The stakes for the Michigan at Michigan State basketball game at 8 p.m. Saturday are about as high as you can get. Thanks to Purdue's loss on Tuesday — and again, thanks to Minnesota for that — the Wolverines (26-4, 15-4 Big Ten) and Spartans (24-6, 15-4) will play for at least a share of the Big Ten regular season title. The Boilermakers (22-8, 15-4) still play at Northwestern at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. If Purdue loses, then the U-M/MSU game will be for all the marbles. Even if Purdue wins, it will earn the No. 2 seed in next week's Big Ten tournament in Chicago. That's because Purdue is a combined 1-2 against our two local schools this season. More:MSU regains control of Big Ten championship fate in unscripted fashion Here are how the scenarios play out: Michigan State wins, Purdue loses • No. 1 seed: MSU • No. 2 seed: U-M • No. 3 seed: Purdue Michigan wins, Purdue loses • No. 1 seed: U-M • No. 2 seed: MSU • No. 3 seed: Purdue Michigan State wins, Purdue wins • No. 1 seed: MSU • No. 2 seed: Purdue • No. 3 seed: U-M Michigan wins, Purdue wins • No. 1 seed: U-M • No. 2 seed: Purdue • No. 3 seed: MSU So as it stands, if there's a Round 3 of our instate rivalry, it would come in the Big Ten tournament final on Selection Sunday. More:Michigan-MSU part 2 now has Big Ten title implications Contact Kirkland Crawford: kcrawford@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @HiKirkHere.<doc-sep>Ahead of two more Big Ten games Thursday night, let's take a look at the up-to-the-minute 2019 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament bracket seed scenarios. The teams are listed by their current place in the Big Ten Standings (tiebreakers included). 1. Michigan State (15-4) -Already clinched double bye -Clinches #1 seed with win over Michigan -Clinches #2 seed with loss + Purdue loss at Northwestern -Clinches #3 seed with loss + Purdue win 2. Michigan (15-4) -Already clinched double bye -Clinches #1 seed with win at Michigan State -Clinches #2 seed with loss + Purdue loss at Northwestern -Clinches #3 seed with loss + Purdue win 3. Purdue (15-4) -Already clinched double bye but can?t be #1 seed -Clinches #2 seed with win at Northwestern -Clinches #3 seed with loss —————————————- 4. Wisconsin (12-6) -Can clinch #4 seed and double bye with wins over Iowa and at Ohio State OR with a split in final 2 games + Maryland loss vs Minnesota -Can fall as low as #6 with 2 losses + Maryland win + Iowa win at Nebraska -Seed range: 4-6 5. Maryland (12-7) -Can clinch #4 seed and double bye with win vs Minnesota + 2 Wisconsin losses OR with a win + Wisconsin loss + Purdue finishing ahead of Michigan -Clinches 5 seed if those things above don?t happen -Seed range: 4-5 —————————————- 6. Iowa (10-8) -Can?t clinch double bye. Highest possible seed is 5th. -Can clinch #5 seed with wins at Wisconsin and Nebraska + Maryland win + Wisconsin loss at Ohio State -Clinches no worse than #6 seed with 1 more win -Can fall as low as #7 seed with 2 losses + Minnesota win -Seed range: 5-7 7. Minnesota (9-10) -Will play on Thursday no matter what -Can jump as high as #6 seed with win at Maryland + 2 Iowa losses + Ohio State loss + tiebreakers -Can fall as low as #9 seed with loss + Iowa win + Ohio State win + 2 Illinois wins -Seed range: 6-9 8. Ohio State (8-11) -Will play on Thursday no matter what -Can jump as high as #7 seed with win over Wisconsin + tiebreakers -Can fall as low as #10 seed with loss + 2 Illinois wins + 2 Iowa wins + Rutgers win -Seed range: 7-10 9. Illinois (7-11) -Can clinch single bye with win vs Indiana or at Penn State -Can jump as high as #7 seed with wins over Indiana and at Penn State + Minnesota loss + Ohio State loss + Michigan State finishing ahead of Purdue -Can fall as low as #12 seed with 2 losses + Rutgers win at Indiana -Tied for widest range of any Big Ten team in terms of seeding-Seed range: 7-12 10. Rutgers (7-12) -Can clinch single bye with win at Indiana -Will play on Wednesday with a loss -Can jump as high as #8 seed with a win + 2 Iowa wins + Minnesota win + Ohio State loss + 2 Illinois losses -Can fall as low as #12 seed with a loss + Indiana win at Illinois + Penn State win over Illinois -Seed range: 8-12 11. Indiana (6-12) -Can clinch single bye with wins at Illinois and over Rutgers OR with win over Illinois + Penn State win over Illinois -Can jump as high as #8 seed with 2 wins + several other factors -Can fall as low as #13 seed with 2 losses + Penn State win + Nebraska win -Tied for widest range of any Big Ten team in terms of seeding -Seed range: 8-13 12. Penn State (6-13) -Can clinch #10 seed and single bye with win over Illinois + 2 Indiana wins -Can fall as low as #13 seed with loss + 2 Illinois wins + Rutgers win + Nebraska win -Seed range: 10-13 13. Nebraska (5-14) -Will not receive a bye and will play on Wednesday no matter what -Can jump as high as #11 seed with win over Iowa + 2 Indiana losses + Penn State loss -Will clinch #13 seed with loss -Seed range: 11-13 ——————————————— 14. Northwestern (4-15) -Clinched #14 seed. Will open against #11 seed on Wednesday at 9 ET.<doc-sep>By Andrew Seligman Associated Press Evanston, Ill. — A shaky start to the season didn’t rattle Purdue. The Boilermakers believed they were setting themselves up to go on a big run, and look at them now. Carsen Edwards scored 21 points and No. 11 Purdue clinched a share of the Big Ten regular-season championship with a 70-57 victory over Northwestern on Saturday. The Boilermakers (23-8, 16-4) secured their 24th conference title — second in three years — as well as the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago. They came in tied with Michigan State and Michigan, who played each other on Saturday night. Edwards, the Big Ten’s leading scorer, made just 6 of 18 shots. Nojel Eastern scored a career-high 15, and Purdue bounced back from a loss at Minnesota on Tuesday to win for the 17th time in 20 games. It’s quite a turnaround after a 6-5 start. The schedule early on wasn’t easy and there were some tight losses along the way. “We just saw what we had,” center Matt Haarms said. “We saw how good (we could be). We saw the offensive potential. We saw how if we worked on defense, there were things we could do that could be special. Maybe others didn’t realize that because they weren’t around us all the time.” Northwestern’s Vic Law scored 13 before getting carried off the court with a right knee injury in the second half. The senior went down when his knee hit Edwards’ right shin as he curled toward the top of the key off a screen near the Wildcats’ basket. The collision left Law clutching his cut right knee as he pounded the court in pain. He was tended to for several minutes before being carried off the court as the crowd gave him a loud ovation. Coach Chris Collins said he wasn’t sure of the extent of the injury. He said Law was going for more tests, though he was able to walk. “The most concerning thing is it was a pretty good cut,” Collins said. “It kind of broke open. That was the tough part of the thing. If there’s a way for him to keep playing, he will.” A.J. Turner scored 14. The last-place Wildcats (13-18, 4-16) lost for the 11th time in 12 games. Purdue had trouble putting this one away after building a 15-point lead in the second half. Northwestern got within 63-55 with 4:10 remaining on back-to-back 3s by Turner. But Edwards answered with a 3 and Eastern hit two free throws to make it a 13-point game. “We have three or four wins that we were very fortunate to have," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "But more than anything, Our guys improved. Our guys got better. We had some young guys have to grow up, play off the bench and play a role. A lot of times, there’s a lot of dissension. "There’s a lot of immaturity. There’s a lot of selfishness that comes because you’re young and you want to play. When you don’t have to play very much, you have to play a role. Our guys were really professional.” The Boilermakers bounced back from a loss at Minnesota and got the win despite some difficulties in this game. They made just 7 of 24 3-pointers, but held a 37-26 rebounding edge — 10-2 in offensive boards. As if the Wildcats needed more bad news this season, they might have to get by without their leading scorer. Law came in averaging 15.1 points. He missed the 2015-16 season because of a torn labrum in his left shoulder.<doc-sep>
Saturday is a big deal. Michigan State has a chance to repeat as Big Ten Conference champions, Michigan could win for the first time since 2014 while Purdue has a chance to win its second title in three seasons. Purdue (22-8, 15-4 Big Ten) plays Northwestern (12-17, 3-15 ) Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. hours before Michigan and Michigan State (both 26-4, 15-4) tip-off at 8 p.m. Purdue 1-2 against UM, MSU Regardless of the outcome of those games, the Boilermakers will either be a No. 2 or No. 3 seed in next week's conference tournament in Chicago, which begins Wednesday, March 13. Why don't the Boilers have a shot at the top spot? One, they were upset by the Minnesota Gophers on Tuesday night. As a result, their losing record against MSU-UM this season drops them out of contention for the top spot. On Dec. 1 in Ann Arbor, Purdue lost to Michigan 76-57. On Jan. 8 in East Lansing, Purdue lost to Michigan State 77-59. On Jan. 27 in West Lafayette, Purdue beat Michigan State 73-63. This means a Purdue win Saturday ensures a No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. A loss means dropping to a No. 3 seed. Depending on who wins Saturdays' game in East Lansing, either Michigan or Michigan State will take all or a complete share of the regular season title AND the top seed in the tournament. All three teams will start the Big Ten Tournament on Friday, March 15. Their initial games will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network. Closing out games:In loss at Minnesota, Purdue basketball reminded it can create problems grit can't fix Analysis:Purdue basketball season defined by Matt Painter's steadiness, Carsen Edwards' volatility Nate Chute is a producer with the USA Today Network. Follow him on Twitter at @nchute.