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NCAA Basketball: Creighton’s fall, Mountain West success among biggest takeaways

By Joey Loose

Dec 10, 2022; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars forward Reggie Chaney (32) controls the ball away from Alabama Crimson Tide forward Brandon Miller (24) during the second half at Fertitta Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 10, 2022; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars forward Reggie Chaney (32) controls the ball away from Alabama Crimson Tide forward Brandon Miller (24) during the second half at Fertitta Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Caleb McConnell Syndication The Columbus Dispatch
Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Caleb McConnell Syndication The Columbus Dispatch /

5. Figuring out the Big Ten

More than half of the teams in the Big Ten have been ranked at some point this season, and just about every team has looked great at one point this year. As we sit here in mid-December, there’s a clear favorite in the conference in #1 Purdue, but there are a lot of unknowns behind them as we try to figure out this conference race.

There isn’t enough time to run through where all of these teams stand, so we’re going to give just some of the highlights. Illinois and Indiana have both looked fantastic at times this season, but both teams have had inconsistent play in recent weeks, including a mind-boggling loss for the Illini to Penn State. Additionally, Michigan has really struggled despite the presence of Hunter Dickinson and fell out of the rankings pretty quickly.

On the other side, Iowa and Wisconsin have somewhat exceeded early expectations. The Badgers seem to be able to build a contender out of nowhere on a yearly basis and both teams are replacing bigtime players from last season, with Kris Murray playing a major role for the Hawkeyes. Additionally, Michigan State has wins over Kentucky and Villanova, Nebraska won at Creighton, and Maryland and Ohio State are ranked after a brilliant start to their own seasons.

If this is any indication, the jury really is out on who’s who in the Big Ten, at least behind Purdue. Those Boilermakers are likely not going to win all twenty of their conference games, but certainly seem to be the prohibitive favorites so far. Illinois has looked elite at times and sloppy at other times, while schools like Indiana and Michigan have top-level players that could be NBA stars very soon.

The bottom line is that the Big Ten is going to be a bloodbath again and you shouldn’t be shocked when eight or more of these teams are in the Big Dance three months from now. There’s going to be a lot of Quad 1 opportunities in this league.

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