The Big Ten is the only conference in the country that has two teams ranked inside the Top 5 of the BPI, KenPom, Massey and Sagarin rankings. Michigan State (No. 3, 2, 3 and 3) has also been ranked inside the top five of all of the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches' Poll Top 25 rankings to date, while Purdue (No. 2, 5, 4 and 2) has been inside the Top 25 of the polls in all but one week's rankings.
The third annual “Super Saturday – College Hoops & Hockey” at Madison Square Garden begins with a men’s basketball game between Ohio State and Minnesota on Saturday, Jan. 20. The game will tip off at 12 p.m. ET on BTN with a men’s ice hockey game between Minnesota and Michigan State to follow at 8 p.m. ET
Big Ten Conference men’s basketball programs played the most non-conference games against teams in the AP Top 25 and USA Today Top 25 polls in the country. Big Ten teams played, collectively, 22 games against non-conference opposition ranked in the polls this season.
The 2018 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament will be held from Feb. 28-March 4 at Madison Square Garden in New York City for the first time in history. All 14 teams will advance to the tournament, with two first-round games slated for Wednesday, Feb. 28. The top four teams will receive first and second round byes and advance to the quarterfinals on Friday, March 2. The Big Ten Tournament will return to Chicago in 2019 and 2021 and Indianapolis in 2020 and 2022.
The 2017-18 Big Ten Men’s Basketball schedule is unlike any other in conference history. Moving the 2018 Tournament up one week, meant 18 conference games would be scheduled in a nine-week window. Historically, the Big Ten has been able to deliver the fewest one-day preps of any other conference. The 2017-18 conference schedule has 34 instances of one-day prep, with 20 occurring after the early-December games. That represents about 8 percent of the schedule in January and February, but the Big Ten had only one instance of single-day prep over the past two conference seasons.
Two Big Ten teams are in the latest Associated Press (AP) and USA Today Coaches' Top 25 polls, with two more teams receiving votes, announced this week. Michigan State tops all teams at No. 4/4 (AP/USA Today), followed by No. 5/7 Purdue. Michigan and Ohio State received votes in both polls.
Ten Big Ten teams rank in the top 35 in total blocks this season, including the top two teams in the country. Michigan State leads the nation with 135 blocks this season while Minnesota is second with 120 blocks. Nebraska and Purdue are tied at fifth with 100 blocks while Penn State (T-7th, 98), Rutgers (T-11th, 93), Iowa (T-19th, 86), Maryland (T-23rd, 83), Indiana (T-31st, 77) and Northwestern (T-33rd, 76) round out the rankings (through games of Jan. 4).