~2017-18 Big Ten Basketball Thread~

[fezzador]

I kinda suspect you're right - Lavar is setting his sons up for failure.  They are talented, but he is neither an NBA scout nor someone with real NBA connections.  He's a mediocre coach whose sanity I question.

[ELA]

He could get away with this with the oldest and youngest, they are top flight prospects.  This one would never have sniffed UCLA without being some sort of package with the other 2, and sure as hell ain't playing in the NBA.

[ELA]

MSU learning life on the road in conference is a whole other beast.

[Brutus Buckeye]

The kid didn't belong in school. He's obviously an idiot. 

A group 6.5-7ft UCLA players are going to stick out like a sore thumb in China, and they have the audacity to steal from three different stores? 

You mind your Ps and Qs in a foreign country. Especially when you don't speak a word of their language. 

[ELA]

MSU learning life on the road in conference is a whole other beast.

Someone should tell Izzo that even though it's December, it's a conference game, and it's not the time to teach your best rebounder a lesson by benching him a whole half.

[ELA]

Someone should tell Izzo that even though it's December, it's a conference game, and it's not the time to teach your best rebounder a lesson by benching him a whole half.

And now it's a thing.  Ugh

[medinabuckeye1]

Upon further review I have decided that I love playing two conference games in early December.  

In a complete shock to everyone, the Buckeyes blew out the Badgers in Madison then staged an epic comeback to beat the Wolverines in Columbus and will now spend an entire month atop the B1G standings (tied with MSU and PU).  The Buckeyes will remain in first place until at January 3 when Purdue will undoubtedly beat Rutgers to move 1/2 game ahead at 3-0.  Then on January 4 MSU hosts Maryland while Ohio State travels to Iowa City.  Given how bad Iowa looks, there is a pretty good chance that Ohio State will move back into first place with Purdue and (possibly) MSU leading up to a first place showdown with the Spartans in Columbus on Sunday, January 7.  

I am going to enjoy Ohio State's month-long stay at the top of the B1G standings!

[ELA]

Florida looked so good out in Portland, now after getting run out of the gym by FSU on Monday, down 10 at home to Loyola in a seemingly totally empty arena in Gainesville.  I thought UF had better basketball fan support than this?

[grillrat]

I think it is officially time for Wisconsin fans to start to panic.

Also,  Florida follows up their loss to FSU with a home loss to Loyola-chicago.

That's pretty bad.  Not "Notre Dame home loss to Ball State" bad, but still pretty bad.

[ELA]

This will do


https://twitter.com/KJfromtheDeck/status/938402069899284480

[847badgerfan]

I think it is officially time for Wisconsin fans to start to panic.

Also,  Florida follows up their loss to FSU with a home loss to Loyola-chicago.

That's pretty bad.  Not "Notre Dame home loss to Ball State" bad, but still pretty bad.

Nah. Not yet.

The team Gard took over from Bo when he abruptly retired 3 years ago was in a worse spot because it was loaded with experienced players, and he figured that out. This team is devoid of experience right now, except for Happ. I can deal with that. It's called growing pains.

Gard's biggest mistake with this team was not playing Reuvers to start the season and having too much faith in some of the older guys. It's clear that juniors Van Vliet, Thomas and Illikainin have been passed over, since none of them played last night or on Monday at PSU. It's also clear they are not happy, based on their bench body "language"... Look for some or all of them to transfer.

It will look different a month from now, when the kids have more games under their belt. King, Davison and Reuvers are now a big part of this team and all 3 were at prom 6 months ago. Ford is an RS-F and his game is rounding into shape too.

They will learn from last night.

[ELA]

The problem is, have they dug themselves too deep of a hole with how bad the Big Ten looks?  Simply being pretty good in conference play this year isn't going to be good enough to erase a bad non-conference season, because the numbers boost won't be what it typically is, and the chances for marquee wins aren't there.

And the committee has put an increased value on road/neutral court wins, where the Badgers are already 1-4.  With only 3 ranked conference teams, and Wisconsin not going to Minnesota, games in West Lafayette and East Lansing are the only remaining chances to pick up good road wins.

I agree that Wisconsin is going to get a LOT better.  But at this point it might take like 13-5 in Big Ten play, which would be like 21-11 overall, to keep the tourney streak alive.

[847badgerfan]

They really need to beat Marquette Saturday. That is looming big right now.

[medinabuckeye1]

They really need to beat Marquette Saturday. That is looming big right now.

They do, and I understand that it is important to Wisconsin fans because of rivalry but to ELA's point:  Even if the Badgers beat the Golden Eagles, it will not be a high quality win.  For one thing it is at home.  Beyond that, Marquette is 6-3 without a quality win.  
I was flat shocked by Ohio State running Wisconsin out of their own gym.  Unless Ohio State ends up a whole lot better than I expect this year, that is going to be a problem for Wisconsin.  Losses to ranked Xavier, Baylor, UCLA, and UVA squads are excusable.  Even the road loss to Temple is survivable.  Losing at home by 25 points to a team that probably isn't going to the tournament is a major blow.  
Wisconsin needs quality wins to offset their dismal nonconference performance and that bad loss to Ohio State.  The problem is that in this year's B1G there just aren't many chances.  Wisconsin's remaining games against currently ranked teams:

• #21 Purdue, away on January 16
• #3 MSU, away on January 26
• #21 Purdue, home on February 15
• #14 Minnesota, home on February 19
• #3 MSU, home on February 25

That is it.  If the Badgers sweep those and avoid losing to anyone else then sure, they'll be fine.  The problem is that at this point neither of those things appear to be very likely.  Further, even if Wisconsin does round into form and become a very good team by mid-season or later, that isn't going to help in West Lafayette or East Lansing in January.  If we go with ELA's theory that Wisconsin would need to finish 13-5/20*-11 to make the tournament then here is what they need to do:

• Win at least all but one of their remaining OOC:  @Marquette, vsWKY, vsGreenBay, vsChiSt, vsUMass-Lowell.  
• Go 12-4 through the rest of their B1G slate.  

That is rapidly becoming a very tall order.  Even assuming that they win all three home games against ranked teams late in the season, if they lose the two road games against ranked teams in January then they only have two or three more losses to give.  That is 14 (not incl the two already played and the two assumed losses) conference games including three against ranked teams and Wisconsin needs to win almost all of them.  

I'm not saying it is completely hopeless, but I do think that time is rapidly running out.  

* I modified ELA's 21-11 to 20-11 because by my count the Badgers play 31 games this year.