Big Ten: Grading The First Week

Mar 3, 2015; Evanston, IL, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach John Beilein shouts instructions during the first overtime at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Northwestern Wildcats defeated the Michigan Wolverines 82-78 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports — Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

The Big Ten had a rocky first week of college basketball, but how did each individual team grade?

The first week of college basketball is in the books and the Big Ten conference is off to a poor start overall. Several teams had great weeks, but others are trying to wake up from a nightmare.

The conference has been regarded as one of the top basketball conferences over the past several years, which was evident by the preseason rankings. The Big Ten has five teams in the AP Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches polls, according to ESPN.com. That is the most out of any conference in college basketball.

Michigan State and Purdue are two teams that will headline the winners from the first week of the season. Illinois and Michigan are teams that will headline the losers from the opening week. But how will each team be graded?

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Grading will be based on the strength of the opening week’s schedule. A team that played all cupcakes and won may not have the same grade as a team that won a marquee game. Whether a team was playing on their home court or on a neutral court will be taken into account. The most important quality is whether a team won or lost in the first week.

A brief preview of this week’s contests will also be given for each team.

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