The News
Tuesday 23 of April 2024

Big Ten has 8 teams in NCAA, 11 leagues with multiple teams


AP Photo,Michigan State's Kenny Goins cuts a piece of the net after defeating Michigan 65-60 in an NCAA college basketball championship game in the Big Ten Conference tournament, Sunday, March 17, 2019, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
AP Photo,Michigan State's Kenny Goins cuts a piece of the net after defeating Michigan 65-60 in an NCAA college basketball championship game in the Big Ten Conference tournament, Sunday, March 17, 2019, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

The Big Ten Conference has doubled its presence in the NCAA Tournament a year after its fewest picks in a decade.

Eight Big Ten teams were selected for the 68-team field on Sunday, the most for any league. The ACC, which had three of the No. 1 seeds, and the SEC each got seven teams. Six Big 12 schools made the field.

There were only four teams from the Big Ten last year, when Michigan did make it to the NCAA championship game. That was the fewest since only four teams in 2008, when the league had only 11 men’s basketball teams overall instead of the current 14.

Eleven different conferences sent multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament.

There were seven teams from mid-major or smaller conferences that got at-large berths.

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