After a red hot start to the NCAA Tournament, there was optimism among Big Ten folks that this could finally be the year that the conference ended its basketball national championship drought. As it turns out, however, that optimism was premature. With Michigan State's loss to Auburn in the Elite Eight Sunday, the Big Ten ensured that it will go 25 years without a national title.
The Big Ten started off the tournament on fire, with its teams winning their first ten games. Although the conference faded a little bit in the second round, it still sent three teams to the Sweet 16, the second most of any conference.