Big Ten’s increased power can be felt at United Center

This statement is quickly becoming indisputable: The NIL era of college sports has been very, very good to the Big Ten.

Michigan's 90-77 victory over Alabama at the United Center guaranteed at least four of the Elite Eight will be Big Ten schools, with Michigan State playing late in the East Region with a chance to make it five. The conference had never put more than four teams in the Sweet Sixteen before jumping all the way to six this year.

Why exactly does the Big Ten have such an advantage now? It's not just basketball, obviously. The last three football national champions have come from the Big Ten, and it wasn't long ago the league had little to no hope of competing with the SEC on the gridiron.

This question was posed to Michigan coach Dusty May after his latest victory, and he supplied a sly answer. What exactly is the Big Ten's big advantage?

“You'd have to catch me off the record to answer that question,” May said.

There's a popular party line often shared on social media. When paying players was illegal, schools in a certain region of the country (the South) were the only ones doing it. Now that it's legal, turns out Big Ten schools have both deep pockets and the viewing power to land the fattest television contracts.

May did have more to say on the topic.

“I do think some of the newer coaches have brought a different flavor,” May said. “I think at times it seemed like the Big Ten was kind of cut and paste. You turn on one game, and it looks pretty much like the other three that are going on at the exact same time.”

Michigan took care of business Thursday using what might become known as the “Big Ten method” — clamping down on defense. Alabama's fast-paced style is usually good for at least 90 points, but the Crimson Tide managed just 28 in the second half when faced with the maize squeeze. Yaxel Lendeborg led the way with 23 points.

The Big Ten is guaranteed at least one team in the Final Four, since Illinois and Iowa will meet for the South Region title Saturday. Michigan will be favored to beat either Iowa State or Tennessee on Sunday at the UC. Purdue will face Arizona in the West.

The Illini need to be very wary of Iowa. First-year coach Ben McCollum brought star player Bennett Stirtz with him from Drake, and before that, Northwest Missouri State. McCollum taught the Hawkeyes to play full-contact, barely legal defense during the regular season.

That style didn't seem sustainable with neutral referees, but Iowa has thrived in a lenient NCAA Tournament world. Maybe because they're used to the constant contact, the Hawkeyes have delivered strong finishing kicks to beat Florida and Nebraska. Iowa feels like a dangerous opponent with growing confidence.

For Illinois, the key is to utilize all the weapons. When point guard Kylan Boswell returned from a hand injury, Andrej Stojakovic got lost in the shuffle for a while, but he's returned to the fold, scoring a combined 34 points the past two games.

The Illini have more offensive firepower than Iowa and need to use it late in the game to grab a spot in the Final Four.