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Ideally, this entire article is not applicable. Ideally, Michigan and the rest of the Big Ten Championship contenders each play a full 20-game conference schedule, and the winner is decided fairly.
Ideally.
The reality is that with one month to go into the season, some teams (Nebraska) have only played seven Big Ten games while others (Ohio State) have played 14.
Michigan is in the middle, having played nine games, after five postponed in the past two weeks. The Wolverines return to action on Sunday. The last day of the regular season is scheduled for March 7. Michigan to complete a 20-game Big Ten would require 11 games in 22 days.
Yikes.
It’s very possible in Michigan, Nebraska, and maybe others – Illinois? State of Michigan? – do not reach 20.
When announcing the initial schedule, the Big Ten did not address this scenario. The league did this despite – or perhaps because of – what happened during the football season.
A quick soccer reminder: The Big Ten initially said teams had to play six games to make the league championship before changing their policy so the top team, 5-0 Ohio State, could play.
Although postponements were inevitable for the hoops – the Big Ten acknowledged this by scheduling two sets of “foldable byes” – there was no language on the crowning of a champion or the ranking of teams for the tournament. of the league in the case of a shortened regular season.
A Big Ten source told MLive on Tuesday afternoon that the conference’s 14 athletic directors are involved in “active and ongoing discussions” on these same topics. Expect a public announcement within a week. It remains to be seen whether the ranking is ultimately decided by something as simple as the winning percentage.
“Flexibility is the key word,” the source said. The Big Ten are already adjusting on the fly, changing the location of their postseason tournament from Chicago to Indianapolis on Tuesday.
This is all very relevant for Michigan, which is in the top spot. The Wolverines are 8-1 in the league. Illinois is next with 9-3. The state of Ohio is 10-4. Michigan has yet to face either and was only scheduled for singles matches against each. Wisconsin, Purdue and Iowa each have five losses.
It’s shaping up, like many years, to be a fight to the end – perhaps not so much for the former if Michigan continues to win but certainly for the other seeds. Five teams have five or six losses; four have seven.
The implications go beyond the conference race. Nine Big Ten teams are currently in the NCAA Championship, with two more knocking on the door, by ESPN and CBS Sports.
Maybe the league is lucky and COVID-19, for the next month at least, stops wreaking havoc on the schedule. Maybe Michigan and others are pushing their way to the finish, playing every other night for a stretch.
However, it is much more likely that the contingencies the Big Ten offers to determine the ranking will be used.
More Michigan basketball content:
Michigan basketball is back after a few ‘really long days’
A beloved bailiff and the COVID death that rocked Michigan athletics
Michigan basketball rises in AP poll without playing
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