The Big Ten has seven teams in the tournament which is more than any other conference. Let’s talk about those teams and their first and second round matches.
First of all, the Fighting Illini. It really sticks out that Illinois was one of the last teams in the tournament. Illinois plays Utah (22-9) in the first round. While there are lots of tough first round matches, this one is perhaps the toughest.
Utah beat Kentucky, UCLA, Washington and USC this season. They played really well in their Pac 12 schedule and ended the regular season ranked 18 in the RPI.