2025-2026 B1G Basketball Thread

[bayareabadger]

First, as I said above I don't care how their schedule ended up so bad. Not my, the committee's, nor the last team it's problem. I care about data not emotion and although you at least tried to challenge it, the vast weight of the data says no.

Second, Max's and your argument seems to be that they shouldn't be punished for their joke of a schedule because they made a few phone calls and got turned down. If I did care (I don't, see above) my answer would be: "Make more calls."

I don't think it is a dodge at all. They don't have to schedule Duke or Michigan nor even Wisconsin or Ohio State to improve their SoS and thus their rating. Playing two decent mid-majors instead of non DI Trinity Christian and Indiana East would have helped immensely.

The absolute body bag games are also, to me, a backstop against this sorta "we tried" argument because playing not one but two non-DI games isn't "trying".

It is a dodge. If they have a few decent mid-majors, would the tone of these long posts change one iota? Nope. They could've won at OSU and Wisconsin and this convo would still be basically the same. 

Now maybe the coach should've showed up in Columbus, threatened to beat up Diebler or something. But at a certain point, you try to get a team to pay you to play at their place, and they don't. 

Now the bodybags are sort of interesting. You have to fill some kind of home schedule, as this is entertainment product with an in-person element. Those cost money, which you have less of without buy games. So you balance budgets the way that makes sense.

(Mentioning your other comment, it does feel like getting emotional and disdainful about all this weakens the argument. Complaining about this that and the other. A staid, simple argument that gives a bit of grace and acknowledges the asymmetry would make for a pretty short argument. Granted, it's all kind of a boiled down element of your larger vociferous belief that a 64-team tournament itself is in many ways bad) 

[bayareabadger]

That said I think you are reaching here. WAB and SOR obviously lean MUCH more heavily on record compared to NET/Torvik/KenPom and to me that is just bad data.

• If you picked based on NET they aren't close.
• If you picked based on Torvik (Max's favorite previously) they aren't close and wouldn't even be in if we took the best 68!
• If you picked based on KenPom, same as Torvik.

The issue with using this as a base for data is that no one who is serious thinks they should pick teams like this. Neither Ken Pomery or Bart Torvik think that. And the NCAA built the NET, but clearly doesn't use it like that. 

And argument built on data that's misunderstood is going to run you into trouble and get us farther afield. 

[bayareabadger]

It's weird to just be like, the Badgers will likely lose and I'll watch and shrug. 

UW has made a couple deep runs of late, which were the first two finalist trips since 2017. It didn't feel that long. And it's weird to look through the other ones between.

2018 - Bad Badgers fighting to not end the season, got one win, went tooth and nail with a much better MSU team
2019 - Worse than expected game against Nebraska, smushed by a much better MSU team after a sort of weird finish to the year
2021 - Badgers had been sluggish down the stretch, got pushed badly by a bad PSU team, then lost a close one to Iowa, after a horrendous run in close games. 
2022 - Team dropped the ball in a season finale, with an injury to their star. They caught an uneven MSU team and just lost it late.
2023 - UW had basically played itself off the bubble despite good quad wins, was hoping for some kind of tournament boost. Ate the curb to a bad OSU team to seal the season.

This has less emotional investment than any of those. They beat the team they were supposed to, now they'll bow out and rest up. 

[FearlessF]

I think Fred Hoiberg should make Amare Bynum a nice NIL offer to move back closer to home next season

[bayareabadger]

Well, that was fast

[SFBadger96]

That's a lot of missed 3s...

[bayareabadger]

That's a lot of missed 3s...

Should keep shooting them.

Credit to Underwood for this, he has built an absolutely massive team of guys who can score and shoot.

[847badgerfan]

Rebounding is again a concern.

[bayareabadger]

End of the half was less crisp than you would’ve liked. But down 6 ain’t the worst. 

[bayareabadger]

Rebounding is again a concern.

Considering Illinois is one of the very best rebounding teams in the country and UW is down is best big, it’s been a bit better than I hoped.