Boy, was I wrong. All year long, the critics were loud and clear. The nation’s #6 ranked conference in the RPIs was too weak to compete with the big boys this year. 4 seeds to the Big Ten were more than most were willing to award the conference and James Delany should have sent rose baskets to the NCAA selection committee.

Hell, with the Big East and Big 12 so deep and competitive this year, why even bother inviting anyone else to the Big Dance? They would only be good for bad uncompetitive television. But like make-a-wish kids, 4 lucky teams from the Big Ten received their tickets to the Dance and everyone made sure they knew what a great honor it was to just be asked.

That was until the tournament began.

The Big East spat in the face of the NCAA selection committee when 5 of their teams were left watching from the stands by the time the second round ended. Thats 29% of their original 7 that made it to the Sweet 16.

4 out of 6 Big 12 teams dropped by the second round ended. Thats a 33% survival rate.

And that conference that everyone shrugged off as undeserving? From the original 4 teams dancing, 2 made it to the Sweet Sixteen. Thats 50% by my count.

Logic dictates that the more teams you have, the better your chance of advancing teams into the sweet sixteen. With 7 teams, it is almost statistically impossible NOT to have anyone in the Sweet Sixteen. By advancing 2 teams to the Sweet Sixteen, leaving teams like Pittsburgh, Kansas State, and Baylor in their wake, they began to raise some eyebrows.

This is not another tirade on how the conference was underrated and overlooked all year, we all know that to be true at this point. But even with the blowout losses against Davidson and Memphis, Wisconsin and Michigan State have done more than reach the Sweet Sixteen this year. They have begun to chip away at the ‘Big Ten is weak’ brick wall that the conference has not been able to get past since Ohio State’s loss to Florida in football and basketball two years ago.

Congratulations to the Badgers and Spartans for getting into the Sweet Sixteen this year, you have all done us a bigger favor than most will realize. Losing to Memphis and Davidson (the way Curry is playing now) is nothing to be ashamed about. Its been a great run fellas.

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