2024-2025 B1G Basketball Thread

[bayareabadger]

What is a good basketball season for your team?

For UGA, making the tourney is an excellent (and unusual) season, even if they lose game one.

Good is an interesting term there.

I think it was Wisconsin wins 20+ games and yes, the second round, most of the time that is “good.” But if they go too longwithout a sweet 16, as they have, people start getting antsy. Plus the last couple tournament trips have not exactly sparked joy.

[bayareabadger]

This afternoon‘s game between the Spartans and Badgers feels like one that is kind of all upside for UW.

If Wisconsin wins, it’s a nice feather in the cap game. If they lose, well, it’s really hard to win in East Lansing. 

[ELA]

This afternoon‘s game between the Spartans and Badgers feels like one that is kind of all upside for UW.

If Wisconsin wins, it’s a nice feather in the cap game. If they lose, well, it’s really hard to win in East Lansing.

I was thinking the road team had done oddly well recently, so I looked it up.

Starting with the 2004-05 season, the home team won 12 consecutive games until 2012, and 20 of 22 through 2018.  But Wisconsin has won 3 in a row in East Lansing, and MSU has won 4 of the last 6 in Madison

[betarhoalphadelta]

What is a good basketball season for your team?

For UGA, making the tourney is an excellent (and unusual) season, even if they lose game one.

For Purdue, making the tourney is baseline expectation. Matt Painter was probably on the edge of getting fired after the 2013-14 season, given it was his second consecutive missed tourney (and a 12th [last] place B1G finish). 

Beyond that, I'd say the barometer is seed-dependent, but in most years a 2nd weekend appearance would be considered a "good" basketball season. Usually that means winning an upset in the years when you're not as strong, or performing "at expectation" if you're one of the better seeds. 

[bayareabadger]

It took a hair over 26 minutes for MSU to tie the most 3s since early December. 

Wisconsin is just spraying open 3s anywhere but the hoop. That ain’t gonna work in EL. 

I think this might be one of Izzo’s best coaching jobs.

[bayareabadger]

Honestly kinda at peace with that one. If MSU is gonna pop some 3s, you’re in trouble. If UW is gonna miss a mess of open ones, also trouble.

With the Breslin whistle, you usually have to be on Ps and Qs to win there. UW wasn’t, but also did enough good things to be in it most of the day.


Some stuff to clean up. Now time to take care of business with the last two. 

[847badgerfan]

Honestly kinda at peace with that one. If MSU is gonna pop some 3s, you’re in trouble. If UW is gonna miss a mess of open ones, also trouble.

With the Breslin whistle, you usually have to be on Ps and Qs to win there. UW wasn’t, but also did enough good things to be in it most of the day.


Some stuff to clean up. Now time to take care of business with the last two.

The Goofs will not be an easy game. 

[Cincydawg]

It's interesting to me anyway how we got to "not winning it all is a disaster" season, I'm over stating the case of course.

[ELA]

It's hard because of the nature of a single elimination tournament.  I can't say 2016 was a "success" given a 1st round exit, but was it more enjoyable than say 2023 where MSU snuck in and reached the Sweet 16, yeah.

I think if MSU is comfortably in the field, which means they are at least in the Big Ten title hunt, and reach the second weekend, I can't complain.

The BTT adds an additional wrinkle.  I don't much care how MSU does in it, but if you are having an otherwise blah season, it's a banner.  Like if you finish 6th in the Big Ten, lose in the 2nd round, but win a BTT, I guess that's worth something.  If you finish 2nd, and get upset early in the tournament, I don't think anyone says "well at least we won a BTT"

[ELA]

Michigan's +/- vs. record just got a lot crazier

9-3 in their past 12, with a +/- of -36

[bayareabadger]

The Goofs will not be an easy game.

Having a good year in the big ten ain’t easy. 

[ELA]

I was listening to maybe one of the Field of 68 podcasts?  And they pointed out the other thing with these expanded conferences, infrequent double matchups, and constant roster turnover is that you can tweak something and steal one once.  Better coaches and better players win out when you play twice, so there is less of a "sure thing" than there was previously, because even these bottom tier Big Ten teams, are teams that you would call a "sneaky" OOC game, because they are still top 100 teams with low familiarity.

It used to be you had some easy Big Ten wins because there was coaching and roster familiarity, so it was tough to steal one

[OrangeAfroMan]

What is a good basketball season for your team?

Sweet 16.
Florida normally makes the tournament as a 5-10 seed.  Maybe wins one, maybe doesn't.  So a "good" season is Sweet 16.
As a borderline 1 seed this year, it should be better.  
But much less pressure than the football team.

[Brutus Buckeye]

What is a good basketball season for your team?

For UGA, making the tourney is an excellent (and unusual) season, even if they lose game one.

I won't say sweet 16, which is the most stereotypical floor to declare.

A team that buries themselves in a hole early, but then digs themselves out of it after the football season is over would have successfully done it's job of entertaining me during the time period between the Bowl Game to the reimplementation of Daylight Savings Time.