A wild final day of the Big Ten regular season has produced a three-way tie at the top of the standings. Because Michigan beat Penn State and Ohio State edged Michigan State on Sunday, three teams will be listed as champions for the 2011-12 season: Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State.
Going into the day, Michigan State held a one-game lead over Michigan and Ohio State. After Michigan managed to hold off Penn State on the road earlier in the day, the Wolverines moved into position for a share of the Big Ten title if it got some help from the Buckeyes. For much of the first half, Ohio State gave Michigan very little help. Michigan State was having its way with the Buckeyes, but Ohio State battled back and won 72-70 on a last-second shot by William Buford, giving itself and Michigan a share of the Big Ten title. For the Wolverines, this is their first regular-season title since 1986.
With the way things shook out on Sunday, the final Big Ten standings at the top of the conference look like this:
t-1. Ohio State (13-5)
t-1. Michigan State (13-5)
t-1. Michigan (13-5)
4. Wisconsin (12-6)
Next in line are Indiana and Purdue, which are playing right now to determine who will finish fifth in the conference. After that, you have Northwestern and Iowa tied for seventh, Minnesota and Illinois tied for ninth and Nebraska and Penn State tied for last.
For the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis next week, Michigan State holds the No. 1 seed. Michigan is slotted second and Ohio State is third based on a variety of tiebreakers.
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