~2017-18 Big Ten Basketball Thread~

[betarhoalphadelta]

The teams who have neutralized MSU's interior defense the best have done so by spacing the floor and eliminating that help defense.  Granted that only works if you have 4 three point threats on the court together.  Obviously Michigan was the best example of that.  Duke was forced to do the same once Bagley got hurt, and it maybe worked out better for them matchup wise.

Thanks for the notes, ELA. I think I was perhaps underestimating the ability they have to defend centers rather than their good numbers being from defense against other positions and driving. It'll be interesting, though. Happ is 6'10" 235# and shoots free throws at 55%. Haas is 7'2" 290# and if you foul him he shoots from the stripe at 78%.
Replying to your bolded text, hopefully if they try to neutralize Haas, the fact that the other 4 members of our starting five shoot 3PT at rates of .404, .448, .462 and .506 (with our 6th man off the bench at .408) will help push Purdue over the top. Purdue's offense is to isolate Haas down low, space the floor, and force you to pick your poison.
As I heard someone suggest, the Purdue offense is two Ents dunking while an army of Legolas and the elves shoot high-arcing arrows in from long range 

[ELA]

Thanks for the notes, ELA. I think I was perhaps underestimating the ability they have to defend centers rather than their good numbers being from defense against other positions and driving. It'll be interesting, though. Happ is 6'10" 235# and shoots free throws at 55%. Haas is 7'2" 290# and if you foul him he shoots from the stripe at 78%.
Replying to your bolded text, hopefully if they try to neutralize Haas, the fact that the other 4 members of our starting five shoot 3PT at rates of .404, .448, .462 and .506 (with our 6th man off the bench at .408) will help push Purdue over the top. Purdue's offense is to isolate Haas down low, space the floor, and force you to pick your poison.
As I heard someone suggest, the Purdue offense is two Ents dunking while an army of Legolas and the elves shoot high-arcing arrows in from long range

Yeah, Purdue will be able to bomb away on MSU, I have no doubts there.  Happ actually shot 9-11 from the stripe against MSU, so the strategy of sending him to the line when beat didn't really pay off there.

[medinabuckeye1]

RE the tOSU/IU game last night:

I missed roughly the first 10 minutes and basically I might as well have missed the whole game.  When I caught it the Buckeyes were up by 15, 25-10 about half way through the first half.  The eventually Buckeyes won by 15, 71-56.  In the intervening 30 BB minutes the teams traded buckets and an occasional run but the 15 point Ohio State advantage was never significantly deviated from.  

The game (per play-by-play for the first 10 minutes, then my recollection):

• Ohio State took the first lead, 2-0
• Indiana tied it up, 2-2
• Ohio State took another lead, 4-2
• Indiana took their only lead of the game on a 3 pointer, 5-4
• Ohio State took the lead back as part of a 10-0 run that eventually grew to 21-5 and a 15 point lead
• The teams played 30 minutes of even back-and-forth basketball with Ohio State's 15 point lead only changing slightly and for short periods of time.  
• The end, 71-56.  

[medinabuckeye1]

Is Penn State a thread to the Spartans tonight?  One would think not but the Nittany Lions are surprisingly perfect so far against B1G teams currently above .500:

• 10-0 Purdue, have not played yet, only play once, 2/18 in West Lafayette.  
• 10-1 Ohio State, won in Columbus, play again in State College 2/15.  
• 8-2 Michigan State, have not played yet, only play once, tonight in East Lansing.  
• 8-4 Nebraska, won in State College, 1/12.  
• 7-4 Michigan, have not played yet, only play once, 2/21 in State College.  

[ELA]

Worst half MSU has played all year.  No clue how this is only a 6 point deficit.

[ELA]

Well, now the score is more indicative.  Sweep a 3 game week, then lose at home to an NIT team.

[mcwterps1]

LOL

Maryland tough, even at home? 

Cekovsky won't be playing tonight. 

Built in excuse mechanism for Turgeon. 

Purdue scores 100 tonight. 

[ELA]

This whole not scoring in the first half and falling behind by 12+ probably not going to keep working.

[Brutus Buckeye]

Unranked Houston was up 18 on the road at #8 Cincinnati in the first half, but wound up losing by 10. 

[mcwterps1]

B1G refs can go screw themselves. 

[medinabuckeye1]

I'm not watching because I don't have BTN but just checking scores it looked like Maryland was going to make a game of it and then Purdue ran away again.

[ELA]

Fernando already looks much healthier than he did against us.  We caught a break there.

[boilerbanger]

Not Purdue's best game of the season, shooting was a little off.  Should have put them away in the first half but were able to grind out a win in the second thanks to refs.  If we hadn't paid them off before the game not sure the streak was alive.  Hell in the first half alone the refs made Maryland commit 11 turnovers. 

[ELA]

Nebraska debuts in Lunardi's latest Bracketology as the 8th team out.  Maryland no longer listed though.  Purdue, MSU and UM hold as 1, 2 and 8 seeds, OSU down from a 3 to a 4