Big Ten Basketball: Does conference still have chance to be best in 2021-22?

Big Ten Basketball may still be the best conference in college basketball for 2021-2022.

Here is what the teams in Big Ten Basketball have accomplished thus far in terms of wins and quality victories.

Purdue

They defeated No. 18 North Carolina and No. 5 Villanova to win the Cheez-It Hall of Fame Tip-Off championship. The Boilermakers are undefeated and dominate their first three opponents and are 5-0 on the season. The Boilermakers have proven they are a top-five team in the nation and big wins over the Tar Heels and the Wildcats have shown that they are a legit Final Four contending team.

Minnesota 

They defeated Western Kentucky and Princeton to win the Asheville Championship tournament title. The Gophers are undefeated at 4-0 and are overachieving this season as not much was expected from them prior to the start of the season. If Minnesota keeps winning, they will be ranked in the top 25 in the near future.

Iowa and Northwestern 

Not many college basketball experts predicted either the Hawkeyes or Wildcats would do much this season. Iowa is 5-0 and undefeated winning each game they have played in by double-digits. Northwestern is 4-0 and has also won all of their games by double digits. These two teams may surprise many by the time December comes around as they may not have played great competition in non-conference play up to this point but they have defeated the teams on their schedule thus far and have avoided being upset early on in non-conference play.

Indiana

The Hoosiers are 4-0 with a victory over St. John’s in the Gavitt Tipoff Games. They also beat a Northern Illinois team that won at Washington and defeated a Louisiana-Lafayette that was undefeated prior to playing Indiana. The Hoosiers are looking to take the next step in hopes of being a top-tier team in the Big Ten this season and quality wins in non-conference play can give them the confidence they need to not only compete in the Big Ten but to win multiple games over top Big Ten competition.

Michigan State, Maryland, and Ohio State

Combined they are 10-3 and they have played some tough competition in non-conference play. The Spartans for example lost on a neutral court to No. 3 Kansas but then went on the road and beat previously unbeaten Butler by 21 in the Gavitt Tipoff Games. The Buckeyes‘ only loss came on the road again Xavier in the Gavitt Tipoff games where they only lost by six points. The Terrapins have two quality wins over the mid-major teams of Vermont and George Washington and their lone loss came against George Mason where they lost by only five points.

Rutgers, Illinois, and Wisconsin

Their combined record is 7-3 which is not great but if you look closely at their losses, they are better than their record indicates. Wisconsin won their first two games but lost to Providence in the Gavitt Tipoff Games by five points, Illinois also won their first two games but lost on the road to Marquette by only one point in the Gavitt Tipoff Games, and Rutgers won their first three games before losing on the road to DePaul by only three points in the Gavitt Tipoff Games.

On paper, it looks like the Big East had their way with the Big Ten where they won the challenge by a six to two margin and give credit where credit is due as the Big East has played well in early non-conference play. However, Purdue, Iowa, and Minnesota for example didn’t participate in the Gavitt Tipoff Games this year and all three of those teams are undefeated. The Boilermakers did defeat Villanova in the Cheez-It Hall of Fame Tip-Off championship game, however.

Time will tell by the end of December if the Big Ten is the better conference than the Big East but at this point, the Big East conference has the bragging rights entering the last week of November.

Time will tell if the Big Ten is the best college basketball conference in the country. Last season they appeared to be until the PAC-12 surprised many by multiple teams having success in the 2021 NCAA tournament while certain Big Ten teams were upset in the NCAA tournament.

It is early but there are various Big Ten teams competing in tournaments in the next week and the Big Ten has an opportunity to win the Big Ten/ACC challenge and make a statement that they still are one of the best college basketball conferences in the country.