Nine Big Ten programs made the NCAA tournament this season, including regular-season champion Michigan and tournament champion Purdue.
After the first weekend of March Madness, Ohio State, Wisconsin and UCLA have been eliminated, leaving six programs with a shot at reaching the Final Four in Indianapolis.
Here’s a look at the matchups involving Big Ten programs in the NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen:
No. 1 Purdue vs. No. 11 Texas (San Jose, Thursday, 7:10 p.m., CBS)
No Cinderella is still standing in the NCAA tournament, but the Longhorns are the lowest-seeded team remaining in the field. Texas, a First Four team, beat NC State, BYU and Gonzaga to make it to the second weekend.
The Boilermakers are peaking at the right time after an up-and-down regular season. Purdue crushed Queens and then beat Miami (FL) by 10 to reach the Sweet Sixteen.
The primary question in this game is whether Texas can hold up defensively against Purdue’s high-powered offense. The Longhorns have been stingy defensively in their first three games, but holding down a Braden Smith-led offense is a different level of challenge.
The pressure in this one will be all on Purdue, so expect Texas to come out loose and to play with nothing to lose. If Purdue shoots the 3-pointer relatively well and can keep Matas Vokietaitis from a huge stat line, the Boilermakers should move on to the Elite Eight.
KenPom: Purdue 82, Texas 74
DraftKings: Purdue -7.5
No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 9 Iowa (Houston, Thursday, 7:30 p.m., TBS/TruTV)
The Cornhuskers and Hawkeyes will meet for the third time this season. Nebraska won 84-75 in overtime in Lincoln and the Hawkeyes prevailed 57-52 in Iowa City.
Iowa has the most impressive win yet in the tournament, a 73-72 upset of No. 1 seed Florida in Tampa on Sunday afternoon. The Hawkeyes stood toe-to-toe against a bigger, more physical team and simply outplayed the Gators. And Iowa did so with an off-shooting night from Bennett Stirtz, who shot 0-for-9 on 3s.
Nebraska, meanwhile, doesn’t get enough credit for its defense, which will be pivotal in this matchup, likely played at a slow tempo. The Cornhuskers rank 6th in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency according to KenPom.
The keys for Nebraska are simple: make 3-pointers and make life as difficult as possible for Stirtz. If Iowa can avoid a huge discrepancy on the free-throw line and gets a strong performance from its supporting cast, the Hawkeyes should like their chances to move on to the Elite Eight. This should be one of the best of the eight Sweet Sixteen matchups.
KenPom: Nebraska 69, Iowa 66
DraftKings: Nebraska -1.5
No. 2 Houston vs. No. 3 Illinois (Houston, Thursday, 10:05 p.m., TBS/TruTV)
Three Big Ten teams advanced to Houston for the Sweet Sixteen, but the region’s favorite is coached by former IU coach Kelvin Sampson, who leads the Houston Cougars.
This matchup pits the nation’s second-best offense in Illinois against Houston’s elite defense. The Cougars force turnovers and tough shots, but the Fighting Illini are tough to hold down consistently over 40 minutes. Illinois can generate offense in a hurry and Houston is prone to scoring droughts, which are tough to overcome against the potent Fighting Illini offense.
Guard play for Houston will be pivotal. The Cougars want to force this game to be played in the halfcourt and that must be dictated by the defensive pressure its guards can apply. The duo of Kingston Flemings and Emanuel Sharp will be among the best backcourts Illinois has encountered this season. Houston should also have the crowd on its side as the game is being played at the Toyota Center, not far from its campus.
KenPom: Houston 72, Illinois 71
DraftKings: Houston -3.5
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Alabama (Chicago, Friday, 7:35 p.m., TBS/TruTV)
If you enjoy offense, this matchup will likely be the best from that standpoint in the Sweet Sixteen. Michigan enters the Sweet Sixteen with the nation’s 6th-best offense and Alabama has the nation’s 3rd-best offense.
The Crimson Tide needs a 3-point barrage to pull off the upset. Alabama attempts the most 3-pointers in the country and shoots a solid percentage at 36.1. Alabama just made 19 3-pointers against Texas Tech in the second round. However, Michigan’s size and length figures to make it far more difficult for Alabama to get clean looks from the perimeter and the Wolverines are likely to overplay the perimeter.
Alabama’s rim protection isn’t strong and Michigan has a dominant frontcourt with Aday Mara, Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson Jr., which should allow the Wolverines to own the paint on both ends of the floor. If Michigan can throw different looks at Labaron Philon and force him into tough, contested shots, it’s hard to see Alabama making enough 3-pointers to knock off a Michigan team that has been dominant defensively.
KenPom: Michigan 91, Alabama 83
DraftKings: Michigan -9.5
No. 2 UConn vs. No. 3 Michigan State (Washington, D.C., Friday, 9:45 p.m., CBS)
This is an A+ coaching matchup, pitting two-time national champion Dan Hurley against Tom Izzo, who has one national championship and eight Final Four appearances.
The battle on the boards will be pivotal. Michigan State is used to dominating its opponents on the glass, but Tarris Reed Jr. is a load in that regard, as evidenced by his 27-rebound effort against Furman in the first round.
The Huskies have been up-and-down defensively, but were outstanding in holding UCLA to just 57 points on Sunday night in the round of 32. The key against Michigan State, of course, is containing Jeremy Fears Jr., a tall task for any defense. Fears often strikes the perfect balance between scorer and distributor and he’ll need to do the same against the Huskies.
For Michigan State, this will be a tremendous challenge defensively. UConn has no shortage of weapons and a pair of guys who can light it up from the perimeter in Alex Karaban and Braylon Mullins.
KenPom: Michigan State 70, UConn 69
DraftKings: UConn -1.5
(Photo credit: Illinois Athletics)
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