Approaching the midway point of the Big Ten season, there are still no answers as to who will win the conference title come March.
At the beginning of the season, Michigan State and Illinois looked to be the favorites, but at this point the Spartans (16-5, 4-3) are in second place, while the Illini (19-2, 5-2) are a part of the four-team log-jam for first place. Altogether, seven teams are within one game of each other in the conference standings, and the only constant has been the protection of the home floor. All seven of those teams, which also include Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State and Wisconsin, have yet to lose a Big Ten game at home. The team who is able to steal a game on the road will immediately have an edge in the long-run.
'It will sort itself out a little bit eventually,' head coach Bo Ryan said in his press conference Monday. 'But don't be surprised to see it still be a puzzle after another two or three weeks.'
The protection of the home floor that has developed will put the pressure on the host team in every game from here on out.
Wisconsin (15-5, 5-2) has been the most dominant team at home in recent conference history, but the loss to North Dakota State at home leaves that claim in jeopardy, while the Illini have now established a 33-game home winning streak.
The other five teams do not have long streaks like that, but it does not look like any of them are ready to lose a home conference game this season.
For the Badgers, their test against Illinois on Tuesday night will prove to be the biggest of the season to this point, as they will be pressured to prove they are still dominant at home, despite the loss to North Dakota State.
'It's a tough league,' Ryan said. 'Everywhere you go and everywhere you play, it is pretty hostile on the road. The teams always play on a high level.'
Don't count on the other four teams in the league to roll over, either. While they probably won't contend for the title, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue and Minnesota won't be easy to beat at home as well. In fact, the Gophers, who had yet to win a Big Ten game, surprised Indiana (12-5, 4-3) in Minneapolis, Minn. on Sunday.
The other big game of the week will be played in Iowa on Saturday, where the Hawkeyes will look to protect their home-court against Michigan, who recently climbed into the Top 25.
