March Madness Shockwaves: Can Purdue Bounce Back as Big Ten Seizes Control of NCAA Bracket?

You’ve gotta love the madness brewing deep in college hoops this season — the Big Ten’s flexing hard with four teams perched within the coveted top three seeds, dominating USA TODAY Sports’ freshest bracketology update. Meanwhile, Purdue’s been tasting a tougher slice of reality, slipping down to a No. 4 seed after that tough 72-67 loss to Indiana — marking their third stumble in a row . The Boilermakers find themselves trailing the pack at 7-3 in conference play, with Michigan, Illinois, Nebraska, and Michigan State sharing the spotlight as co-leaders. Amid all this shuffle, the Hoosiers have clawed their way back from a rough patch, snagging consecutive wins and boosting their standing to 14-7 overall . The Wolverines keep sitting pretty atop the No. 1 seeds, joined by some heavyweight contenders like Arizona, Duke, and Connecticut. Over in the SEC, there’s a little musical chairs action too; Auburn climbs up to No. 7 on a winning streak, while Kentucky takes a surprising tumble after a harsh 25-point loss to Vanderbilt. It’s bracket madness unfolding in real time — and it’s as riveting as ever. LEARN MORE

With four teams on the top three lines, the Big Ten continues to show out in USA TODAY Sports’ latest installment of bracketology.

But one Big Ten heavyweight, Purdue, drops to a No. 4 seed after falling 72-67 to Indiana on Tuesday night for its third loss in a row. The Boilermakers are now 7-3 in conference play, two games behind co-leaders Michigan, Illinois Nebraska and Michigan State.

The updated bracket finds s place for the Hoosiers, who have rebounded from a four-game slide with two wins in a row to climb to 14-7 overall and 5-5 in league play.

The Wolverines remain on the No. 1 line, joined by Arizona, Duke and Connecticut. Nebraska is a No. 2, along with Illinois, while Michigan State is a No. 3.

Purdue is replaced on the No. 3 line by Texas Tech, which moved to 16-4 on the heels of a five-game winning streak that included marquee victories against Brigham Young and Houston.

There was one slight change in the SEC. Auburn and Kentucky swapped spots, with the Tigers moving up to a No. 7 after winning four in a row and the always confounding Wildcats down to a No. 8 after getting losing by 25 points to Vanderbilt on Tuesday night.