A closer look at the B1G's five Bubble teams:
Michigan 18-11/9-9:
The worldwide leader has the Wolverines as a lock and, as I noted above, there is a strong case to be made for that. If they win either of their two remaining regular season games (vUNL, @UMD), I will concur with ESPN and promote them to a lock. My concern is what if they don't? If they lose their two remaining regular season games they will finish 18-13/9-11 and possibly drop into the B1G's #11 or #12 seed where they would face either UNL or NU next Wednesday in Indy. If they also lost that, they would finish 18-14 overall and 9-12 in league games along with being on a five-game losing streak including two very bad losses. They still might get in, but that would be close.
Rutgers 18-11/9-9:
The good news / bad news for the Scarlet Knights is that their last two games are tough, really tough (vUMD, @PU). The good news is that a win in either would be a quality win that would likely lock up a bid for them. The bad news is that losing both is a very real possibility. If they DO lose both they are in trouble. That would mean an 18-13/9-11 finish and, like Michigan, that raises the very real possibility of dropping to the #11 or #12 seed where they would face either UNL or NU next Wednesday in Indy. I absolutely do NOT think that Rutgers can afford to lose those three games.
Indiana 18-11/8-10:
The good news for the Hoosiers is that their last two regular season games are at home. The bad news is that they face an absolutely desperate Minnesota team tomorrow night. In the Gophers' last two games they gave Maryland (in Minneapolis) and Wisconsin (in Madison) everything they could handle but came up just short. Will the Gophers continue playing at that level or will they run out of gas? After the Minnesota game the Hoosiers host a Wisconsin team that has been on fire of late. The Badgers have now won six straight and seven of eight.
Purdue 15-14/8-10:
The Boilermakers take on Iowa in Iowa City tonight then head home to face Rutgers this weekend. Losing both would be significantly problematic. 1-1 would leave them with work to do heading into Indy. Winning both would probably be enough if the season just ended there at 17-14 but it doesn't, they would still have to go to Indy probably needing at least one win.
Minnesota 13-15/7-11:
Sometimes having your good and bad games at the wrong times can really hurt you and, IMHO, that is the case for the Gophers. In their last two games they looked like a contender taking first Maryland and then Wisconsin to the wire. About a week earlier they looked fairly listless in home losses to Iowa and Indiana. If Minnesota had had their good games against IU and IA instead of UMD and UW they probably would have won the IA and IU home games and been blown out in the UMD and UW games. They would be 15-13/9-9 and in MUCH better shape. They didn't so now they are in serious trouble. Their last two games are at Indiana tomorrow night and vs Nebraska this weekend. They probably need to win both to have any realistic chance short of winning the BTT.