It’s tournament week, the official beginning of March Madness in men’s college basketball. In the Big Ten, Purdue, Wisconsin, Maryland and Minnesota are the top four seeds resting and waiting for Wednesday and Thursday first- and- second-round games to decide their opponents in the quarterfinals.
Minnesota appears destined to meet Michigan State for a third time this season. The Spartans are seeded fifth and will play Thursday against the winner of Wednesdays Penn State-Nebraska game. Michigan State came from behind to beat the Gophers at Williams Arena in the Big Ten opener and crushed the Gophers Jan. 11 in East Lansing.
A win for the Gophers would put them into the semifinals against Purdue, Illinois or Michigan. Michigan and Illinois play Thursday with the winner taking on the Boilermakers Friday.
It's official, @B1GMBBall fans. pic.twitter.com/6WjDWnpmPr
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 6, 2017
Had Minnesota beaten Wisconsin on Sunday they would’ve been the No. 2 seed. Despite the loss, the Gophers are still a No. 5 seed in the latest bracketology from CBS Sports.
