It is time to look at the next batch of conferences in this series that honors the true forces in NCAA basketball, the fruitcakes who like to play Jekyll and Hyde, and the frauds that have been exposed (or are in the process of being exposed) as overrated.
This edition examines the Big Ten, Big XII, CAA, and Conference USA. The analysis continues to move in alphabetical order to avoid any charges of bias.
For complete definitions and a thorough look at the ACC, Atlantic 10, Big East, and Big South, click here. To quickly wrap up what has already been discussed, I've provided the following table, with a couple of sentences for the conferences not already examined in-depth.
America East: Vermont (FORCE), Binghamton (FRUITCAKE), Albany (FRAUD)
Oddly enough, Vermont has lost to both Albany and Binghamton, but remains the most talented team in the conference. Binghamton earned wins over Rutgers and Tulane, but also has losses to awful teams. Albany defeated both Vermont and Binghamton, but don't be fooled. They followed the wins up with losses to Maine and Stony Brook.
ACC: Duke (FORCE), Maryland (FRUITCAKE), Boston College (FRAUD)
Atlantic Sun: E. Tennessee St. (FORCE), Jacksonville (FRUITCAKE), Mercer (FRAUD)
Mercer opened the season with wins over Alabama and Auburn but has been sketchy ever since.
Atlantic 10: Xavier (FORCE), Massachusetts (FRUITCAKE), Dayton (FRAUD)
Big East: Connecticut (FORCE), Notre Dame (FRUITCAKE), Villanova (FRAUD)
Big Sky: Portland St. and Weber St. (both are 1/2 FORCE, 1/2 FRUITCAKE), Montana (FRAUD)
Portland St. scored one of the biggest upsets of the season (over Gonzaga), but will fight Weber St. (who have already beat the Vikings 80-66 on the road) for the conference title.
Big South: No FORCE, including VMI; Liberty (FRUITCAKE), Radford (FRAUD)
Moving on to today's analysis, first up is the (sigh) Big Ten. This should be fun.
Big Ten Conference
THE FORCE: Michigan State Spartans (15-3, 5-1)
Michigan State remains at the top of a conference literally full of fruitcakes. You can call them the banana bread, if you want.
The Spartans didn't exactly cement their status with a loss to Northwestern, but don't forget that they rolled off 10 straight victories before the upset, including impressive wins over Illinois, Kansas, Ohio St., Minnesota, Penn St., and Texas.
THE FRUITCAKE(S): Penn State Nittany Lions (15-5, 4-3) and Northwestern Wildcats (10-6, 2-4)
Okay, I admit that I could have practically picked a name out of a hat. I simply couldn't write this article with only one Big Ten fruitcake; let's just say the papers from the hat stuck together. Of all the teams I could have chosen, these two truly befuddle me.
While teams like Minnesota, Illinois, and Purdue were certainly candidates, their losses have been mostly understandable. The Nittany Lions, on the other hand, have losses to Rhode Island, Wisconsin and Temple to go with their win over Purdue.
Northwestern looked to be joining Iowa and Indiana in the cellar of the Big Ten, until they pulled off a win over Minnesota and a road stunner over Michigan State. Good luck placing bets on any team in this conference. Save your money.
Either team could finish anywhere between third and ninth in this fruitcake conference.
THE FRAUD: Michigan Wolverines (13-6, 3-4)
The Wolverines edge out Wisconsin and Ohio State in this category, partially because they have lost to both teams. Even worse for Michigan fans, their hopes rose for a surprise season after an early-season upset of then No. 4 UCLA coupled with a shocker over No. 1-in-waiting Duke.
That upset feels like years ago, and the UCLA win has lost some of its luster as the Bruins slip down the rankings.
The Wolverines are young, and it hasn't helped that DeShawn Sims seems to have lost his shooting touch. The defensive lapses and inability to hold leads against mediocre teams bode poorly for the immediate future.
Losses to Maryland and Wisconsin, in addition to three straight conference losses, exposed significant weaknesses.
Facing six more games against currently ranked teams, including a tilt with No. 3 Connecticut, means that Michigan may struggle to finish as anything more than a quintessential bubble team at best.
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