The Big Ten tournament seeding preview. My brain hurts.

Well we know there is no regular season basketball left for this team, but that doesn't mean that the Big Ten is done playing.

Today two huge games were played that have big implications for next weekends conference tournament, and selection Sunday. Which by extension has implications for Illinois.

First off Penn State went down in double over time to Iowa. Which, thankfully, basically ensures that Illinois will have at least a 3 seed in next weekend's tourney. Had Penn State won, they would have taken over the third spot, moving Illinois down to 4, and had then MSU beaten Purdue, they would have taken the 2 seed.  With that loss though, a Spartan victory tomorrow means that the llini would move into the 2, with Purdue at the 3 and PSU at 4. There was some danger, had the Lions won, that the Illini would be pushed down to the 4, which, while it still includes a first round "bye" of sorts, the match up is much tougher.

The other matchup of the weekend, Minnesota and Michigan resulted in a UM win and another tough loss for Tubby's Gophers, it moves, for now, Michigan ahead of Northwestern, and gets them to .500 in conference.

So, tomorrow's games then will have something to say about the tourney seeding. Let us, for the sake of argument say that Wisconsin beats Indiana and Northwestern falls to Ohio state.  This means, (if the tie breakers work like I think they do) that Ohio St. will move up to the 4, as they beat Penn State in their only meeting this year. But then, with a Wisconsin win, they would overtake PSU (Same record in Conference and won both meetings) and would also overtake OSU (again same conference record, and they beat the Buckeyes in their only meeting this year.) Wisconsin then would have moved up to the 4 seed, and PSU will have dropped all the way down to the 6, out of the first round bye, considering they could have been the 2 seed had they won today, that is a big deal.

Then of course comes the PU MSU game, that will decide ultimately how much of this will play out, if Purdue wins and the other games stay as I have predicted (UW and OSU wins) MSU would be the 1 and play the winner of NU and Michigan, (8 v. 9) Purdue would be the 2 and face the winner of Minnesota and Iowa. (7 v. 10) Illinois would be at the 3 and would face the winner of Indiana and in this scenario Penn State. (11 v. 6)

Change around the outcome of the PU MSU game and Illinois would then move into the 2 and face those same teams as listed above, while Purdue would take the 3 seed teams.

Want things to get complicated? Well, lets say that Northwestern upends Ohio State (it could happen) then you have a log jam of 3 teams with 4 teams at .500 in conference. Where conceivably one of these .500 teams would have a bye. Lets say then Wisky loses to Indiana (laughable I know, but lets just say) that means 5 teams (!) will be at an even 9-9 in conference and 9 (!!!) teams will be .500 or better, that is every one except for Indiana and Iowa. This is a perfect storm of a log jam that  I am not paid enough to decode. Suffice to say though that there is a great degree of parody in this league. And that is good parody you nay sayers, not bad parody like the SEC. These teams have (for the most part) the out of conference victories to back up their imperfect conference record. Depending on how some things shake out, this could be a very good selection Sunday next weekend.