We are a month into the college basketball season, and the Big Ten has looked subpar. A few teams, like Maryland and Michigan State, had relatively high expectations coming into the season. Both of these teams have failed to meet their loft expectations. We have had a few surprising teams, including Nebraska and Ohio State. Here are the most surprising and disappointing teams in the Big Ten so far.
The Most Surprising and Disappointing Teams in the Big Ten
Most Surprising Teams
So far this season, Nebraska has been the most surprising team in the Big Ten. The Cornhuskers have started out 7-0 and have a big challenge facing Creighton this weekend. The biggest knock on Nebraska will be its weak schedule. The best team it has played so far is Duquesne, ranked 78 in Kenpom. That said, it is still hard to go 7-0 no matter how bad your schedule is, so congrats to Nebraska.
Another surprising team in the Big Ten is Ohio State. The Buckeyes have started the season 6-1 with a strong win against Alabama. While the Buckeyes were supposed to be good this year, most people did not expect them to be as good as they are. Ohio State has been led by sophomore guard Bruce Thornton, who is averaging 18.3 points per game in this young season. With a weaker conference, it would not be shocking to see Ohio State ride its momentum to a strong finish in the Big Ten this season.
The Most Disappointing Teams
Unfortunately for the Big Ten this year, there have been more disappointments than surprises so far. The most disappointing team has been Michigan State. The 18th-ranked Spartans started the season with an overtime loss at home against James Madison. They have followed this up with losses to Duke and Arizona. While those losses are not bad, a team with the hype of Michigan State should have at least split the two.
Not far behind Michigan State is Maryland. The Terrapins started the season 1-3 with three straight losses to Davidson, UAB, and Villanova. The Terps have looked stagnant on offense and abysmal from three. They have shot 22.4% from deep to start the season, last among power five teams and 356th nationally. Star guard Jahmir Young has started the season slow, and if the Terps want to make the NCAA tournament, he will have to return to his all-conference level of play from last year.
The final disappointment of the Big Ten has been Indiana. Although the Hoosiers are 5-1, their play has been shaky at best. The Hoosiers, like Maryland, are terrible from beyond the arc. They rank second-last among power five teams and 345th in the country in three-point percentage (25%). The Hoosiers have also played close with inferior opponents such as Army, Florida Gulf Coast, and Wright State. Although they have made it by on talent, Indiana fans have been disappointed to start this basketball season.
