2025-2026 B1G Basketball Thread

[medinabuckeye1]

Bubble watch:

• Ohio State - last bye
• UCLA - second-to-last team in
• USC - last team in

Lunardi currently projects 11 B1G teams in the tournament but that is effectively the max.  There are three bubble teams and all three are currently projected to get in and there are no other B1G teams with a remote chance of an at-large bid. 

Some parts of this don't make sense to me.  Since then UCLA picked up a GREAT win over Illinois so they moved up to third-to-last bye.  That is a jump of five spots for a great win.  I think you could argue for more but it certainly isn't bad.  

USC lost at home to a bad Oregon team and only dropped two spots from last in to second team out.  It seems to me that should cause a bigger drop.  

Ohio State lost on the road to MSU by 6 points.  Lunardi has MSU as a #4 seed so I would think that a bubble team losing reasonably close to them ON THE ROAD wouldn't hurt much but somehow that dropped Ohio State five spots from last bye to first team out. 

So USC losing at home to an Oregon team that is 3-13 in the league drops them two spots but Ohio State losing on the road to an MSU team that is 12-4 dropped the Buckeyes five spots.  Huh?  

Anyway, according to Lunardi here are the B1G teams on the bubble (w/in +/- 8 spots of the cut line):

• UCLA is the third-to-last bye
• Indiana is the last bye
• Ohio State is the first team out
• USC is the second team out.  

[medinabuckeye1]

I think basketball is a little more win now than other sports. Michigan hired a new coach and spent some money last year, and they were pretty good. So it's easier to open up the checkbooks this year. Conversely, OSU hired a new coach and spent some money on transfers last year too. But their transfers were awful and the team sucks, so this year they went shopping in the bargain bin.

Last year the problem was pretty obviously that they did a terrible job directing their NIL.  I have to assume that those 5* transfers from blue bloods were EXPENSIVE but as you said, they were awful.  

Do you know what their spending was this year?  I'm just trying to understand if the problem is that they aren't spending enough or that they aren't spending wisely.  

[MaximumSam]

Last year the problem was pretty obviously that they did a terrible job directing their NIL.  I have to assume that those 5* transfers from blue bloods were EXPENSIVE but as you said, they were awful. 

Do you know what their spending was this year?  I'm just trying to understand if the problem is that they aren't spending enough or that they aren't spending wisely. 

I don't know what they spent, but I have to think the crop of Noel, Tilly, and Cupps were much cheaper than the previous crop. But I think part of that is just the nature of investment. Who is going to sign up to give money to the basketball program with the return being what it was? Especially when the football program is right there.

ND probably has similar problems. Michigan donors were in the opposite boat. Dusty May showed real return on investment. Sherrone Moore not so much.

[medinabuckeye1]

I don't know what they spent, but I have to think the crop of Noel, Tilly, and Cupps were much cheaper than the previous crop. But I think part of that is just the nature of investment. Who is going to sign up to give money to the basketball program with the return being what it was? Especially when the football program is right there.

ND probably has similar problems. Michigan donors were in the opposite boat. Dusty May showed real return on investment. Sherrone Moore not so much.

That is fair.  

FWIW, Ohio State picked up a Q1 win last night!  That is a little weird since they didn't play but here is how it happened:  Northwestern won at Indiana and that win moved the Wildcats up into the top-75 which makes Ohio State's road win in Evanston back in December a Q1 win.  

[Brutus Buckeye]

How can MaximumSam stand to be so quiet about his undefeated Redhawks on here? 

[medinabuckeye1]

Cut lines for the B1G Tournament:

The top-4 do not have to play until Friday, March 13.  As of right now Purdue, Nebraska, and Michigan State are in a three-way tie for 3rd, 4th, and 5th place so the loser of that tie would have to play on Thursday.  Additionally, Illinois is only 1/2 game ahead of them and Wisconsin is only a game behind them so all of those teams are in the mix.  

The #5 though #8 seeds do not have to play until Thursday, March 12.  As of right now Ohio State and Iowa are tied for 8th/9th so tonight's game between them in Iowa City (the only meeting of the Hawkeyes and Buckeyes this season) will probably decide it with the winner getting to rest until Thursday and the loser playing Wednesday.  

The #9 through #14 seeds do not have to play until Wednesday, March 11.  As of right now Maryland leads Rutgers and Northwestern by 1/2 game for the #14 seed.  Maryland is 1-1/2 games behind #13 Minnesota and Washington so the Gophers and Huskies are probably safe.  Rutgers and Northwestern, however, are only 1/2 game ahead of Oregon so all of the Terps, Gophers, Knights, Wildcats, and Ducks are in the mix here.  

Penn State is 2.5 games out of 14th place so they are all but mathematically locked into playing on Tuesday.  

Mathematically Michigan has clinched a top-4 seed because they can do no worse than a 4-way tie with Illinois, Nebraska, and the PU/MSU winner.  

[MaximumSam]

How can MaximumSam stand to be so quiet about his undefeated Redhawks on here?

I am starting a petition to let Bruce Thornton transfer to Miami with immediate eligibility