College Basketball: Big 10 teams ranked by success since 2000
By Daniel
6. Indiana: 58 Points
The Hoosiers have not lived up to their own lofty expectations over the last 15 years, but they’ve still put together some incredible seasons. That said, this program currently lacks overall consistency as a whole. If head coach Tom Crean can steady the ship this program could be poised for more greatness over the next few years. They’re Indiana, they’ll always be relevant, but whether or not they’re be great remains to be seen.
Best Season: 2001-02 (25-12, Runner Up in the National Championship)
Top Coach of the Era: Mike Davis (2000-2006)
Top Player of the Era: Victor Oladipo (2010-2013)
5. Maryland: 81 Points
The other newcomer to the Big Ten, along with Rutgers, brings a plethora of success and prestige in college basketball with them to the conference. The Terrapins are one of two schools from this era to win a National Championship on this list (Maryland obviously doing so while in the ACC). They were the team that beat the team at No. 6, the Indiana Hoosiers, in the 2002 National Championship Game. Potential bad blood there?
Best Season: 2001-02 (32-4, National Champions)
Top Coach of the Era: Gary Williams (1989-2011)
Top Player of the Era: Juan Dixon (1999-2002)
4. Illinois: 97 Points
The Fighting Illini are a vastly underrated Big Ten team. Year in and year out they get overlooked, but the numbers speak for themselves. Since 2000 this team has been incredibly successful and they should receive more notoriety for their accomplishments as a program. They’ve made the NCAA Tournament the third-most times in the Big Ten over this time period (11 appearances).
Best Season: 2004-05 (37-2, Runner Up in the National Championship)
Top Coach of the Era: Bruce Weber (2004-2012)
Top Player of the Era: Dee Brown (2002-2006)