No conference has failed in the Final Four more than the Big Ten the past two decades.
When Michigan State’s comeback fell short against Texas Tech on Saturday night, it guaranteed that it would be 20 years since the Big Ten last won a national championship.
Twenty years.
So long ago Michigan fans still may have thought Drew Henson was better than Tom Brady.
It would be one thing if the Big Ten had seldomly appeared in the Final Four. But that's far from the truth. Since MSU outlasted a No. 5 seed and two No. 8 seeds to be champions in 2000, the Big Ten has sent 14 teams to the Final Four. No other league has sent more, and only the ACC can match it. Yet whereas eight of those 14 ACC teams have cut down the nets—Virginia being the most recent on Monday—none of those 14 Big Ten teams have.
That is astounding when the Big Ten should have won about two titles since just 2008.
