The Wisconsin men?s basketball and hockey teams currently find themselves in a similar situation. Both squads are ranked among the nation?s top 15 teams, and both host a conference foe also ranked in the top 15 this week. While the hockey team finds itself battling in the middle tier of one the country?s premier conferences, the basketball team is at the top of one of the nation?s weakest conferences. Their respective national perceptions, and the rankings that come with them, are derived largely from the so-called ?strength? of their conferences.
When comparing the two teams and their rankings, it becomes easy to see just how stupid it is to consider a particular conference?s strengths and weaknesses and how little either actually matters.
The men?s basketball team, currently tied for second in the Big Ten, enters Thursday night?s game with Indiana as the No. 13 team in the nation while Indiana is ranked No. 11. Neither one is the conference?s highest ranked team (that honor belongs to No. 8 Michigan State), but many experts are still calling it a ?down year? for the Big Ten. Wisconsin?s overall record of 16-3 and high conference ranking may appear solid, but because there are more teams in the league struggling than usual, the team?s success is often attributed to a weak conference and their ranking is often deemed inflated.
Entering the season, experts predicted the Big Ten wouldn?t be as strong this season as it has been in years past, especially in comparison to last year when the conference had two teams earn the nation?s No. 1 ranking, with Ohio State finishing as the runner-up to Florida in the national championship. Yet here, as February is about to begin, there are three Big Ten teams ranked in the nation?s top 15 and two others (Ohio State and Purdue) capable of cracking the top 25 by the end of the season.
Is the conference ?strong? this year? There?s no way to answer it right now because it?s too early to tell. In the unlikely scenario that MSU, OSU and UW are the Big Ten?s only representatives in the NCAA tournament, it would be easy to call it a disappointing season for the league. What if those three teams made it to the Final Four, however? Is it still a weak year then? Or is it just a top-heavy season for the Big Ten?
Maybe the conference doesn?t have as many elite teams as it usually does, but there isn?t enough evidence to warrant calling it a down year for the conference, and there?s even less cause for punishing Wisconsin for it.
And even if the Big Ten isn?t outstanding, that has little bearing on Wisconsin. It doesn?t make sense to judge the Badgers (either in print or when the tournament seeds are handed out) by how well (or poorly) Illinois has been this year.
If UW?s No. 13 ranking is going to be called soft, it should be due to skepticism about the team?s ? and not the conference?s ? talent level.
Unlike the basketball team, the hockey team is benefiting from its conference?s perception.
This weekend, the men?s hockey team, currently ranked No. 11 in the nation, will host No. 12 Minnesota-Duluth. Wisconsin sits only at fourth place in the WCHA ? tied with Minnesota-Duluth ? in what looks to be another strong season for arguably the nation?s premier conference (currently, six WCHA teams are ranked in the national top 20).
The Badgers hold a rather unimpressive record of 11-10-5, however, and while they haven?t been a total disappointment this season, it is unlikely this will be one to look back on for fans of the cardinal and white.
Sure, the Badgers have a high ranking and play in a tough conference, but do the Badgers hold their spot at No. 11 in spite of the conference, or because of it?
Judging by its poor record, Wisconsin?s national ranking comes largely from the perceived strength of the WCHA, not exactly a factor that reflects how talented UW really is (or isn?t).
Though their rankings may be similar, the way they earned them is anything but. Wisconsin?s hockey team deserves just as much credit for playing in a ?strong? conference as its basketball team does for playing in a ?weak? one.
In the end, either in basketball or hockey or both of them, it’s no consolation for Wisconsin fans to see Ohio State or North Dakota win national titles. Nor is it a consolation to watch Northwestern or Michigan Tech suffer because those teams don?t determine how well UW does. The only thing that really matters is how the Badgers play. And as long as championships are still decided on the court and on the ice, pay no attention to how anyone else does because, in the end, it holds absolutely no weight.
Mike is a sophomore majoring in political science. Where does his column rank in the Big Ten? Let him know at [email protected].
