Purdue's loss leaves Big Ten shut out of Elite Eight. We could see this coming | Analysis
And just like that the Big Ten disappeared from the NCAA men's tournament.
No conference put more teams in the field, yet the league saw all nine of its teams eliminated before the Elite Eight when third-seeded Purdue was knocked out by 15th-seeded Saint Peter's that should be considered an extreme upset only if you overlook the league's history of tournament failures.
No Big Ten team has won the national title since 2000 when Michigan State prevailed. It seems a rite of passage every March to watch the conference put high seeds in the field and see them upset.
The nine teams in this year's field were three more than any other conference. The group included co-champions Illinois and Wisconsin, seeded fourth and third, respectively. Both were out in the second round. Conference tournament winner Iowa didn't get out of the first round.
The Boilermakers were the last team standing entering Friday's game that should have been as easy a game as you can ask for to reach a regional final. Saint Peter's finished second in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and were just 12-11 before a nine-game win streak got them to Philadelphia.
Purdue was bigger, stronger and faster. It had Jaden Ivey, a projected early first-round pick in this summer's NBA draft. Yet, it was the Peacocks who played like a confident team down the stretch. They made the clutch shots as the Boilermakers seemed rushed, panicking in the face of a team that didn't back down.
It was a difficult end for a program that hasn't been to the national semifinals since 1980 despite its consistent regular-season success. This might have been Matt Painter's best shot, even better than the team that was knocked out in the Elite Eight by Virginia in 2019. They had been knocked out of the first round last season by North Texas, providing motivation for a veteran team that returned most of its key players. Instead, the season is over, mirroring the disappointment of so many Big Ten teams before it.
This year, the Big Ten went 9-9 and are out of the Elite Eight. Last year, the record was 8-9 with only Michigan getting past the Sweet 16.
So what is behind these recent failures?
The simple explanation is that the Big Ten is overrated. It's got big names that are highly ranked that crumble when really tested against the best of other leagues.
But that doesn't explain why so many teams have come so close to winning it all since Michigan State. The Spartans, Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin all have reached the championship game this century. No other conference can claim that depth.
A more likely theory posits that the Big Ten beats up itself too much in the regular season, especially with the advent of a 20-game conference schedule. Illinois coach Brad Underwood referenced fatigue when talking about his team that was a No. 1 seed last season after winning the conference tournament and was knocked out in the second round by Loyola Chicago.
There's also questions about whether the Big Ten style of play translates when playing against the rest of the country. It's primarily a physical league that sees teams grind out victories. That inevitably leads to close games. In the NCAA Tournament with its pressurized situation, there's more likelihood of upsets if games are close.
The reality is that the solution is a combination of all these factors. Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren was courtside to watch his league flame out. He and his coaches should be asking some serious questions about why this keeps happening and figure out solutions. Otherwise, we'll be back at the same point next March and nothing will have changed.
Follow colleges reporter Erick Smith on Twitter @ericksmith
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Big Ten flames out of NCAA Tournament again as March ritual continues
