The Big 10 conference has been taking all kinds of hits this week in the media and also across forums from facebook all the way to ESPN team boards. And maybe they are right–maybe it’s just time to ‘fess up that this conference is just a mediocre pool of talent that is a throwback model of basketball that simply cannot compete on a national level.

When you look at a team like the Indiana Hoosiers, if there was a team in the conference that could claim the national prominence–it was this team. Notice the past tense verb use. Under Kelvin Sampson, the team had drive, had the confidence, and had the depth to compete with anyone on any night–not saying they would win, but if they could step into an arena and have at least the capability to win, you can’t ask for anything more.

But after Sampson’s departure, with coach Dan Dakich, this team has looked about as unsure as Illinois did in the second half in the Big 10 championship versus Wisconsin. This is not Dakich’s problem or cause, it is simply the mechanics of change and psychology that this group of young men has had to endure and not been able to adjust to.

They’ve been less than stellar, and now they are on the biggest stage in all of college basketball. So what now? The first round matchup is against the Arkansas Razorbacks, and while the ‘Hogs are 22-11, this is a team that went 4-1 against top 25 teams, and they looked very potent in the SEC tournament.

With Sonny Weems, the Razorbacks leading scorer, suffering a knee injury, one would think that the Hoosiers will have an advantage. But Weems will play, and while his effectiveness may not be 100%, the biggest X factor in this game will be the Razorbacks’ ability to play defense against the Hoosiers. In the 11 losses, the Hogs have simply broken down defensively, and the ability of Eric Gordon and D.J. White to really frustrate Arkansas defensively will be the key to them winning the game. As long as they can execute, the Hoosiers should advance. But woulda coulda shoulda didn’t always do it, now did they?

If the Hoosiers make it past the first round, they will face the #1 seed of the tournament, North Carolina. While interior-wise the Hoosiers can at least compete against the Tar Heels, the overall depth of North Carolina will be way too much for the Hoosiers to handle. Being that the second round game will be in Raleigh, it is essentially a home game for the #1 ranked team, and Indiana will not beat them with such a loaded deck.

While I feel that Indiana did get a bit of a snub by drawing a #8 seed, you can’t fault the NCAA committee who has seen this team minus Sampson, and since they are still without their previous general, the seeding may actually be a bit too high when you look at their last 10 games. Not good.