CHICAGO – It could be the Big Ten next year.
There is still no team in the conference that can win the men’s NCAA Tournament and bring the Big Ten its first title since 2000. That was evidenced by the fact that Michigan, which spent most of the season in the top three in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and spent five weeks in first place, struggled throughout the conference tournament and ultimately lost to Purdue in the title game.
Oh, and the Wolverines are still the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region. But Michigan looks like one of those teams that peaked too early, with a Sweet 16 or Elite 8 exit written all over it.
“This loss… showed us we’re not invincible. We could lose the game,” Aday Mara said after the 80-72 loss to Purdue on Sunday, March 15.
“You can’t relax during a game. You just have to keep learning, keep improving and try not to relax during a game.”
That’s a wonderful impression. But when you need a reminder of that at this stage of the season, you’re already prepared.
So are the high hopes of ending the Big Ten title drought.
There was a time when the Big Ten was as consistently on the list of NCAA champions as Indianapolis was on the list of Final Four host cities. But with every Big Ten men’s team winning, we have to go back to the 2000 Michigan State Flintstones.
It may not seem so that long ago. But considering that was back in the quaint old days when the Big Ten still had 11 teams, it might as well be ancient history.
It’s not like the Big Ten didn’t have a chance. Since 2001, eight teams in the conference have advanced to the title game and seven more have advanced to the Final Four. But once we got there, it was clear that the Big Ten was not on the same level as the ACC, SEC, and Big East.
Michigan was supposed to be different. They have Big Ten Player of the Year in Jaxel Lendeborg, Defensive Player of the Year in Mara and elite point guard in Elliott Caddo.
The Wolverines won all but two games during the regular season and went undefeated in road conference games. They were explosive on offense and tenacious on defense.
However, Michigan did not look like a team capable of winning a title during the Big Ten tournament. The Wolverines seemed to be on the back foot in response rather than setting the tone for much of the tournament.
Against Wisconsin, the Wolverines led by 15 points with less than 10 minutes left, but needed three points from Lendeborg in the final minute to avoid overtime. In the title game, Purdue started the second half with a 13-4 run, but Michigan could not recover.
Even after Boilermakers center Oscar Clough picked up his fourth foul with 5:31 remaining, he continued to shoot low and at will, scoring seven of his 21 points in the final half.
“I think by allowing Clough to make some deep catches, he was able to score like a really easy basket near the rim,” Mara said.
Let’s think about it for a moment.
The University of Michigan had three players on the Big Ten All-Defensive Team: Lendeborg, Mara and Mores Johnson Jr. No one is going to give them easy baskets, and definitely not at this time of year.
As for Rendeborg, although he played well against Purdue — finishing with 20 points on 4-of-7 shooting from deep — he wasn’t a factor offensively in the first half against Ohio State and Wisconsin.
Michigan also lost the turnover battle in each game. The Boilermakers made all two of their shots, compared to just seven against Purdue.
“We didn’t want this to happen. We were going for three out of three things: the Big Ten (title), the Big Ten Tournament championship, the NCAA,” Nimari Barnett said. “But this is part of the process, and we’re going to use this as fuel for next month’s basketball.”
Again, it’s a little late.
As for the Big Ten’s other top teams, Nebraska, Illinois and Michigan State left the tournament without winning a game. No one eats themselves like the Big Ten, but that doesn’t bode well for the next three weeks.
Purdue may actually be the team the conference is most excited about. Purdue played this weekend like the No. 1 team it was when the season started.
“This is a great sign,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “There are a lot of teams and we were one of those teams that had been playing great and then all of a sudden come tournament time they weren’t playing as much.
“It’s a bit of a complicated situation. We have to keep trying to get better.”
That sounds like a challenge for the entire Big Ten as hopes of winning an NCAA title fade once again.
Follow USA TODAY sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
