ESPN Bracketology: Big Ten leads all conferences with 9 NCAA tournament teams

There's no doubt that the Big Ten is the deepest conference in college basketball

As February comes to a close, the race for the Big Ten regular season championship is becoming more clouded. Six teams are within two games of first place in the league with three weeks left to play.

With the amount of balance and competition in the Big Ten, it should come as no surprise that the league has separated itself from all others in ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi's latest projection for the NCAA Tournament.

Lunardi is currently projecting nine Big Ten teams in the field of 68. The next closest conferences are the Big 12 and the Big East, which Lunardi projects to get seven teams in the tournament.

Having once been projected as high as a 3-seed, Michigan State has slide down to a 5-seed in ESPN's projection after losing five of its past nine games. The Spartans are matched up with 12-seed Davidson — Lunardi's automatic qualifier out of the Atlantic 10 conference — in the South Regional bracket.

The Wildcats would provide an intriguing matchup for Michigan State. Former Spartan point guard Foster Loyer leads Davidson in scoring (16.5) and assists (3.5) per game. He is shooting 45.4 percent from the field, 43.8 percent from three-point range and 94 percent from the free throw line.

Big Ten teams joining Michigan State in the South region are 10-seed Indiana and 11-seed Michigan, who Lunardi projects as one of his "Last Four In". In this projection, the Wolverines would have to battle fellow 11-seed Memphis in a play-in game.

Purdue is the highest-seeded Big Ten team in Lunardi's projections as the 2-seed in the Midwest region. Joining the Boilermakers in the Midwest is Ohio State as a 5-seed.

Wisconsin is projected as the 4-seed in the West region, while Illinois is projected as the 4-seed in the East region. Joining the Fighting Illini in the East are 7-seed Iowa and 11-seed Rutgers.

Fortunately for the Michigan State, which upcoming matchups with Illinois, Purdue and Ohio State, as well as the Big Ten Tournament, there is still ample opportunity for the Spartans to improve upon their projected 5-seed.

Michigan State will host Illinois tomorrow (Feb. 19), before hitting the road for a trip to Iowa on Tuesday, Feb. 22.

For Joe Lunardi's full NCAA Tournament projection, click here.