They were put down, beaten up, disparaged and disrespected all season.

The experts said they could not score enough to compete with the beasts of the Big East or the ACC.

But even as “One Shining Moment” played after North Carolina’s fifth national championship, Michigan State represented its conference well.

The Big Ten certainly earned the seven tournament berths it received and proved it is still an elite conference despite North Carolina steamrolling Michigan State in the national championship game.

The Spartans trailed by as many as 24 points in the first half Monday and trailed by the largest halftime deficit, conceding an NCAA Tournament Championship Game-record 55 points in the first half. It certainly will arm the naysayers with more rocks to throw at the Big Ten’s basketball reputation.

Let them.

The conference tied the Big East with seven NCAA Tournament teams. It went 4-3 in its first round games, including upset victories from Michigan and Wisconsin. Only one of its higher-seeded teams, a young Illinois squad, lost in the opening round.

The conference had as many teams in the Sweet 16 as the ACC – the revered conference of the national champion Tar Heels. Penn State won the NIT, proving it perhaps deserved a spot in the Big Dance.

For once, at least, the Big Ten was better than the SEC at something.

Spartans coach Tom Izzo tried his best to defend his conference as it prepared for the Final Four. When his team topped Louisville to reach the Final Four it became clear that Michigan State was a team that teams could not look past or claim came from a weak conference.

The Big Ten’s style of play is exactly what prepared the Spartans for their run to the national title game.

It is precisely because of the difficult battles of the Big Ten conference that Izzo’s squad was prepared to make its tournament run.

In what other conference do you see the physicality of a Wisconsin, the odd defensive arrangements from Northwestern and Michigan or the hard-nosed perimeter defense from Purdue?

The Big Ten was the ultimate battlefield to test the Spartans prior to their run to the title game. You certainly would not get those kind of high-difficulty games every night in any other conference.

Michigan State’s physical, defensive style of basketball was something most teams in the tournament had not experienced. And for five games, the Spartans played it at a high level.

Until Michigan State ran into the North Carolina buzz-saw, it could be argued that Michigan State was playing the best in the tournament.

Even after the struggles of the first half Monday, the Spartans went toe-to-toe with the Tar Heels – although still unable to make any significant dent into the deficit. The final score in the second half was a Big Ten-friendly 38-34 advantage for Michigan State.

The Big Ten deserved its success this season. And with five sophomores on the all-conference first team, more success is in the conference’s future.

Assistant Sports Editor Philip Rossman-Reich is a Medill junior. He can be reached at [email protected]