2018-2019 B1G Basketball Thread

[Brutus Buckeye]

[NickSmith4Three]

A whopping 5000+ fans showed up to the United Center to see that game.  Giving away a home game for that is such a head scratcher.  A home game in the middle of the week while the students are still around.  Ship it to Chicago.  So dumb.

Typical Illinois game.  Tons of fouls, competitive for awhile and then long scoring droughts.  This one lacked the fake rally to make it close and then ultimately collapse. 

[ELA]

Yeah, if you are going to do that, put it over Winter Break

[847badgerfan]

It was not a good look. And if you're going to do that (don't please), do it as ELA suggests and do it against an OOC team that will draw a crowd on its own. 

[medinabuckeye1]

Which is also kind of making me start thinking about tiers, which I try to gauge by NYD

1 - Michigan (national title contender)
2 - MSU, UW, OSU, Nebraska, Purdue (legit Top 25 teams)
3 - Maryland, Indiana (tourney locks)
4 - Iowa, PSU, NW (could make the tourney with some breaks, but I'm guessing NIT)
5 - Minnesota, Rutgers (below average)
6 - Illinois (bad)
?

This looks about right to me but I haven't created the predictor spreadsheet for this year yet (I have to enter all of the games with locations so it takes a LONG time).  The way things are looking here it will probably be a little bit.  Might as well wait until all of our teams have played their two early conference games (just waiting on UMD at PU tonight) and the balance of their quality OOC games then set it up.  

[ELA]

Heh, except Minnesota already screwed it up last night.  I did actually initially have them in 4, so maybe that was right.  I'm also not opposed to Nebraska at 3.  Those would solve that, while actually just flipping the two I was most on the fence about.

[medinabuckeye1]

It was not a good look. And if you're going to do that (don't please), do it as ELA suggests and do it against an OOC team that will draw a crowd on its own.

I don't object to neutral site BB games but it was just silly to do it mid-week.  If that had been on a weekend over winter break I'm sure some Illini (and for that matter) Buckeye students home in the Chicago area would have attended.  Additionally, over a weekend a lot more people would have at least considered travelling to Chicago for the game.  If that had been a Saturday I might have thought about it but I'm not driving to Chicago on a Wednesday to watch one game and drive back on Thursday.  

[medinabuckeye1]

Heh, except Minnesota already screwed it up last night

Well, I said "about right" and there will be upsets.  
Last night was weird for trying to determine tOSU's place.  The close game (trailing at the half) with a bad Illinois team didn't look good but then in the late game a Minnesota team that tOSU manhandled a couple days ago beat a ranked UNL team so that looks good.  

[medinabuckeye1]

Looking at Ohio State:
The Buckeyes are 6-1 OOC with four to go.  Those four are:

• vs Bucknell at home on 12/15, ESPN says 90.6% chance tOSU wins.  
• vs YSU at home on 12/18, ESPN says 98% chance tOSU wins.  
• vs UCLA (United Center) on 12/22, ESPN says 77.5% chance tOSU wins.  
• vs High Point at home on 12/29, ESPN says 95.3% chance tOSU wins.  

The Buckeyes should finish the OOC at 10-1 and they will obviously be 2-0 in conference heading into a game against MSU on January 5.  12-1 heading into MSU is good but I'm not sure how much it says because most of the games are against nobody of consequence.  I'm still trying to get a read on the home loss to Syracuse. The Orange certainly are not a great team (6-2 with losses to UCONN and Oregon) but maybe that was more of a match-up problem.  I'm not sure yet.  

[Entropy]

UNL is a 3 or a 4... bubble in or bubble out type team.   jmo

[FearlessF]

I think the Huskers are a better team than last year, but with a tougher schedule, won't be able to win as many conference games

[FearlessF]

Heh, except Minnesota already screwed it up last night.  I did actually initially have them in 4, so maybe that was right.  I'm also not opposed to Nebraska at 3.  Those would solve that, while actually just flipping the two I was most on the fence about.

I'd say Nebraska screwed it up after watching the game.  Very little reason to allow the Gophers that come back win.

[ELA]

Yeah, MSU used to always play a game in Detroit, can't remember if they still do.  But it was over Winter Break, so you wouldn't have students anyway, and it was against a solid draw OOC team, not giving away a conference game.  I recall such games against Oklahoma, Stanford, Texas and maybe Kentucky I believe?

[Anonymous Coward]

The first part is true, but if the second part is too**, then whoa. From mgoblog today:

"Michigan's 23-1 run stretching back to last year would be the #1 efficiency D in the history of Kenpom if it was a single season. And it seems like the bit from last year is the "bad" part."

**("seems like" is weak and I haven't confirmed)