Big Ten Basketball: 5 bold predictions for 2020-21 season

The All-Time leading conference with teams in Final AP Poll

With the Big Ten already being the conference who owns the all-time records of; most wins, most tournament appearances, and most Final Four appearances, stating the Big Ten will tally up the most teams to finish in the final AP Poll in a single season does not seem that bold of a take. The take becomes bolder once it is revealed what the Big Ten actually has to accomplish in order to make that happen.

Currently, the ACC has the highest amount of total schools to have ever finished in the final AP Poll at 198, while the Big Ten stands at 197.  The recent end of year results indicates that placing two more teams in the final AP Poll than the ACC is a difficult feat.

In the past five seasons, the ACC saw four of their teams appear in the last AP Poll three times and five of their teams twice. The Big Ten only surpassing them twice, with the 2019-20 season doing so by two teams.

With North Carolina Basketball expected to return to the polls this season, the ACC is expected to place Duke, Virginia, Florida State, and the aforementioned Tar Heels in the final poll going into the tournament. If Louisville is able to return to the top 25, it will be virtually impossible for the Big Ten to feature seven teams in the top 25.

In the same fashion that Louisville’s step back will benefit the Big Ten, borderline pre-season top 25 team Rutgers will join Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan State, and Ohio State. With the abbreviated schedule, conference games will carry more weight and a loss in the Big Ten will hurt substantially less.

Once one factor in ESPN placing Michigan and Indiana in their Power 36, there are seven teams that will only benefit from matching up with each other. All resulting in not only six teams being in the top 25 but potentially ten big tournament bids for the Big Ten.