CHICAGO â?? The way Big Ten Conference men’s basketball was getting worked over in the national media late last season, you would have thought it was Big Ten football.
After falling to sixth in the power ratings â?? last among the BCS conferences â?? and failing to have a team advance to the NCAA’s Elite Eight, the Big Ten had an image problem. It was getting zero respect. The pundits questioned its recruiting, its style of play, its relevance in college basketball.