ROSEMONT, Ill. — I was talking to Purdue coach Matt Painter on Thursday, here at Big Ten Media Day, when the conversation turned to that not-so-great streak most college basketball fans are familiar with.
TRIVIA TIME!
Question: When’s the last time a Big Ten school won the national title in men’s college basketball?
Answer: 2000.
You knew that, didn’t you? Painter did. And I really do think all Big Ten coaches, and most Big Ten fans, know that as well. But the not-so-great streak gets more interesting, and confusing, when context is added.
We’re not talking about Conference USA here. (No offense, CUSA!). This is the Big Ten — a league that has basically, on average, rated as a top-three conference in the country in the 24 years since a Big Ten school last won the NCAA Tournament. The league has been consistently good — and even literally the best in four of the past 24 seasons, according to KenPom.com. And it’s not like various league members haven’t threatened to snap the not-so-great streak year after year after year.
That’s the craziest part.
The craziest part is not that the Big Ten hasn’t won a national championship since Tom Izzo and Michigan State won it in 2000. The craziest part is that the Big Ten has actually been just one victory away from snapping the not-so-great streak eight different times and failed in all eight opportunities.
“I’ve never heard that stat,” Painter said.
Truthfully, I hadn’t either (or, at least, I had forgotten about it) until I looked it up the other day — but it’s true. A Big Ten member has appeared in the title game of the NCAA Tournament eight different times since Michigan State won the national championship in 2000. The league’s record in those games is 0-8.
Here’s a breakdown of those title-game appearances:
“I didn’t know it was that many times being in a championship game, which is a positive and a negative, right?” Painter said. “You’re…
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