So why is the Big Ten NOT a good basketball conference?

[longtimer]

Just watched a good Texas A&M team take down Purdue in Indianapolis. Do we have a top 15 team in the Big Ten? Oregon? Michigan? We had them on the ropes after a terrible start on the road. With Chicago and Detroit and other good recruiting areas shouldn't the Big Ten be better? I think It has been 25 years since the Big Ten has won the National Championship. That is hard to believe, and it doesn't look like the streak is going to end this year
Maybe Hawks have a chance to finish in the upper half of a not strong conference??

 

[InGoodCo]

I think that's been the line of thinking the whole time. Hawks have a great shot at the top half because the conference is down as a whole. I think the B1G has a huge problem on their hands but IMO, that's based on how they allow the league to be called vs. how the games are going to be called in the NCAA. B1G teams get there and can't handle the physicality of the game because they are used to getting fouls called the previous week before and there is no freedom of movement for guards in the B1G. But there is in the dance and that's called differently. It's like 2 completely different games being called by officials and the B1G does not care, officiating isn't a priority either.

 

[Fryowa]

I think that's been the line of thinking the whole time. Hawks have a great shot at the top half because the conference is down as a whole. I think the B1G has a huge problem on their hands but IMO, that's based on how they allow the league to be called vs. how the games are going to be called in the NCAA. B1G teams get there and can't handle the physicality of the game because they are used to getting fouls called the previous week before and there is no freedom of movement for guards in the B1G. But there is in the dance and that's called differently. It's like 2 completely different games being called by officials and the B1G does not care, officiating isn't a priority either.

I agree 100% about the officiating, but I also think it's just a faster game outside the B1G and teams don't adjust to it once they get to the tournament. B1G basketball tends to be old school, set it up and post basketball and the game nationally has moved on from that. If you can't run and gun your team is going to get eaten alive in the tourney.

It's one of the reasons I think Toussaint flourished once he left Iowa. That style fit his game more than it did in this league.