Bracketology: Indiana Moves Down; Big Ten With Most Teams in Projected Field

In Joe Lunardi's latest edition of Bracketology on ESPN, Indiana dropped after losing at Michigan State on Tuesday. As the top-ranked No. 5 seed, the Hoosiers are still in position to move up, with matchups against Purdue, Iowa and Michigan to end the season.

Indiana is a No. 5 seed in Joe Lunardi's latest ESPN Bracketology, released on Friday morning. The Hoosiers have three games – at Purdue, then home games against Iowa and Michigan – before the Big Ten Tournament. Selection Sunday is on March 12.

In this scenario, Indiana would begin the tournament in Albany, N.Y. and face No. 12 seed Oral Roberts, who's 26-4 overall and 17-0 in the Summit League. In the 2021 NCAA Tournament, No. 15 seed Oral Roberts upset No. 2 seed Ohio State in the Round of 64. With a win, Indiana would face either No. 4 seed Iowa State or No. 13 seed Yale. 

This bracket sets up a potential matchup against former Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson in the Sweet 16. Sampson is now the head coach at Houston, a projected No. 1 seed for most of the season. 

Here's the full Midwest region.

Indiana is a No. 5 seed in the Midwest region in Joe Lunardi's latest Bracketology

Indiana was previously projected to be a No. 4 seed, but dropped one seed line after an 80-65 loss at Michigan State on Tuesday. Lunardi currently considers the Hoosiers No. 17 overall, which makes them the best No. 5 seed in this bracket.

Indiana is No. 20 in the NET rankings with a 19-9 overall record and a 10-7 mark in Big Ten play. The Hoosiers have a 5-8 record against Quad 1 opponents and a 5-1 record in Quad 2.

Entering Saturday's game at Purdue, Lunardi wrote that "a second loss by Purdue to Indiana would bring Texas, with a win at Baylor, into play for a No. 1 seed. UCLA and Arizona are also in the mix."

Lunardi projects the Big Ten to send nine teams to the NCAA Tournament, the most of any conference. The Big 12 and SEC are close behind with eight teams, followed by the ACC and Big East with five.

Around the Big Ten, Purdue is still a No. 1 seed, along with No. 1 overall seed Alabama, Houston and Kansas. The Boilermakers lost three of four games and dropped to No. 5 in the AP poll, but still have a strong résumé that features wins over Marquette, Gonzaga, Duke and others. 

Indiana is the second-highest seeded Big Ten team behind Purdue, and Northwestern is next as a No. 6 seed. Michigan State and Maryland earned No. 7 seeds in this bracket, followed by No. 8 seed Iowa and No. 9 seeds Rutgers and Illinois.

On the bubble, Pittsburgh, Nevada, Memphis and West Virginia are the "last four byes," and Oklahoma State, USC, Wisconsin and Missisppi State would play in the First Four round in Dayton, Ohio as the "last four in." 

Just outside the field of 68, Penn State, Utah State, North Carolina and Charleston are considered the "first four out." With even more work to do, Texas Tech, Clemson, Michigan and New Mexico are the "next four out."

For the full bracket, CLICK HERE.

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