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Nine Big Ten Schools Set a Conference Record with Bids to Play in NCAA March Madness

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Basketball

The Big Ten Conference has tied a conference record with nine schools selected to compete in the 2022 NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball Championship, it was announced on the NCAA Men’s Basketball Selection Show on CBS.

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue, Rutgers and Wisconsin will all be taking part in this year’s tournament. All games will be televised on CBS Sports, TBS, TNT or truTV.

This marks the second consecutive year in which the Big Ten has sent a record-setting nine teams to the NCAA Tournament. Last year’s nine teams surpassed the previous conference record of eight NCAA Tournament participants, set in 2019. This is just the sixth time ever that a conference has secured at least nine bids to the NCAA Tournament. The Big Ten’s nine bids in 2022 and 2021 trail only the Big East in 2011, when the conference sent a record 11 teams to the NCAA Tournament.

Iowa secured the Big Ten’s automatic qualifier into the tournament and a No. 5 seed after defeating Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament championship. Iowa captured its third-ever Big Ten Tournament title and its first since 2006. The Hawkeyes will play in the Midwest bracket and will face No. 12 seed Richmond in the first round on March 17 in Buffalo, New York.

Purdue and Wisconsin were both awarded No. 3 seeds in the tournament, with the Badgers placed in the Midwest bracket and the Boilermakers slotted in the East bracket.

The Badgers earned a share of the 2022 Big Ten Championship following a 24-7 overall regular-season record, including a 15-5 in conference play. Wisconsin will open tournament play on March 18 against No. 14 seed Colgate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Purdue will also play in Milwaukee and is matched up against No. 14 seed Yale on March 18.

No. 4 seed Illinois was placed in the South bracket and will play No. 13 seed Chattanooga on March 18 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Two additional Big Ten teams will compete in the South bracket, with No. 7 seed Ohio State playing No. 10 seed Loyola Chicago in Pittsburgh on March 18, and No. 11 seed Michigan facing No. 6 seed Colorado State in Indianapolis, Indiana, on March 17.

Michigan State earned a No. 7 seed in the tournament and will open play against No. 10 seed Davidson on March 18 in Greenville, South Carolina.

Two Big Ten teams will open the tournament as a part of the First Four in Dayton, Ohio. No. 12 Indiana seed will be the first Big Ten team to tip off on March 15 when they face No. 12 seed Wyoming. On March 16, No. 11 seed Rutgers will face No. 11 seed Notre Dame. The winner of the Indiana-Wyoming game will move on to face No. 5 seed St. Mary’s in Portland, Oregon, while the winner of the Rutgers-Notre Dame game will advance to play No. 6 seed Alabama in San Diego, California.