Tag: Michigan Basketball

Some things have not changed in the Big Ten this basketball season. Michigan State is at the top. Nebraska and Northwestern are struggling. Maryland and Minnesota are inconsistent. Yet, many aspects of this conference are different. Rutgers and Illinois are near the top of the league. Penn State could make the NCAA Tournament. Fresh faces are moving up the ladder in the conference.

If some teams are moving up, that generally means other teams have to move down. If the rise of Rutgers and Illinois forms half of this portrait of displacement and reshuffling in Big Ten basketball, the decline of two other teams forms the other half.

Enter Purdue and Michigan.

If it feels very weird to see Illinois and Rutgers near the top of the Big Ten standings in late January, it feels equally weird to see Purdue and Michigan buried in 10th and 11th place on the morning of Wednesday, January 22. Both teams are two games under .500 in the conference, though Purdue (3-5) has played two more league games than Michigan (2-4).

How dependable have Purdue and Michigan been in recent years? The Boilermakers were a top-four seed at the Big Ten Tournament in each of the past six years. Purdue double-byes at the Big Ten tourney weren’t as regular as Wisconsin double-byes, but almost. Michigan reached each of the last three Big Ten Tournament championship games, winning two. The program lost its way in 2015 and 2016, but has been a major national factor in five of the past seven college basketball seasons, with two national title game appearances, three Elite Eights, and five Sweet 16s.

These two programs are annually expected to be in the mix as Big Ten title contenders, but right now, they aren’t. Both will need to author a significant — and rapid — turnaround if they want to have the slightest chance to make things interesting in early March. Purdue, with five conference losses, has — one could argue — already played its way out of the conversation.

If you want to understand why Rutgers and Illinois have thrived this season, one must start with an examination of how Steve Pikiell and Brad Underwood have made huge forward strides in cultivating players while making necessary self-adjustments in how they go about their business. Yet, the improvements of unlikely Big Ten contenders can’t be mentioned without noting the fall of Purdue and Michigan. We will see if the second half of the season brings renewed clarity from the Boilermakers and Wolverines.