Big Ten in the Sweet Sixteen: FAQ

Four teams from the conference won their first two games in the tournament and are now in the Sweet Sixteen. Three of them play on Thursday and there is one game on Friday. Here is the schedule:

Thursday:

7:15 4 Wisconsin vs 1 Syracuse - Boston, MA

7:47 1 Michigan St. vs 4 Louisville - Phoenix, AZ

9:45 6 Cincinnati vs 2 Ohio St. - Boston, MA

Friday:

9:45 1 Kentucky vs 4 Indiana - Atlanta, GA

We'll try to answer a few quick questions after the break.

Which Big Ten team do you think is most likely to win?

Ohio St. should beat Cincinnati, who (along with Xavier) has shown that getting into a terrible brawl earlier in the season is not that big of a deal. It helps that the punishment doled out by the schools involved in the fight was minor compared to the empty speeches that the coaches gave after the game.

Which Big Ten team is most likely to lose?

I'm going to say Indiana, but Wisconsin is right behind them. Kentucky is a powerhouse, but IU already beat them this year. That game was in Bloomington, and the Hoosiers are much better at home. UK will want revenge on one of their only two losses this season.

The Thursday night games are all Big Ten vs Big East. How have the conferences matched up in the past?

According to statsheet.com, the Big Ten is 115-108 against the Big East since 1980. This season, the Big Ten ranks first in conference RPI and the Big East second (according to realtimerpi.com). Statsheet.com has these rankings flipped in the Big East's favor. This season the Big Ten has a 3-1 advantage in head-to-head games this season.

What effect do you think the Karen Sypher incident will have on Louisville's play?

None, but Michigan St. should still win this one.

Do you think any of the Ohio St. or Wisconsin fans will be rooting on their fellow conference team in Boston?

Maybe a few, but this isn't SEC football. Don't expect any Big Ten chants to break out.