2025-2026 B1G Basketball Thread

[847badgerfan]

Final Four! 🏀

Finally! 🏁

25 Years in the making! 🫡

Beardown Arizona! 🌵


https://twitter.com/ArizonaMBB/status/2038092172160110656

Wisconsin wasn't in your way this time.

[betarhoalphadelta]

A good season, but Arizona was the one team that I didn't want to face because of their length.  Going cold from 3 in the second half (0 for 7) was the biggest difference and Smith wasn't quite the same after rolling his ankle early in the second half.

This is what happen when a team with possibly zero NBA prospects plays a team with at least 3 first round talents. There's only so much you can do when the level of physicality is so disparate. 

Even when Purdue went into the half with the lead I could see how much harder they had to work to do literally anything. But there's only so long a flyweight can stand in the ring with a heavyweight, even if they're winning on points for a few rounds. Purdue was landing punches but you could tell it had no effect. Eventually the heavyweight land a few solid punches and it's over. 

But oh well. I ate a beautiful ribeye at Mastro's celebrating my anniversary with my beautiful wife. Sad to see Purdue lose, but when I know they lost to a team with simply more talented players, I can live with that. 

[CatsbyAZ]

Wisconsin wasn't in your way this time.

A decade later the greater college basketball world still remembers those Elite Eight showdowns, and from the way the Tournaments get selected from time to time, roots for another. See how the Badgers were placed in Arizona's side of the West Region this year.

Took the first loss pretty hard. The second loss was easier to live with.

Last night's win finally lifts those most recent Elite Eight losses off my back. Although going into halftime I was reliving the doom all over again with Purdue opportunistic on the boards and hitting their threes for a seven point lead.

[847badgerfan]

The one 26 years ago still shocks me.

[ELA]

This is what happen when a team with possibly zero NBA prospects plays a team with at least 3 first round talents. There's only so much you can do when the level of physicality is so disparate.

Even when Purdue went into the half with the lead I could see how much harder they had to work to do literally anything. But there's only so long a flyweight can stand in the ring with a heavyweight, even if they're winning on points for a few rounds. Purdue was landing punches but you could tell it had no effect. Eventually the heavyweight land a few solid punches and it's over.

But oh well. I ate a beautiful ribeye at Mastro's celebrating my anniversary with my beautiful wife. Sad to see Purdue lose, but when I know they lost to a team with simply more talented players, I can live with that.

The weird stat they showed was "Old School vs. New School" and it was the comparison of minutes by seniors vs. freshman for both teams 

Thats maybe a good stat in 2008.  Now it should be Old School (high end freshmen) vs. Really Old School (in house developed seniors)

New school is buying a team of transfers

[Brutus Buckeye]

The final four will be quite an uphill battle for the Illini. 

[Brutus Buckeye]

Dook beefed it

[MaximumSam]

Dook beefed it

Man they literally just had to stand still to win

[847badgerfan]

Dook beefed it

It was perfect.

[medinabuckeye1]

It has been a great NCAAT for our league and will be even if both remaining B1G teams get eliminated in the Semi-Finals.  That said, according to ESPN both of our teams are favored to make the Championship:

• Illinois -2.5 vs UCONN at 6:09 Saturday evening
• Michigan -1.5 vs Zona at 8:49 Saturday evening.  

Here is a review of how we did relative to the norm for the seeds that we had:

• 7-2 in the opening round was slightly better than the 6.7 average wins.  
• 6-1 in the second round was VASTLY better than the average 3.7 wins.  
• 4-2 in the S16 was more than double the average 1.96 wins.  
• 2-2 in the E8 was about double the expected 1.02 wins.  

[medinabuckeye1]

Teams to make the F4 in the 41 tournaments since expansion (1985-2019 and 2021-2026):

• 69 of 164 #1 seeds, 42.07%
• 32 of 164 #2 seeds, 19.51%
• 18 of 164 #3 seeds, 10.98%
• 15 of 164 #4 seeds, 9.15%
• 9 of 164 #5 seeds, 5.49%
• 3 of 164 #6 seeds, 1.83%
• 3 of 164 #7 seeds, 1.83%
• 6 of 164 #8 seeds, 3.66%
• 2 of 164 #9 seeds, 1.22%
• 1 of 164 #10 seeds, 0.61%
• 6 of 164 #11 seeds, 3.66%
• 0 of 820 #12-16 seeds, 0.00%

#12 seeds and below have never won an E8 game and they have only won three S16 games (two by #12s, one by a #15).  

#9 seeds and below have made 8 F4 appearances but they have never won an F4 game.  

#6, #7, and #8 seeds have won one NC each but curiously #5 seeds never have.  

Championships through the first 40 Tournaments:

• 26 Championships - 65.00%
• 5 Championships - 12.50%
• 4 Championships - 10.00%
• 2 Championships - 5.00%
• 0 Championships
• 1 Championship - 2.50%
• 1 Championship - 2.50%
• 1 Championship - 2.50%
• AND below, 0 Championships

This year's Championship will be won by a #1 (Zona or M), a #2 (UCONN), or a #3 (Illinois).  

[Brutus Buckeye]

There's been more than 164 11 seeds, because of the play in games. 

[medinabuckeye1]

There's been more than 164 11 seeds, because of the play in games.

That is true and applies to the #16 seeds as well but I haven't tracked that.  Basically I consider the "First Four" to be "Play-In" games with the winners being the "real" #11 or #16 seed and the losers being not in the "real" tournament.  I know that isn't technically correct but it fits the data better than me trying to figure out how many extras there have been on different lines.  

[MarqHusker]

I may drop in on NIT semis this week which will be at Hinkle w some hoop junkies who have never been.  Im sure they could find bigger hoop fan hosts as their ambassadors.

Hoops Bonanza this week in Indy.   NIT, HBCU, Division II, III and of course the DI final four here this week/weekend.