The Big Ten advanced four teams to the second weekend of the 2025 NCAA tournament and has a 12-4 record through 16 games.
After the league went unbeaten in the round of 64, Wisconsin (BYU), Oregon (Arizona), Illinois (Kentucky), and UCLA (Tennessee) all lost in the round of 32. The four teams still remaining in the Big Dance are Michigan State, Purdue, Maryland and Michigan.
Here’s a look at the Big Ten matchups in the NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen:
No. 1 Florida vs. No. 4 Maryland (Newark, Thursday, 7:39 p.m., TBS)
The coaching situation with Kevin Willard has dominated the headlines, but the Terps are in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2016. At 27-8 overall with a 6-1 record in March, Maryland enters Thursday’s game with momentum after Derik Queen’s game-winner to beat Colorado State.
But the Gators have even more momentum and are also the better team. Led by All-American guard Walter Clayton, Florida has won eight straight, 14 of 15 and survived a scare from defending national champion UConn in the round of 32 last Sunday.
The key storyline to watch is depth. The Gators have plenty of it, particularly in the frontcourt with Alex Condon, Rueben Chinyelu, Thomas Haugh and Micah Handlogten. The Terps have the better frontcourt duo in Julian Reese and Derik Queen, but don’t have the depth to withstand foul trouble. This game’s guard and wing play will be terrific as Rodney Rice, Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Selton Miguel square off with Clayton, Will Richard and Alijah Martin.
KenPom: Florida 81, Maryland 75Bart Torvik: Florida 79, Maryland 76Vegas: Florida -6.5
No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 6 Ole Miss (Atlanta, Friday, 7:09 p.m., CBS)
Since their stunning home loss to Indiana on February 11, the Spartans are 10-1, including wins at Illinois, Michigan and Maryland, all NCAA tournament teams. Michigan State survived a scare against New Mexico, 71-63, in the round of 32 on a night when it didn’t get much from star freshman Jase Richardson. he scored just six points on 1-for-10 shooting.
The Rebels relied heavily on 3-point shooting to get past North Carolina (8-for-20) and Iowa State (11-for-19), but the Spartans are one of the nation’s stingiest defensive teams. Opponents are shooting just 27.8 percent on triples against Michigan State this season, the lowest mark in the country.
Michigan State should also have a decided advantage on the glass. The Spartans rank 19th nationally in offensive rebounding percentage, according to KenPom.com, and eighth in defensive rebounding percentage. Ole Miss, meanwhile, ranks 314th in offensive rebounding percentage and 226th on the defensive glass.
KenPom: Michigan State 73, Ole Miss 70Bart Torvik: Michigan State 73, Ole Miss 70Vegas: Michigan State -3.5
No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 5 Michigan (Atlanta, Friday, 9:39 p.m., CBS)
Michigan limped to the finish line in the regular season with three straight losses to Illinois, Maryland and Michigan State. Since then, the Wolverines have ripped off five consecutive wins, including a run through the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis that included wins against Purdue, Maryland and Wisconsin.
As impressive as this stretch has been for Dusty May’s team, the Wolverines haven’t faced a team with the depth or athleticism of Auburn. The guard play of Auburn will make it difficult for former Tiger guard Tre Donaldson to find space to operate on the perimeter. That will likely put even more pressure on Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf to make plays to keep the offense afloat, but they’ll have to do it against Johni Broome, a legit contender for national player of the year.
But it’s not just Broome who can do damage for Bruce Pearl’s team: Freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford came off the bench and scored 23 points against Creighton and senior wing Chad Baker-Mazara will be a difficult cover for Michigan because of his size (6-foot-7) and versatility. Add in the fact that this game will feature a pro-Auburn crowd at the State Farm Center in Atlanta and it’s no surprise that the Wolverines are nearly a 10-point underdog.
KenPom: Auburn 80, Michigan 72Bart Torvik: Auburn 80, Michigan 72Vegas: Auburn -9.5
No. 1 Houston vs. No. 4 Purdue (Indianapolis, Friday, 10:09 p.m., TBS)
Houston’s reward for earning a No. 1 seed in the Midwest region is a matchup against the Boilermakers just 70 miles from the Purdue campus. The Cougars, however, are unlikely to be phased.
Houston has the nation’s longest winning streak at 15 games and the No. 1 defense in the country. It’s no secret that Purdue is reliant on its offense to win games: Purdue has the nation’s seventh-best offense and 55th-best defense. As great as Braden Smith has been all season, he can be turnover-prone, which could play right into Houston’s hands. Smith had eight turnovers in Purdue’s round of 32 win against McNeese on Saturday. The Boilermakers will need A+ efforts from Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn to keep pace with the Cougars.
Defensively, the Boilermakers must account for Houston point guard LJ Cryer, who just lit up Gonzaga for 30 points in an 81-76 win to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. J’Wan Roberts was also excellent in that win with 18 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals in 32 minutes. A lack of rim protection will be a problem for Purdue in this game.
KenPom: Houston 71, Purdue 64Bart Torvik: Houston 69, Purdue 61Vegas: Houston -8.5
Category: Media
Filed to: Maryland Terrapins, Michigan State Spartans, Michigan Wolverines, Purdue Boilermakers
