When conference previews come out in the preseason, experts and sports analysts try to figure out which team will rise above the rest to finish with the best record and be named conference champion.
Usually, there are a few teams that are picked as the clear-cut favorite to win, but the odds of that team actually finishing atop the conference are not always good. Then again, neither are the odds of four teams all finishing as conference champions.
The Big Ten defied those odds last year. Wisconsin, Ohio State, Illinois and Indiana all finished with identical 11-5 conference records to each earn a share of the Big Ten regular season title. Two more teams, Michigan State and Minnesota, finished at least two games out of a share of that title. Five of those teams earned a bid in the National Championship tournament.
This year is no different. At least six teams are poised to make a run at the Big Ten title this year. As of Monday, Purdue and Michigan were tied with 7-2 conference records to lead the Big Ten. However, four more teams-- Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan State--were also within two games of that lead. Once again, the Big Ten regular season champion may not be known until the last few days of the season.
One of the biggest reasons for this \log-jam"" atop the Big Ten standings is the factor of homecourt advantage. Winning on the road in the Big Ten is harder than just about anywhere else. No team in the Big Ten has better than a .500 record on the road in conference games. Big Ten teams have won a combined 13 away games within the conference compared to a whopping 32 home games in the conference. Without an outstanding home and away record, it has been difficult for any team to stand out high above the rest.
It does not look like the Big Ten picture will clear up anytime soon either. Purdue has gone 8-2 in their last ten games and does not look to slow down any time soon. Michigan is a team playing with nothing to gain, since they are ineligible to make the National Championship tournament this year. They are, however, still eligible for the Big Ten tournament and wouldn't mind spoiling the post-season dreams of some Big Ten teams.
Illinois looks to use a combination of veteran leadership (senior forward Brian Cook leads the conference in scoring) and rookie contribution (freshman guard Dee Brown leads the conference in assists) in its search for the top of the Big Ten mountain. Wisconsin has perhaps the easiest schedule to finish out the Big Ten season. Two of their three remaining road games are against teams with sub-.500 conference records and they don't play Purdue or Michigan State for the rest of the year. A 13-game conference home winning streak doesn't hurt either.
Minnesota has found it hard to win on the road this year and it will not get any easier with four remaining road games. Three of those four games feature Michigan State, Indiana and Illinois, which have a total of two home losses between the four of them. Michigan State is warming up at the right time, winning three of their last four games in their push to the end of the season.
Any of these six teams, or possibly some other surprise team, could end up at the top of the Big Ten by the end of the year. Then again, perhaps all of them could end up sharing the top of the Big Ten mountain. At this point, there is definitely no obvious team one could pick to win it all. So for now, we'll just have to wait and see.
