12/1/2023 0 Comments Big 10 basketball tournamentThe Spartans are 10-2 all-time against the Golden Eagles/Warriors/Hilltoppers, though 10 of those games took place prior to 1960. The Skinny: Marquette University is not to be confused with Marquette, Michigan, the Gem of the Upper Peninsula. Both looked like they can rise to the occasion in their 1st-round victories. It’s no surprise it is down to these 2, even if it’s a surprise that it’s already happening. And the previous instance was a heck of a lot more excusable than this one, should it come to fruition.īut since the bracket was revealed, the Hoosiers and Spartans felt like the B1G teams best suited to make a run this March. If Indiana loses to Miami and Michigan State falls to Marquette, the conference will be in a spot it hasn’t found itself in 80 years. Thanks to Purdue’s insistence on doing Purdue things in March, Sunday is a precarious day in Big Ten basketball history. The Terps are moving back in the right direction. To get from last year’s 15-17 debacle to the 2nd round in his first year running the show was an impressive feat. Like Collins and Shrewsberry, Kevin Willard did a heck of a job this year. So it’s hard to quantify Maryland’s 73-51 loss as a disappointment. Speaking of teams capable of cutting down the nets, Alabama is unquestionably the most athletic team left in this field. The Horns are very capable of cutting down the nets in Houston. Or that they were in the game with Texas’ tenacious defense holding all-American Jalen Pickett to 11 points. It’s somewhat remarkable the Nittany Lions rallied from 11 points down and held a late lead despite shooting 8-for-28 from 3-point range. 2 Texas a run for its money in a 71-66 loss. Shrewsberry and the Lions kept that mojo rolling into the NCAA Tournament, upsetting 7th-seeded Texas A&M before giving No. The Lions were very nearly the best in the Big Ten Tournament, coming just 3 points shy of their first conference title since winning the 1991 Atlantic 10 Tourney. Shrewsberry earned such a good reputation in Year 1 that people recognized there was no way Penn State would be the worst team in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions were picked 11th in the league under 2nd-year coach Micah Shrewsberry - and done so with respect. The Cats did well to go toe-to-toe with a legitimate national title contender. (And ironically, neither ended up having a longer season than his former team.)Īs UCLA coach Mick Cronin noted after his team’s 68-63 win over the Wildcats, “What Chris Collins has done at Northwestern is a miracle, really.” Their 2 best players transferred to North Carolina and Duke. The Wildcats were picked 13th in the preseason poll, and justifiably so. Penn State, Northwestern and Maryland did what was asked of them, winning tough first-round matchups before running into superior opponents in Round 2. 2nd round was a feat for Cats, Lions and Terps The Big Ten teams that lost Saturday can hardly be blamed for this failure, though. And the only reason a Big Ten team wasn’t in the 1943 Tournament was because Illinois declined its invite after having 3 starters drafted - not by the NBA, which didn’t exist, but by Uncle Sam, who was fighting World War II. If that happens, it’s impossible to describe the 2023 NCAA Tournament as anything short of a disaster for the league.Ī Big Ten team has been among the final 16 playing every year since 1944 - back when the Tournament only had 8 teams. Which also means there’s a very realistic chance that no Big Ten teams will get to the Sweet 16. Last year, that still-slim number moved up to 2.Īnd this March, there are a maximum of 2 Big Ten teams who still might make it that far: Indiana and Michigan State. In 2021, only a single Big Ten team advanced to the Sweet 16. So, it seems we’re going to make a habit of this.
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