My (and your) Big Ten Tourney picks

Some say say it's hard to beat a team a third time in college basketball. I say it isn't. If you've already beaten that team twice, that is. Otherwise, it's darn near impossible.

Here are my Big Ten tourney picks. Put yours in the comment section, preferably before 11 a.m., Thursday.

THURSDAY

Indiana 68, Illinois 66. A coin-flip between two teams that gave spirited accounts of themselves on the road last Saturday as big underdogs.

Ohio State 71, Purdue 59. You can go enjoy spring break now, Boilermakers.

Minnesota 73, Penn State 68. Gophers beat Lions twice.

Iowa 74, Northwestern 59. Hawkeyes destroyed Wildcats twice.

FRIDAY

Michigan 75, Indiana 74. If the Hoosiers elude Illinois, I expect this to be a sizzling coin-flip of a game.

Ohio State 64, Nebraska 60. Nebraska could be this year's version of Iowa 2013, a team that belongs in the NCAA tourney but may not necessarily land there. I hope it does, and it should.

Wisconsin 67, Minnesota 66. NCAA bubble teams don't go out without some swinging, but Badgers are just better.

Michigan State 90, Iowa 85 (2 OT). Two things I know. Ted Valentine won't be one of the officials, and the game will go even later than normal because I'm on deadline.

SATURDAY

Michigan 66, Ohio State 64. For some reason, top-seeded Wolverines won't want to get its tourney over early to focus on the NCAAs.

Michigan State 66, Wisconsin 61. Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky was all-first team Big Ten, but that's because MSU's Adreian Payne missed several games.

SUNDAY

Michigan State 63, Michigan 59. It's hard to beat a team three times ... if that team is Michigan State.

But I could be wrong ... about almost all of this. The only games in the tourney I feel confident about are Ohio State-Purdue and Iowa-Northwestern.

What are your predictions?