~2017-18 Big Ten Basketball Thread~

[Brutus Buckeye]

Sorry, but as far as I'm concerned, some protected rivalries matter. I think it's absolutely BS that Purdue and Indiana don't play twice *every* year. They've been one-plays several times over the last decade.

The idea that we could have years where we're not even on each other's schedule once is simply unacceptable.

Certainly understandable.
There was a year that Michigan and MSU scheduled a "non-Conference" game when they were only scheduled to play once. 
So that's a potential solution. 

[ELA]

problem solved - someone ring Big Jim

Throw in the fact that you could play Friday nights, or 6 times in 7 days, with one game in NYC in Rucker Park, and you'd REALLY get his attention.

[ELA]

Updated composite computer poll.  Forgot to post this yesterday, meaning it does NOT factor in Monday night's results. 61 rankings (last week in parenthesis)

1.		Villanova (1)
2.		Virginia (2)
3.		PURDUE (3)
4.		Cincinnati (6)
5.		MICHIGAN STATE (5)
6.		Duke (4)
7.		Xavier (8)
8.		Texas Tech (11)
9.		Auburn (9)
10.		Kansas (7)
11.		North Carolina (12)
12.		OHIO STATE (16)
13.		Gonzaga (13)
14.		Tennessee (10)
15.		Clemson (15)
16.		West Virginia (14)
17.		Wichita State (22)
18.		Texas A&M (-)
19.		Rhode Island (25)
20.		Arizona (18)
21.		Saint Mary's (17)
22.		Creighton (20)
23.		TCU (-)
24.		Florida (-)
25.		Nevada (-)
	-
28.		Michigan (23)
44.		Maryland (42)
48.		Penn State (55)
52.		Nebraska (59)
73.		Northwestern (71)
77.		Indiana (89)
97.		Minnesota (80)
102.		Wisconsin (104)
108.		Iowa (103)
118.		Illinois (97)
153.		Rutgers (139)

[Brutus Buckeye]

Throw in the fact that you could play Friday nights, or 6 times in 7 days, with one game in NYC in Rucker Park, and you'd REALLY get his attention.

[boilerbanger]

How does Purdue not drop after losing 2 games?  I was shocked to see they have the #1 seed when the NCAA released their top 16. 

ELA ... loved your comment about 6 games in 7 days would get big Jim on board.  Are we going to have this bs Friday/ Monday crap next year with FS1?

[JerseyTerrapin]

How does Purdue not drop after losing 2 games?  I was shocked to see they have the #1 seed when the NCAA released their top 16.

ELA ... loved your comment about 6 games in 7 days would get big Jim on board.  Are we going to have this bs Friday/ Monday crap next year with FS1?

I've noticed that polls/seedings have slowly morphed into power ratings.  If somebody has concluded that Purdue is a #1 seed, the modern tendency seems to be to ignore losses.  That's a big change from most of my fanhood.
I still can't believe Virginia lost on Saturday and yet rose to #1 in the polls on Monday... 

[medinabuckeye1]

Seeds are starting to get clearer for the BTT at MSG in NYC:

• 13-1 Ohio State:  Has already clinched a top-4 seed.  With one more win they will clinch a top-3 seed.  
• 13-2 Michigan State:  Will clinch a top-3 seed (and double-bye) with one more win.  They would lose a tie with Michigan and win a tie with Nebraska so right now the 5-seed is still a mathematical possibility (losing a 13-5 tie with M) but with one more win they will finish ahead of Michigan and no worse than tied with Nebraska so it moves their floor up to the 3-seed.  
• 12-2 Purdue:  Will clinch a top-4 seed (and double-bye) with one more win or a Michigan loss.  
• 11-4 Nebraska:  Has clinched a Wednesday bye.  Needs two more wins and/or Michigan losses to clinch a double-bye.  
• 10-5 Michigan:  Has clinched a Wednesday bye.  Needs several more wins and/or Nebraska losses to get a top-4 seed.  This will be difficult for the Wolverines because the one potential tie that they would win (MSU) is very unlikely to occur.  They lose ties with tOSU, PU, or UNL.  
• 8-6 Penn State:  Has clinched a Wednesday bye.  Has no realistic shot at a double-bye but the mathematical possibility still exists.  
• 8-7 Indiana:  Will start BTT play on Thursday (5-10 seed) unless they win out, Nebraska loses out, Michigan loses out, and PSU loses at least one more game.  If all of that happened the Hoosiers would get the #4 seed.  
• 6-8 Northwestern:  Will start BTT play on Thursday unless they lose out while all of MN, RU, IA, and IL win out.  
• 6-9 Maryland:  Same as Northwestern.  
• 4-10 Wisconsin:  For the first time in almost two decades will not get a top-4 seed.  Best-case-scenario is a 3-way tie with PSU and IU at 8-10 for the 6th/7th/8th seeds.  Worst-case-scenario has them playing on Wednesday.  
• 3-12 Minnesota:  Needs work and help to avoid playing on Wednesday.  
• 3-12 Rutgers:  Same as Minnesota.  
• 3-12 Iowa:  Same as Rutgers.  
• 2-12 Illinois:  Same as Iowa.  

[FearlessF]

» Marc Boehm, NU’s executive associate athletic director, said he has it on pretty good authority that if Nebraska basketball wins its final three games, it will make the NCAA tournament. Boehm, who spoke to the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, said he spoke to a member of the NCAA selection committee who said three wins at the end of the regular season gives Nebraska a 99 percent chance of making the tournament.

Win two out of those three, Boehm said, and Nebraska’s chances drop to 72 percent.

[Brutus Buckeye]

What would have to happen for OSU and Michigan to occupy the same branch of the bracket? 

[FearlessF]

you sure do ask a lot of questions and by doing that, keep Medina busy

[ELA]

		EAST
1		Villanova
16		Nicholls/Savannah State
	.		Pittsburgh
8		Florida State
9		Houston
	.
5		Wichita State
12		UL Lafayette
	.		Boise
4		West Virginia
13		Vermont
	.
3		Auburn
14		UC Santa Barbara
	.		Dallas
6		TCU
11		NM State
	.
7		Butler
10		Baylor
	.		Detroit
2		MICHIGAN STATE
15		Charleston
	.
		WEST
1		Cincinnati
16		Wagner
	.		Nashville
8		Louisville
9		Missouri
	.
5		Arizona
12		Kansas State/PENN STATE
	.		Boise
4		Gonzaga
13		South Dakota State
	.
3		North Carolina
14		Montana
	.		Wichita
6		Saint Mary's
11		Middle Tennessee
	.
7		Nevada
10		Virginia Tech
	.		Dallas
2		Texas Tech
15		Canisius
	.
		SOUTH
1		Virginia
16		Harvard/Grambling
	.		Charlotte
8		Kentucky
9		Seton Hall
	.
5		Rhode Island
12		Loyola(Ill)
	.		San Diego
4		Tennessee
13		East Tennessee State
	.
3		Kansas
14		Northern Kentucky
	.		Wichita
6		Florida
11		Syracuse
	.
7		MICHIGAN
10		Alabama
	.		Nashville
2		Xavier
15		Bucknell
	.
		MIDWEST
1		PURDUE
16		UNC Asheville
	.		Detroit
8		Arizona State
9		Miami
	.
5		Texas A&M
12		MARYLAND/UCLA
	.		San Diego
4		Clemson
13		Buffalo
	.
3		OHIO STATE
14		Belmont
	.		Pittsburgh
6		Creighton
11		Texas
	.
7		Oklahoma
10		Arkansas
	.		Charlotte
2		Duke
15		Florida Gulf Coast

Trying to see how hard this is to do, just using the composite computer rankings.  Turns out we are in much better tourney shape as a conference, with Maryland and PSU both in Dayton

Look, now I'm a Bracketologist!

[Brutus Buckeye]

you sure do ask a lot of questions and by doing that, keep Medina busy

Medina is indeed very generous with his analytical brain. 
I like to help him keep it exercised, and in shape. 

[medinabuckeye1]

What would have to happen for OSU and Michigan to occupy the same branch of the bracket?

At this point there are still a whole bunch of possibilities for that, I'll just give you the most likely:

• Ohio State gets the #1 seed and Michigan gets the #4 or #5 seed.  Both are reasonably likely.  The Buckeyes are a game ahead (in the loss column) and win all ties so they can lose a game and still get the #1 seed no matter what.  Meanwhile Michigan is currently in 5th place and they are a game and a half ahead of sixth and two-and-a-half games behind third so the 4th or 5th seed is pretty likely for them.  

As I mentioned, Ohio State wins all ties so if they do lose two more games they would still get a higher seed than either MSU or PU if either were to lose one game.  More than likely, however, if the Buckeyes do lose two more they'll get the #3 seed.  In that case it would be fairly unlikely for Ohio State and Michigan to be in the same branch because the #3 seed plays the #6 (or the 11/14 winner) but I'm assuming that one of Ohio State's two losses in that case would be at Michigan which makes it even less likely for Michigan to fall to the #6 seed.  

[Brutus Buckeye]

Thanks Medina. 

Since that scenario doesn't require an OSU loss to Michigan, it is the scenario that I will be pulling for.