That is all that needs to happen at this point. Purdue beat Indiana, which would put the Boilermakers in a tie with the Illini if Iowa wins.

These are the three scenarios left for the Illini when it comes to Big Ten Tournament seeding. Hopefully, Illinois can beat Iowa and Nebraska plays lights out. I want to win the regular season and conference tournament.