Big Ten Tournament 2013: Predictions for Top Squads in Chicago

The 2013 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament is sure to be a hotly contested battle. In all likelihood, one of the conference's four squads ranked within the AP top-10 will emerge victorious, but it's difficult to predict which contender will stand out.

Indiana has to be considered the favorite with its No. 3 national ranking, yet there are plenty of dangerous teams standing in the Hoosiers' way.

The Michigan Wolverines (ranked No. 6 nationally) are volatile and inconsistent but they are dangerous. They will also be out for revenge against IU due to the team's two previous losses against the Hoosiers this season.

Eighth-ranked Michigan State and No. 10-ranked Ohio State have two of college basketball's top coaches in Tom Izzo and Thad Matta, respectively, and should not be discounted. Wisconsin is solid as the No. 22-ranked team in the nation, but the Badgers probably won't be able to knock off both the Wolverines and Hoosiers in expected back-to-back games.

Here are some predictions as to how the action will play out for each of these perennial programs in the lead-up to Selection Sunday and March Madness.

Note: Parenthesized number indicates the team's seed in the conference tournament. For the complete bracket, check out BigTen.org.

Michigan Wolverines (5)

The fact that the Wolverines are ranked sixth in the nation but are the fifth seed in their conference tournament is a testament to the strength of the Big Ten in 2012-13. At one point, Michigan was actually the country's top-ranked team this season.

Several factors make Michigan somewhat unpredictable, and it begins with freshman starter Glenn Robinson III, who tends to disappear at times during some of the team's biggest moments.

GRIII is coming off of a much better showing against the Hoosiers, although it came in Michigan's gut-wrenching, 72-71 home loss in the regular season finale. Still, it was a marked improvement and an encouraging sign for the team as a whole moving forward.

When Robinson is in attack mode and is being aggressive, the rest of the Wolverines' offense runs much more smoothly. This is a high-octane force led by the dynamic backcourt of sophomore Trey Burke and junior Tim Hardaway, Jr.

In a projected matchup with the Badgers on Friday, John Beilein's bunch should figure out how to get by this time after losing 65-62 in overtime earlier in the year.

Beyond that, it's really a tossup. It's hard to imagine Michigan losing for a third time this season to the Hoosiers, but that seems to be what will happen on Saturday. The Wolverines haven't had an answer for Cody Zeller due to a lacking post presence, and that is something that simply can't be adjusted for.

Look for the Wolverines to, once again, put up a valiant effort against Indiana that will unfortunately fall short in the conference tournament semifinals.

Michigan State Spartans (3)

In a college basketball season with so much turmoil, the Spartans had been a relatively stable force up until recently.

Three consecutive losses to Indiana and losses on the road against the Buckeyes and Wolverines thwarted the team's chance at the conference title. As historically great as Izzo's teams have been in single-elimination situations, they don't always win the conference tournament.

A similar scenario could be in store here, and perhaps the Spartans will be upset in the early going by the winner of the Iowa-Northwestern clash. On the other hand, they could also run the table due to a lockdown defense and improved outside shooting.

The ultimate prediction should lie somewhere in the middle, which would have MSU falling to Ohio State in the semis—but that doesn't mean that Sparty will go quietly.

Adreian Payne gave the Buckeyes a lot of problems several weeks ago, even in defeat, by posting 12 points and a monstrous 15 rebounds in just 33 minutes of action. Fellow big man Derrick Nix figures to pose problems himself thanks to his thickness, size and athleticism. 

It should be an epic game at a relatively neutral court in the United Center, but the slight advantage goes to OSU.

There is a caveat, Spartan fans. Michigan State may very well save its best basketball for the NCAA Tournament.

Ohio State Buckeyes (2)

Having one go-to option in crunch time can carry a flawed team a long way, and the Buckeyes have that guy to count on in Deshaun Thomas. However, there aren't many other scorers on this Ohio State team, with Lenzelle Smith, Jr. being the only other player to average double figures.

Taking Thomas out of the game is much easier said than done, but the Buckeyes find it hard to get into a rhythm if he's not playing well.

Something has clicked for Matta's crew after a disturbing 71-49 loss to Wisconsin, though. Since then, OSU went on a five-game winning streak to close the regular season, which included a home victory over the Spartans and a road triumph in Bloomington.

Interestingly, Thomas' hasn't provided his best display of shooting along the way. Fortunately, point guard Aaron Craft poured in 21 against Michigan State and 15 at IU, and if he continues to perform that well, the Buckeyes may be more dangerous than expected.

The first challenge that the Bucks will face will come from the winner of the Purdue-Nebraska game, which shouldn't be much of an issue. Thereafter, it's a rubber match with Michigan State to get to the final.

How Craft competes with the Spartans' Keith Appling will be an interesting development to watch, especially after Appling was a non-factor in the last matchup after sinking just one-of-six shots from the field.

It seems more conceivable based on the Buckeyes' recent form that they will reach the championship contest against Indiana.

Indiana Hoosiers (1)

The extremely balanced offense triggered by Victor Oladipo and fellow Wooden Award finalist Cody Zeller is so versatile and multifaceted that it is nearly impossible to contain consistently, even for a small stretch of a game.

Tom Crean's squad simply has more firepower than the rest of the gritty defensive-minded opposition, and the Hoosiers have stepped up their play on that end of the court as well.

No one has a better combination of efficient shooting from the perimeter and dominance on the inside than Indiana with Zeller and imposing athletic forward Christian Watford.

The bracket also sets up favorably for the Hoosiers, although the prospect of facing either Illinois or Minnesota when both are desperate for a quality victory is a bit of a scary proposition. As mentioned previously, though, the Hoosiers should simply overwhelm either team with their ability to score in so many different ways.

After a third successful showdown with Michigan, it seems likely that IU will meet the Buckeyes in the conference championship.

The Buckeyes have the big bodies inside to bang Zeller and Watford around, which was an effective strategy in the 67-58 victory in Assembly Hall.

It's hard to believe that such a storied program as Indiana's has never won the Big Ten tournament. That discouraging trend will be broken by the Hoosiers by the time Selection Sunday rolls around, though, thanks to the conference's best offense—which, of course, is the best counter to a good defense.