2021-2022 B1G Basketball thread

[847badgerfan]

UW is so different without Johnny Davis on the floor.

[RestingB!tchFace]

How do things look for the Gophers?

They are now 9-1/1-1 with two more OOC match-ups in December before league play resumes in January.  None of their OOC opponents are great but they should pretty easily beat Green Bay and Alcorn State to finish 10-0 OOC. 

Within the league their current, tier-4 placement suggests a final record of 7-13 but they already have an upset win (at Michigan) so that improves to 8-12.  Added to their presumed 10-0 OOC, that would put them at 18-12/8-12 heading into the B1G Tournament where we project them to be the #10 seed.  That would put them into a Thursday game against a likely tournament-bound team (currently projected Iowa) and if they win that they'd get the #2 seed on Friday in a game where a loss wouldn't really hurt and a win would be HUGE.  If they did manage to knock off the #2 seed (projected PU right now) that would put them in a Saturday game against the #3/6/11/14 winner which would likely be yet another tournament-bound team (currently projected tOSU/UW/UMD/UNL). 

As I see it, their current projection is probably just outside of the Tournament but certainly in the bubble discussion so over the whole course of the season they probably either need:

• To get another unpredicted win or two (plus one more for each unpredicted loss if necessary), or
• To go on a little run in Indianapolis. 

My point being that I see the Gophers as probably very close to the cut-line based on this projection so every game matters because an extra loss or two would likely necessitate winning the B1G Tournament while an extra couple of wins would likely eliminate the need to do much in Indianapolis (with the possible exception of avoiding a bad loss in their opener if they manage to move up enough to get an opening game opponent that would constitute a bad loss. 

Not sure you can use subjective tier placements to extrapolate an entire season.  Gophers....at their current tier 4 placement....already beat a tier 2 opponent on their home court.  Only loss to a tier 1 opponent.  Until league play gets kicked off in January....the tiers really don't hold much weight.  Especially for a team like the Gophers that have already beaten two teams (as true away games) on their home courts.

[medinabuckeye1]

Not sure you can use subjective tier placements to extrapolate an entire season.  Gophers....at their current tier 4 placement....already beat a tier 2 opponent on their home court.  Only loss to a tier 1 opponent.  Until league play gets kicked off in January....the tiers really don't hold much weight.  Especially for a team like the Gophers that have already beaten two teams (as true away games) on their home courts.

First, I get that it is early and the tiers are very much in flux.  

Second, I don't know where you are getting this "already beaten two teams (as true away games) on their home courts."  The Gophers are 1-1 with an eight point HOME loss to Michigan State and a 10 point ROAD win over Michigan.  The Michigan win was close throughout the first half with the Wolverines holding a four point halftime lead and Minnesota caught up and pulled away in the second half.  The Michigan State game was not really as close as the final score.  The Spartans lead almost the entire game and were ahead by double digits with a minute to play.  

A lot of people are urging that we move MN up a tier but the home loss to MSU suggests that tier-4 is appropriate because MSU is in tier-2 and a tier-3 team should win a home game against a tier-2 team.  Conversely, the road win at tier-2 Michigan suggests that either Michigan is too high or Minnesota is too low or probably both since a tier-2 team should win all of their home games.  

My point being that right now Minnesota would have at least one upset no matter where we slotted them.  At tier-3 or higher the home loss to MSU is an "upset" and the road win over Michigan would be an "upset" even if we moved Minnesota all the way up to tier-1 with Purdue.  Ie, there isn't a right answer yet.  Either MSU is underrated, Minnesota is underrated, Michigan is overrated, some combination of the three, or one of these games was simply an aberration.  Right now I don't think anybody knows for sure.  When we get to March we might look back and think "Of course Minnesota won at Michigan" or "How the heck did Minnesota win at Michigan" or "How the heck did MSU win at Minnesota?".  We don't know yet.  

[RestingB!tchFace]

First, I get that it is early and the tiers are very much in flux. 

Second, I don't know where you are getting this "already beaten two teams (as true away games) on their home courts."  The Gophers are 1-1 with an eight point HOME loss to Michigan State and a 10 point ROAD win over Michigan.  The Michigan win was close throughout the first half with the Wolverines holding a four point halftime lead and Minnesota caught up and pulled away in the second half.  The Michigan State game was not really as close as the final score.  The Spartans lead almost the entire game and were ahead by double digits with a minute to play. 

A lot of people are urging that we move MN up a tier but the home loss to MSU suggests that tier-4 is appropriate because MSU is in tier-2 and a tier-3 team should win a home game against a tier-2 team.  Conversely, the road win at tier-2 Michigan suggests that either Michigan is too high or Minnesota is too low or probably both since a tier-2 team should win all of their home games. 

My point being that right now Minnesota would have at least one upset no matter where we slotted them.  At tier-3 or higher the home loss to MSU is an "upset" and the road win over Michigan would be an "upset" even if we moved Minnesota all the way up to tier-1 with Purdue.  Ie, there isn't a right answer yet.  Either MSU is underrated, Minnesota is underrated, Michigan is overrated, some combination of the three, or one of these games was simply an aberration.  Right now I don't think anybody knows for sure.  When we get to March we might look back and think "Of course Minnesota won at Michigan" or "How the heck did Minnesota win at Michigan" or "How the heck did MSU win at Minnesota?".  We don't know yet. 

I was referring to the win over Mississippi State.  True road game against another team that should be in the NCAA mix.

[medinabuckeye1]

I was referring to the win over Mississippi State.  True road game against another team that should be in the NCAA mix.

Oh, sorry.  Thought we were talking league games.  It is early, we'll find out.  

[RestingB!tchFace]

Oh, sorry.  Thought we were talking league games.  It is early, we'll find out. 

Yeah.  Things will hash out in the first few weeks of the year.  Really....most Gopher fans would have scoffed at a pre-season NIT bid.  With how thin the bench is....any player going down would be a major blow.

On the other hand....many of us are hoping that Parker Fox is able to rejoin the team in January.  Either way....house money at this point.

[Abba]

The Ohio State basketball game against Saturday vs. Kentucky in Las Vegas has been canceled, with no reschedule planned.  There is reportedly a Covid outbreak among the Buckeye basketball team.  The entire team and staff are vaccinated.  With what we have going on in the NFL this weekend as well, I do wonder if we'll get to a point in this pandemic where we'll allow vaccinated asymptomatic players to still play.  Of course the danger there is someone claiming to be asymptomatic when they are not.

[MaximumSam]

The Ohio State basketball game against Saturday vs. Kentucky in Las Vegas has been canceled, with no reschedule planned.  There is reportedly a Covid outbreak among the Buckeye basketball team.  The entire team and staff are vaccinated.  With what we have going on in the NFL this weekend as well, I do wonder if we'll get to a point in this pandemic where we'll allow vaccinated asymptomatic players to still play.  Of course the danger there is someone claiming to be asymptomatic when they are not.

Bummer. 

[ELA]

Wonder if this impacts any bowls, or even the CFP.  Seems to be mounting, but I agree, they might need to do something about the guidelines.

Also, wasn't this a neutral court game?  Sucks for anyone who has travel plans

[medinabuckeye1]

Wonder if this impacts any bowls, or even the CFP.  Seems to be mounting, but I agree, they might need to do something about the guidelines.

Also, wasn't this a neutral court game?  Sucks for anyone who has travel plans

It was in Vegas and part of a double-header with UCLA/UNC in the other game.  UCLA canceled their last game also for COVID reasons so I would guess that right now they are trying to work out a UK/UNC game but who knows?  

[ELA]

https://twitter.com/RealPitino/status/1471603938684289026?t=GN2fMW8RZnSaCdSQnMp9Zg&s=19

[medinabuckeye1]

...I would guess that right now they are trying to work out a UK/UNC game but who knows? 

yep:

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/32889482/ucla-bruins-pause-men-college-basketball-activities-cancel-game-vs-north-carolina-tar-heels

[medinabuckeye1]

It was a fairly quiet and generally good weekend for the B1G:

• PU smoked Butler on Saturday.  
• IU beat Notre Dame on Saturday.  
• IL beat St. Francis PA on Saturday.  
• M beat So. Utah on Saturday.  
• IA beat Ut. St. on Saturday.  
• NU, PSU, RU, and tOSU had their Saturday games cancelled or postponed.  
• UNL was reasonably competitive in a loss to KSU on Sunday.  

This week we have:

• PU hosts Incarnate Word tonight.  
• NU hosts IL-Springfield tonight.  
• M hosts PU-Ft. Wayne Tuesday.  
• MSU is at Oakland Tuesday.  
• IA hosts SE LA Tuesday.  
• IU hosts NKY Wednesday.  
• UNL hosts Kennesaw St Wednesday.  
• MN hosts GB Wednesday.  
• IL faces Mizzou in St. Louis Wednesday.  
• PSU's game with Quinnipiac is cancelled (was Wednesday)
• UW hosts Morgan St Thursday.  
• RU hosts Central CT Thursday.  
• No games Christmas Eve, Christmas, 12/26, or 12/27.  

[ELA]

Seton Hall now 1-1 in the Big East thanks to a COVID forfeit loss, followed by a solid bounce back COVID forfeit win