3 teams with the most Big Ten basketball titles

The Big Ten Conference basketball tournament is an annual competition that has been held at the end of the regular college basketball season since 1998. The competition has grown in popularity and prestige in recent years due to the fact that the winner receives an automatic conference place in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, which is more commonly referred to as 'March Madness'.

Despite the new Big Ten format being just two decades old, the tournament has already produced a number of memorable moments thanks to the competition introducing a format that allows an outright winner, as the regular season still allows teams to share the Big Ten season crown.

The 2019 edition will take place in Chicago this week, and ahead of the tournament, here we will take a look at the most successful teams in its two-decade-long existence.

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#3 Wisconsin - 3 Titles: 2004, 2008, 2015

The Wisconsin Badgers have won three Big Ten titles (Picture Credit: Big 10 Network)

The Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team have taken home three Big Ten titles, with all three championship wins coming since 2004. The Badgers first won the title fifteen years ago as the team managed to produce a stunning 70–53 victory over the No. 1 seed Illinois, although when the teams met again the following year with the seeds reversed, Illinois gained revenge with a 54-43 win.

Wisconsin had to wait until 2008 to win a second championship, once again beating Illinois, and the Badgers won their third title in 2015 following an 80-69 overtime win over Michigan State. In addition to winning three championships, Wisconsin have also been runner-ups on four occasions, most recently in 2017. The team enters this years tournament as the No. 4 seed, so the team has a chance to move up to second on the all-time titles list.

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#2 Ohio State - 4 Titles: 2007, 2010, 2011, 2013

Ohio State most recently won the tournament in 2013

Ohio State is the second most successful team in Big Ten history, as the team has won the tournament on four occasions. The Buckeyes thought they had taken home their first title back in 2002, as they destroyed Iowa 81-64 in the Championship Game, however, due to NCAA sanctions, the team was forced to vacate their title.

After being stripped of their title, the team had to wait another five years to win again, picking up their first recorded title back in 2007. During their winning run, Ohio defeated Michigan, Purdue, and Wisconsin, and it wasn't long before the team started to dominate the tournament. Between 2010 and 2013, Ohio State took home a further three championships, and their overall tally of four Big Ten wins means that they trail just one team in the all-time standings.

#1 Michigan State - 5 Titles: 1999, 2000, 2012, 2014, 2016

Michigan State is the most successful team in Big Ten history

Michigan State enters the 2019 Big Ten tournament as the heavy favorites, and the team will be looking to further cement their status as the best team in the history of the competition. Michigan State's success dates back to two decades ago when the team won the second ever Big Ten tournament. The team entered the 1999 tournament as the No. 1 seed thanks to a 15–1 conference record, and the Spartans won every game by double digits as they raced to their first title.

They then followed their debut championship with another win a year later, although the Spartans then endured a decade of decline. Nevertheless, the team reclaimed glory in 2012, before further successes in both 2014 and 2016. Ultimately, the Spartans have a long legacy of dominating the tournament, and with their current crop of talent, Michigan State looks likely to add at least one or two more titles in the next few years.