The Big Ten tournament: Grungy

The Big Ten men's basketball tournament isn't new anymore. This year's is the 14th edition. Which seems hard to believe, but time marches on.

Fourteen years is enough time for some significant history, an arena-full of memories. No such thing exists with the Big Ten tourney.

Oh, there have been moments. Like Evan Turner's long, long 3-pointer that beat Michigan in the quarterfinals last year.

Like Blake Hoffarber's last-second shot to give Minnesota in a 2008 quarterfinal.

Like Iowa's four wins in four days in 2001, with Reggie Evans devouring every available rebound on the south side of Chicago, it seemed.

But to me, the Big Ten tournament is reflected in the 2006 tourney (won by Iowa). Only one game featured two teams that reached 60 points.

Or the 2005 title game:  Wisconsin 54, Illinois 43.

Or a 2008 quarterfinal: Wisconsin 51, Michigan 34.

But Penn State's 36-33 win over Wisconsin in Friday's quarterfinals was the nadir. Two of the league's top three seeds, Wisconsin and Purdue, didn't win a game and were lousy in losing this year.

The Big Ten's tourney just doesn't have the same sizzle as those of the Big East, ACC or even the Big 12. You need great games to have a great tournament, and the Big Ten's tourney seems to have far more mules than Thoroughbreds.

Now we get Penn State in the finals against Ohio State, and the Buckeyes will probably give a beatdown to the Nittany Lions on Sunday afternoon. (I'll edit this if they don't, oh yes I will.) Talor Battle is a wonderful player, but Penn State isn't an NCAA tournament team. Is it?

Nine of the league's first 13 title-games were decided by 11 points or more. Only two were decided by six points or less, and only one by one score. That's crazy.

Friday night gave us two doozies of Big East semifinals in UConn-Syracuse and Louisville-Notre Dame. Saturday afternoon produced a terrific ACC semi in North Carolina-Clemson. Jimmer Fredette of BYU made a tournament come alive all by himself when he dropped 52 points on New Mexico Friday night in the Mountain West's event in Las Vegas.

What's the game of the Big Ten tourney so far? Ohio State-Northwestern, which was well-described by USA Today's Mike LoPresti as "grungy."

When "grungy" gives you your most excitement over the first three days and 10 games of a tourney, I don't hold out hope that watching Sunday's final would make for two well-spent hours.