The talk after Selection Sunday centered on the selection committee favoring the Big Ten Conference, particularly near the bubble line, sending nine teams to the NCAA Tournament. …
The talk after Selection Sunday centered on the selection committee favoring the Big Ten Conference, particularly near the bubble line, sending nine teams to the NCAA Tournament. So far, the Big Ten has had a mixed showing, with Purdue and Ohio State’s convincing first-round wins on Friday the latest of the conference’s successes. No.11 seed Michigan upset Colorado State to advance Thursday, while Iowa (upset by Richmond), Indiana (lost to Saint Mary’s) and Rutgers (lost in play-in to Notre Dame) weren’t so fortunate. That makes the Big Ten 4-3. How will Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan State hold up? In the first wave of games, ex-bubble team Notre Dame carried over its momentum from a thrilling overtime play-in game win over Rutgers to upset No.6 seed Alabama. The No.11-seeded Irish made it 10 of the last 11 years now that a „First Four“ team has advanced to the round of 32. Following a scintillating first day Thursday – that saw three overtime games and four double-digit seeds pulling off upsets – here’s a look at the winners and losers from Friday’s first-round action. The No.11-seeded Fighting Irish (24-10) looked like the favorite in their first-round clash with Alabama.
