3 Big Ten teams that have the best chance of ending their national championship drought ft. Matt Painter's Purdue

The Big Ten Conference has a rich basketball tradition since the NCAA began its knockout tournament to decide the national champion in 1939. Ohio State was the first finalist from the Big Ten losing to Pacific Coast member Oregon, which has become one of the newest members of the Big Ten in the championship game.

The next two years saw Big Ten members, Indiana and Wisconsin, winning successive tournaments. It took 12 years before Indiana won their second national title, winning over Kansas by one point.

Ohio State became the fourth Big Ten representative to win the national title in 1960. Indiana secured their third NCAA crown in 1976, beating Big Ten foe Michigan in Philadelphia's Spectrum.

Bob Knight helped Indiana gain their fourth championship in 1981 with a 13-point win over North Carolina with the Spectrum serving as the court for the national title game. The Hoosiers made it five titles in 1987, edging out Syracuse.

In 1989, it was Michigan's turn to make the Big Ten proud, edging Seton Hall by one point in the final. Tom Izzo and Michigan State would secure the first title of the millennium with a win over Florida.

Unfortunately, this was the last time a Big Ten team has ever won a national title and last year, Purdue could have ended the 24-year Big Ten drought but they fell short to eventual back-to-back champions UConn.

This season, there are three teams that have a possible shot of ending Big Ten's national title drought and their own championship miscues. Here are three Big Ten teams that have the best chance of ending their national championship drought.

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3 Big Ten teams that have the best chance of ending their national championship drought

#1 Michigan Wolverines

The Michigan Wolverines, who won their only national title in 1989, have shored up their roster and replaced previous coach Juwan Howard with former Final Four qualifier Dusty May.

The former Florida Atlantic coach changed the rotation, picking guard Roddy Gayle Jr from Ohio State and centers Danny Wolf (Yale) and Vladislav Goldin (FAU) from the transfer portal and securing the commitments of four-star recruits Phat Phat Brooks and Justin Pippen.

The current lineup looks fearsome and built for the long run as it is capable of beating opponents by using a big man lineup with Wolf and Goldin combining on the floor or through a small ball with Gayle, Pippen and Tre Donaldson leading the charge.

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#2 Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue aims to secure its first-ever national title after coming a game close to winning the crown. The Matt Painter-coached Boilermakers won't have two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey in the middle but the lineup remains strong with highly-touted point guard Braden Smith taking the helm.

Smith will have last year's key contributors Tre Kaufman-Renn, Fletcher Loyer and Caleb Furst helping him with the leadership chores. Purdue will have young frontline players this year in 6-10 center Raleigh Burgess and 7-3 beanpole Daniel Jacobsen.

The championship experience may be their main advantage in this conference and Painter hopes the 2023-24 run carries over to the 2024-25 college basketball season.

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#3 Indiana Hoosiers

The Indiana Hoosiers won their fifth and last title in 1987 under legendary coach Bob Knight. Thirty-seven years later, Indiana has a good chance of making it beyond the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament with a lineup featuring a burly seven-foot center who has the potential to make the NBA and a five-star recruit ready to prove he is one of the best young small forwards in the nation.

The combination of center Oumar Ballo and freshman forward Bryson Tucker has created a big buzz in the college basketball scene, representing how serious Indiana is in securing their sixth title in the 2025 NCAA Tournament and ending the team's 38-year drought.

Aside from Ballo and Tucker, Indiana was strengthened by transfers Myles Rice, Kanaan Carlyle, Luke Goode and Langdon Hatton. The six players are expected to ease off the load on Indiana's scoring duo of Malik Reneau and Mackenzie Mgbako and possibly dominate the Big Ten Conference and gain their sixth national title as well.