2023-2024 B1G Basketball Thread

[ELA]

Didn't realize Indiana had the #1 pick in the WNBA Draft.  IMO, that is perfect for the league, re: Caitlin. Basketball crazy state, and she won't get lost in the shuffle in a larger market.  She'll make Indiana a major market

[ELA]

Ugh, the 3/4 bracket somehow times out when I tried to post it

[ELA]

3/4 resume bracket update (been a full week)

NCAA
MIDWEST

• #1 PURDUE vs. #16 Central Connecticut State/Southern
• #8 TCU vs. #9 Nevada
• #5 Kentucky vs. #12 Grand Canyon
• #4 Creighton vs. #13 McNeese State
• #3 Baylor vs. #14 Akron
• #6 WISCONSIN vs. #11 Boise State
• #7 Clemson vs. #10 Princeton
• #2 Marquette vs. #15 Youngstown State

SOUTH

• #1 Houston vs. #16 Fairfield/NC Central
• #8 Mississippi State vs. #9 NORTHWESTERN
• #5 Dayton vs. #12 Colorado State/Seton Hall
• #4 Auburn vs. #13 Samford
• #3 Alabama vs. #14 High Point
• #6 Texas Tech vs. #11 Colorado
• #7 Utah State vs. #10 Florida Atlantic
• #2 North Carolina vs. #15 Morehead State

EAST

• #1 Connecticut vs. #16 Lipscomb
• #8 Oklahoma vs. #9 MICHIGAN STATE
• #5 Gonzaga vs. #12 James Madison
• #4 ILLINOIS vs. #13 Vermont
• #3 Kansas vs. #14 Charleston
• #6 Florida vs. #11 Virginia
• #7 Washington State vs. #10 Indiana State
• #2 Iowa State vs. #15 Colgate

WEST

• #1 Tennessee vs. #16 South Dakota State
• #8 NEBRASKA vs. #9 St. John's
• #5 San Diego State vs. #12 Wake Forest/Saint Mary's
• #4 BYU vs. #13 UC Irvine
• #3 Duke vs. #14 Louisiana Tech
• #6 South Carolina vs. #11 IOWA
• #7 Texas vs. #10 Villanova
• #2 Arizona vs. #15 Eastern Washington

NIT
OXFORD

• #1 Ole Miss vs. #8 Grambling
• #4 Virginia Tech vs. #5 Xavier
• #3 Memphis vs. #6 MARYLAND
• #2 Cincinnati vs. #7 Oakland

PROVIDENCE

• #1 Providence vs. #8 Eastern Kentucky
• #4 Oregon vs. #5 Richmond
• #3 Kansas State vs. #6 Central Florida
• #2 Syracuse vs. #7 Quinnipiac

SALT LAKE CITY

• #1 Utah vs. #8 Little Rock
• #4 Butler vs. #5 MINNESOTA
• #3 Texas A&M vs. #6 SMU
• #2 New Mexico vs. #7 NC State

PITTSBURGH

• #1 Pittsburgh vs. #8 Norfolk State
• #4 OHIO STATE vs. #5 Appalachian State
• #3 South Florida vs. #6 INDIANA
• #2 Drake vs. #7 Sam Houston State

Changes:
Moved up from NIT to NCAA

• Iowa
• Villanova

Dropped from NCAA to NIT

• Ole Miss
• Providence

Dropped out of NIT

• Cornell
• San Francisco

First Four Out of NIT

• Yale
• LSU
• RUTGERS
• Loyola(Ill)

Big Ten

• #1 Purdue = held
• #4 Illinois = held
• #6 Wisconsin = dropped from #5
• #8 Nebraska = dropped from #7
• #9 Northwestern = dropped from #8
• #9 Michigan State = moved up from #10
• #11 Iowa = moved up from NIT
• NIT#4 Ohio State = moved up from NIT#4
• NIT#5 Minnesota = held
• NIT#6 Maryland = held
• NIT#6 Indiana = moved into NIT
• Rutgers = n/a
• Michigan = n/a
• Penn State = n/a

[boilerbanger]

Interested in thoughts on tonight's Illinois / Purdue matchup .... I am very relaxed about this game, I think Purdue will play well, we have had some good luck @Illinois but I am expecting a shoot out as Illinois doesn't guard and Illinois is a tough match up on D for Purdue.  Zach was in foul trouble last game and Illinois was without Shannon.  But Goode went 4-6 from 3 against us last game, Shannon will pick up that scoring and TKR probably doesn't go for 23 again, but Zach should pick up that scoring as he only had 10 last matchup.  Two keys for Purdue, containing the 1 man fast break (limit turnovers) and how defend the booty ball with "smaller" guards.

One of the few games of the year where Purdue is a dog (+2), as I am typing the line just moved to (+1) Total is 162.5

[medinabuckeye1]

Interested in thoughts on tonight's Illinois / Purdue matchup .... I am very relaxed about this game, I think Purdue will play well, we have had some good luck @Illinois but I am expecting a shoot out as Illinois doesn't guard and Illinois is a tough match up on D for Purdue.  Zach was in foul trouble last game and Illinois was without Shannon.  But Goode went 4-6 from 3 against us last game, Shannon will pick up that scoring and TKR probably doesn't go for 23 again, but Zach should pick up that scoring as he only had 10 last matchup.  Two keys for Purdue, containing the 1 man fast break (limit turnovers) and how defend the booty ball with "smaller" guards.

One of the few games of the year where Purdue is a dog (+2), as I am typing the line just moved to (+1) Total is 162.5

Huge game, I wish it was on a TV Network instead of Peacock.  

Obviously Purdue clinches an outright title with a win but, as I see it, it isn't just that:

If Purdue wins this league has ONE team head-and-shoulders above the rest.  Purdue is a CLEAR #1 and Illinois is only equal to or barely above a group of teams competing for #3.  

If Illinois wins this league has two teams head-and-shoulders above the rest.  Illinois is equal to or barely below Purdue and there is a HUMONGOUS gap between #2 Illinois and whoever #3 is.  

Purdue has lost other games.  They lost in Lincoln, Evanston, and Columbus.  The difference is that those were upsets.  Upsets happen in the course of a season.  You aren't going to play your best game every time out.  This is different.  Purdue isn't a big favorite who can only lose if they don't play well and/or the opponent plays out-of-their-minds and way above themselves.  In this case Purdue is an underdog.  They might lose not as an upset thing, they might legit not be better.  

[medinabuckeye1]

I was going to do a post outlining what each team can accomplish this week and weekend vis-a-vis final standings in the B1G but that is going to have to wait until after the games this week because the teams in the middle are so closely stacked.  

At the top:
Purdue and Illinois have both clinched double byes.  Purdue wins the league outright if any of the following three things happen:

• Purdue wins at Illinois tonight, or
• Purdue wins at home against Wisconsin on Sunday, or
• Illinois loses at Iowa on Sunday. 

Illinois can ONLY get a split title and ONLY if none of those things happen.  

At the bottom:
Michigan isn't merely bad and in last place, they are atrocious and four games behind #13.  At 7-12, #13 Maryland is as close to #4 Nebraska as they are to #14 Michigan.  It is THAT bad.  

In the middle:
It is a crazy jumble.  Look at the standings:

• #3 Northwestern is only 1/2 game ahead of
• #4 Nebraska is only 1/2 game ahead of 
• #5 Wisconsin is only 1/2 game ahead of
• #6 Iowa is only 1/2 game ahead of
• #7/8 MN/MSU are a game ahead of
• #9 Indiana is only 1/2 game ahead of
• #10/11 tOSU/PSU are only 1/2 game ahead of
• #12 Rutgers is only 1/2 game ahead of
• #13 Maryland

To put this in perspective, Minnesota and Michigan State are currently 9-9 and tied for 7th/8th.  They could end up anywhere from tied with Northwestern for 3rd to tied with Penn State and the Rutgers/Ohio State winner for 11th.  With a couple wins and some good tiebreaker luck they could get a double bye or with a couple losses and some bad tiebreaker luck they could end up playing on Wednesday.  All of the following teams are in play in that they could end up tied with MSU/MN:

• Northwestern
• Nebraska
• Wisconsin
• Iowa
• Each other
• Indiana
• Ohio State
• Penn State
• Rutgers

The only teams not included in that jumble are PU, IL, UMD, and M.  

[ELA]

Over the past 6+ games since Walker left the Minnesota loss aggravating his groin injury, he has shot 10-31 (32.3%) for 3, and that includes 4-8 against Iowa (26.1% otherwise).  Prior to that he had been shooting 42% in his MSU career.  He was also on pace to be the first player in the Izzo era to average over 20 ppg (didn't fact check that).  Since then, only 14.3 ppg.

I think just how lost this offense is without good PG play has been really exposed now that Walker isn't physically able to bail them out.  He hasn't been bad, he just hasn't been great, and that simply isn't enough with an offense with no PG and no 5

[NickSmith4Three]

Purdue shot something like 80% from three in the second half.  Illinois couldn't stop them and didn't shoot the three as well as they normally do.  Shannon didn't have a great game.  Congrats to Purdue on the outright championship.

[grillrat]

Good game Illini.  Your defense has taken a good step up the last few games.  Thought you were going to pull it out tonight, but Purdue's deadly shooting was the difference.
See you again on St. Patty's day.

[grillrat]

Out of curiosity....

Did that win just earn Painter BTCOY?

Who else could / should it be?  Maybe Hoiberg?  

I know that Purdue was essentially the favorite to win, and it often goes to the coach whose team overachieves per preseason expectations, but I just don't really see that this year.  Maybe if Nebraska had won @ OSU he would have had a shot, because I think the 2-8 (assuming a @mich win) road record is going to be the big knock against him.

[medinabuckeye1]

BTT Seeds:

Purdue clinched the #1 seed and will play the 8/9 winner at noon on Friday.

Michigan is the #14 and will play #11 on Wednesday.

Illinois will be the #2 seed unless:

• Northwestern wins in East Lansing, AND
• Illinois loses in Iowa City, AND
• Northwestern beats Minnesota on Sunday

If all three of those things happen then Illinois and Northwestern will tie for second place and Northwestern wins that tie.


The rest of the seeds (#3 through #13) each have a slew of teams that could wind up in them.

[FearlessF]

Out of curiosity....

Did that win just earn Painter BTCOY?

Who else could / should it be?  Maybe Hoiberg? 

Gotta be Hoiberg if he finishes top 4

[847badgerfan]

Out of curiosity....

Did that win just earn Painter BTCOY?

Who else could / should it be?  Maybe Hoiberg? 

I know that Purdue was essentially the favorite to win, and it often goes to the coach whose team overachieves per preseason expectations, but I just don't really see that this year.  Maybe if Nebraska had won @ OSU he would have had a shot, because I think the 2-8 (assuming a @mich win) road record is going to be the big knock against him.

Not Greg Gard.

I'd say it's between Painter, Underwood, Hoiberg and Collins.

[FearlessF]

where was Hoiberg picked to finish pre-season??

12th, 13th, or 14th?