Big Ten basketball wasn’t always great, but it was in pivotal moments

IOWA CITY - Rivalries run strong in major college sports' oldest conference and few in the Big Ten compare to Wisconsin and Michigan State in basketball

No, the series isn't over instate turf like Michigan-Michigan State, and it doesn't have the longevity of conflict like Wisconsin-Iowa. But spanning the tenure of their coaches, few are as competitive or as hard-fought as the Badgers (35-3) and Spartans (27-11). Wisconsin's Bo Ryan leads counterpart Tom Izzo 16-12 in their head-to-head duel since Ryan took over at Wisconsin in 2001. The teams played just two weeks ago in the Big Ten Tournament finale, and the Badgers pulled out an overtime victory.

This week, these two rivals comprise half the Final Four. They're in opposite semifinals - Wisconsin vs. Kentucky, Michigan State vs. Duke - and the possibility of meeting again is unlikely. But the standard they have set for their once-maligned league is undeniable.

Ryan ranks No. 1 in league history with a 71.7 winning percentage in Big Ten play. Izzo (68.5 percent) is fourth. Ryan has four 30-win seasons and consecutive Final Four appearances. Izzo boasts seven Final Fours and an NCAA championship on his resume. Izzo is third in league wins (233), while Ryan is ninth (172). They've had their frosty moments and their thaws in recent years. Monday morning over the phone, they shared a defrost.

'Just two guys wishing each other well, representing the Big Ten,” Ryan said, declining to elaborate on their conversation.

As for their relationship?

'It's the same as it's always been: two coaches trying to get their programs to be successful year in, year out,” Ryan said. 'I knew when I came into the league, every place I ever became a head coach, there were certain programs that you say, ‘OK, if you want to be good, this is who you got to get.' ... Coming into the Big Ten, at the time obviously, it was Michigan State.”

The coaches' prowess helped their teams survive a chaotic year for their league. Wisconsin entered as the overwhelming favorite, and it won the regular-season and tournament titles. But the Badgers had to overcome a stunning midseason road loss at Big Ten newcomer Rutgers. That loss further dented the league's reputation after it was bludgeoned by several pre-conference defeats in late November and early December.

Nebraska lost to Incarnate Word and Hawaii, and Purdue dropped to North Florida and Gardner-Webb. The New Jersey Institute of Technology and Eastern Michigan beat defending league champ Michigan, and Eastern Washington topped Indiana. Michigan State fell victim, too, in losing to Texas Southern. The league's perception plummeted after it received acclaim as the sport's best the last handful of seasons.

But the Big Ten hardly was weak. In late February, Izzo stood up for Big Ten schools by downplaying its top-level strength and instead touting its depth. Eleven teams posted non-losing seasons and seven qualified for the NCAA tournament. Izzo said both the road grind and style diversity helped his team and the Badgers prepare for the NCAA tournament.

'I think both of us went through some tough people to get here,” Izzo said. 'I'm just tickled to death for Wisconsin; of course for ourselves. Being a guy that's been in the league longest of any coach here, I'm tickled to death for our league. I did say all year - I tried to stick up for our league - last year we were the best two, three, four teams, so that makes your conference better. Sometimes I think the conferences should be ranked on how teams 12, 11, 10 and nine are. The depth of a conference makes it different because there's no nights off.”

Minnesota, which finished 11th, beat all three third-place teams (Michigan State, Purdue, Iowa). Northwestern started 1-10 before winning five of its final seven. Last-place Rutgers shocked Wisconsin, and while Nebraska limped to the finish with nine straight losses, it beat Michigan State. Two Final Four teams losing to two conference bottom-feeders? That's depth.

'I think you've got some teams like a Minnesota who maybe pressed, played more zone,” Izzo said. 'You got Iowa, who is really a big team this year. I think Illinois was a real tough team, along with Purdue. Ohio State was one of the more skilled offensive teams. So we had a lot of different variety of teams. Maryland was sensational.

'I think what you had is the year before, there was us, Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin. We had four teams in the top 10 at one time. We didn't have that this year. But teams, maybe two and a half, because I think Wisconsin was the king, Maryland was right there. There were about six, seven teams that were in that dogfight in between. All of them were good enough to win a lot of games. I thought every night we went out, Northwestern played so good this year, Michigan had all those injuries, they still battled, not only beat some people but gave everybody a game right to the wire. I think that and the crowds you play in front of help prepare you for the NCAA tournament.”

The Big Ten is 11-5 this tournament, behind only the ACC (15-5). The Big Ten maybe wasn't as polished as it was in the past. But it delivered a hard edge in the NCAA tournament. That's more important.

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