A not-so-big start for the Big Ten, as high seeds Ohio State, Purdue fall
The big, bad bullies of the Big Ten had a rough start to the NCAA Tournament.
Perhaps everyone should have seen the warning signs after Thursday night’s First Four action, in which Michigan State’s players showed more interest in arguing with their legendary coach, Tom Izzo, than they did in slowing UCLA’s late-game rally.
The Spartans possess a classic Big Ten pedigree, after all, and even though they finished the regular season with a losing record in conference play, they had played much better as the Big Dance neared.
Michigan State was the first of an eye-popping nine Big Ten teams to play in the tournament, and it was also the first to fall.
Even with that warning, it was stunning to see what happened in just the fifth game Friday, when powerhouse Ohio State became the ninth No. 2 seed to lose in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Buckeyes fell to Oral Roberts, a tiny private school of about 4,000 students. The Golden Eagles finished fourth in the Summit League during the regular season before winning the conference tournament to earn an NCAA bid.
It wasn’t like the Buckeyes didn’t have their chances to win the game. They just couldn’t get the shots to fall.
If that upset weren’t stunning enough, the Big Ten suffered another stunner a few hours later, when 4-seed Purdue lost to the 13-seed North Texas Mean Green.
The Boilermakers were considered below-the-radar Final Four contenders by some, and as the only tournament team with a campus in Indiana, they were in a sense the only "home team" in this year's field.
FOX Sports College Basketball Analyst Steve Lavin praised Purdue heading into the tournament, writing that Matt Painter’s crew was young but perhaps ahead of schedule in its quest for a Final Four.
The Mean Green had other ideas, though, riding 43% 3-point shooting to a 78-69 shocker.
While the two biggest upsets of the day placed the spotlight on the Big Ten in a negative light, all is not lost. In fact, the conference had some really good moments on the day.
No. 1 seed Illinois, which won the Big Ten Tournament crown, barely broke a sweat in its first-round matchup against Drexel, cruising to a 78-49 victory.
Wisconsin, a 9-seed, had a similarly easy time against No. 8 North Carolina, handing Roy Williams his first loss in a first-round game 85-62. The Badgers will get a shot to make an even more impressive statement in the second round, when they take on No. 1 seed Baylor.
Even Rutgers got into the action and showed off a little Big Ten pride. The Scarlet Knights, who finished sixth in the Big Ten during the regular season, earned a minor upset as a 10-seed, taking out No. 7 Clemson 60-56, thanks to a gritty defensive effort.
The Big Ten has three more teams yet to take the court, as 1-seed Michigan, 2-seed Iowa and 10-seed Maryland all get into the action Saturday.
The Big Ten still has some chances to make a run and show that it has the depth and talent to earn nine bids to the NCAA Tournament.
If Michigan, Iowa, Illinois and the other remaining teams continue to roll, perhaps these first-day upsets will be forgotten – at least a little bit.
