It’s a substantial day of hoops in the Big Ten.

The conference leader is in action with a rivalry matchup on deck and plenty of teams have something to play for when it comes to NCAA Tournament seeding. There’s no time to waste, let’s talk ball:

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It really can’t be overstated just how big this game is for Michigan.

The Wolverines lead the Big Ten but in-state rival Michigan State is right on their heels in second place. To maintain that distance the Wolverines have to play... their other rival. On the road.

This rivalry has more venom in football, especially in recent years, but this is still a game both teams should be expected to get up for. The Wolverines are red hot and riding a five-game winning streak into Value City Arena to face a Buckeyes group that has been pretty up and down.

Michigan has won some on the road to get here but got absolutely dismantled in Mackey Arena at the hands of Purdue, a loss the Wolverines only just now avenged.

I think Michigan stays hot.

Nebraska has gotta do everything it can if it wants to enter Selection Sunday with any hope at all of making the field. As such, this is a game the Huskers cannot afford to lose.

Northwestern is moribund but it’s not really the Wildcats’ fault. They lost do-it-all star Brooks Barnhizer, among the most underrated players nationally, to a season-ending injury.

These Wildcats are limping to the finish line and will in all likelihood break their ongoing streak of NCAA Tournament appearances for reasons that are, again, not really their fault. But, with Northwestern looking like this, they could be a dangerous loss for tournament hopefuls like Nebraska.

I think the Huskers have enough in them.

Iowa is another group that’s been dealing with injury woes as the Hawkeyes are without starting center Owen Freeman for the remainder of the season.

That looms especially large here as star freshman Derik Queen looms. He won’t face as much resistance from a depleted Iowa frontcourt and could have a huge game, especially at home.

The Hawkeyes have been struggling overall recently while Maryland has looked pretty good aside from a few stumbles.

I like the Terps.

This, a trip across literally the entire country, being a conference game is just... something else, man. Oof.

Anyway,

Rutgers is... fun to watch? Sometimes? At least?

It’s probably not great that Steve Pikiell has taken the most talented roster this program will ever have with two lottery picks and the Knights are far, far from being in the field of 68. But hey, you have to take the wins that come.

And has anyone fallen quite like Oregon? The Ducks earned wins over Alabama and Texas A&M in the nonconference but have tumbled in conference play with a losing record overall and a slip in the metrics.

But they should win here.