Big Ten Basketball

The Big Ten season is almost halfway over, and it's pretty clear to this point who the contenders are. Iowa (16-3) and Maryland (17-3) are probably the two top teams in the Big Ten, they have the best resumes out of the bunch. The next tier of teams are just barely below the top two, those teams would be Indiana (17-4), Michigan State (17-4) and Purdue (17-4). Michigan might be included in there, but I'm not sure they are good enough to challenge for a Big Ten Championship, while all the others above them probably could. The next group is kind of in the middle, they aren't bad teams, but they are either too young or don't quite have enough pieces to be a good team. Those teams would be Michigan (15-5), Ohio State (13-8), Wisconsin (12-9), Nebraska (12-9) and Northwestern (15-6). Then there's the bottom teams, Illinois (10-10), Penn State (11-10), Rutgers (6-14) and Minnesota (6-14), these teams need a lot of work.

The teams that can most contend for a regular season Big Ten title are Iowa, Maryland, Indiana and Purdue. Iowa currently leads the Big Ten and has been the most impressive, which is something I definitely didn't see coming. Maryland has lost twice in Big Ten play, but probably the best starting five in the conference. That is why this Thursday's game between Iowa and Maryland could very well be the biggest game of the year. Iowa has already beat Purdue and Michigan State twice each, as well as Michigan, which means that Iowa already has a leg up on most teams. Maryland hasn't really had many impressive wins, they've lost to the three best teams they've played (Michigan, Michigan State, and North Carolina). So for Iowa this is a chance to further extent their dominance in the Big Ten, and for Maryland it's a chance to get a signature win. 

Another team who hasn't really had a signature win is Indiana, but they have a lot of chances towards the end of their schedule. They had upcoming games against Michigan, Iowa twice, Michigan State, Purdue and Maryland. I think that Indiana could be one of the best teams in the conference they just need to prove it.