Can anyone in the NCAA stop Minnesota?
As it stands right now, the Big Ten will put four of its seven teams into the NCAA tournament. Another is just below the cutline. And a sixth is sitting 18th in the Pairwise.
That's six teams in the top 30 percent of the Pairwise, and the conference's playoffs begin in less than two weeks. All of the top four – Minnesota, Michigan, Penn State, and Ohio State – are considered virtual locks to make the national tournament either by winning the postseason Big Ten championship or as an at-large team. Notre Dame's chances to make it sit at 52 percent, but they are currently the 13th-most likely team to get in. Michigan State, at 30 percent, is 17th in the country.
This percentage of teams qualifying for the NCAAs has to be pretty close to unprecedented, especially if the Big Ten can get the Fight