The Big Ten Conference, which saw 12 teams compete for an NCAA tournament berth until late into the 2019-20 season, looks like it is going to be a crucible yet again. Nine B1G teams were among the KenPom top 30 as of Thursday night, and Michigan State on Tuesday became the first conference team this season to ascend to a No. 1 rank in ESPN’s Bracketology projection. But with conference play set to begin this weekend, are the Spartans truly the Big Ten’s team to beat? ESPN.com’s panel of experts tackled that question, an early hot seat for Bruce Weber at Kansas State, and all of the top games of college basketball’s third weekend of 2020-21.
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Michigan State jumped to the No. 1 seed line in Bracketology this week, another positive story for a Big Ten that looks as formidable as ever. Are you buying or selling MSU as the team to beat in the Big Ten? Based on your early observations, who will prove to be the Spartans’ biggest B1G obstacle?
Myron Medcalf, senior college basketball writer: I think Michigan State is a legit contender in a tough league. I think Wisconsin and Illinois are there, too. But I’m selling that idea because I think Iowa — at this early stage in the season — is a few steps ahead of its peers. I understand that Roy Williams doesn’t have Rashad McCants and Sean May, but this is still a solid UNC team, and without a “great” effort from Luka Garza the Hawkeyes picked up a double-digit win over the Tar Heels this week. I thought that was the most impressive performance in college basketball this season behind Gonzaga’s win over Kansas. The Hawkeyes are making 40% of their 3-pointers. Defense has been inconsistent but they’re a scoring machine.