It was another disappointing year for the Big Ten in the Big Dance.
For the second year in a row, nine Big Ten teams made it to the NCAA Tournament. Once again, the Big Ten didn’t make much noise once the actual tournament began.
Two Big Ten teams made it to the Sweet 16, slightly better than last year, when only one team from the conference made it to the second weekend. But while Michigan was able to make it to the Elite Eight last year, not one Big Ten team made it to the Elite Eight this year, as Michigan lost to Villanova – the same team that knocked out Ohio State one round earlier – and Purdue was upset by Saint Peter’s, who became the first 15 seed to ever make the Elite Eight.
In the process, the Big Ten became the first conference to ever send nine teams to the NCAA Tournament in a single year and have all of them eliminated before the Elite Eight. In five previous instances of five teams from one conference making the tournament, at least one made the Elite Eight every time.
| Seed | Team | Results |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | PURDUE | LOST TO #15 SAINT PETER’S, 67-64, IN SWEET 16 |
| 3 | WISCONSIN | LOST TO #11 IOWA STATE, 54-49, IN SECOND ROUND |
| 4 | ILLINOIS | LOST TO #5 HOUSTON, 68-53, IN SECOND ROUND |
| 5 | IOWA | LOST TO #12 RICHMOND, 67-63, IN FIRST ROUND |
| 7 | MICHIGAN STATE | LOST TO #2 DUKE, 85-76, IN SECOND ROUND |
| 7 | OHIO STATE | LOST TO #2 VILLANOVA, 71-61, IN SECOND ROUND |
| 11 | MICHIGAN | LOST TO #2 VILLANOVA, 63-55, IN SWEET 16 |
| 11 | RUTGERS | LOST TO #11 NOTRE DAME, 89-87 (2OT), IN FIRST FOUR |
| 12 | INDIANA | LOST TO #5 SAINT MARY’S, 82-53, IN FIRST ROUND |
While the Big Ten had two No. 1 seeds and two No. 2 seeds last year, the Big Ten wasn’t necessarily expected to have many teams in the Elite Eight this year, as none of the conference’s teams were seeded higher than the No. 3 line. From a bracket standpoint, the Big Ten did about what it was supposed to do in this year’s tournament.
Still, it’s unquestionably a disappointment to go 0-for-9 in making the Elite Eight, especially since it’s the second year in a row that the conference has failed to take advantage of having nine teams in the field.
