Big Ten Basketball: Buy or sell Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan State?

Whether it is warranted or not, no conference in the NCAA has benefitted from the hype they generated more than Big Ten Basketball. The 2020-21 season came to a conclusion with five members in the AP Top 25 Poll, nine teams in the National Tournament, but just Michigan advancing past the second round. This season began with the Big Ten placing five in the AP Poll, they currently still have five and as a conference have the third-highest RPI, behind the SEC and Big 12.

Even with their consistency, the Big Ten has provided some surprises. Wisconsin Basketball sits with a 10-3 record, identical to Purdue and Illinois who sit atop the Big 10 standings. Not to be outdone in the surprise category, Iowa Basketball’s Keegan Murray leads the conference in scoring with a 22.4 point per game average.

As easy as it is to bet on the Big Ten receiving eight invites to the ‘Big Dance’, how those teams get there is where the interest lies, for it is often said ‘ it is not the destination but the journey that is important.’  That journey for Michigan, Indiana, Michigan State, and Illinois will trek different paths, but eventually, all will lead to at least one game in the tournament.

There are a number of factors that lead to wins and losses, but each player and each team should be concerned with meeting their potential. At times teams will over-perform and it is important to recognize this phenomenon when it happens. Winning has a way of solving all problems until of course those problems begin to cause the losses to pile up.

With the regular season approaching having just a handful of games remaining, it is time to make a decision on whether to buy or sell some Big Ten teams.