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Iowa basketball: Big Ten continuing to look strong through week six

By Andrew Wade

EAST LANSING, MI - DECEMBER 03: Riley Till #20 of the Iowa Hawkeyes drives to the basket while defended by Conner George #41 of the Michigan State Spartans in the second half at Breslin Center on December 3, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - DECEMBER 03: Riley Till #20 of the Iowa Hawkeyes drives to the basket while defended by Conner George #41 of the Michigan State Spartans in the second half at Breslin Center on December 3, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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The Big Ten surge may have slowed down, but they still look like a top conference. Here’s the breakdown and where the Iowa basketball team fits within it.

The Big Ten conference may not be as hot as it was just two weeks ago (when seven teams were in the AP Top-25), but the conference is still showing it’s one of the best in the nation. Along with the Iowa basketball team, five other programs are sitting pretty in the Top-25, and another four are receiving votes for inclusion.

This early recognition of conference strength will bode well come tournament time, and that’s good because with the new 20-game schedule coming into play this season, Big Ten teams will be cannibalizing wins from each other in even greater fashion.

As it stands right now, the Big Ten is predicted to have representation by an astonishing ten teams in the ESPN’s bracketology. Nine of those predicted teams have two losses or less right now and looking at the Big Ten as a whole, only one team has a losing record (Illinois).

Moreover, advanced metrics are showing the Big Ten conference is superior by a large margin.

According to KenPom, the Big Ten blows away the other top conferences in Top-50 wins so far this year.

Taking a deeper look into the KenPom advanced metrics, 11 of the 14 Big Ten teams have an Adjusted Efficiency Margin (a fancy way to compare teams in a more meaningful way) that ranks within the top 50. The Iowa basketball team clocks in at 38th on the list with an AEM of +15.09, which is held up entirely by its 16th ranked offense according to AEM data.

light. Related Story. Midseason awards for the men's Iowa basketball team

With the holiday season kicking off and teams gearing up for Big Ten conference play, we are not likely to see many changes in the base data (top-50 wins, AP Rankings), but as soon as the conference play begins for the Big Ten and the Iowa basketball team, we will be bringing you weekly reports on the strength of the conference as it has a big impact on the Hawkeyes chances of making a return to the 2019 NCAA Tournament.

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