Let’s begin with the preposterous notion there are college sports fans or high school athletes in the northeast who don’t know about the Big 14. Adding Rutgers and Maryland was done so under the ridiculous pretense of opening new recruiting grounds and tv markets. Anyone with a rudimentary understanding of sports viewing habits know how these regions are not flooded with college fans. Are there a lot of alumni from Big 14 schools? Absolutely. Were they not seeing their schools on TV? The answer is no. As for recruiting, that’s nonsense. Wisconsin pulled kids out of New Jersey for football for years. Ron Dayne ring a bell?
Anyway, the Big 14 is a punchline this week as they chase footprints and dollars. As for the tournament itself, Maryland and Nebraska need a good week to keep themselves in the discussion. Michigan State and Purdue have spent February going through the motions and look for some momentum (doesn’t exist, I know) that would be lost by sitting a week. Or maybe they’d be confident and refreshed. Who knows? The narrative has so many possibilities with that week out of the spotlight.
Could someone spring an upset? Sure, but the league is pretty top heavy. Michigan is the 5-seed but they’re clearly better than Nebraska, the 4-seed, regardless of the January result. But I can’t dismiss home court advantage and the burdensome travel from the Midwest.
The Pick: Rutgers
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