March Madness 2025: ESPN Includes 11 Big Ten Teams in Latest Bracketology Update

The Big Ten is represented well in Joe Lunardi's latest Bracketology projections at ESPN. The March Madness expert has 11 teams from the conference making the 2025 NCAA Tournament as we enter the final week of November.

Nebraska is the latest team from the Big Ten to wiggle its way into the field after defeating a ranked Creighton squad on the road last Friday. The Huskers are included as a No. 11 seed and are projected to participate in one of the four play-in games.

Purdue is the Big Ten team with the highest seed, listed as a No. 3 seed in the South Regional (Atlanta). The Boilermakers have earned a top-four seed each of the last seven NCAA Tournaments.

Although Penn State is off to a 6-0 start, Lunardi has the Nittany Lions listed among the First Four Out. Rutgers and Iowa are included in the Next Four Out category.

Here's the complete rundown of how Lunardi's projections as it relates to Big Ten teams:

Midwest Regional (Indianapolis)

• No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 12 Grand Canyon
• No. 7 Xavier vs. No. 10 Michigan
• No. 8 Mississippi State vs. No. 9 UCLA

East Regional (Newark)

• No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 12 Drake
• No. 6 Arkansas vs. No. 11 Nebraska/No. 11 Nevada (play-in game)
• No. 7 Illinois vs. No. 10 Clemson

West Regional (San Francisco)

• No. 7 Texas Tech vs. No. 10 Maryland

South Regional (Atlanta)

• No. 8 Michigan State vs. No. 9 Saint Mary's
• No. 5 Indiana vs. No. 12 Liberty
• No. 3 Purdue vs. No. 14 Purdue-Fort Wayne
• No. 7 Creighton vs. No. 10 Oregon