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GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 24 • 9 4. Purdue: The Boilermak- ers haven't won a Big Ten Tournament game since 2012, but could really use one to remove all doubt about its NCAA standing. What's left to say? Purdue had a great Big Ten season and would love to finish it off right in Chicago, though Iowa would be no small test if that's who the Boilermakers draw. 5. Iowa: After back-to- back bad losses to Minne- sota and Northwestern, the Hawkeyes bounced back to win their final six regular-season games, including a home win over Illinois in a pivotal game for both teams, then a one-sided win at suddenly mid- dling IU. Iowa's hot but hasn't faced any of the league's heavyweights in a while. Forward Aaron White, who missed most of Iowa's loss at Purdue with a shoulder injury, is playing at a first-team all-conference level right now. 6. Ohio State: The Buckeyes couldn't have exited the regular season with a louder thud, losing at home to Wisconsin by like a hundred. D'Angelo Russell is unbelievable and no one will want to face him in Chicago, but likely first opponent Minnesota gave the Buckeyes all they could handle in Minneapolis earlier this season and may not be an easy out. 7. Indiana: We'll see what these guys are made of now. IU has lost four of its last five and five of its last six since nearly winning at Maryland Feb. 11. The Terps won't be thrilled to see the Hoosiers again Friday if Indiana gets past Northwestern. That's no given considering where the Hoosiers are right now. IU was an NCAA lock a short time ago; now, Northwestern is an elimination game. That's the same Wildcat team, by the way, that beat the Hoosiers by seven in Evanston two weeks ago. 8. Illinois: This is a pretty scary No. 8 seed if you ask us. Rayvonte Rice and Malcolm Hill can really score and Nnanna Egwu is one of the better bigs in the conference. Illinois has had chances to win games when it's urgently needed victories and failed a few times. Now, it gets at least one more. From an NCAA per- spective, the Illini is in must-win mode against Michigan. 9. Michigan: The Wol- verines, quite honestly, might just be playing out of the string of this injury- ravaged season. 10. Northwest- ern: After losing 10 straight Big Ten games — most of them by ra- zor-thin margins — after beat- ing Rutgers to start the confer- ence season, the Wildcats won five of their last seven. Would you want to draw these guys as a 10 seed? Good luck, Indiana. Better watch your back. 11. Minnesota: The Big Ten's second-most disappointing team this season, the Gophers stumble into the postseason after Penn State's D.J. Newbill ruined senior night with a buzzer- beating, game-winning three. Minnesota draws Rutgers first, so it should advance, but the Gophers shouldn't be considered a threat to do much else. 12. Nebraska: The Big Ten's most disappointing team, Nebraska could be deflated by its near miss against Maryland in its home finale. It would have given the Cornhuskers something to show for a lost regular season. 13. Penn State: Newbill, the Big Ten's leading scorer, is terrific, but this one-man-show team's shelf life is limited. 14. Rutgers: Hi, Rutgers, welcome to Chicago. The pizza is very differ- ent here. Have a safe trip home. j Tom Campbell Iowa has been at full strength for some time after Aaron White's shoulder problem at Purdue. The Hawkeyes enter the tournament as one of the hottest teams. When I say "good," you say "neighbor." P097313.1 State Farm, Home Office, Bloomington, IL Call me for your insurance needs and see how it feels to be on a #1 team. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. ® CALL ME TODAY. Now that's teamwork. Trent B Johnson, Agent 249 E State Street West Lafayette, IN 47906 Bus: 765-743-9595 trentismyagent.com