Armour: My apologies, Big Ten. I was wrong to doubt you

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Armour: My apologies, Big Ten. I was wrong to doubt you

Armour: My apologies, Big Ten. I was wrong to doubt you

Nancy Armour, USA TODAY · USA TODAY Sports

Sat, Mar 28, 2026 ·

4 min read

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CHICAGO – I owe you an apology, Big Ten .

I said after the Big Ten tournament the conference still didn't have a team capable of winning the NCAA men's title . That Michigan wasn't all it was hyped to be. That Yaxel Lendeborg wasn't the factor a Player of the Year candidate should be.

Don't I look stupid now. That's a rhetorical question. Of course I do. I was wrong about all of it.

More: Elliot Cadeau is a 'savant' for Michigan, his hearing and vision be damned

A story of unbreakable resolve: Inside Ben McCollum's 'insane' Iowa ride to Elite Eight

The Big Ten will have half the teams in the Elite Eight , with Michigan, Illinois , Iowa and Purdue still alive. Iowa, a ninth seed, is playing as well as anyone left. And Michigan? They're not as good as initially advertised.

They're better.

Iowa State Cyclones fans cheer against the Kentucky Wildcats during the first half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Enterprise Center on March 22, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri.

(Jamie Squire, Getty Images)

Kansas Jayhawks cheerleaders perform before a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the St. John's Red Storm at Viejas Arena on March 22, 2026 in San Diego, Calif.
(Denis Poroy, Imagn Images)

Nebraska's Berke Buyuktuncel celebrates with fans following a second-round game in the NCAA men's basketball tournament between Nebraska Cornhuskers and Vanderbilt Commodores at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on March 21, 2026.

(SARAH PHIPPS, THE OKLAHOMAN via USA TODAY NETWORK)

Arkansas Razorbacks cheerleaders in the second half against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Ore.

(Troy Wayrynen, Imagn Images)

VCU Rams fans react after a 3-pointer by Terrence Hill Jr. #6 of the VCU Rams in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
(Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images)

Howard Bison cheerleaders perform during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the Michigan Wolverines at Keybank Center on Mar 19, 2026 in Buffalo, NY.
(Mark Konezny, Imagn Images)

BYU Cougars cheerleader in the second half against the Texas Longhorns during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center on Mar 19, 2026 in Portland, Ore.
(Craig Strobeck, Imagn Images)

Former North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams is seen in the crowd against the VCU Rams in the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Mar 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images)

Texas A&M Aggies cheerleaders during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026 in Oklahoma City.
(William Purnell, Imagn Images)

Texas Longhorns band in the first half against the BYU Cougars during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center on Mar 19, 2026 in Portland.
(Craig Strobeck, Imagn Images)

St. John's Red Storm mascot Johnny Thunder mixes with players prior to taking the court during practice day ahead of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 19, 2026 in San Diego, California.
(Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images)

A Texas Christian University Horned Frogs cheerleader practices before the game during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.

(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images)

The High Point Panthers fans cheer during the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the Wisconsin Badgers at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Or.
(Troy Wayrynen, Imagn Images)

The High Point Panthers cheerleaders react during the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the Wisconsin Badgers at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Or.
(Troy Wayrynen, Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images)

The North Dakota State Bison mascot and cheerleaders pose for a photo before the game against the Michigan State Spartans during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Keybank Center on March 19, 2026 in Buffalo, NY
(Gregory Fisher, Imagn Images)

Nebraska Cornhuskers fans cheer after defeating the Troy Trojans during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026 in Oklahoma City.
(Alonzo Adams, Imagn Images)

The Wisconsin Badgers mascot performs during a time out during the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the High Point Panthers at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland.
(Craig Strobeck, Imagn Images)

A view of Buddy the Street Dog as Queens University of Charlotte Royals guard Yoav Berman talks to the media during a practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center in St. Louis on March 19, 2026.
(Jeff Le, Imagn Images)

The High Point Panthers band performs prior to a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the Wisconsin Badgers at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Or.
(Craig Strobeck, Imagn Images)

High Point Panthers fans cheer prior to a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the Wisconsin Badgers at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Or.
(Craig Strobeck, Imagn Images)

The Wisconsin Badgers cheerleaders preform during the first half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the High Point Panthers at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Or.
(Craig Strobeck, Imagn Images)

The South Florida Bulls mascot performs during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Keybank Center on March 19, 2026 in Buffalo, NY.
(Mark Konezny, Imagn Images)

The Texas Christian University Horned Frogs cheerleaders perform in the first half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
(Jim Dedmon, Imagn Images)

The Troy Trojans mascot dances on the floor during the second half against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026 in Oklahoma City.
(William Purnell, William Purnell-Imagn Images)

The UCF Knights band performs during a practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena on March 19, 2026 in Philadelphia.
(Bill Streicher, Imagn Images)

Nebraska Cornhuskers cheerleaders perform during the second half against the Troy Trojans during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026 in Oklahoma City.
(William Purnell, Imagn Images)

A Wisconsin Badgers cheerleader performs during the first half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the High Point Panthers at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Or.
(Craig Strobeck, Imagn Images)

The Ohio State Buckeyes cheerleaders perform in the second half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images)

Akron Zips fans in the first half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena on March 20, 2026 in Tampa, Fla.
(Matt Pendleton, Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images)

Texas Tech Red Raiders cheerleaders in the first half against the Akron Zips during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena on March 20, 2026 in Tampa, Fla.
(Nathan Ray Seebeck, Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)

Santa Clara Broncos fans react to game play against the Kentucky Wildcats during the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center on March 20, 2026 in St. Louis, MO.
(Jeff Le, Jeff Le-Imagn Images)

Akron Zips cheerleaders and mascot in the second half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena on March 20, 2026 in Tampa, Fla.
(Matt Pendleton, Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images)

Wright State Raiders fans celebrate after a Wright State Raiders guard TJ Burch (22) scores during the second half against the Virginia Cavaliers during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena on March 20, 2026 in Philadelphia, PA.
(Bill Streicher, Bill Streicher-Imagn Images)

Hofstra Pride cheerleaders in the second half against the Alabama Crimson Tide during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena on March 20, 2026 in Tampa, Fla.
(Matt Pendleton, Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images)

Garth Noble of the Louisville pep band is amped at the 2026 NCAA Women's March Madness basketball tournament at the KFC Yum Center In Louisville, Kentucky. March 21, 2026.
(Matt Stone/Courier Journal)

Michigan head coach Dusty May high-fives players after 95-72 win over Saint Louis at the NCAA Tournament Second Round at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Saturday, March 21, 2026.
(Junfu Han, USA TODAY NETWORK)

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish band and spirit squad cheer during the first round of the NCAA women's basketball tournament against the Fairfield Stags at Ohio State's Schottenstein Center in Columbus on March 21, 2026.
(Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch)

As for Lendeborg, all he did was suck the life out of Alabama with 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals in the first 7:51 of the second half. He'd finish with 23 points, 12 boards, seven assists and two steals in top-seeded Michigan's 90-77 win on Friday, March 27.

"I think we're the best conference in the country," Lendeborg said. "It was pretty much a dog fight almost every night. And it definitely helped us out."

Big Ten's title drought

A Big Ten team hasn't won the national men's title since Michigan State's Flintstones back in 2000 . It's not that the conference hasn't had its chances. It has. Plenty of them. Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State , Ohio State , Purdue and Wisconsin have all played in the title game, with the Wolverines doing it twice.

But all of them seemed to be built more to survive the Hunger Games that is the Big Ten season than hang with the best from the ACC, SEC and Big East.

Not this year. Rather than cannibalizing each other, it's sharpened them.

"College basketball has been cyclical forever. Hopefully this is a long cycle for us in the conference," Michigan coach Dusty May said.

The money that's pouring into college athletics now is a factor. The Big Ten schools making a run this March haven't flinched when it comes to finding the cash necessary to support top-tier programs.

But the addition of the West Coast teams — UCLA , USC, Oregon and Washington — has also helped, May said.

"We're developing a different type of basketball identity," he said. "I do think some of the newer coaches have brought a different flavor. I think at times it seems the Big Ten is kind of cut and paste. You know, you turn on one game and it looks pretty much like the other three that are going on at the exact same time. Just wearing different color jerseys."

The Big Ten is still rough and tumble. If you don't have a couple of bruises after a conference game, you haven't left the bench. But the days of first-team-to-40-wins are over.

Not the Big Ten of old

The Big Ten teams can play with pace. Any pace. You want to run and gun? They'll grab their track shoes. You want to slow it down? They can work the shot clock.

They can hit 3s and they can score in the paint. And, of course, they can play defense.

Take Michigan. As tenacious as it is defensively — the Wolverines held the highest-scoring team in the country to 28 points in the second half — it's got plenty of flash. It shot nearly 50% from 3-point range, and Lendeborg made a defender look silly with his step-back 3 to start the second half.

And when Big Ten teams are playing anybody else, it's like the training wheels have been taken off.

"Today I felt like the game was a lot more free-flowing. Not many times did I get chucked while I was trying to cut," Lendeborg said. "It definitely helps me out. It definitely makes me slow the game down a lot more. I can find more reads than I would in the Big Ten."

It's the same for the rest of the Big Ten teams. Purdue, Iowa, Illinois — they still have old-school sensibilities but without the stodginess. At this point, any one of them can win it all.

Only a fool would think otherwise.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Big Ten proving me wrong in March Madness. I owe it an apology

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Big Ten's title drought

Not the Big Ten of old