Big Ten Having an Up and Down Season. Will It Be Traveling in March?

Purdue on top of a rugged battle. Are the Midwestern Giants exhausting themselves before the NCAA tournament spotlight arrives?

I’ve been planning to weigh in on Big Ten hoops since Jim Harbaugh traded in his Maize-and-Blue wardrobe for a bolt of lightning and $16 million per annum.

The problem is, every time they play a game, the spin on Big Ten hoops changes.

Take Wednesday night, for example. With Illinois leading by double digits, it looked safe to change the channel. Then Penn State roared back from 10 points down with 2-1/2 minutes to go. . . for a 90-89 win at Rec Hall, the 6,500-seat bandbox that it had abandoned in 1996.

Or take Tuesday night, when young-and-improving Iowa outplayed previously-streaking Michigan State in East Lansing 78-71.

If there was one common thread in those games, maybe it was that the Illini and the Spartans sometimes are too caffeinated for their own good.

Illinois lost the turnover battle 18-6, Sparty lost a low-turnover scuffle 8-4. It also gave the Hawkeyes a big edge at charity stripe, where Iowa was 18 of 23 to MSU’s 7 of 14. Free-throw disparities usually belong to home teams.

Oh, and by the way, Ohio State, in its first game after firing Chris Holtmann, electro-shocked frontrunner Purdue 73-69 on Sunday, aided by a 14-6 turnover edge.

But just to be clear: Caitlin Clark is the best player in the league—and beyond. And thanks to the World of NIL, I would advise her to remain at Iowa next season. The WNBA can wait. State Farm already is a good neighbor.

But back to the men. . . What are we to make of it all? It’s not a great year in the Big Ten so far. But don’t take your eye off the ball. Because once again, the Midwestern Behemoths are providing some unpredictable entertainment.

The Boilermakers once again are the best bet. Will they atone in March after losing as a No. 1 seed last year? Yes. Although Purdue is a perennial NCAA under-achiever, there are limits to that misery. I say this as an admirer of the work of Matt Painter and his mentor, Gene Keady, who both have tended to put the Madness in March.

The thing about Purdue is. . . It's tempting to just keep feeding that ball to Zach Edey, the best big man around. The trouble is, that can get awkward when you have the kind of talent that Edey has around him. The heyday of The Aircraft Carrier, as Al McGuire used to call mega-centers, is long gone.

I would like to like Illinois, a team that I covered for two decades, and Wisconsin, my undergraduate alma mater. Brad Underwood has another intriguing roster; I like the way the guy recruits. But a little more cohesiveness, and better grasp of time-and-score, would go a long way.

On the other side of that coin is Greg Gard. The Badgers are cohesive. They just could use a little more athleticism. Then again, with A.J. Storr, John Blackwell and Kamari McGee, they’re improved in that regard. Blackwell’s injury issue hurt. And McGee’s ongoing injury remains problematic.

And then, there’s my other alma mater, Northwestern. Not long ago, I would have suggested taking a prop bet, if one existed, on the Wildcats being the Big Ten team that sticks around the longest in the NCAA tournament. But that was before Ty Berry went down with a season-ending knee injury.

I still wouldn’t rule that out. It's always good to have tenacious defense and skilled, unflappable guard play. Chris Collins has done a nice job of putting a good cast around Boo Buie, his uber-talented scoring guard.

Then again, if you’re looking past Purdue as the Big Ten’s best post-season bet—get favorable odds.

Back in his central Illinois days, Bill Self used to use a curious, but apt description for what’s going on in the Big Ten this season: It is ``bottom heavy.’’ Which means there’s a lot of depth that provides plenty of opportunities for upsets.

Honestly, outside of messy Michigan, many lower teams are kind of doing what they can. Penn State and Rutgers are well-coached and scrappy. Maryland and Indiana are a little young and too raw. I never know what to think of Minnesota—and Ohio State is sort of in that zone too.

But Nebraska is showing a good combination of toughness and skill. Michigan State has been climbing slowly out of its early-season hole. And Iowa is showing signs of life—although it would be nice if Mount McCaffery would erupt. One time, please.

So the bottom line is. . . The Big Ten seems unlikely to make noise in the NCAA tournament. But it is doing what it does. Everybody is beating each other up in a reasonably watchable regular season. And if the ball goes in the hoop in March, that would be. . . a fun surprise.