Ohio State Basketball: Big Ten standings and what to watch for

The Big Ten has been a dominating basketball conference in recent years, producing on average 6-7 tournament teams per year in the last half decade.  This year the story is quite different.

Outside of the top four teams, the conference is appalling. To give an outlook on the situation, here is what the conference standings look like today:

"#13 Ohio State         9-0 (18-4 overall) W8#3 Purdue                  9-0 (19-2 overall) W15#6 Michigan State   6-2 (18-3 overall) W2#25 Michigan.           6-3 (17-5 overall) W1Nebraska                    6-4 (15-8 overall) L1Indiana                        5-4 (12-9 overall) W1Maryland                    4-5 (15-7 overall) L1Northwestern           4-5 (13-9 overall) W2Wisconsin                  3-5 (10-11 overall) L1Penn State                3-5 (13-8 overall) L2Minnesota                 3-7 (14-9 overall) L3Rutgers                      2-7 (12-10 overall) L1Iowa                            2-7 (11-11 overall) W1Illinois                         1-8 (11-11 overall) L6"

For the majority of Big Ten teams there isn’t much hope for a birth in March. I have Purdue, Ohio State, and Michigan State locked in with a spot, and those truly are the only three guarantees.

Michigan is about 80% of their way to a lock, and unless they drastically fall apart in their remaining games they should be a “March Madness” qualifier. The only other two teams with a legitimate chance of getting in are Nebraska and Maryland, and I think there is only room for one of them.

As we saw Monday night against Ohio State, 14-8 Nebraska can play with anyone; however, their strength of wins are weak. Led by recent Big Ten Player of the Week James Palmer, the Cornhuskers pride themselves on defense and attacking the rim.

Palmer also opens up the outside game but he hasn’t received much help from his teammates in that regard so far this season. I think for Nebraska to sneak into the dance they need to reach 23 total wins.

This is a mark I think the Cornhuskers can achieve. Finishing fifth in the Big Ten would certainly help their case as well as possibly making it to the second or third round of the Big Ten Tournament. A win against the Buckeyes really would have helped their case, but unfortunately for Husker fans, they couldn’t pull off the upset in Columbus.

As we get into the final stretch of Big Ten play, I am excited to see how the top three play out. Michigan State clearly still has the talent to be a championship team but the Spartans have hit a rough patch of late. Purdue and Ohio State on the other hand are HOT HOT HOT; the Boilermakers are riding a 15 game win streak, and the Buckeyes not far behind with 8 in a row.

As much as Ohio State and Purdue have been exciting to watch, I still think Michigan State’s season will last a bit longer. The Spartans have shown they are beatable, but Tom Izzo is a different man in March. Here are my full predictions on how all the Big Ten teams will finish their season:

CUT: Illinois, Iowa Rutgers, Minnesota, Penn State, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Indiana

NIT: Maryland

Round of 32: Nebraska

Sweet Sixteen: Purdue, Michigan

Elite Eight: Ohio State

Final Four: Michigan State

The Big Ten has been much deeper in the past, but at the top there are strong teams. For our Buckeyes to make a deep run I believe they need to improve their inside game, which is quite ironic.

More from Scarlet and Game

• Ohio State Football: How Denzel Burke has bounced back so far this season
• Ohio State basketball: Buckeyes conference schedule is set
• Ohio State Football rolling into form at the perfect time
• How Ohio State football has done historically versus new Big 12
• Ohio State Football: We need to see “Killer Ryan Day” at South Bend

At the beginning of the season, the three point game was simply terrible, and now it is perhaps the prime aspect of the offense. The inside game hasn’t dwindled, just hasn’t impressed me of late. I would love to see more low post action for Tate and Wesson, because they both have the ability to both finish and dish the ball.

Ohio State heads to West Layfaette on February 7th for a matchup against Purdue that will most likely decide the winner of the Big Ten. The Boilermakers are a hot pick to win the national championship but the Bucks have risen from unranked to 13th in the country in just two weeks. This is a much-anticipated contest but both teams have reiterated they are focusing game by game and not looking ahead.

Next: Ryan Day staying is good news with QB battle looming

Chris Holtmann has mentioned the talent and size of the Purdue big men, along with the impressive play of their guards. I believe the Boilermakers are a true force to be reckoned with but am not sold on their defense, and I think the Buckeyes will get the win on the road.