Commentary: Big Ten feels the heat with title drought

Is this finally the Big Ten's year to break the drought? Are we tired of hearing this question every March? It has been 26 years since the last NCAA championship in men's basketball for a power conference that's perennially touted as one of the country's best. To put things in perspective, that 2000 Michigan State team that won under a bright, young coach named Tom Izzo played in an era before smartphones, social media and the proliferation of sports-debate shows, back when the Big Ten consisted of only 11 teams. Besides Big Ten hopefuls waiting forever for their "One Shining Moment," the only common denominator between 2000 and 2026 is perhaps Izzo, who once again guides Michigan State into the tournament with great expectations and fingers crossed. Befitting its reputation, the Big Ten will send nine teams to this year's Big Dance, with top-seeded Michigan having the best chance to end the streak, followed by Purdue, Illinois and Michigan State. But who really knows after the Wolverines barely survived their first two Big Ten Tournament games at the United Center, then lost 80-72 to Purdue in Sunday's title game? Nevertheless, Michigan ranked behind only Duke and Arizona, the top overall seeds, and its regular-season dominance was enough to make it the top seed in the Midwest Region. The Wolverines will face the 16th seed, either UMBC or Howard, on Thursday in Buffalo, N.Y., and with a second-round win over Georgia or Saint Louis should be right back at the UC in two weeks for the Sweet 16. Purdue, which began the season ranked No. 1 in the nation, earned the No. 2 seed in the West with its convincing win Sunday and will face 15th-seeded Queens in St. Louis. That probably was a spot for the Illini before they lost Friday to Wisconsin in overtime in the Big Ten quarterfinals, blowing a 15-point lead and their composure. Illinois wound up the No. 3 seed in the South and will play 14th-seeded Penn on Thursday in Greenville, S.C. Michigan State earned the No. 3 seed in the East and will play 14th-seeded North Dakota State on Thursday in Buffalo. No. 7 seed UCLA, which plays No. 10 UCF on Friday in Philadelphia, and No. 8 Ohio State, which faces No. 9 TCU on Thursday in Greenville, join the Spartans in the East. Nebraska and Iowa join the Illini in the South. The Cornhuskers are the No. 4 seed, facing 13th-seeded Troy on Thursday in Oklahoma City, while the eighth-seeded Hawkeyes meet No. 9 Clemson on Friday in Tampa, Fla. Wisconsin earned the No. 5 seed in the West and will play 12th-seeded High Point on Thursday in Portland, Ore. So which Big Ten players and coaches are under the most pressure? Here are a few likely suspects: Illinois coach Brad Underwood Underwood is always under fire from Illinois fans come tournament time, and if the Illini don't at least get past the first two rounds, the season will be considered another bust despite a high-scoring offense and a ton of talent. "I don't like narratives," Underwood said after being upset by Wisconsin. "I like figuring out how to solve the problem." Figuring out how to solve Ivy League champ Penn shouldn't be too difficult, though what figures to be a marquee matchup against sixth-seeded North Carolina could be trouble, even with Tar Heels star Caleb Wilson out with a hand injury. The Illini have lost four overtime games and seem to wilt in the clutch. "We've lost some (where) we're a possession away in a lot of games from being one of the best teams, record-wise, in the country." Underwood said. "I still think we're one of the best teams in the country." Time to prove it. Purdue guard Braden Smith Smith might be the best pure point guard in the nation and needs one assist to catch Bobby Hurley for the all-time NCAA record. He figures to get it in the opening minutes of the Boilermakers' first game against Queens. But he still needs to come up big in the tournament after some up-and-down performances. Smith helped lead Purdue to the Final Four in 2024 but went a combined 5 for 21 from the field (23.8%) in the semifinal win over N.C. State and title-game loss to UConn. Last year Smith was a combined 11-for-33 (33.3%) in Purdue's three tournament games, ending with a loss to Houston in the Sweet 16. Of course, no one can forget top-seeded Purdue's loss to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson in 2023, one of the great upsets in NCAA history. UCLA coach Mick Cronin The Mad Man of the Big Ten personally ejected Steven Jamerson III from a game at Michigan State on Feb. 17 after Jamerson committed a flagrant foul with the Bruins down by 27 points. "We're soft," Cronin said afterward. "It's really hard to coach people who are delusional. We act like somebody stole our favorite toy and we're a 3-year old." That epic rant seemed to get the Bruins on a roll. They rebounded to beat Illinois at home on a last-second lay-in by Donovan Dent and had won six of seven before losing to Purdue on Saturday in the Big Ten semifinals. Is Cronin a mad genius, or just a grumpy, old man coaching basketball? We may find out against UCF. Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg Izzo called Lendeborg "the most complete player" in the conference, and though he averaged only 14.4 points, he earned Big Ten Player of the Year honors. But Lendeborg sometimes can be too unselfish, as he was in the win over Ohio State on Friday, when he took only four shots. He made amends with the last-second game-winner the next day against Wisconsin. Still, Michigan coach Dusty May needs him to be more aggressive in the tournament for the Wolverines to have a shot in the Final Four. Barring a collapse, they should make it out of the Midwest. Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg The Cornhuskers were the Cinderella story of the nation after a 20-0 start but closed 6-6, including a loss to Purdue in the Big Ten quarterfinals. Hoiberg earned the coaches' vote for Big Ten Coach of the Year, but the mediocre finish had some wondering whether Nebraska was playing over its head the first three months. Bryce Sandfort has to step up, and the Huskers have to remember why they succeeded in the first place. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo It goes without saying Izzo is one of the best coaches in the nation. But the years are catching up with him, and his kid-gloves treatment of star guard Jeremy Fears Jr. after a blatant groin kick in a game against Michigan was sad to see. "I chewed him out for it, but I watched it on tape and the guy's pushing him in the back and sometimes that stuff happens, you know?" Izzo said. "I'm sick of it being one-sided though." Is Izzo getting soft? The Big Ten The most pressure of all might be on the collective group. Despite its lofty reputation, the Big Ten has only 10 NCAA titles since Indiana won in 1940 — the second year of the tournament — and only two since 1987: the 2000 Spartans and 1989 Wolverines. The conference seemingly peaked from 1976-89, with Indiana winning three titles under coach Bob Knight in '76, '81 and '87 and Michigan State winning in 1979, when Magic Johnson and Indiana State's Larry Bird famously dueled in the championship game. For a conference that has produced so many great players, it's hard to believe its trophy cases are relatively empty. Purdue, Illinois and Iowa still are seeking their first national titles, and Wisconsin is looking for its first since 1941. We hear all year about how tough it is, but the Big Ten has little to show for that toughness in the end.