5 Big Ten teams with the toughest paths to NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament ft. Illinois
The Big Ten Conference has unveiled the schedule of the 18 teams competing in the 2024–25 NCAA Men's Basketball regular season. The schedule revealed the teams' paths to secure a bid to the 68-team NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, also known as March Madness.
The inclusion of former Pac-12 programs Oregon, USC, UCLA, and Washington in the conference will make the bid to secure a tournament ticket a lot more difficult.
Looking at the 2024-25 NCAA regular season schedule of the 14 programs, five teams will have the toughest paths to reach their destination.
5 Big Ten teams with toughest paths to NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
#1 Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois is in for a treacherous route in the 2024–25 season after making the Elite Eight last year. The defending Big Ten Tournament champion will have Southeastern Conference squads Tennessee and Arkansas on its schedule.
The Volunteers are coming off a successful NCAA season where they made the Elite Eight, while the Razorbacks are looking to bounce back after a horrible 2023–24 season with new coach John Calipari calling the shots.
That's not all. The Fighting Illini will also take on Horizon League regular season and tournament champions Oakland, which upset Kentucky in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, and ACC power Duke.
They will play host to conference foe Iowa, Maryland, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, UCLA, and USC and visit Indiana (in a rivalry game), Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, Rutgers, and Washington.
Illinois will have home and away games against Michigan State, Wisconsin, and perennial rival Northwestern.
#2 Purdue Boilermakers
Months after finishing runner-up to UConn in the 2024 NCAA men's basketball final, Purdue will be tested again with a difficult 2024–25 regular season schedule.
The Boilermakers will have a tough non-conference schedule with matches against 2024 Final Four participant Alabama, Big East power Marquette and SEC teams Texas A&M and Auburn sandwiched in the first part of the new season.
In terms of conference play, Purdue will host Maryland, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, UCLA, USC and Wisconsin in regular season action, while they will visit Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan State, Oregon, Penn State and Washington.
The Boilermakers will play home and away games against Michigan, Rutgers and rival Indiana. Their two-game series against the Hoosiers is for the Indiana National Guard Governors' Cup title.
#3 Michigan State Spartans
Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans will be in for a tough ride in the 2024–25 regular season as they will participate in the Champions Classic against Big 12 power Kansas and compete in the 2025 Maui Invitational.
They will also face Horizon League champions Oakland in a home game on December 17.
In Big Ten conference play, Michigan State will play host to Indiana, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin. On the other hand, they will clash with Iowa, Maryland, Northwestern, Ohio State, Rutgers, UCLA and USC on the road.
Their rivalry with Michigan will have a home-and-away sequel this season, as will their games against Minnesota and Illinois.
#4. Iowa Hawkeyes
The Iowa Hawkeyes will have a bunch of non-conference games in its 2024–25 NCAA men's basketball regular season before venturing into matches against Big Ten conference foes.
Iowa's non-conference schedule features games against Utah State in the Hall of Fame Classic and Iowa State in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series. Other non-conference matchups include games against Utah, Washington State and South Dakota.
In conference play, Iowa is set to have home and away games against Nebraska, Northwestern and Wisconsin.
The Hawkeyes will host games against Indiana, Michigan State, Minnesota, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue and Washington and will visit Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, State, Rutgers, UCLA and USC.
The Hawkeyes will parade an almost intact roster, adding four players from the transfer portal and through high school recruitment.
Iowa acquired Morehead State's Drew Thelwell and Manhattan standout Seydou Traore from the transfer portal. On the other hand, Cooper Koch and Chris Tadjo are their recruits from high school who will beef up the Hawkeyes in the coming season.
#5 Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes are looking to make the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament after failing last season.
However, Jake Diebler's squad will be in for a tough November and December as they will face SEC teams Texas on November 4 for the Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas, Texas A&M on November 15 and Kentucky in the CBS Sports Classic on December 21.
In regular-season action, Ohio State will play Indiana, Maryland and Nebraska in a series of home and away games during the regular season.
The Buckeyes, meanwhile, play host to Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Oregon, Rutgers and Washington. It will visit Illinois, Minnesota, Penn State, Purdue, UCLA, USC and Washington during the 2024–25 regular season.
The Buckeyes will parade transfer players Micah Parrish, Meechie Johnson, Aaron Bradshaw and Sean Stewart and four-star high school recruit Juni Mobley for next season.