Go ahead and say it… I’m a Big Ten hater. Not really, I think Ohio State is legit and could make it to the Final Four. However, today my gripe is with Illinois. They have a huge game tomorrow against Wisconsin. Most experts think if they win that game, they are in. That would certainly hurt my argument, but here are 5 reasons why they should be out….

1.) 5-11 vs. Top 100 RPI Teams

That’s top 100, not top 25, not even top 50. They beat Clemson and Vanderbilt (home) out of conference, which I like. Taking down Wisconsin and Michigan State, to me, isn’t as big as you want it to be. They’re in your conference, and you play them twice. Look at every conference, there are slip ups along the way.

2.) 72% of their Wins are against Crap

Yeah that’s right. They made a living beating weak teams, and that is why we are here. Beating Indiana, Iowa, Penn State twice doesn’t mean much.

3.) They’ve lost 5 of their last 6

The Tournament committee does take into consideration who is hot, and the Illini are NOT. To be fair, they were against the cream of the crop in the Big Ten. To be an ass, they weren’t in any one of those games! That home loss to Minnesota hurts.

4.) The Big Ten is a weaker Conference

Granted they have a winning record (10-8). Along the lines of what I was mentioning before, look at the teams underneath them.  Penn State, Iowa, Michigan, Indiana. Who has Michigan State or Ohio State beaten out of conference this year??? They’ve padded their conference record vs. the stinky teams.

5.) Bracketologist Joe Lunardi has them in over more qualified teams, and he’s the kiss of death

Lunardi is usually the kiss of the death for the “Last Four In”. Then again, the committee usually humps the Big Ten. I believe Rhode Island or Seton Hall are more deserving of the bid.