The big bad bullies of the Big Ten have had a rough start to the NCAA Tournament. Perhaps everyone should have seen the warning signs after watching Thursday night’s First Four action, when Michigan State’s players showed more interest in arguing with their legendary coach Tom Izzo than they did with slowing UCLA’s late-game rally. The Spartans possess a classic Big Ten pedigree, after all, and even though they’d finished the regular season with a losing record in conference play, they had played much better as the Big Dance neared. But Michigan State was the first of an eye-popping nine Big Ten teams to play in the tournament, and it was also the first to fall. Even with that warning, it was still stunning to see what happened in just the fifth game on Friday when powerhouse Ohio State became just the ninth No. 2 seed to lose in the…
Continue Reading: A not-so-big start for the Big Ten, as high seeds Ohio State, Purdue fall
