The Northwestern Wildcats held off Iowa on Saturday afternoon and finished the regular season 18-12 overall and 8-10 in Big Ten Conference play. The Iowa game didn't figure to do much for Northwestern's NCAA tournament chances, but it was without question a game the Wildcats could not afford to lose.
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And according to ESPN's Joe Lunardi, who updated his bracket projection on Sunday night, the win didn't do much, but it did keep Northwestern in the field of 68 -- Lunardi has the Wildcats among his last four teams in the tournament.
Based on that, Northwestern's Big Ten Tournament opener against Minnesota on Thursday amounts to a must-win game, and the Wildcats would probably need a win on Friday as well to feel somewhat comfortable.
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