Useless stat time! I was thinking how impressive it is that in the last four seasons, we have been the #1 or #2 seed in the BTT three out of four years. It helps speak to the consistency within league play. So, I thought it would be an interesting exercise to look at the last four Big Ten Tournaments to try to quantify consistency in the league.
If you are the #14 seed in that year, you get 1 point. If you are the #1 seed, you get 14 points, and so on.
2020-2023 (i.e., before this year's BTT)
Illinois: 46
Iowa: 42
Purdue: 42
Wisconsin: 39
Michigan State: 38
Michigan: 34
Maryland: 33
Rutgers: 32
Ohio State: 29
Indiana: 27
Penn State: 22
Northwestern: 21
Nebraska: 8
Minnesota: 7
2020-24 (using projected BTT seeds as of now)
Illinois: 59
Purdue: 56
Iowa: 50
Wisconsin: 49
Michigan State: 47
Maryland: 37
Michigan: 35
Ohio State: 35
Indiana: 34
Rutgers: 34
Northwestern: 32
Penn State: 25
Nebraska: 20
Minnesota: 12
Again ... it's a made up stat. However, I think it looks at "most wins in the Big Ten" over that time in a way that tries to measure consistently being near the top rather than having one great (or poor) season that skews the totals. Two things that really stick out to me:
1. I would be so frustrated as an Iowa fan. They have been quietly near the top third of the league for quite a long time now, and they have nothing to show for it. We complain about not making a Sweet Sixteen, but Iowa hasn't made one since the 1990s (we have 4 since then). They haven't won a Big Ten championship since 1979 (we have 7 in that timeframe). Additionally, whatever we want to say about anti-Illini bias here or there ... we get infinitely more respect nationally as a "college hoops brand" or whatever than Iowa.
2. Indiana got a dead cat bounce last year with all of that talent back, but man ... they have been futile for years now. And I love it, lol. They are actually delusional enough to think that Illini and Purdue fans still look at them like this "big bad empire" that will forever live rent free in all of our heads and as if the name "INDIANA" on their jerseys makes it a huge game ... and they're literally living in their own world.