Big Ten Shines in March Madness: 6 Teams Reach Sweet 16
The Big Ten shines in March Madness this week, with six teams advancing to the Sweet 16. Filmogaz.com reports the conference posted a 13-3 record through the first two rounds.
Conference momentum
Big Ten programs dominated early play. The league is one team shy of matching last year’s conference record for Sweet 16 berths set by the SEC.
Who moved on
- No. 1 Michigan (Midwest)
- No. 2 Purdue (West)
- No. 3 Michigan State (East)
- No. 3 Illinois (South)
- No. 4 Nebraska (South)
- No. 9 Iowa (South)
Historic and regional notes
Three of the four teams remaining in the South Region come from the Big Ten. That gives the conference a 75 percent chance to place a team in the Final Four from that region.
Iowa upset the tournament’s No. 1 seed Florida in the second round. Iowa will face neighbor Nebraska in Houston on Thursday.
All-Big Ten Sweet 16 matchup
The Nebraska-Iowa meeting is only the second All-Big Ten Sweet 16 game in tournament history. CBS notes the last was in 1980, when Purdue played Indiana.
Context and other conferences
The SEC set last year’s high mark for Sweet 16 entrants. UCLA had the chance to tie that mark but fell late to No. 2 seed UConn.
The Big Ten has not won the men’s NCAA Tournament since 2000. The conference has enjoyed recent success in football, winning three straight national championships.
Conference records through two rounds
| Conference | Record |
|---|---|
| Big Ten | 13-3 |
| SEC | 12-6 |
| Big 12 | 9-5 |
| Big East | 4-1 |
| ACC | 5-7 |
Sweet 16 schedule
- Thursday, March 26 — 7:10 p.m.: No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 11 Texas (West), CBS
- Thursday, March 26 — 7:30 p.m.: No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 9 Iowa (South), TBS/truTV
- Thursday, March 26 — 9:45 p.m.: No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 4 Arkansas (West), CBS
- Thursday, March 26 — 10:05 p.m.: No. 2 Houston vs. No. 3 Illinois (South), TBS/truTV
- Friday, March 27 — 7:10 p.m.: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 5 St. John’s (East), CBS
- Friday, March 27 — 7:35 p.m.: Texas Tech/Alabama winner vs. No. 1 Michigan (Midwest), TBS/truTV
- Friday, March 27 — 9:45 p.m.: UCLA/UConn winner vs. No. 3 Michigan State (East), CBS
- Friday, March 27 — 10:10 p.m.: No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 6 Tennessee (Midwest), TBS/truTV
Filmogaz.com will continue coverage as the tournament progresses. The Big Ten’s run has reshaped the bracket and raised expectations for a deep postseason showing.
