2021-2022 B1G Basketball thread

[MaximumSam]

Sorry, my thoughts.

• Purdue, Illinois, MSU
• OSU, Indiana, Iowa, Wiscy
• Michigan, Northwestern, Minnesota, PSU, Maryland, Rutgers
• Nebraska

The biggest issue I had was where to place Sparty, who I can't quite decide on. But Tier 3 is very hard for me to differentiate. None of these teams are garbage, and all can bite someone - PSU just beat Indiana and Rutgers beat Purdue. 

[medinabuckeye1]

I would argue Torvik still has 6, splitting the 3rd tier in half

That is fair, it is a pretty big gap between #39 UW and #52 UMD, so:

The other thing (probably irrelevant) is that Nebraska is SO bad that it could be argued that there should be a blank tier between them and the tier above them.  

[betarhoalphadelta]

Irrespective of the rest of the teams, I might argue that Rutgers should move up. This is purely my belief that Pikiell has been building something there and that the +2 might be an indication that it's starting to bear fruit. 

If we have 6 tiers, they should be in tier 4, not 5 IMHO. 

[medinabuckeye1]

Sorry, my thoughts.

No problem, just easier for me as I try to compile everyone's thoughts and arrive at something like consensus.  

The biggest issue I had was where to place Sparty, who I can't quite decide on. But Tier 3 is very hard for me to differentiate. None of these teams are garbage, and all can bite someone - PSU just beat Indiana and Rutgers beat Purdue.

I agree on your tier-3 teams.  All seem good enough to knock off a serious contender on a good night and yet bad enough to potentially lose to Nebraska on a bad night.  

[MaximumSam]

Irrespective of the rest of the teams, I might argue that Rutgers should move up. This is purely my belief that Pikiell has been building something there and that the +2 might be an indication that it's starting to bear fruit.

If we have 6 tiers, they should be in tier 4, not 5 IMHO.

A tough to team to rank, with wins over Michigan, Clemson, and Purdue but losses to Depaul, UMass, and Lafayette.

[847badgerfan]

Very possible that the B1G isn't all that great this season, and parity reigns.

[medinabuckeye1]

Very possible that the B1G isn't all that great this season, and parity reigns.

I could be wrong but I'm thinking that we are loaded with teams that are pretty good but we may not have any very good or great teams.  

Purdue looked great for a while but now not quite.  It just feels like we have a bunch of teams like Ohio State that are good enough to take out a Dook on a good night but also not so good that they couldn't lose to a mediocre (or worse) team on a bad night.  

MSU's win over UNL was expected but PSU's win at NU was not.  Penn State and Northwestern each already had a positive upset (PSU vs IU, NU @ UMD) so PSU is now +2 and NU is back to even.  

Tonight we have:

• UMD -1 at IL +1, IL is expected to win.  7pm on ESPN2
• tOSU even at IU -1, IU is expected to win.  7pm on FS1
• IA -1 at UW +1, UW is expected to win.  9pm on FS1

The only one that could push a team outside of +/-1 is that if tOSU were to win in Bloomington it would push IU to -1 as the Hoosiers already have an upset loss in Happy Valley.  

[medinabuckeye1]

It looks to me like:

• There is a consensus to move PU down a tier (collapsing them into what was tier-2).  @ELA wasn't for it, but @MaximumSam , @betarhoalphadelta , the Torvik #'s, and I are.  
• There is unanimous agreement to move M down at least one tier.  

I'm not sure what to do with the new top tier.  If we move PU and M down we end up with a new tier-1 of PU, IL, MSU, tOSU.  The Torvik says that if tOSU is in that tier IA and IU should be as well and ELA had UW moving up.  That feels like too many teams but I'm not sure where to break it.  

I'm going to play around with the numbers a little to make sure we aren't creating more upsets than we are eliminating.  

[847badgerfan]

I think I'd leave PU in the top top, but have them be joined by MSU, and MAYBE Illinois.

Then OSU, UW, IL (if not in with the 1's), Iowa.

[MaximumSam]

I like Illinois a lot - Cockburn is a monster and they surround him with experienced shooters. They got clipped early in the season when Cockburn was getting back from suspension and Curbelo was playing with a concussion, but since then their only blip is a close loss to Arizona. No shame in that. They have two road wins in conference already, and they are still waiting for Curbelo to come back.

[betarhoalphadelta]

Purdue looked great for a while but now not quite.  

Purdue's problems right now, IMHO, are fixable. It's not a matter of talent, nor is it a matter of depth, nor is it a matter of versatility for matchups... ALL of which Purdue still has in spades. 

On Painter's radio show he basically has said the defensive issues have been one of communication and cohesion. It isn't that players aren't defending, or that they're defending badly, but that if one player is expecting to switch a screen and the other is expecting to fight through it, then you have a breakdown. If one player is expecting you to fight above a screen on a shooter and the other slips underneath, you leave a guy like Davis open to shoot. 

Maybe getting their teeth kicked in a few times, and starting the B1G season 1-2, will get them to listen to Coach and get on the same page. If that happens, Purdue can be elite again. They've got ALL the pieces, it's just not a complete puzzle yet.

[ELA]

MSU's halfcourt offense continues to be very concerning.  Walker is solid, but he's no threat to shoot, and Big Ten teams have turned him into Tum Tum Nairn, just sagging off and clogging the passing lanes.  Hoggard is good in transition, but a turnover machine in the halfcourt.  MSU had turnovers on 11 of their first 21 possessions last night.

[847badgerfan]

The B1G could go ten deep in the NCAA, and not have anyone get out of the first weekend.

[ELA]

Jeremy Fears, a top 5 PG, and top 25 overall player in the 2023 class set to announce tonight.  Has 3 Big 10 schools (MSU, UM, Illinois) in his final 4, along with Illinois.  Indiana kid oddly omitting Indiana and Purdue