The Big Ten Tournament seedings have been released and the matchups are locked in, but the power rankings differ. Seeding is crucial for all teams, but some received undeserving spots, leading to slight disagreement in tournament lineups and The Daily Iowan’s rankings. The Big Ten Tournament starts on Thursday, and numerous teams have a shot at shaking things up.
12. Penn State

One of the easier decisions to make as far as seeding goes, Penn State has yet to wow anyone but the players’ mothers this season. Its only notable Big Ten win was against Ohio State, but one win will not help a team as far as rankings go. Penn State in the past has been one of the more dominate programs, but it has not had a lot go its way this season. Anything further than the first round will be surprising.

11. Indiana

This is another cellar-dwelling team that was able to steal one win away from Ohio State. The Hoosiers, who do not make a lot of flashy plays, are coming off of two losses at the hands of Michigan State. They are efficient on defense, though, and have the fourth-best fielding unit in the Big Ten. Indiana has the fourth-lowest number of errors in the Big Ten at 48. Their defense could get them out of the first round, but without that X-factor player on offense, a tournament run is unlikely.

10. Purdue

The Boilermakers could be ranked higher on this list if they played defense. Purdue has committed 89 errors this season, tied for last in the Big Ten with Maryland, which did not even make it into the tournament. One thing in the Boilermakers’ favor is momentum, which can do wonderful things for a team. Purdue swept Nebraska in its final conference series of the season, coming off a seven-game losing streak after opening up conference play with four wins. The Boilermakers could be a dark horse in the tournament.

9. Iowa

The Hawkeyes have the fifth-best pitching in the Big Ten and two of the best pitchers in it. Senior Shayla Starkenburg and freshman Allison Doocy are efficient at giving their defense easily played balls. Unfortunately, Iowa could be a more dynamic team if it had support from their batters. The Hawkeyes own the worst hitting in the Big Ten, and that will decide whether the Hawkeyes will make it out of the first round or not.

8. Northwestern

This is a team that could go far in the tournament. Just like Purdue, Northwestern has huge momentum heading into the tournament with a sweep of Illinois and winning their series against Iowa. It does not have flashy stats to back up that success, but the Wildcats have been consistent and are winning at the right time of the season, a recipe for postseason success.

7. Wisconsin