Even though Michigan State pushed Wisconsin to overtime in the Big Ten title game two weeks ago, the Badgers were excited the Spartans will be joining them in the Final Four.
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They believe the presence of two Big Ten teams in Indianapolis only bolsters the reputation of a conference many have said wasn't as strong as usual this year.
Credit Wisconsin for its season-long brilliance and Michigan State for peaking in March, but the idea that the NCAA tournament proves the Big Ten was underrated doesn't hold up under scrutiny.
First of all, a single-elimination tournament isn't nearly as accurate a barometer of conference strength as a 30-game regular season, and the Big Ten was fourth in RPI behind the Big 12, Big East and ACC. Secondly, the Big Ten's five other NCAA tournament teams besides Wisconsin and Michigan State went a combined 3-5 and none made it out of the opening weekend.
What having two Final Four teams does do for the Big Ten is give it better odds of ending its national title drought. The Big Ten has been one of the nation's strongest leagues more often than not over the past 15 years, but the last Big Ten team to win a championship was Michigan State in 2000.
The Big Ten most recently put two teams in the Final Four in 2005 when Michigan State and Illinois both lost to eventual champion North Carolina.
The league is hoping for a better outcome this time.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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