2025-2026 B1G Basketball Thread

[medinabuckeye1]

I can't even imagine a universe where the committee thought they got it wrong.

They don't.  Nor does literally any of the college basketball podcasts I listen to.  Even the most numbers centric people said this was the easiest field to ever select, which is why every Bracketologist went 68 for 68

I suspect that you guys are right but I sure hope you are wrong because we shouldn't encourage clubbing baby seals.  We should encourage actual quality basketball.  

[CatsbyAZ]

Some really long faces at Indy airport this morning between many of the Zona and Illini fans.    An old timer Zona fan 'we played so badly is Mich that good?' 

At the watch party I went to, the question came up among us once Arizona was down to Michigan by nearly 30 - would we rather lose like this, in an indefensible blowout, OR the way Duke lost to UConn last weekend? Right away I answered before anyone else: I'd rather take a decided loss, knowing I'll start moving on from it in a few days. The way Duke collapsed with the game in hand would live with me for quite a while, and overshadow the success of the season. The further away from Saturday's lose, losing to Michigan will start fading in place of remembering that this was overall a wildly successful season. Arizona made their first Final Four in twenty-five years, and a 5th Final Four banner will look great hanging from the rafters of McKale Center next season.

[bayareabadger]

Auburn won the NIT or as I think of it, the Best Team Not Invited Tournament last night.  This obviously supports the notion that SoS matters.  As it turns out going 17-16 against one of the toughest schedules in the country isn't as easy as it sounds and is considerably more difficult than going near-perfect against creampuffs. 

I hope the committee learns from their mistake but I'm sure they wont. 

This seems like a pretty emotional argument. It's the NIT, man. No one takes NIT results seriously. 

This has gotta be the weirdest thing to cape for. Like, cape for a smaller field, but thirsting for the honor of the 11th-place team in the SEC, lord how far we've done fallen. 

[bayareabadger]

At the watch party I went to, the question came up among us once Arizona was down to Michigan by nearly 30 - would we rather lose like this, in an indefensible blowout, OR the way Duke lost to UConn last weekend? Right away I answered before anyone else: I'd rather take a decided loss, knowing I'll start moving on from it in a few days. The way Duke collapsed with the game in hand would live with me for quite a while, and overshadow the success of the season. The further away from Saturday's lose, losing to Michigan will start fading in place of remembering that this was overall a wildly successful season. Arizona made their first Final Four in twenty-five years, and a 5th Final Four banner will look great hanging from the rafters of McKale Center next season.

Interesting. 

My team took a couple painful Final Four losses, and I kind of felt better that they were close. 

Also, man that was a bad matchup for Arizona. 

[FearlessF]

Michigan is a bad matchup for most teams

[ELA]

At the watch party I went to, the question came up among us once Arizona was down to Michigan by nearly 30 - would we rather lose like this, in an indefensible blowout, OR the way Duke lost to UConn last weekend? Right away I answered before anyone else: I'd rather take a decided loss, knowing I'll start moving on from it in a few days. The way Duke collapsed with the game in hand would live with me for quite a while, and overshadow the success of the season. The further away from Saturday's lose, losing to Michigan will start fading in place of remembering that this was overall a wildly successful season. Arizona made their first Final Four in twenty-five years, and a 5th Final Four banner will look great hanging from the rafters of McKale Center next season.

I agree.

Particularly in a season where Arizona was always great, and then won 4 NCAA games.

I think I would feel a little different if like Arizona had some fluke path as like a 6 seed, and Michigan was the first good team they had played.  Same with like MSU-Alabama in that CFP game.  I would rather have been close, because then you have to defend even being there.  If that argument isn't on the table, I'll take the blowout loss.

[CatsbyAZ]

I suspect that you guys are right but I sure hope you are wrong because we shouldn't encourage clubbing baby seals.  We should encourage actual quality basketball. 

Since we’re still discussing 17-16 Auburn missing the Tournament, the main point you’ve driven for nearly a month now is that the Committee neglected Strength of Schedules. That’s not at all the case. The committee heavily weighed SoS, but it wasn’t the sole selection factor; your emphasis on SoS angles for SoS to be the ONLY factor that should be considered. If that’s the case, there’s no point in a committee. Just let computers select and seed the teams based on a running SoS calculation.

[bayareabadger]

Michigan is a bad matchup for most teams

True, but Arizona was really good. And in a matchup of really good teams, Arizona‘s offensive style was particularly ill-suited to deal with Michigan’s defensive style.

[FearlessF]

Zona was really good?  
who did they beat outside the Big 12 & the dance?

[847badgerfan]

Zona was really good? 
who did they beat outside the Big 12 & the dance?

They had some decent OOC wins.

Florida, UCLA, UConn, Auburn, Alabama.

[betarhoalphadelta]

At the watch party I went to, the question came up among us once Arizona was down to Michigan by nearly 30 - would we rather lose like this, in an indefensible blowout, OR the way Duke lost to UConn last weekend? Right away I answered before anyone else: I'd rather take a decided loss, knowing I'll start moving on from it in a few days. The way Duke collapsed with the game in hand would live with me for quite a while, and overshadow the success of the season. The further away from Saturday's lose, losing to Michigan will start fading in place of remembering that this was overall a wildly successful season. Arizona made their first Final Four in twenty-five years, and a 5th Final Four banner will look great hanging from the rafters of McKale Center next season.

Yeah, I gotta say that Purdue losing to Arizona the way they did ended any anguish I might have had over "what might have been". 

As I said the morning after, Purdue went to halftime with the lead but it was clear just watching the game that they were fighting above their weight class. The athletes for Zona were just on a different level. I did not have a lot of confidence that Purdue could sustain it and keep getting all the right bounces in the second half, and alas, they did not. 

I think I would have taken it a lot harder if they'd carried the lead to the last two minutes and then lost it from there in a close one.

[ELA]

Zona was really good? 
who did they beat outside the Big 12 & the dance?

I mean the Big XII was probably the 2nd best conference, so that's a pretty good start.

Then non-conference they beat Florida, UCLA, Connecticut, Auburn, Alabama, and San Diego State.

So in terms of NCAA seeds they beat a #1 (Florida), six #2s (ISU and Houston each twice, plus Purdue and UConn), three #4s (Kansas, Alabama, and Arkansas)

[FearlessF]

They had some decent OOC wins.

Florida, UCLA, UConn, Auburn, Alabama.

oh, so NOW you say Florida was decent ?  

[847badgerfan]

It was decent. It's not great.