Michigan basketball: Will Big Ten finally end title drought?
Every year, analysts bring up the statistic that the Big Ten hasn’t won a title in 20 years. Will it end this year with Michigan basketball or another team?
Time is ticking Big Ten. Time is ticking. Last year was supposed to be the year that the Big Ten finally ended its 21 years-and-counting national championship drought in basketball.
Unfortunately, that did not happen, again. It needs to happen soon though or the voices will get louder and louder every year.
It’s not that the Big Ten isn’t talented or competitive. It is, year in and year out. For those analysts who say that the Big Ten isn’t competitive or that talented, they are dead wrong.
The Big Ten goes back and forth with the ACC seemingly every year to determine the “best conference.” Last year, it was the Big Ten, no question.
No, the results in March weren’t what we as fans of the Big Ten in general wanted, but in terms of purely conference play, it was a dogfight each and every game. Just ask Northwestern, who started 3-0 or something last season, and proceeded to lose 10+ games in a row in the Big Ten.
The real issue is March Madness. It’s a fact that Michigan has been class of the Big Ten in March for the last five seasons.
Michigan, Big Ten need to get it done
Michigan basketball may not win the conference crown every year, or even the auto-bid Big Ten tournament crown every year, but when it comes to March, Michigan almost always shows up. Other programs can’t say the same thing.
In fact, Michigan has the second-most NCAA tournament wins since 2013, behind only Gonzaga. So, no, it is not an exaggeration to say that UM basketball has been the class of the Big Ten in March for the last several years.
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The problem for Michigan, and almost every other team in the Big Ten, has been to close the deal.
The Big Ten has not really been a good tournament team overall the last several years. It seems every year, a few high-seeded Big Ten teams get upset very early in the tournament. This reflects badly on the Big Ten’s image, as they mess up everyone’s brackets before they really get going.
Big Ten coaches need to change their philosophies on how they handle March Madness. Other coaches need to take a page out of Juwan Howard’s book.
He had U-M prepared from the moment the tipoff for the first tournament game started. These Big Ten coaches really need to hammer home that the tournament is an entirely new season. Throw every accomplishment that was achieved in the regular season out the window. The post-season is a whole different animal.
It seems like every other year, Michigan basketball has the entire weight of the Big Ten’s hopes and dreams on their chest to win a title in March because the other teams all lose, and U-M is the last one standing. Well, that needs to change. It’s better for the conference as a whole when more than one Big Ten team can advance to the Elite Eight, Final Four, etc.
As a U-M fan, I want Michigan basketball to be the only Big Ten team left standing in March, but from a conference perspective, the more Big Ten teams that make it far, the better.
Lastly, I feel a Big Ten team will win a championship in the next five seasons. The drought can’t last forever, right?
I think Michigan will be the Big Ten team to hoist the trophy in the next five seasons. Juwan Howard is killing it on the recruiting trail, he can really coach, and he will make sure his boys are prepared annually for the NCAA Tournament. I just don’t trust those other Big Ten teams enough. They haven’t been as consistent in March.