A 10th-straight loss in the Big Ten-Atlantic Coast Conference Challenge was hard to swallow last week, especially knowing that Iowa's freshman forward Andrew Brommer let overtime - and a crack at a win against Boston College - bounce off of the rim on the first of a one-and-one at the free throw line. Just as tough was watching Illinois senior guard Chester Frazier dribble the ball as time expired in their game at home against Clemson. He did not even try to throw up a brick to force an overtime, instead handing the Tigers the 76-74 win.
But if we take away the two blunders and the two losses by Michigan State and Purdue, there is no question that the Big Ten looks far better from top to bottom than it has in years. Even Penn State and Northwestern, two cellar-dwelling teams in the conference standings in recent years, managed to pull off a victory in their respective games last week and currently have better records than the three ranked teams in the conference.
Speaking of ranked teams, look out for Ohio State, Michigan and Minnesota. Though unranked since the beginning of the year, these three teams have been making waves for their play so far this season. Minnesota has yet to lose a game this season and could be looking at a perfect non-conference record going into Big Ten play if they can just topple Louisville in two weeks. Ohio State has gotten off to a surprisingly good start as well, brandishing a perfect 5-0 record to date with two consecutive wins against ranked opponents. And who would have ever thought Michigan was capable of defeating the No. 4 team in the country twice in just a little over two weeks?
You can probably chalk this surge of improved performance in the conference up to a wave of new coaches and new attitudes at many of the schools in the Big Ten. In terms of experience, Bo Ryan and Tom Izzo are old fogies in the Big Ten coaching arena - both, by the way, have made the NCAA tournament in each of the last seven years. Michigan, Penn State, Iowa, Ohio State, Purdue, Illinois, Minnesota and Indiana all have head coaches with five or fewer full seasons under their belts at their current schools. Thad Matta at Ohio State and Bruce Weber at Illinois have already taken their squads to Final Fours in their short tenures. Relative newcomers Tom Crean at Indiana and Tubby Smith at Minnesota were both able to take their previous teams to the NCAA semifinal round before coming into the conference.
Which means the conference is led by a group of proven leaders and seasoned veterans who naturally force one another to step up or let their school fall behind. This also means a number of positive outcomes for the teams in the Big Ten. For starters, in a conference chock full of highly competitive teams, when any two of these teams meet each other on the court after Christmas, the loser won't fall as hard in the eyes of the national pundits and, more importantly, the NCAA selection committee. It also means the selection committee will probably find more teams from the conference worthy of making the tournament. Look for as many as seven teams to get an invitation to the big dance at the end of the year.
To the schools and the conference, this means more national attention and probably more money from media outlets and advertisers who want to be linked to Big Ten basketball.
And to the fans, it means tougher battles on the court, more intensity from the stands and a greater interest from the student bodies. Basketball mania will extend out of March into January, and Midwesterners will not be the only ones tuning in. So far, Big Ten basketball has shown in this fledgling season that it is a force to be reckoned with and demands attention. Commissioner's Cup or not, the teams of the Big Ten conference have made a statement in the last few weeks and have proven they can compete with anyone.
Do you think the Big Ten Conference is strong enough to send one of its teams to the Final Four? Send responses to Andy at avansistine@wisc.edu.
