Big Ten poised for deep run come March Madness
Ohio State’s Sam Thompson, left, fights for a rebound against Northwestern’s Kale Abrahamson (13), Alex Marcotullio (4) and Mike Turner (10) in the first half at the Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday, February 14, 2013. Ohio State pulled out a 69-59 triumph.
The landscape of college basketball has long been dominated by power conferences such as the Big East and ACC. The two conferences boast nine of the last 14 NCAA champions respectively.
However, the ACC has fallen off in recent years, with perennial NCAA tournament teams such as Wake Forest, NC State, and Maryland sinking into mediocrity. The Big East is poised to take a hit too as seven of its Catholic schools, including Georgetown and Marquette, are exiting the conference in 2015.
So who will fill the void left by the ACC and Big East? Look no further than the Big Ten. Indiana and Michigan have joined the ranks of Michigan State, Ohio State and Wisconsin as the conference elites. These five schools are all ranked in the top 17, with three in the top 10.
If anyone is built for a crack at the national championship, it is Indiana and Michigan State. The Hoosiers have a Wooden Award candidate in their leading big man Cody Zeller, as well as perimeter firepower with swingman Christian Watford and guard Jordan Hulls. Perhaps most pivotal for Indiana is the play of their other Wooden Award candidate, guard Victor Olapido. At six feet and five inches, Oladipo’s play is reminiscent of NBA All-Star Dwyane Wade, one of coach Tom Crean’s former players at Marquette.
As for Michigan State, they get the nod over their in-state rivals Michigan for one reason, interior presence. The Spartans play is focused in the paint, with veteran big men Derrick Nix and Adreian Payne crashing the glass and star point guard Keith Appling. Pair this with freshman Evan Harris’ perimeter shooting and Sparty fit the mold of a complete team.
Ohio State is similar to Michigan in that their game is focused mainly around the outside of the arc. Their post-game is a glaring weakness. Amir Williams and Evan Ravanel failed to fill the void left by All-American Jared Sullinger, and the Buckeyes’ struggled to find offense, save Big Ten leading scorer DeShaun Thomas.
It will be interesting to see how these Big Ten alpha dogs fare against the nation’s elite from other conferences once March Madness arrives.
