The college and high school basketball season is on the cusp of shifting into high gear with March Madness on the horizon.
Through Monday of this week, Purdue, 10-2; Illinois, 8-3; and Wisconsin, 8-3, are the top three teams in the men’s Big Ten Conference.
Parity prevails with many good teams and only very few great teams. Eight of the 14 Big Ten teams were at .500, or, one game away from .500.
On any given night victory or defeat is possible. In the middle includes Northwestern and Michigan State, each 6-5; improving Nebraska, 6-6; Minnesota, 5-5; and four teams each 5-6, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, and Penn State.
The Big Ten Conference tournament should not lack for excitement. Even last place Michigan, 2-9, conceivably could rise up and capture the Big Ten Conference Tournament. Drama is likely.
•High school boys basketball is meaningful. Waubonsie Valley lost its first game last weekend following victories in its first 23 games. Friday, Feb. 9 Waubonsie Valley will play at its District 204 rival, Neuqua Valley in Naperville in a DuPage Valley Conference game. Naperville North of District 203 will be at Metea Valley, District, 204, Friday, Feb. 9, and Naperville Central,Ditrict203, will be at DeKalb.
In three weeks it will be time to focus on both conference championships and the start of March Madness in high school basketball.
•Super Bowl parties are at hand with the Super Bowl set for 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11. First thought quickly rises that Kansas City head coach Steve Nagy will be in the Super Bowl and the his former team, the Chicago Bears will be watching on television. Nagy was the Bears head coach, 2018-2021. Recent tradition holds that when the Bears let a coach go from the team, the Bears become stagnant and the coach moves up. Wish that were not the case, however, the Bears’ knack in recent years has been to find difficulty getting out of their own way. It will change some day, but, when? Professional sports is a difficult scene and momentum, up and down, often prevail. Change starts at the top and works its way down.
Kansas City or San Francisco?
Flip a coin?