The Big Ten Race

The Big Ten race for men's basketball is almost at the halfway point, and the team that have a shot to win it has already trimmed to just a few.  A few of them are surprises.  The two teams that have not lost yet, are shocks to most people around the Conference and the nation.  They are the Iowa Hawkeyes and Indiana Hoosiers.  I covered their resumes in the last article that I wrote, so I'll give you a summary.  Iowa has played the toughest conference schedule in the country, has swept Michigan State and Purdue, and beat Michigan.  Indiana has played the weakest conference schedule in the Power Five conferences.  But, they have crushed these teams, like putting up a hundred against Illinois and beating a pesky Northwestern team by 30.  They have their first tests coming up in the next couple of weeks, while Iowa's schedule gets easier after the Maryland game.  They play each other twice.
Next up is the Maryland Terrapins.  The Terps are 6-2 in conference, leaving them a game and a half behind Iowa and Indiana.  Their only losses have come at Michigan and Michigan State.  Those are very acceptable losses, as both teams are tourney bound and are tough places to play at.  The Iowa game is a must-win.  Not only to stay in the conference race, but to bolster their tournament resume.  They haven't beaten a RPI Top 50 team yet, and Iowa would be a humongous win for them.  Plus, if they lose to Iowa, that gives the Hawkeyes basically a four game lead over them with the tiebreaker. That would all but eliminate them from the regular season title.
Next is the Michigan Wolverines.  The Wolverines are 5-2 in the Conference, with their losses being at Iowa and Purdue.  Losses at hostile environments against good teams, so no shame in those losses.  But, they might be without their best player in Caris Lavert for the season, and it would be tough to win the title without him.  Right now, they are about a seven seed, with their top win being against Maryland at home.  They get Indiana at home, and their last game is against Iowa at home.  They will need to win these games.  They have Indiana as well as Michigan State upcoming on an unusual four game home stand.
Next is Purdue.  Purdue is 5-3, getting swept by Iowa and getting upset by a bad Illinois team on the road.  It'll be uphill, needing Iowa to lose four games and winning out as well as needing Indiana to lose three games, as well as Michigan and Maryland losing.  Uphill, but not impossible.  Their best win is against Michigan at home.  They have a tough schedule, playing at Maryland, Indiana for their only meetings, Michigan at Michigan and Michigan State at Mackey Arena.  They can shoot, with Kendall Stephens and company, and they also have three seven footers, and Caleb Swanigan, who decommited from Michigan State and is a five star freshman with three point range, and are very dangerous.
The next up is 4-3 Ohio State, which will not win the title.  The other is Michigan State, who at 4-4 needs the Hawkeyes to lose five games, which looks doubtful. Could be a threat with Denzel Valentine and Matt Costello to win the Big Ten Tournament and go far in March with Tom Izzo.  It will be a good race for the title.