In Which We Agree That the Big 10 Does Indeed Suck

By Vinnie Iyer
I’m a Midwest guy at heart, but as a rather new resident of Charlotte, I need to finally admit the quality of athletes and level of basketball talent isn’t nearly as good in my “home” conference, the Big Ten, as it is in the ACC. Believe me, this is a tough admission, but seeing is believing, and being here firsthand to see the bottom half of the latter conference battle it out at Bobcats Arena on Thursday has me convinced I could see similarly played basketball in the Big Ten final on Sunday.
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Florida State’s solid 70-60 victory over Wake Forest in the ACC’s tourney-opening 8-9 game won’t be good enough alone to put it in the NCAA Tournament, but if the Seminoles were in the Big Ten, they already would be punching their Big Dance card.
Of course, I also have another problem, is that somehow I am a close follower of Northwestern basketball. Yes, the same team that went 8-21, barely eked out only one Big Ten victory this season and had the worst rebounding margin in the country.
Although my Wildcats (oh, why couldn’t they be Kentucky or Arizona?) say they play a version of the Princeton offense, they more resemble Hoosiers’ Hickory Huskers, only that we’re still searching for our Jimmy Chitwood. Where have you gone, Kip Kirkpatrick?
Speaking of Indiana, no offense to that fine Big Ten state, but when I think college basketball, I think Carolina first -- the Tar Heels, Duke, Wake Forest, NC State, and even the little giants closest to my new home, Davidson and Winthrop.
So what sets the ACC apart to me? Well, while top Big Ten teams such as Wisconsin need strong fundamentals to get by, I see more pure athleticism and power in this league. Year after year. It didn’t quite sink in when the Heels pounded on Illinois in that NCAA final, so I just got that point pounded back into me today. Now that I’m seeing how college basketball is supposed to played, I better go back to watching it.↵