The conference considered to be college basketball’s best has looked nothing like it in the early part of March Madness. With the first weekend of the 2021 NCAA Tournament coming to a close, the Big Ten still doesn’t have a team in the Sweet 16.

The Big Ten led the way with nine NCAA Tournament bids. More than halfway through the second round, seven teams from the nation’s top conference have been sent home. Two more Big Ten teams will try to punch their ticket to the Sweet 16 on Monday night.

No. 2 Iowa was the latest victim of an upset. The Hawkeyes were routed by No. 7 Oregon 95-80 Monday afternoon in their Round of 32 matchup. Iowa came up short despite 36 points from star Luka Garza.

When the bracket was first announced, No. 1 Illinois represented the Big Ten’s best chance of winning the national championship. Only Gonzaga entered March Madness with better title odds than the Fighting Illini. After a dominant first-round victory, Illinois was defeated by No. 8 Loyola Chicago 71-58 in the second round, never once holding the lead.

Iowa and Illinois avoided the fate of being knocked off in the first round. The same can’t be said for No. 2 Ohio State.

The Buckeyes suffered the most unexpected defeat of the opening weekend, losing to No. 15 Oral Roberts in overtime on Day 1 of the first round. Oral Roberts went on to become the second No. 15 seed in history to reach the Sweet 16.

It wasn’t long ago that Ohio State was viewed as a potential No. 1 seed in the field of 68.

No. 4 Purdue was upset in overtime Friday, as well, losing to No.13 North Texas in the first round. Unlike Oral Roberts, North Texas wasn’t even competitive in their second-round game, losing to No. 5 Villanova 84-61.

No. 10 Rutgers and No. 9 Wisconsin both lost in the second round after beating higher-seeded teams in the first round. No. 11 Michigan State didn’t even make it to the first round, getting bounced by No. 11 UCLA in their First Four matchup.

The Big Ten’s hopes now rest on No. 1 Michigan and No. 10 Maryland. Michigan faces No. 8 LSU on Monday at 7:40 p.m. ET. Maryland faces No. 2 Alabama later in the evening.

No Big Ten school has won the national championship since Michigan State in 2000.

Luka Garza Iowa Illinois
Luka Garza #55 of the Iowa Hawkeyes shoots the ball over Kofi Cockburn #21 of the Illinois Fighting Illini during the first half of the Big Ten men's basketball tournament semifinals at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 13, 2021, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Justin Casterline/Getty Images
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