2025-2026 B1G Basketball Thread

[Wildcat4E]

That's an interesting graphic. Izzo seems to still know how to work college kids.

Indeed.  Sampson is doing a marvelous job at UH, as well.  If Painter makes a championship game, he'll also be there.  No need to speak of Duke, they get the cream of the crop from HS since the 1980's.

Texas and Iowa are interesting.  Both those coaches are relatively newly hired, wonder what their future idea is regarding HS recruiting.

[847badgerfan]

Maybe not--and as a Spartan I would think that hurts. But from the outside, I would love to have a guy like Izzo. Wisconsin did, with Bo Ryan, but Izzo was still better. I think Gard is good, but just not quite good enough.

I'd like to see what Gard could do with the support of his AD.

[SFBadger96]

You really think he doesn't have it?

[847badgerfan]

He has to do his own fundraising, so no. Mac is tied to Fickell so that's where the money goes.

[bayareabadger]

Heard on a podcast that MSU is the only Sweet 16 where all 5 of their leading scorers were on the team last year.  Michigan is the only team where none were.

But, as I said earlier, is that necessarily a good thing?  Sets a very high floor, because I don't think they'll have the years like Kansas or Kansas State last year, or Kentucky this year, where it just doesn't work, but not sure their ceiling will ever reach that of the teams that nail the portal, like Auburn last year, or Michigan this year.



Was thinking about this, and I wonder how much of it swings with some things Izzo has done well or badly.

The badly front stands out more. Basically, Izzo has mostly landed disappointing or just OK transfers in the current transfer era (most of them well-rated). Like, Walker and Houser were decent starters, but not as good as their role. Fidler, Fort seemed like potential starters, but haven’t been it. Ugochukwu and Szymon Zapala are OK to nice 7^th/8^th guys. If Fidler, Fort and Walker are real good, we’re talking about Izzo’s new transfer era.

It’s interesting because it’s not like Izzo isn’t losing a decent number of transfers, but something he’s doing flawlessly is holding on to guys who pay off late. That’s were UW has seen some issues. A guy who might not play for two years leaves. Or a guy shows up and just can’t be a Big Ten guy, at least at the start. But Izzo: 

-Plays a lot of guys. So like 10-11 players feel like they are playing some.

-Finds guys who can play some early. Like, UW got a nice PG recruit, but he just couldn’t hang in Year 1 and went to the MAC. MSU seems to have fewer players like that. 

-They’re surprisingly good at holding onto players in smaller spots (maybe with funds these days?) and keeping them til they blossom. For example, in a lot of spots, Fears might transfer after missing half a season with another point guard being primed to start. Izzo held onto him and there’s now a payoff.

Like, I look at the freshman/sophomore years for MSU’s top four guys and think if that happened at my school, the staff would want to keep them, but I’d be very worried they’d want to leave for greener pastures. And the trick is Izzo seems to be convincing a lot of those guys to be more mature than most. 

[847badgerfan]



Was thinking about this, and I wonder how much of it swings with some things Izzo has done well or badly.

The badly front stands out more. Basically, Izzo has mostly landed disappointing or just OK transfers in the current transfer era (most of them well-rated). Like, Walker and Houser were decent starters, but not as good as their role. Fidler, Fort seemed like potential starters, but haven’t been it. Ugochukwu and Szymon Zapala are OK to nice 7^th/8^th guys. If Fidler, Fort and Walker are real good, we’re talking about Izzo’s new transfer era.

It’s interesting because it’s not like Izzo isn’t losing a decent number of transfers, but something he’s doing flawlessly is holding on to guys who pay off late. That’s were UW has seen some issues. A guy who might not play for two years leaves. Or a guy shows up and just can’t be a Big Ten guy, at least at the start. But Izzo:

-Plays a lot of guys. So like 10-11 players feel like they are playing some.

-Finds guys who can play some early. Like, UW got a nice PG recruit, but he just couldn’t hang in Year 1 and went to the MAC. MSU seems to have fewer players like that.

-They’re surprisingly good at holding onto players in smaller spots (maybe with funds these days?) and keeping them til they blossom. For example, in a lot of spots, Fears might transfer after missing half a season with another point guard being primed to start. Izzo held onto him and there’s now a payoff.

Like, I look at the freshman/sophomore years for MSU’s top four guys and think if that happened at my school, the staff would want to keep them, but I’d be very worried they’d want to leave for greener pastures. And the trick is Izzo seems to be convincing a lot of those guys to be more mature than most.

He left because he felt disrespected after being asked to take a pay cut. 

[bayareabadger]

He left because he felt disrespected after being asked to take a pay cut.

What’s your take on that?

[847badgerfan]

That their NIL budget for basketball sucks.

He could have developed in Madison this year, watching Boyd, and be ready for next year.

Now, it's gonna be another 1-year PG rental.

[bayareabadger]

That their NIL budget for basketball sucks.

He could have developed in Madison this year, watching Boyd, and be ready for next year.

Now, it's gonna be another 1-year PG rental.

Im skeptical he’d spent two years getting scrap minutes, and somewhat skeptical of the upside of paying him to do so. 

Suppose we’ll see if he decides to land somewhere next year. 

[847badgerfan]

I think he would have gotten more than scrap minutes this past season.

[bayareabadger]

I think he would have gotten more than scrap minutes this past season.

Maybe. Didn’t seem like his coach did. 

[847badgerfan]

Coach had to make a decision. Keep paying him or lose Blackwell.

Coach would love to have had him stay.

[FearlessF]

6 of the teams with 4 guys, 5 of the teams with 3 guys = seems to lean towards retaining players
especially when a couple of the teams w/o returners are new coaches, that's just gonna happen

[medinabuckeye1]

Purdue and Iowa to the E8. Good luck Illinois!