College Hoops: Big Ten faces tough road ahead
This week, a new season began for a sport that provides more ups and downs for its fans than any other sport in the U.S.
That sport is the five-month-long journey of college basketball.
During the course of a season, the first-ranked team will change an average of 10 times and around 60 teams will crack into the top-25 rankings. Many of these ranked teams start as overrated and drop out immediately, while other talented teams will succeed all season long and only get recognition after the voters can no longer refuse to ignore them.
One conference that will likely have many teams fall into the first category is the Big Ten. As in football, the Big Ten earns recognition because of its illustrious past, filled with great successes back in the days of old. Unfortunately, while times have changed dramatically, the mindsets of writers and voters across the country have failed to keep up.
This season, the Big Ten had six teams ranked in the top 25 for pre-season rankings: Michigan State (2), Purdue (7), Michigan (15), Ohio State (16), Illinois (23) and Minnesota (25). While all of these teams were in the National Championship Tournament (March Madness) last year, only Michigan State and Purdue advanced past the second round, and only Michigan State went on past the third, eventually making their way to the National Championship game.
If you take away the numbers for Michigan State, which has been the dominant leader of the conference for many years now, the six other teams that made the tournament went a combined 4-6 for a winning percentage of .400. This would place the conference fifth among the "Big Six" Conferences (Pac 10, Big East, Big 12, Big 10, SEC and ACC) in winning percentage, ahead of only the SEC.
This typical, sub-par showing begs the question of why the conference continues to be so highly-rated year after year. In the conference's favor is the ability for one Big East team to reach the National Championship game. Michigan State accomplished that feat last year, Ohio State did three years ago with star Greg Oden, and Illinois was able to fight its way there through a few rare comebacks five years back.
That sport is the five-month-long journey of college basketball.
During the course of a season, the first-ranked team will change an average of 10 times and around 60 teams will crack into the top-25 rankings. Many of these ranked teams start as overrated and drop out immediately, while other talented teams will succeed all season long and only get recognition after the voters can no longer refuse to ignore them.
One conference that will likely have many teams fall into the first category is the Big Ten. As in football, the Big Ten earns recognition because of its illustrious past, filled with great successes back in the days of old. Unfortunately, while times have changed dramatically, the mindsets of writers and voters across the country have failed to keep up.
This season, the Big Ten had six teams ranked in the top 25 for pre-season rankings: Michigan State (2), Purdue (7), Michigan (15), Ohio State (16), Illinois (23) and Minnesota (25). While all of these teams were in the National Championship Tournament (March Madness) last year, only Michigan State and Purdue advanced past the second round, and only Michigan State went on past the third, eventually making their way to the National Championship game.
If you take away the numbers for Michigan State, which has been the dominant leader of the conference for many years now, the six other teams that made the tournament went a combined 4-6 for a winning percentage of .400. This would place the conference fifth among the "Big Six" Conferences (Pac 10, Big East, Big 12, Big 10, SEC and ACC) in winning percentage, ahead of only the SEC.
This typical, sub-par showing begs the question of why the conference continues to be so highly-rated year after year. In the conference's favor is the ability for one Big East team to reach the National Championship game. Michigan State accomplished that feat last year, Ohio State did three years ago with star Greg Oden, and Illinois was able to fight its way there through a few rare comebacks five years back.
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