While we have all been hyper-focused on football for the past several months, college basketball is in full swing and getting into the meat of conference play. Ohio State is 11-5 overall and 3-3 in Big
Ten play, but is coming off a loss to Washington this past Sunday.
It’s shaping up to be another season where the Buckeyes are on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament throughout Big Ten play. However, the opportunities for Ohio State to build its NCAA Tournament résumé are going to be there in abundance in the Big Ten.
This week, there are five teams from the Big Ten in the AP Top 25. Three of those teams are in the top eight: Michigan (No. 4), Purdue (No. 5), and Nebraska (No. 8). Michigan State (No. 12) and Illinois (No. 13) are also in the Top 25, while Wisconsin and USC are both receiving votes.
In ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology on Friday, the Big Ten leads the field with 10 teams projected in the NCAA Tournament.
There’s a legitimate argument that the Big Ten is the best conference in the country in college basketball. All of the ranked teams are either 4-1 or 5-0 in conference play. Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, and UCLA are all 3-2, while Ohio State is 3-3. Washington, USC, and Iowa are all 2-3.
That means 13 of the 18 teams in the Big Ten are, at the very least, just one game over .500 in conference play.
Elsewhere in college basketball, five teams from the Big 12 are in the Top 25. Five ACC teams are ranked, while the SEC leads with six.
But considering the Big Ten has three teams in the top eight and two teams in the top five, that’s a good enough argument to say the Big Ten is the best conference in the country. Another thing is that the Big Ten is the only Power Four conference with 20 conference games. That’s almost three months of Big Ten play to determine which team is the best in the conference.
The Big Ten has been known for its physicality and home-court advantages. That’s what makes it such a tough conference. While the conference’s identity may be a contributing factor in its lack of a national champion since 2000, that doesn’t diminish the quality of basketball the conference produces in the regular season.
Michigan looks the part of a national championship contender. Purdue has the best point guard in the country, Braden Smith. Nebraska is in the midst of a dream season. Michigan State is an extremely physical and versatile team. Illinois is also right there once again in the Big Ten.
Ohio State still gets Michigan twice, plus games against Michigan State, Iowa, and Purdue. Those are ample opportunities to build a résumé to put themselves on the right side of the bubble this season. The Big Ten is a talented, tough, and deep conference. It may be college basketball’s best conference right now.
At the very least, it has a strong argument to be that.
