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March Madness 2025: 10 Big Ten Teams Included in Latest Bracketology from ESPN

ESPN's Joe Lunardi included 10 Big Ten teams in the Field of 68 in his latest Bracketology. Two other teams — Nebraska and Indiana — are on the bubble.

Dustin Schutte

Team bench chairs with the March Madness Elite 8 and Sweet 16 logos
Team bench chairs with the March Madness Elite 8 and Sweet 16 logos / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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As 2024 winds down and we prepare for a new calendar year, the nonconference portion of the college basketball season is reaching its conclusion. In just a few weeks, leagues will get into the meat of their schedules, setting up plenty of NCAA Tournament implications.

While it's still way too early to get wrapped up in March Madness seeding, it's still fun to see where teams stand in mid-December. This week, ESPN's Joe Lunardi updated his Bracketology, which includes 10 Big Ten teams. That's the second-highest total for any league, behind only the SEC (13).

Before taking a look at the 10 Big Ten teams Lunardi currently has in the field, he also has a three teams from the conference on the NCAA Tournament bubble, but on the outside looking in.

Lunardi currently has Nebraska and Indiana listed in his "First Four Out" category. Iowa is labeled as a "Next Four Out" squad. The 10 Big Ten teams Lunardi has in the field include: Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, UCLA and Wisconsin.

Here's where Lunardi has those 10 teams seeded as of Dec. 17 (you can view the complete bracket here):

First Four

  • No. 12 Ohio State vs. No. 12 Arizona State

South Region (Atlanta)

  • No. 6 Michigan vs. No. 11 Creighton/No. 11 Missouri
  • No. 8 Wisconsin vs. No. 9 North Carolina

Midwest Region (Indianapolis)

  • No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 13 Kent State
  • No. 6 Illinois vs. No. 11 Providence
  • No. 7 Dayton vs. No. 10 Penn State

West Region (San Francisco)

  • No. 4 UCLA vs. No. 13 Lipscomb
  • No. 8 Maryland vs. No. 9 Arkansas

East Region (Newark)

  • No. 3 Oregon vs. No. 14 Milwaukee
  • No. 5 Michigan State vs. No. 12 Liberty

Related stories

BIG TEN BASKETBALL POWER RANKINGS: Two new additions to the Big Ten — UCLA and Oregon — have been two of the most impressive teams thus far. How far have they climbed in the power rankings? CLICK HERE

LATEST ASSOCIATED PRESS POLL: Take a look at the Associated Press college basketball poll, which was released on Monday, Dec. 16. CLICK HERE

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Dustin Schutte
DUSTIN SCHUTTE

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