“Eighteen years, eighteen years. No Big Ten team has won the NCAA Tournament in eighteen years” — Kanye West [sort of].
Kanye knows what’s up. It’s been 18 years since a Big Ten team hoisted the NCAA Tournament Trophy. Michigan State, led by guards Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson (AKA Mo-Pete) defeated the Florida Gators 89-76 on April 3, 2000.
With a week-long hiatus between the end of Big Ten Tournament play and the start of the NCAA Tournament, commissioner Jim Delany hopes his conference can finally reclaim college basketball’s biggest prize.