Big Ten

From Hoopedia

The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Iowa and Minnesota in the west to Pennsylvania in the east. The conference competes in the NCAA's Division I. Member schools of the Big Ten also are members of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, a leading educational consortium. Despite the conference's name, since Penn State joined in 1990, there have been 11 schools in the Big Ten, as signified by the hidden "11" in the Big Ten Conference logo (each "1" is on either side of the "T" in "Ten").

Member Schools

• University of Illinois
• Indiana University
• University of Iowa
• University of Michigan
• Michigan State University
• University of Minnesota
• Northwestern University
• Ohio State University
• Pennsylvania State University
• Purdue University
• University of Wisconsin

Men's basketball

The Big Ten has participated in basketball since 1904, and has led the nation in attendance every season since 1978. It has been a national powerhouse in men's basketball, having multiple championship winners and often sending four or more teams to the NCAA Division I Men's Tournament. Previous NCAA champions include Indiana with five titles, Michigan State with two, and Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio State with one each. Ohio State played in the first NCAA tournament national championship game in 1939, losing to Oregon. Despite this, Jimmy Hull of Ohio State was the first NCAA tournament MVP. The first three tournament MVP's came from the Big Ten (Marv Huffman of Indiana in 1940 and John Katz of Wisconsin in 1941).

Big Ten teams have also experienced success in the postseason National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Since 1974 12 Big Ten teams have made it to the championship game, winning eight championships. NIT champions from the Big Ten include Michigan with three, and Indiana, Minnesota, Purdue, and Ohio State with one each.

Since 1999, the Big Ten has taken part in the ACC - Big Ten Challenge with the Atlantic Coast Conference. The ACC holds an 8-0 record against the Big Ten, and Michigan State is the only Big Ten school with a winning record in the challenge.

Women's basketball

Women's basketball teams have played a total of eight times in the NCAA Division I Women's Tournament (since 1982) and Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) (since 1998). Big Ten women's teams have also led conference attendance from 1993-1999.