B1G BBALL

[Govbarney]

Anyone else enjoying this season of B1G Bball as much as I am? For as bad as B1G football is overall , B1G bball has been epic so far. My count right now has 6 , maybe 7 or possibly even 8 teams making the tourney, and there is no clear cut favorite in the rest of the NCAA. come Tourney time , i can see as many as 8 teams in the current AP top 20 with a very legit chance to win it all , and three of them (tOSU, IU, MU) are in the B1G

[danwismar]

I don't see the Buckeyes having either the inside game, nor the balance to go too far in the tourney. I'd say the Sweet 16 might be their ceiling. Defense can take you part of the way, but unless Ross and Thompson and Smith really pick up the scoring, I don't they win more than two games in the Dance.

But just watching the conference schedule play out has been a whole lot of fun.

[CAVSTRIBEBROWNSin07!]

If the Michigan game is on a neutral floor, the Buckeyes win pretty handily. That bodes well. DT can get his points against any defense (which only makes it more puzzling why he was a complete non-factor at the end of regulation and OT in the UM game). Most of the top teams this year are led by guard play, so their top weapon will be neutralized by Craft. If they run in to a team with an inside presence they'll struggle, but they match up really well with the majority of the best teams.

[furls]

I don't know Dan, Ross is flashing big time! He is the only guy with real pro talent on this roster, although Amir Williams is starting to show something too. I could see Williams blowing up some next year. He is a force underneath and really seems to be putting it together.

[fairvis]

So, how can this season get greater?

Now that Michigan screwed the pooch to Penn State, we can have a five-way tie for the conference at 13-5.

How can this happen? Here's how it goes.

Indiana (12-3): Beats Iowa, loses to Ohio State, loses at Michigan -> (13-5)
Michigan State (11-4): Loses at Michigan, beats Wisconsin, beats Northwestern -> (13-5)
Wisconsin (11-4): Beats Purdue, loses at MSU, wins at PSU -> (13-5)
Michigan (10-5): Beats MSU, wins at Purdue, beats Indiana -> (13-5)
Ohio State (10-5): Wins at Northwestern, wins at Indiana, beats Illinois -> (13-5)

Could be some crazy time in the down stretch. And I don't know what would break this 5-way tie...

The records of each team then against the top 5:
Indiana: 4-3
Michigan State: 4-4
Wisconsin: 3-3
Michigan: 3-4
Ohio State: 3-4

So, your seeding would be pretty well set as it is already.

[neoleo]

So, how can this season get greater?

Now that Michigan screwed the pooch to Penn State, we can have a five-way tie for the conference at 13-5.

How can this happen? Here's how it goes.

Indiana (12-3): Beats Iowa, loses to Ohio State, loses at Michigan -> (13-5)
Michigan State (11-4): Loses at Michigan, beats Wisconsin, beats Northwestern -> (13-5)
Wisconsin (11-4): Beats Purdue, loses at MSU, wins at PSU -> (13-5)
Michigan (10-5): Beats MSU, wins at Purdue, beats Indiana -> (13-5)
Ohio State (10-5): Wins at Northwestern, wins at Indiana, beats Illinois -> (13-5)

Could be some crazy time in the down stretch. And I don't know what would break this 5-way tie...

The records of each team then against the top 5:
Indiana: 4-3
Michigan State: 4-4
Wisconsin: 3-3
Michigan: 3-4
Ohio State: 3-4

So, your seeding would be pretty well set as it is already.

Unbelievable. I remember a coach (Izzo or Ryan I think it was) said at the beginning of the year that the conference champion this year might have 5 or 6 losses. I thought that was a bit high but it's coming to that.

Regardless of how it plays out, watching the last 8 minutes of that Penn State upset of michigan last night was a lot of fun.

[furls]

B1G basketball is pretty damn good this year. Lots of depth and some pretty damn good teams at the top. This is one of the better years that I can remember.

[dmiles]

B1G basketball is pretty damn good this year. Lots of depth and some pretty damn good teams at the top. This is one of the better years that I can remember.

I just got to thinking about some of those old-school Big10 years, and 1992 comes to mind. Jim Jackson, Calbert Cheaney, Fab-Five. I can't remember Cheaney doing that much as a pro, but damn was he smooth in college. Hell even Damon Bailey was still getting after it. Minnesota had Voshon Lenard who had a respectable pro-career. Even lowly Wisky was running out Michael Finley, and Eric Snow was a bench guy at MSU.

Can't forget Jent.

[fairvis]

Who the hell would've seen Purdue knocking off Wisconsin? Jeez. Minny over Indiana, Penn State over Michigan, and Purdue over Wisconsin in one week.

In the hope stretch, some amazing games on the slate. OSU/Indiana tomorrow, Wisconsin/MSU on Thursday, and Indiana/Michigan on Sunday.

Doug Lesmerises did a great article on how it could play off. May make your eyes cross.

http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/ ... w_the.html

[Bayou Tribe]

I have been absent from the forums as of late, but I was coming over here to start this same thread. I've got no dog in the game in terms of the Big 10, although I find myself rooting for Ohio St sometimes because I know the majority of you guys follow them. It's been awesome though, like watching a great year in the Big East or ACC. Everytime I flip through and see a Indiana/Illinois or Mich St/Mich or Wisconsin/Ohio St I end up parking it and watching the whole game like I have a vested interest. It's just great basketball.

I really hope that the SEC can get to this point in the next 5-10 years so I can catch this caliber of hoops live. It seems as if we've always had programs come in and out of national consideration (Florida, Arkansas, Tennessee, LSU, Miss St, etc), but we can never all put it together at the same time. Hopefully we see a rise in those teams to go along with what Kentucky and Mizzou consistently put on the floor.

[furls]

Obviously SEC country is football country! It is strange that so few football teams do much in hoops. tOSU has had a nice run recently, UF did very well for a few years, UT has been down the last couple but was pretty good for a short stretch. In general though, the football powers just can't translate the campus excitement to hoops.

[Squints]

Nice f'ing win tonight boys. No greater sound in college basketball than a silent Assembly Hall.

[Govbarney]

I vote Matta replaces Dawson in the TCF front page banner until a suitable Browns replacement can be found.

Or Craft

[furls]

I might second that if the Buckeyes can somehow drag in a tournament championship... not final 4, but championship!