2023-2024 B1G Basketball Thread

[ELA]

If you like watching nothing but fouls, boy have I got the game for you

[grillrat]

You had ONE job sparty!

[ELA]

If the job was to be great out of the gate, you clearly haven't paid attention to the past 25 years

[grillrat]

If the job was to be great out of the gate, you clearly haven't paid attention to the past 25 years

I get it.  Msu is always better in March, but the early season losses have usually been to the big boys. Msu (to their credit) has always scheduled really tough early season games.  They often lose them, but are at least competitive.
This was James Madison...
And frankly, the only reason it was even close was because of Walker's second half heroics.

[ELA]

They.lost to Wright State the year they won the national title.  They lost to Texas Southern and GW and made Final Fours.  They lost to Grand Valley State and won a big Ten title.

Torvik had JMU ranked above 3 Big Ten teams.  Obviously MSU should win.  But a loss in November when you shoot 1-20 from 3 to a borderline top 100 team isn't even in the discussion for bad early season Izzo losses.

About 14 weeks until any result really matters, unless they don't even make the tourney

[MaximumSam]

James Madison was the best rated team on the slate last night. Tough to win when you brick so many threes. Was a bit surprised Coen Carr was the main freshman. Booker played benchwarmer minutes.

[ELA]

James Madison was the best rated team on the slate last night. Tough to win when you brick so many threes. Was a bit surprised Coen Carr was the main freshman. Booker played benchwarmer minutes.

Booker was the least ready of the big three freshmen, so that wasn't totally crazy that he'd get fewer minutes.  But for neither him or Fears to play in the second half while Hall and Hoggard were a combined 4-22 and 0-8 on 3s made no sense.  Hall was absolutely abysmal on both ends of the court.

If the minutes are going to be distributed that way, this is basically the same team as last year (which was a 7 seed), but minus your two best 4s with Hauser graduated and Kohler hurt.

[medinabuckeye1]

Maybe it is because it involves my team but tOSU's close call with Oakland is a lot more concerning than MSU's loss. 

For one thing, I think James Madison is a lot better than Oakland. 

Another reason is Izzo's and Holtmann's histories. I look at an underperforming Izzo team in November and think "It's Izzo, they'll be great when it counts." I look at an underperforming Holtmann team and think "Is it January already?" 

[medinabuckeye1]

LoL.
So apparently when Holtmann was questioned by reporters about the close call with Oakland he brought up that MSU was in a close game with James Madison thus implicitly comparing himself to Tom Izzo. 

The reporter should have replied with:
"Coach, I know Tom Izzo. Tom Izzo is a friend of mine. You are no Tom Izzo."


https://youtu.be/yHtlbZpZUSs?si=VGoW1sM6wTxie8Tk

[medinabuckeye1]

Just in case @MaximumSam thinks I'm already beating the "Fire Chris Holtmann" drum early thus season, I'm really not. Everyone here knows I think that the extension a few years ago was a mistake and that he should have been canned during or after last season but that is water under the bridge. 

At this point we are in a season and he is our coach. The close call concerns me and I poked fun with the Lloyd Bentsen reference but one game is one game and it is entirely possible (maybe even likely) that they've been looking ahead and prepping for the big game against a ranked aTm squad on Friday. 

[boilerbanger]

Purdue rolled last night, not much to be learned from the game other than Braden Smith is going to look for his shot more this year.  Team was 16-29 from 3, which won't continue, but is nice to see for their confidence level.  Smith and Loyer combined for 8-11 from 3 ... each made 4 of them.  Just need those 2 to be 40% 3 point shooters.

Morehead St Friday, Xavier at Mackey on Monday, then off to Maui

[MaximumSam]

I don't know that looking ahead is even a thing anymore. Basketball has become a lot more homogeneous - tough to make any statement about one particular game. Also I didn't watch because it was on BTN+. 

The main concern was probably Oakland shooting 40 percent from 3. Hard to win if you give that up.

[ELA]

I don't know that looking ahead is even a thing anymore. Basketball has become a lot more homogeneous - tough to make any statement about one particular game. Also I didn't watch because it was on BTN+.

The main concern was probably Oakland shooting 40 percent from 3. Hard to win if you give that up.

College is mimicking what the analytics have told NBA teams to do.  Mid majors always sort of did it, simply like how mid major college football teams ran weird offenses, because you aren't going to beat a more talented team in phone booth.

But with the NBA the numbers simply say guys are such good shooters, that you should just take 3s.  College teams do it, but that's not the case there.  Guys/teams have nights where they are just on or off, generally without a ton of rhyme of reason.  3 point defense really isn't a thing.  MSU shot 1-20 from 3.  You saw what Purdue did in the tournament last year.  More and more college basketball is just "who shot the 3 better", with things like turnovers and offensive rebounds mattering to the extent that they increase/decrease opportunities to shoot the 3

[SuperMario]

You had ONE job sparty!

JMU stole their signs. Only explanation.