Twenty-six days into this season, I’d argue no conference is performing better, in the ways that matter most, than the Big Ten. As evidence, consider that It has eight teams in Saturday morning’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings.
No other league has more than six.
Purdue, which has won two of the past three Big Ten regular-season championships, is second in the Top 25 And 1 with a 7-0 record featuring an 86-56 win over Texas Tech in the title game of the Baha Mar Championship. Michigan is third in the Top 25 And 1 with a 7-0 record featuring a 101-61 win over Gonzaga in the title game of the Players Era Festival. Those two are clear national championship contenders with obvious CBS Sports National Player of the Year candidates in Braden Smith (Purdue) and Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan).
Iowa won the Acrisure Championship, is 7-0 and 22nd in the Top 25 And 1. USC won the Maui Invitational, is 7-0 and 26th in the Top 25 And 1. Michigan State is also 7-0 (with wins over Arkansas, Kentucky and North Carolina) and ninth in the Top 25 And 1. Nebraska is also 7-0 (with wins over Kansas State and Oklahoma) and 20th in the Top 25 and 1. Indiana is 6-0 (with wins over Kansas State and Marquette) and 21st in the Top 25 And 1. And then there’s Illinois, which is a not-as-great 6-2 on the season. But both losses are away-from-home losses to teams in the top 11 of the Top 25 And 1 (Alabama/UConn). And the Illini have a win over Texas Tech, which is enough to keep Brad Underwood’s team in the Top 25 And 1 at No. 16.
So is this gonna be the season?
If that’s not a question already making the rounds, it will be soon because, as you likely know, the Big Ten has not won a national championship since Michigan State won the 2000 NCAA Tournament. Incredibly, UConn, all by itself, has won five national titles since the last time any Big Ten member won one. There’s no way to spin that good. But the good news for the Big Ten is that there are some early signs suggesting that streak could end come April.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
1
North Carolina
4
Illinois
