2024-2025 B1G Basketball Thread

[ELA]

Gottlieb has ZERO coaching experience. Hiring him is definitely a gamble. On the other hand, other than maybe Jay Bilas, I don’t consistently hear any media figure gush with more college basketball knowledge than Doug Gottlieb. From talking Xs/Os analysis or referencing endless historical data.

At 48 years old, I’m guessing Gottlieb figures he’s got the brains for coaching so why not give it a try on the court if there’s a school willing to give him a shot. Also hearing Gottlieb will also continue to host his Fox Sports radio show.

Someone (maybe Matt Norlander) said he had head Gottlieb had been putting his name out there the last couple years, but, as you said, with zero head coaching experience, it took someone willing to take a risk

[CatsbyAZ]

Torvik's rankings based on rosters are being updated in real time with all the changes so here are the B1G teams with their national ranks:

• 10 UCLA
• 11 Purdue
• 19 Michigan State
• 21 Indiana
• 23 USC
• 27 Michigan
• 31 Rutgers
• 32 Northwestern
• 33 Ohio State
• 36 Wisconsin
• 38 Nebraska

I don't know what to make of UCLA ranked THAT high – 10th? The Bruins are coming off an awful season (16-17) and yes their roster will be more experienced and stabilized, but not to a level warranting such high, Top 10 hopes. UCLA will be taking on a tougher schedule, and more notably, Mick Cronin will still be coaching.

To quote a fellow poster from my Arizona Wildcats message board: “Mick Cronin is a grade A a55hole who constantly throws his players under the bus who runs an overly controlling defense-first system that doesn't work at the highest level. He isn't a good recruiter, evaluator, nor game coach -- who was never a good enough coach for a program like a UCLA and should never have been hired.”

And I’m not sure why USC is ranked that high either, but their ranking at 23rd is more reasonable than UCLA’s, namely because they replaced Enfield, the most underachieving coach in the nation. USC hired Eric Musselman from Arkansas, who is a much better Xs/Os guy, gets more out of his rosters, and between his 9 years coaching at Nevada and Arkansas he has four deep tournament runs. Still, IMO, the Trojans are over-ranked.

[medinabuckeye1]

https://www.si.com/college/ohiostate/news/ohio-state-buckeyes-texas-longhorns-las-vegas-2024-season-opener-01hybgkcmbe8

The Buckeyes are opening with a stiff test against a (checks notes) SEC opponent!

[medinabuckeye1]

A couple days ago 247 did a B1G BB way too early Power Ranking for the 24/5 season.  I was going to add it to the ones I did above and wondered if they had a national one that I could compare to.  Well they do, but get this:

247's B1G rankings are WILDLY inconsistent with their own national rankings.  It is even the same author so I really have no idea what is going on here.  

What I have listed here is the B1G schools ordered by 247's B1G Power rankings and then their national ranking where applicable*:

• UCLA, #31 Nationally
• Indiana, 
• Purdue, #12 Nationally
• Oregon, 
• Michigan, 
• Illinois, #27 Nationally
• Rutgers, #34 Nationally
• Maryland, #25 Nationally
• Nebraska, #21 Nationally
• Ohio State, #20 Nationally
• Michigan State, 
• Iowa, 
• Wisconsin, #18 Nationally
• Washington, #28 Nationally
• USC, 
• Penn State, 
• Northwestern, 
• Minnesota, 

*Applicable:
They only did a national top-25 so not all B1G schools are listed.  Then they did "10 under consideration" so I just ranked those sequentially as 26-35 to get a national top-35.  

This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.  It would be GREAT for the league if Wisconsin was the 18th best team in the country and there were 12 B1G teams ahead of them but it would be terrible for the league if UCLA was the best team in the country and only 31st nationally, LoL.  

[FearlessF]

Nebraska basketball landed a  commitment on Tuesday from UCLA forward Berke Buyuktuncel. The announcement was made on X.

[ELA]

A couple days ago 247 did a B1G BB way too early Power Ranking for the 24/5 season.  I was going to add it to the ones I did above and wondered if they had a national one that I could compare to.  Well they do, but get this:

247's B1G rankings are WILDLY inconsistent with their own national rankings.  It is even the same author so I really have no idea what is going on here. 

What I have listed here is the B1G schools ordered by 247's B1G Power rankings and then their national ranking where applicable*:

• UCLA, #31 Nationally
• Indiana,
• Purdue, #12 Nationally
• Oregon,
• Michigan,
• Illinois, #27 Nationally
• Rutgers, #34 Nationally
• Maryland, #25 Nationally
• Nebraska, #21 Nationally
• Ohio State, #20 Nationally
• Michigan State,
• Iowa,
• Wisconsin, #18 Nationally
• Washington, #28 Nationally
• USC,
• Penn State,
• Northwestern,
• Minnesota,

*Applicable:
They only did a national top-25 so not all B1G schools are listed.  Then they did "10 under consideration" so I just ranked those sequentially as 26-35 to get a national top-35. 

This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.  It would be GREAT for the league if Wisconsin was the 18th best team in the country and there were 12 B1G teams ahead of them but it would be terrible for the league if UCLA was the best team in the country and only 31st nationally, LoL. 

It's so much more than ever a crapshoot at this point.  As I said earlier, MSU was ranked so high last year because they returned so much from a solid team, which is how it always worked because some of the teams ahead of you lost a lot.  Now, you just keep refilling with transfers.  MSU 2024 looked about the same as MSU 2023.  Now it's anyone's guess as to how the portal teams pan out.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  But you will almost certainly stay behind the teams where it does work.

[medinabuckeye1]

It's so much more than ever a crapshoot at this point.

I agree 100%.  Based on what I assumed was going to return, I thought Ohio State would be a pretty good team.  Solidly in the tournament but not a NC contender nor probably even a league title contender unless it was just a weird year where everybody stumbled.  

The Portal, IMHO, has given tOSU a lower floor and a higher ceiling because:

Now it's anyone's guess as to how the portal teams pan out.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  

Ohio State has added multiple high-end blue chip 5* recruits (from Dook and Kentucky) plus some guys with great experience.  If it "works", they are at least a League Title contender and possibly a contender to make it beyond the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.  OTOH, if it doesn't "work" they are a collection of guys who have little-or-no experience actually playing together, they could miss the Tournament for a third consecutive year.  

[boilerbanger]

I think Purdue will be good again this year, but I think our 25-26 season will be a Final 4 caliber team once we get all of these freshman some experience and Smith and Loyer will be Seniors.

[847badgerfan]

It's hard to even think about 2025 in these times. The roster turnover alone makes it so.

Any team could have 13 different players than it does today.

College sports are no longer. They are just sports.

[medinabuckeye1]

It's hard to even think about 2025 in these times. The roster turnover alone makes it so.

Any team could have 13 different players than it does today.

College sports are no longer. They are just sports.

Yep, mercenaries.  

I don't remember which poster but an LSU fan commented a while ago about, in the past, seeing "his" team as guys from his state competing against guys from other states.  It was never exactly that way but that was the general practice.  Now, not really at all.  

[ELA]

Lakers all in on poaching Hurley from UConn

[bayareabadger]

Lakers all in on poaching Hurley from UConn

I rather like this shakeup, if it happens. 

[ELA]

It's hard to even think about 2025 in these times. The roster turnover alone makes it so.

Any team could have 13 different players than it does today.

College sports are no longer. They are just sports.

Hell, Purdue's top rated 2024 recruit asked out of his NLI today.  Who even knows what 2024 will look like

[847badgerfan]

Wow.

This just plain sucks.