~2017-18 Big Ten Basketball Thread~

[ELA]

We'll update tiers on Monday but as of now I'm thinking that Nebraska should move up one and perhaps Rutgers down one.  Thoughts?

Yeah, Knights really fell back after the first 5 or so weeks of the year.

[medinabuckeye1]

With conference play beginning in earnest, probably have enough data to begin posting the weekly composite computer poll, 46 rankings right now

3.		MICHIGAN STATE
4.		PURDUE
33.		Maryland
34.		Michigan
39.		Ohio State
45.		Minnesota
60.		Penn State
65.		Northwestern
77.		Illinois
81.		Wisconsin
85.		Nebraska
97.		Iowa
101.		Indiana
127.		Rutgers

You posted this last week on Tuesday, January 2.  I hope it the update will be available for discussion of tiers on Monday, January 8.  
I'm assuming Rutgers will lose at home to Wisconsin and if so, that will justify moving Rutgers down into their own tier, tier-6.  
After you posted this Nebraska won at Northwestern.  That, coupled with Nebraska's earlier home win over Minnesota probably justifies moving the Cornhuskers up into tier-4.  
It is weird that this has Illinois all the way up at #77 (suggesting a move up to tier-4) but Max's last KenPom post has them WAY down suggesting holding them as is.  Similarly, this list suggests that Penn State should probably be demoted to tier-4 but Max's last KenPom list has them as the #5 team in the league.  
Frankly, there are not a lot of terribly interesting games this weekend.  Per this list:

• #3 MSU at #39 tOSU
• #4 PU vs #85 UNL
• #33 UMD vs #97 IA
• #34 M vs #77 ILL
• #45 MN vs #101 IU
• #60 PSU vs #65 NU
• #81 UW at #127 RU

With the exceptions of MSU @ tOSU and UW @ RU, the better team is hosting in all of the games this weekend.  

[FearlessF]

We'll update tiers on Monday but as of now I'm thinking that Nebraska should move up one and perhaps Rutgers down one.  Thoughts?

don't fall for it.  UNL will show their true colors soon enough

[medinabuckeye1]

don't fall for it.  UNL will show their true colors soon enough

They sure look good so far.  We had projected them to be 0-3 at this point but they beat MN at home and NU on the road to get to 2-1.  We'll see.  

[FearlessF]

yah, a couple years ago they started 3-0 or 4-0 in conference

then the wheels fell off

[medinabuckeye1]

I may have been a bit too hasty to suggest demoting Rutgers. Or is Wisconsin really THAT bad?

[847badgerfan]

Right now UW IS that bad. They are playing a lot of walk-on players to compensate for injuries. 

It's a lost season as far as I'm concerned. They will take their lumps and be better (a lot) next season.

[MichiFan87]

Livers' emergence over the past two games is has been huge for Michigan. It was good see Wagner have a good second half after having two early fouls (thankfully the ref's incompetence both ways didn't matter). Poole had one of his best games, too, which is significant. Simpson has emerged as the top PG both due to his own strong play (much improved offensively), but it's been disappointing that Brooks has been inconsistent and Simmons' limited minutes today showed why he had fallen out of the rotation, so I doubt we'll see him much the rest of the year.

Biggest home game of the year against Purdue on Tuesday will show if this team can be a Big Ten contender, then going Michigan State is the toughest game of the season.....

[ELA]

With Marylands injuries, and Northwestern and Minnesota being major disappointments, it's really trending towards being a three bid league.

MSU and Purdue are both great, and UM looks like a solid tourney team.  Kind of dependent on OSU being legit.

Kind of a bummer, Izzos best team since 2001, and there is a serious lack of regular season games worth getting excited for.  Not that they won't drop a couple.  Road games in conference play are always a test.  But they aren't the type you look forward to.  Particularly with Purdue and UM both being one plays this year.

[medinabuckeye1]

Continuing on with what ELA just posted, MSU's game this afternoon is probably their third toughest B1G game this year and they are favored by 8.

[ELA]

Continuing on with what ELA just posted, MSU's game this afternoon is probably their third toughest B1G game this year and they are favored by 8.

Third?  I would say second behind only Purdue at home.  No trips to WAL or AA.
And my point isn't that MSU won't lose a few, simply that they lack a big game feel.

[Brutus Buckeye]

WAL? 

[847badgerfan]

WAL-MART.

Everyone needs Khakis. 

[Brutus Buckeye]

Must be the Badgers












[th]Acronym[/th]
[th]Definition[/th]

WAL
Sierra Leone (international vehicle ID)

WAL
Wide Angle Lens

WAL
Write Ahead Log

WAL
Walloon

WAL
Weighted Average Life

WAL
Wisconsin Association of Lakes (Madison, WI)

WAL
WATS Access Line

WAL
Wright Avionics Laboratory

WAL
Wireless Application Layer

WAL
Watertown Arsenal Laboratories (Massachusetts)

WAL
Wallops Island Airfield, Chincoteague, Virginia (airport code)

WAL
Women as Leaders (various organizations)


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