Which teams could get the Big Ten more recognition in the Big Dance?
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After Michigan State's regular season ended on a sour note thanks to a buzzer-beating three from Maryland's Melo Trimble, Spartans head coach Tom Izzo vented his frustration with the Big Ten's share of the spotlight. Izzo believes Big Ten teams are overlooked and underappreciated because the conference isn't promoted enough by the media.
With the bracket for this year's NCAA tournament now official, the question remains: Does Izzo have a point, or is blaming the media just a form of post-loss frustration?
Related: Izzo: Media doesn't promote Big Ten enough
Historically, the Big Ten has not fared well when it comes to national championships. Over the last three decades, current Big Ten programs have only taken home the national title four times: Indiana in 1987, Michigan in 1989, Michigan State in 2000, and Maryland in 2002 (then a member of the ACC).
By comparison, in current conference alignments, the ACC holds 10 championships, the SEC six, and the AAC four. That doesn't attest to the Big Ten's consistency, however: The conference holds eight runner-up finishes over that span and two in the last five years.
Here's a look at three notable squads from this year's class of Big Ten teams and their chances of earning their conference some shine by going deep in the tournament.
The favorite: Purdue
Purdue has found itself at the top of the Big Ten standings for the majority of the season, and will look to carry that success into the NCAA tournament behind the power of Wooden Award contender Caleb Swanigan.
The regular-season conference champions have proven more than once that they are capable of taking down premier teams, owning victories over Notre Dame, Wisconsin, and Maryland. The Boilermakers can certainly move the ball, averaging the third-highest total assists per game in the nation with 18.2. They'll need to play to their strengths in order to attack the defenses of their various strong potential opponents.
An early exit from the Big Ten tournament dampens Purdue's momentum slightly, but expect Matt Painter and staff to use that as a motivating factor so the Boilermakers come out of the gate strong in March Madness.
The weary: Maryland
Of all the Big Ten teams with a ticket to the dance, Maryland could be most susceptible to an early exit after limping through the final stretch of the regular season.
Through the first half of the year, Maryland seemed like a solid bet to take home a conference championship, but a 4-6 record to finish the regular season - including a first-round defeat to Northwestern in the Big Ten tournament - puts the Terrapins' ability to contend into question. Maryland suffered defeat at the hands of Nebraska, Penn State, and Iowa, three teams that failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament, proving there are holes in the Terrapins' armor that can be exploited by almost any qualified team.
Head coach Mark Turgeon will need to rely heavily on Melo Trimble's scoring touch to get the Terrapins into the later rounds of the tournament, since only two other Maryland players have averaged over nine points this season.
The hot hand: Michigan
What a difference a couple of days can make.
Prior to even the second round of the Big Ten championship, Michigan appeared destined to be included in a massive shuffle of at-large bids for this year's tournament. Now, after knocking off regular-season champion Purdue and subsequently Wisconsin to capture the Big Ten tournament title, the Wolverines have incredible momentum as they look to reach their second NCAA championship game in five years.
Sometimes all a team toeing the line of March Madness relevancy needs is proof it can win a big game and beat a big opponent. Michigan has pulled off both in recent days, and the Wolverines are white-hot as they look to continue their surge through the bracket.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)