March Madness 2010: 11 Things To Know About the Big Ten Tournament

The Big Ten is very top heavy this season. Ohio State, Michigan State, and Purdue all shared the regular season title. Wisconsin also isn't too far behind, ready to nip at the heels of those ahead of them in the pack.

After that, the Big Ten's bubble teams of Illinois, Northwestern, and Minnesota all come into focus. All three teams are on the wrong side of the bubble and desperately need to have a good showing at the Big Ten tournament.

The remaining field has only one shot at going dancing in March; they would have to come to Indianapolis and leave with the tournament championship.

Illinois: Rebounding and Desperation

The Fighting Illini have backed themselves into a corner as far as their NCAA Tournament hopes are concerned. They finished the regular season on a three-game slide.

This team sits at 18-13 and needs to do some damage in the Big Ten tournament to repair the damage it did to its tournament resume. That desperation is something that’s hard for other teams to plan for, especially when they’ve already locked up their NCAA bid.

Illinois is a great rebounding team, averaging 36.7 per game, which is second in the Big Ten. Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis are the team’s leaders on both offense and defense when it comes to post play.

Demetri McCamey keeps them in the game by feeding them down low as he records seven assists a game. All three players amount for over 70 percent of the team’s offense, and when D.J. Richardson’s 10.5 points per game are added in, that number jumps to 90 percent.

The Fighting Illini have the most wins in Big Ten tournament play with 22 all-time. The bad news is that a No. 5 seed has never made it to the finals before. With the success that Illinois has had in the tournament, this may be the year that changes.

Indiana: Offensive Rebounding

The Hoosiers are still trying to rebuild since the program's collapse a few season ago. They struggled against the conference this year and have managed only four wins, putting them in second to last place.

There are however, some positives for the Hoosiers this season. The 12.7 offensive rebounds per game put them second in the Big Ten. These second-chance opportunities let them hang around in games, giving them confidence that they can compete. Christian Watford’s six rebounds per game is a large factor in their success.

Two of the four conference victories have come in overtime this season, showing this team won't give up if they think there is a chance to win. Verdell Jones III provides solid perimeter shooting that frees up the post for Watford to do his damage. The Hoosiers are dying for another chance at Purdue, who escaped with a 78-75 in their first meeting this season.

Iowa: Tournament History

The Hawkeyes have had a trying season this year. With only four conference victories, this team finds itself as a nine seed in the tournament. The good thing for Iowa is that they are 6-3 in Indianapolis during Big Ten tournament play.

They also have a .565 winning percentage all-time during the conference tournament, which has led to titles in 2001 and 2006. Hopefully for Iowa’s sake, this tradition rubs off. Otherwise they’ll be bounced pretty quickly.

Head coach Todd Lickliter has got to be feeling his seat getting warmer after the poor performance this season, and with the earlier dismissal of Anthony Tucker in February. A strong showing in the Big Ten tournament might be enough to help quell any concerns that Iowa’s athletic department might have about its head coach.

Michigan: DeShawn Sims and Manny Harris

Michigan has one of the best one-two punches in the conference. Both Sims and Harris are in the top 5 in conference scorers. Manny Harris is averaging 18.2 points a game, just a shade higher than DeShawn Sims’ 17.1. Harris’ 4.1 assists a game lead the team, as he looks for Sims in the post. Both players average over six rebounds a game, giving Michigan solid play on both sides of the court.

This team's lack of consistency will plague them in the tournament. The Wolverines have yet to win more than three games in a row this season, and the conference tournament doesn’t look like a place where they’ll find much success, even with Sims and Harris carrying the team.

Michigan State: Physicality

Head Coach Tom Izzo has always stressed physical play from his Spartan teams. This year is no different, with the Spartans being tied for first in rebounds allowed per game with 29. They hold a plus nine average rebounding margin when playing Big Ten teams this season. It’s not just on defense that the Spartans make their presence felt; they lead the conference in offensive rebounds with 13.4 per game.

When teams match up with Michigan State, not only do they know it will be a physical game, but they know they'll also face a fundamentally sound team that plays smart basketball. Michigan State plays unselfish basketball and leads the conference with 17.1 assists a game, making them the most well-rounded team in the tournament.

Minnesota: Tubby Smith’s Experience

The Gophers need to navigate their way through the tournament if they want a shot at the NCAA Tournament. This team sits at 18-12 and is on the bad side of the bubble. They’ll need to get wins over some of the Big Ten's elite, and probably get into the championship game—and maybe win it—to get in. Tubby Smith has been in this situation before and knows what his team needs to go dancing.

The Gophers lead the Big Ten in three-point percentage, hitting 40 percent of their attempts behind the arc. They are third in scoring in the conference with 72.9 points per game, giving Smith plenty to work with.

However, Minnesota isn’t just offensively minded. They lead the conference in blocks with 5.7 per game. Ralph Sampson III is a big part of the defense, leading the team with 1.8 blocks and 6.3 rebounds per game.

Northwestern: Perimeter Shooting

The Wildcats lead the Big Ten in three-point shots made per game with 9.5. They’ve shot 36 percent on the season from beyond the arc. John Shurna’s 18.5 points lead the team, but he’s not the only one dialing them up from long distance. Michael Thompson, Drew Crawford, and Jeremy Nash are all part of the Wildcats' arsenal.

The losses to Penn State and Indiana have burst the Wildcats' bubble. It’s going to take a tournament championship for this team to make the NCAA’s this season. This team has the ability, but the late-season slide has put them behind the eight ball.

Ohio State: Zone Defense and Thad Matta

Head coach Thad Matta swears by the 2-3 zone, and it’s hard to argue with its success at Ohio State. Matta has won at least 20 games in every season at Ohio State. The Buckeyes' suffocating zone has led to a defense yielding a stingy 60.4 points a game. This ranks second only to Wisconsin in the conference standings for team defense.

Leading the charge on the defensive end for the Bucks is Dallas Lauderdale. Lauderdale leads the Big Ten in blocks with 2.2 per game. Also helping out on the boards is "all-everything" Evan Turner, who leads the Big Ten with 9.4 rebounds per game.

Penn State: Talor Battle

Battle is the heart and sole of Penn State’s basketball team. He’s averaging 18 points, five rebounds, and four assists this season, which shows he can do it all.

Penn State has played up to its competition when facing the Big Ten’s elite, and won't be an easy out during this tournament. Battle has scored in double figures in all but two Big Ten games this season. Now that he’s seen every one of these teams’ defenses at least once, expect big things from this sharpshooter.

Purdue: E’Twaun Moore and JuJuan Johnson

The loss of Robbie Hummel has many experts questioning Purdue’s seed in the NCAA Tournament. In Hummel’s absence, Purdue has a loss to Michigan State, and two wins over Big Ten bottom feeders in Indiana and Penn State.

It will take an impressive run in the Big Ten tournament to reassure the selection committee, and E’twaun Moore and JuJuan Johnson will be expected to carry the load. Moore’s 16 points per game come from a devastating jump shot. He’s also averaging three assists a game which mostly come from finding JuJuan Johnson down in the post. Johnson’s dominating presence down low have him averaging 15 points and seven rebounds a game.

Wisconsin: Defense and Post Play

The Badgers lead the conference in points allowed 56.1 per game, and rebounds allowed 29 per game. This stifling defense means that if shooting teams like Northwestern are having an off night, the Badgers will close the door early.

Not too many teams outrebound the Badgers, especially when Wisconsin is on defense. Jon Leuer is one of the main reasons for Wisconsin’s success on D. His 1.5 blocks per game and 5.8 rebounds per game lead the team. He’s also the Badgers' main post threat and averages 14.6 points per game. Since coming back from his injury, he’s complimented Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon during Wisconsin’s four-game win streak to close out regular season.

2010 Big Ten Tournament

Ohio State comes in as the No. 1 seed, but can easily be unseated by the other conference powers. Purdue has to show the selection committee they are worthy of a top seed, even without Robbie Hummel.

Michigan State traditionally begins to shine from here on out, and the Spartan faithful expect nothing less this year. Wisconsin has quietly made its way through the Big Ten schedule this season, amassing an impressive record and beating all of the current regular season champions.

The bubble teams need to upset the elite to make it into the NCAA tournament. What it all boils down to is another exciting Big Ten tournament that's about to tip off.