The Big Ten Tournament has been set, and the Illinois basketball team has an interesting path.
After most of the games on Sunday were complete, the Big Ten released the men’s bracket. From the start, this was always going to be a roller coaster of a Big Ten Tournament, but there are many intriguing matchups, one of which is potentially the Illini.
The four programs getting the double-bye include No. 4 UCLA, No. 3 Michigan, No. 2 Maryland, and the No. 1 overall seed, the Michigan State Spartans.
No. 5 Wisconsin is the top overall seed among the single-bye teams. No. 6 Purdue and No. 7 Illinois follow. The No. 8 vs. No. 9 matchup is No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 9 Indiana.
Tipping off on Wednesday in the opening round includes No. 10 Ohio State vs. No. 15 Iowa, No. 11 Rutgers vs. No. 14 USC, and No. 12 Minnesota vs. No. 13 Northwestern.
There are plenty of potential sleepers in the Big Ten Tournament this year. No. 8 Oregon is a team to watch. They have won seven straight games entering the postseason, and they competed with Michigan State on the road this season.
I could see No. 6 Purdue going deep too. Their first matchup is between USC and Rutgers. The Boilermakers throttled both of those teams by double-digit points this season. The next game for Purdue would be against No. 3 Michigan. Purdue beat the Wolverines by 27 points and lost to them by two points on the road this season.
I want an Illinois basketball rematch against Maryland in the Big Ten Tournament
The path for the Illini seems pretty interesting. It is either going to be No. 10 Ohio State or No. 15 Iowa. Illinois beat both teams this season. The next game is the one that piques my interest as a fan.
If the Illini can win that first matchup, we would take on the No. 2 overall seed, Maryland. The Terrapins had one of their best seasons in recent memory, going 24-7 overall and 14-6 in the Big Ten. In the lone game this season, Maryland was in complete control against the Illini, winning the game 91-70.
Illinois had zero answers for Maryland’s big men Derik Queen and Julian Reese. Why was that? Well, we were missing our big man, Tomislav Ivisic. That is going to matter greatly, as he can hold his own in the paint.
There is a chance that Morez Johnson Jr. is back for the Illini in the Big Ten Tournament as well. We will find out more on Monday on that situation.
If Illinois has Ivisic and Johnson back, this program could make some noise in March. We are on a roll right now, let’s see how hot we can get.