2023-2024 B1G Basketball Thread

[ELA]

Wisconsin all the way up to #6 in the newest poll.  Illinois down to #14.  Purdue holds at #2.

Northwestern is the only other Big Ten team even receiving votes

[medinabuckeye1]

This is the time of the season when time is rapidly running out for those on the wrong side of the bubble.  

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-basketball/2024/01/145217/ohio-states-season-is-still-salvagable-but-time-is-running-out-to-make-run-at-ncaa-tournament

Upthread I suggested that tOSU needed to beat their projection (7-13/17-14) by three games to have a decent shot at the tournament.  The 11 Warriors article linked above comes to effectively the same conclusion.  

The Buckeyes are now 13-7/3-6 so that means they need to go 7-4 the rest of the way.  I've already said that this season was effectively over.  As a practical matter, I still think that it is but there is at least a mathematical chance that this team could make the Tournament.  The problem is that time is running out VERY fast.  

Their next two are projected losses vs IL on Tuesday and at Iowa on Friday.  Those are followed by projected wins vs Indiana next Tuesday and vs Maryland next Saturday.  

If they go:

• 4-0 through those then they need to go a manageable 3-4 from there.  
• 3-1 through those then they need to go 4-3 from there.  
• 2-2 through those then they need to go 5-2 from there.  
• 1-3 through those then they need to go 6-1 from there.  
• 0-4 through those then they need to go 7-0 from there.  

I already think they are cooked but if they win the next four I'll have to reevaluate.  If they do anything worse than 2-2 over the next four that will eliminate all doubts.  

[847badgerfan]

Wisconsin all the way up to #6 in the newest poll.  Illinois down to #14.  Purdue holds at #2.

Northwestern is the only other Big Ten team even receiving votes

That's nuts and lazy by the voters. They are not the 6th best team in the country.

That said, they could be. Lots of potential. They aren't there yet.

[bayareabadger]

That's nuts and lazy by the voters. They are not the 6th best team in the country.

That said, they could be. Lots of potential. They aren't there yet.

Ehh. Are there a set of teams behind them that you think should be ahead?

[847badgerfan]

Duke. Kentucky. Kansas. Arizona.

All are better than UW IMO (and AZ proved it by 25 points). 

Maybe ISU too.

[bayareabadger]

Duke. Kentucky. Kansas. Arizona.

All are better than UW IMO (and AZ proved it by 25 points).

Maybe ISU too.

It’s interesting, UW would likely be favored against three of those first four on a neutral.

I find this kind of thing a bit interesting because I’m always looking at if there is a reason to justify such a thing. There are probably three real proper ways to rank teams, plus some less than proper ones.

UW is provably around there for actual resume accomplishments. And from the silly “you won so you move up/sometimes stay the same” way of ranking that’s too pervasive. They’re 11th by the gambling rankings, behind several teams that people would get agitated if the were top-10.

I guess I think UW has the right cocktail of things to be at No. 6. Do I think they’re top-6 good? I dunno? It would probably be lazy to put some of those teams ahead of them. At the moment, they project as a 2 seed. Didn’t catch my eye as much.

[847badgerfan]

#6 doesn't lose at Penn State.

Yes, the Badgers are winning a lot.

The Big Ten kinda sucks.

[ELA]

#6 doesn't lose at Penn State.

Yes, the Badgers are winning a lot.

The Big Ten kinda sucks.

Arizona lost at Oregon State.  Kentucky lost at home to UNC Wilmington

[bayareabadger]

Arizona lost at Oregon State.  Kentucky lost at home to UNC Wilmington

Kansas lost of UCF and WVU. Duke lost to Arkansas, Ga. Tech. It's rough out there. 

I think the change in thought for Badge might need to be this. Sometimes, No. 6 means "Wow, that team has battled its way into the Top 10." And sometimes it's "Wow, I can only find five teams that I know are better than a jumble, and this one seems to come out of the jumble."

And the ultimate takeaway is that week-to-week polls are frivolities and entertainment, little else. 

[medinabuckeye1]

Kansas lost of UCF and WVU. Duke lost to Arkansas, Ga. Tech. It's rough out there.

I think the change in thought for Badge might need to be this. Sometimes, No. 6 means "Wow, that team has battled its way into the Top 10." And sometimes it's "Wow, I can only find five teams that I know are better than a jumble, and this one seems to come out of the jumble."

And the ultimate takeaway is that week-to-week polls are frivolities and entertainment, little else.

There is also a lot of sandbagging on this board, LoL.  

[ELA]

MSU has plenty of guards, and Hall is a solid stretch 4.  But the lack of a decent 5, or size on the wings is killing this team in rebounding.  Their defense I think is better than the metrics would suggest, but when you allow this many offensive rebounds for easy put backs, it's tough

[ELA]

Michigan just made their 3rd shot of the 2nd half, with 7 minutes left.  The odd friendly road whistle is the only thing keeping them even mildly in the game

[FearlessF]

Iowa tried to get a road win
it was close

[medinabuckeye1]

No surprises last night so the projections remain unchanged.