2023-2024 B1G Basketball Thread

[FearlessF]

Hoosier Daddy?

[medinabuckeye1]

Huskers should NEVER be a fav on the road

not even with a 20 point lead at the half

That was something.  I wasn't watching but I had checked scores a few times.  I saw that UNL was up 20 at the half and kinda forgot about it.  Next time I checked it was a one possession game roughly half-way through the second half.  

Anyway, Nebraska got their first conference road win of the year and first road win of any kind since beating Kansas State back in December so maybe, just maybe Ohio State can follow that up with their first road win in 400+ days tonight?  

I'll do a full update tomorrow so that it includes tonight's games but there have been two upsets so far this week:

• Iowa's win in East Lansing, and
• Penn State's home win over Illinois.  

Illinois still projects as the league's second best team but now they are projected to be two games behind Purdue and only one ahead of UW/UNL.  


Michigan State's loss dropped them into a projected tie with Northwestern for 5th/6th.  

Iowa and Penn State's unexpected wins moved them from a projected three-way tie with Maryland for 9th/10th/11th into a projected three way tie with Rutgers for 8th/9th/10th.  On Thursday of the BTT the loser of that tie would play #7 Minnesota while the winners would play each other.  Maryland now projects as the #11 seed to play #14 Michigan on Wednesday of the BTT.  

[medinabuckeye1]

Three games tonight:

Purdue is a huge home favorite over Rutgers and Northwestern is a huge home favorite over Michigan. Those games are on FS1 at 7 and 9pm respectively. 

The more interesting game (because the spread is close not just because it involves my team) is Ohio State +3.5 at Minnesota. 

Was Coach Diebler's win over Purdue just a one-time emotional thing or . . .

Can the Buckeyes win a road game for the first time since NYD, 2023?

Can Minnesota stay on pace to make the Tournament?

Tonight at 8 on BTN.

[LetsGoPeay]

I was skeptical of the Woodson hire from the beginning. I know, I know, hindsight.... blah, blah, blah. He was clearly option 5,6,7, or even 15. They paid Archie Miller's buyout and spent weeks on a coaching search to end up with a career NBA assistant with a .463 winning percentage as a head coach? It was baffling at the time and the program looks dead in the water. IU needs to change their way of thinking if they ever want to be consistently successful again. At this point, I'm starting to believe that Bob Knight was the outlier and everything else is what IU truly is. 

[MaximumSam]

I was skeptical of the Woodson hire from the beginning. I know, I know, hindsight.... blah, blah, blah. He was clearly option 5,6,7, or even 15. They paid Archie Miller's buyout and spent weeks on a coaching search to end up with a career NBA assistant with a .463 winning percentage as a head coach? It was baffling at the time and the program looks dead in the water. IU needs to change their way of thinking if they ever want to be consistently successful again. At this point, I'm starting to believe that Bob Knight was the outlier and everything else is what IU truly is.

I only sort of remember that search. Who were the other candidates? Somewhat worried OSU's coaching search will end up the same way.

[LetsGoPeay]

I only sort of remember that search. Who were the other candidates? Somewhat worried OSU's coaching search will end up the same way.

It was very quiet and secretive. There was a lot of noise about Godfather offers for Brad Stevens and Billy Donovan. The only name that was ever confirmed was Woodson when he was hired. 

If they can Woodson, as they should, they need to go after Bruce Pearl or Scott Drew hard. Drew is from Indiana and his family has deep roots here. Pearl has some experience in the state having coached Southern Indiana to the D2 national championship in the late 90's. Dusty May would probably pay them to let him coach IU. He grew up 20 minutes from Bloomington in the same county in which I grew up. The IU admin has shown nothing that indicates that they would do anything sensible though. I'm resigned to Woodson coaching again next season. 

[medinabuckeye1]

It was very quiet and secretive. There was a lot of noise about Godfather offers for Brad Stevens and Billy Donovan. The only name that was ever confirmed was Woodson when he was hired.

If they can Woodson, as they should, they need to go after Bruce Pearl or Scott Drew hard. Drew is from Indiana and his family has deep roots here. Pearl has some experience in the state having coached Southern Indiana to the D2 national championship in the late 90's. Dusty May would probably pay them to let him coach IU. He grew up 20 minutes from Bloomington in the same county in which I grew up. The IU admin has shown nothing that indicates that they would do anything sensible though. I'm resigned to Woodson coaching again next season.

I know you aren't going to want to hear this and you didn't ask, but FWIW, I think it is too soon to jettison Woodson.  

I agree with you in that I had my doubts about the hire when they made it but I see that as water under the bridge.  

He is in season #3 and it looks like they'll miss the NCAA Tournament this year but they made the last two and there isn't a discernable downward trend.  Woodson's three years:

• 2022:  21-14/9-11, 9th in B1G.  Snuck into NCAA as a #12-seed, won play-in, lost to #5.  
• 2023:  23-12/12-8, t2nd in B1G.  Got into NCAA as a #4 seed, beat #13, lost to #5.  That #5 went on to F4.  
• 2024:  14-12/6-9 right now.  

I think you have to see how this season plays out.  In theory they could get hot and make the tourney.  Even if not, I think you have to see if 2024/5 is a bounce-back or not.  

[MaximumSam]

Part of the deal is who is available to get. Part of the problem last time was they fired Archie Miller without any real thought to who the coach would be, and there weren't many candidates. If I'm Indiana, I see Dusty May as a former IU guy and Josh Schertz doing strong things at Indiana State and making a move. If they sit on their hands and both of those guys get away...

Not that Woodson has been terrible. He had two good seasons and this team is talented but young and cobbled together. They need some guards and could theoretically add a guy or two and have a strong team next year. But Mike Woodson is 65. Do you really sit around hoping he will turn it around?

[847badgerfan]

Yeah, I think you move NOW. Bobby Knight came out of Army, after all.

[ELA]

If I'm Indiana, I see Dusty May as a former IU guy

That's the issue.  He can't risk waiting.  Success, particularly at this level, at a school like FAU can be fleeting, and whose to say Woodson doesn't have a solid year next year.  So as much as May might love IU, he can't risk waiting.  If Woodson gets IU back into the tournament next year, and FAU drops to a "normal" good AAC team, then what od his prospects look like next year.

Granted, if you believe in what you are building, maybe you don't jump from Gonzaga to Minnesota.  You are content to stay at FAU unless the perfect opening happens.  Or you are Mark Few

[grillrat]

Part of the deal is who is available to get. Part of the problem last time was they fired Archie Miller without any real thought to who the coach would be, and there weren't many candidates. If I'm Indiana, I see Dusty May as a former IU guy and Josh Schertz doing strong things at Indiana State and making a move. If they sit on their hands and both of those guys get away...

Not that Woodson has been terrible. He had two good seasons and this team is talented but young and cobbled together. They need some guards and could theoretically add a guy or two and have a strong team next year. But Mike Woodson is 65. Do you really sit around hoping he will turn it around?

The problem is that they are likely losing Xavier Johnson, Trey Galloway, and Anothony Leal to graduation (unless they have a Covid year still, but that will only happen if they are happy) and Ware to the draft.  Coupled with the fact that they are only bringing in one recruit (McNeely, a power forward), and they are just really thin, especially in the back court (and that's assuming nobody transfers).
If Woodson stays, he is going to have to knock it out the park in transfer portal players, otherwise, next year could be worse than this year.

[betarhoalphadelta]

The problem is that they are likely losing Xavier Johnson, Trey Galloway, and Anothony Leal to graduation (unless they have a Covid year still, but that will only happen if they are happy) and Ware to the draft.  Coupled with the fact that they are only bringing in one recruit (McNeely, a power forward), and they are just really thin, especially in the back court (and that's assuming nobody transfers).
If Woodson stays, he is going to have to knock it out the park in transfer portal players, otherwise, next year could be worse than this year.

Interesting.

I'm staying on the sideline of the debate on him as I don't watch Indiana basketball and unlike Holtmann, a <3 year track record is tough to evaluate without actually watching the program. 

Normally I wouldn't advocate firing a coach in year 3--even in the fast-paced world of CBB with one-and-dones you have to give a guy time to establish a program with his own guys...

...but if his results AND his recruiting are both trash, and he's losing a bunch to graduation without bringing in anyone of note? Yeah, not establishing a good promise of future improvement. 

I'm going to stay out of it, because if Woodson truly sucks, I'd rather they keep him a lot longer. So I'm NOT a disinterested objective observer like with Holtmann 

[medinabuckeye1]

Interesting.

I'm staying on the sideline of the debate on him as I don't watch Indiana basketball and unlike Holtmann, a <3 year track record is tough to evaluate without actually watching the program.

Normally I wouldn't advocate firing a coach in year 3--even in the fast-paced world of CBB with one-and-dones you have to give a guy time to establish a program with his own guys...

...but if his results AND his recruiting are both trash, and he's losing a bunch to graduation without bringing in anyone of note? Yeah, not establishing a good promise of future improvement.

I'm going to stay out of it, because if Woodson truly sucks, I'd rather they keep him a lot longer. So I'm NOT a disinterested objective observer like with Holtmann

LoL, I get it.
Same for me with Michigan, I want Juwan to stay but that is because I think he isn't a good coach.

[bayareabadger]

If OSU offers May, and IU just wants him that bad, fine to fire Woodson. 

I don’t think he’s a bad coach per se, but I don’t think he’s a particularly good one, nor has he really done all that much to secure what is a high end expectation job.