2018-2019 B1G Basketball Thread

[ELA]

Winston is spent, and the team is awful with him on the bench.  They can't even hold on to the ball, let alone run an offense.  Teams have figured out to double Winston constantly and the Spartans turn into a turnover machine.

[ELA]

It's like they held it together with tape when they thought they were getting Langford back, and then once he was ruled out, they just gave up.

[ELA]

Illinois has over 40 points off offensive rebounds and turnovers.  MSU has flat quit on this season.

[ALA2262]

I just turned on the Illinois game to see them wearing retro uniforms, in their contest against Oregon.

 They do look like Oregon with the neon green.

[847badgerfan]

Illinois has over 40 points off offensive rebounds and turnovers.  MSU has flat quit on this season.

I think that's a little harsh. They need to figure out how to play without their top guy. They'll get it together. Don't forget. Road games are hard. I don't care if it's in Madison, Iowa, Breslin or Joyce. It's hard.

[ELA]

I think that's a little harsh. They need to figure out how to play without their top guy. They'll get it together. Don't forget. Road games are hard. I don't care if it's in Madison, Iowa, Breslin or Joyce. It's hard.

games.  You can't beat anyone when your 3rd best player is done for the season, and your second best has gone back into his pouting hole.  He scored zero points against Maryland, had 9 and 3 against Purdue, cost them the Indiana game by going 1-9 from the line, and was so bad tonight that Izzo basically benched him for the second half.
MSU had a huge run to turn a 14 point deficit into a 3 point lead, and promptly let Illinois go on an 11-2 run to seal it.  This team looks plenty good in a blowout, but every dogfight they've been in late, they lost.  Lost by 5 to Kansas, got to within 4 at Purdue and lost, lost in OT against Louisville and Indiana.  Looks to be another close loss tonight.  Good at putting their football on your throat if they have a lead, not good in a fight.  Relfection of Nick Ward supposedly being one of the co-leaders of your team.

[ELA]

Also one of the helpful things early in the year was Ahrens seemingly healthy and looking for the first time in his career like a guy worthy of a Big Ten offer.  He has regressed horribly.  Him single handidly swung that game back to Illinois late.  Aaron Henry has hit the freshman wall, at one point he had 0 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks and 4 turnovers, and none of the other freshman can play now.  All of the depth that was stepping up for Langford on the wing has disappeared.

[847badgerfan]

games.  You can't beat anyone when your 3rd best player is done for the season, and your second best has gone back into his pouting hole.  

I'd argue that he was MSU's key player. I liken it to UW losing Davison. That would be the end. Yeah, they'd still have Happ, but they'd be missing the glue.
MSU will be fine. Just a bump in the road. That game was right there, but it was on the road. I posted here a month ago that Illinois was gonna come up and beat people in the second half of the season. You could see it. They are not bad anymore.

[MichiFan87]

It was great to see Michigan blow it open early tonight. The rest of the game was somewhat frustrating, but it was never really that close, and honestly I was more frustrated by the SOTU address by then, but that's a separate issue.

With Illinois' upset win, I actually think Purdue is the BigTen favorite now, since they've already played UM and MSU, avoid Iowa City, and have already won in Madison (with no rematch at home).

I'm looking forward to the rematch against Wisconsin in Crisler on Saturday.

[boilerbanger]

I'd argue that he was MSU's key player. I liken it to UW losing Davison. That would be the end. Yeah, they'd still have Happ, but they'd be missing the glue.
MSU will be fine. Just a bump in the road. That game was right there, but it was on the road. I posted here a month ago that Illinois was gonna come up and beat people in the second half of the season. You could see it. They are not bad anymore.

I agree with badge .... we have seen this happen to MSU in past years and Izzo snaps them out of it. All road games are brutal.. see my boilers barely escape happy valley with a W

[medinabuckeye1]

We now project Purdue (17-3) to win it by one game over the Spartans (16-4) and Wolverines (16-4).  Purdue has a somewhat tougher schedule but so far they have won every game they were supposed to win while MSU and M each have two negative upsets.  

[847badgerfan]

We now project Purdue (17-3) to win it by one game over the Spartans (16-4) and Wolverines (16-4).  Purdue has a somewhat tougher schedule but so far they have won every game they were supposed to win while MSU and M each have two negative upsets.  

Make or break stretch for UW here too. @MN tonight, @M Saturday and MSU in Madison on Tuesday. They could lose all 3 and be out of it, essentially.

[bayareabadger]

If Wisconsin could win tonight and MSU could keep this swoon going a little longer, that’d be peachy.

It’s weird to look at it and realize IU and OSU have gone into and maybe come out of swoons already. Makes the end of UW’s schedule more daunting. 

[medinabuckeye1]

If Wisconsin could win tonight and MSU could keep this swoon going a little longer, that’d be peachy.

It’s weird to look at it and realize IU and OSU have gone into and maybe come out of swoons already. Makes the end of UW’s schedule more daunting.

Vis-a-vis those three teams:
Wisconsin:
Their next three games are all projected losses (@MN, @M, vMSU) but all three look potentially winnable.  I agree with @847badgerfan , these three really determine their season:

• Win all three, they are a B1G Championship contender.  
• 2-1 they are a marginal B1G Championship contender with a strong chance to at least get the double-bye.  
• 1-2 they have a marginal chance at a double-bye.  
• 0-3, trouble.  

Indiana:
The Hoosiers lost seven straight and looked dead in the water then went into East Lansing and pulled off the upset.  Did they turn a corner or is MSU just a mess right now or was that just a one-off upset?  We'll find out.  Their next three games (vIA, vtOSU, @MN) all feel like they could go either way.  They are currently 4-7 and there is obviously a HUMONGOUS difference between coming out of those three at 7-7 as opposed to coming out of those three at 4-10.  

Ohio State:
The Buckeyes are 4-6 and should win two of their next three (vPSU, vIL) but the IU game still looms large.  The thing for the Buckeyes is that most of their remaining games are either:

• Home games against the worst teams in the league that Ohio State should obviously win (vPSU, vIL, vNU), or
• Road games against the best teams in the league that Ohio State should obviously lose (@MSU, @UMD, @PU)

That puts particular emphasis on the few remaining games that could plausibly go either way (@IU, vIA, @NU, vUW)

If the Buckeyes win the three they should obviously win and lose the three they should obviously lose they gets them to 7-9.  The rest are the difference between 7-13 and 11-9.