Finishing the first half of the season with an overall record of 105-24, the Big Ten tallied the most non-conference victories prior to the start of conference play in league history.
The Big Ten also compiled its best non-conference winning percentage in seven years at 81.4 percent, falling just short of the 82.4 mark set in 1998-99.
As a result of such a strong start, the Big Ten currently sits atop the latest edition of the Ratings Percentage Index with a .5858 rating. The RPI is a statistical tool that evaluates teams with an emphasis on strength of schedule. The Missouri Valley (.5753), Big East (.5717), ACC (.5711) and SEC (.5701) round out the top five.
“I’m very excited about the Big Ten,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “It’s great to have our league being talked about, and I think every team in the league is making some strides. I still think that there are eight teams that can win the Big Ten championship.”
The Big Ten leads all conferences with six teams ranked in the RPI top 20. Every team in the Big Ten heads into league play with a winning record, six have already reached the double-digit victory mark and only two have more than three losses.
The Big Ten boasts two of the seven remaining undefeated teams in the nation: No. 6 Illinois (14-0, 0-0 Big Ten) and No. 18 Ohio State (10-0, 0-0). Illinois’ 14 victories are the most of any team in the nation, while Ohio State is off to its best start in 15 years, going 10-0 for only the fourth time in school history.
Both teams will face stiff tests in the upcoming week. Illinois plays host to No. 7 Michigan State (12-2, 0-0) tonight while Ohio State travels to Assembly Hall to play No. 16 Indiana (9-2, 1-0) on Saturday. Ohio State has already survived one scare this season, needing a 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat LSU on New Year’s Eve.
“It’s that time of year again,” Iowa coach Steve Alford said. “We know we’re getting into the real meat of the schedule now in a phenomenal league. I don’t know if it has ever been any harder than it’s going to be this year. I think there is an awful lot of parity top to bottom throughout our league.”
Michigan State, the preseason favorite to win the Big Ten, faces the toughest early-conference test. Its first six Big Ten foes have a combined record of 64-9.
After starting the season 1-2, Michigan State has won 11 games in a row. The Spartans tip off their conference season with back-to-back visits to two of the hardest places to play in college basketball: Illinois and Wisconsin (10-2, 0-0). Illinois currently has the second-longest home winning streak in the nation at 29 games, second only to Gonzaga’s 30 consecutive victories.
The Spartans then play Indiana at home before heading to Columbus to take on Ohio State. After returning home to face Iowa (11-3, 0-0), the Spartans then travel to Ann Arbor to square off against Michigan (10-2, 0-1).
Michigan State is no stranger to top competition. Having already played Arizona, Gonzaga and Boston College earlier this season while each was ranked in the top 10, Izzo feels his team has prepared itself for this stretch. But he realizes it will still be far from easy.
“I think this might be the toughest six-game start in any conference,” Izzo said. “We know what kind of challenges we are in for, and we have tried to prepare our guys, but I’m not sure you’re ever prepared for this. It’s going to be a daunting task.”
Reach Michael Schlossberg at [email protected].
