Despite Michigan State and Purdue leading the Big Ten in the polls for the entire season, it was the Wolverines who came away with the Big Ten title on Sunday. It wasn’t the most shocking tournament win the month of March has ever seen, but it was definitely an outcome few predicted heading into the earlier-than-usual tournament.
With the Big Ten tournament over, and the rest of the conferences still to crown their champs, let’s take a look at how the big ten stacks up.
AP Poll
- No 4. Michigan State
- No 7. Michigan
- No 10. Purdue
- No 17. Ohio State
- Receiving Votes: Nebraska (2)
Coaches Poll
- No 5. Michigan State
- No 7. Michigan
- No 10. Purdue
- No 16. Ohio State
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Michigan cruises past Boilermakers and Spartans to win the Big Ten title
The Wolverines proved me wrong. Week after week, I was always surprised how generous Michigan was being favored in the polls. I knew they had potential to win against any team in this conference, but I did not think they had enough star power to compete with Michigan State and Purdue when the chips were really on the line. Nonetheless, the Wolverines not only beat both of them, but they beat them comfortably.
Moritz Wagner and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rakhman put the nation on notice, as their exceptional play led the way throughout the tournament. This is a very well balanced team that appears to be playing their best basketball at the perfect time. They have now won ten of their last eleven games, and are more than deserving of their top ten ranking heading into the big dance.
While the losses to Michigan were not what the Boilermakers nor the Spartans drew up heading into the conference tournament, these teams did not need a win. These are still two great teams with immense talent that should be feared by whoever they face in March. Obviously, as a fan, you want your team coming into the big dance red hot, but these teams need to stick with how they have been playing all year. Personally, I think Michigan State is better than Duke, and their is a bias for Duke in the rankings. As for Purdue, a number ten spot is more than fair for them. They appeared to be slipping in early February, but I think they know what game they want to play and will make a deep run in the tournament.
Ohio State bounced early
It appears that Tony Carr certainly has the Buckeye’s number. He came away with 25 points in the last second win. Ohio State has now lost three of their last five games (one of their wins was even a double overtime win against Indiana in the first round of the Big Ten tournament). Contrary to Michigan, the Buckeyes have cooled off at just about the worst moment. Buckeye’s fan should not panic yet, as their star, Keita Bates-Diop had back-to-back great performances despite the loses. The number 16 and 17 rankings seem about right for a struggling team that has final four talent.