***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

Instead of 4 or 5 separate team threads, let's throw all the bs homerism in here.

Right now, I expect
1. Wisconsin
2. Ohio State
3. Illinois

It should be a really down year for the conference. tOSU and Wisconsin are the only teams that have a real chance at making noise on the national level.

IT's a big question if the youth of Ohio State and Oden's injury can recover in time to bring their top talent to the crown.

Wisconsin brings projected POTY Alando Tucker and an experienced group to town.

Illinois benefits from a great schedule (ohio state and wisconsin once in Champaign), but questions abound from McBride's DUI, Randle's Groin, Randle's outside shot, Frazier's outside shot, and Meachem's ability to contribute at the Big10 level.

My guess is that as few as 4 Big10 teams will make the NCAA, but I expect 5. 2 teams in the sweet sixteen. 1 in the Final Four if the Big10 is lucky, or if Oden is fully recovered from his injury and the bounces go right.

Tucker for POTY
Brian Randle as the guy who surprises everyone.
Adam Haluska as the most overrated.

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

some decent Illini overviews today from ESPN columnist and the Daily Herald.

Questions everywhere, but the big10 does blow.

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

[ QUOTE ]
My guess is that as few as 4 Big10 teams will make the NCAA, but I expect 5.

[/ QUOTE ]

Do you think their preformance as a whole in the tournament over the last couple years, and especially last year, will hurt Big10 bubble teams come selection time?

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

well...2 years ago, they had 2 in the final four and 3 in the elite 8.

Last year, they caught some bad breaks(*cough* UofI verse Washington *cough*), but did stink it up.
The past year's debacle definitely should affect. The league is really down, worse than last year, and does not have sweet 16 caliber teams.

Wisconsin and tOSU seem a threat....Illinois, Michigan State, Indiana, and Penn State are HUGE questions and unlikely to break through this year. Maybe, Purdue and Michigan can make their way to that bubble tier, too. It really depends on what arguments the other bubble teams across the country make. If the bubble field is strong, the big10 will be hurting.

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

I'm mixing my years up then. Was it 2004 that they were top heavy, but still got a good amount of teams into the tourney? I'm too lazy to look up what I'm thinking [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

last night was the first Illini game. A complete whip-out yawner against Austin Peay State.

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/5650/firstgametr0.jpg

The big issue for the Illini is injuries. Randle restrained his groin and will be out 1-2 weeks. That looks to be a nagging long-term issue for the Illini. The worst thing is that Jamar Smith, the sharpshooter and improved slasher to the land, got a bad ankle sprain and will be out 4-6 weeks. With McBride out for the next 3 games still, the Illini are now without their top 3 players. The games verse Maryland and Arizona look much more difficult now if the Illini make it to them undefeated. The only bright spot is that the role/bench players have a better chance to develop.

Pruitt looked great down low. Frazier looks much better. The Illini D is for real, but Warren Carter still has the occassional lapse. Jamar Smith was the story of the night as he had 19 points early in the second half before being injured.


the view from my season tickets are below. The blue spot is the season tickets i had for 2004-05. Oh well, not being a student, it's tough to work my way up anymore.
http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/9483/myseatsru4.jpg

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

Butler tags Indiana showing how weak the big10 is and, in my biased opinion, what IU can expect from Sanctions coaching.

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

Oden is expected to come back quicker than normal, which should really help tOSU's ability to win the big10 as they have more time to mesh.

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

Any chance my alma mater MSU will make any noise this season? Looks like a down year for the program, but I'm kinda far from the action so it's hard to tell. Too many players leaving after one or two years of college have taken their toll.

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

[ QUOTE ]
Butler tags Indiana showing how weak the big10 is and, in my biased opinion, what IU can expect from Sanctions coaching.

[/ QUOTE ]

You sound bitter. I actually prefer watching games in Champaign instead of Bloomington. No pesky banners blocking your view at the U of I.

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

The real issue here at Michigan is whether Amaker is gone if he misses the tourney again. You'd be hard pressed to find a major college coach with a worse resume than Amaker. After so long, massive injuries and recruiting defections or not, he has to win.

He probably won't get canned, and now that he actually has a good recruiting class again (signed and everything), we might want to keep him around just to get some players on campus.

On the up side, a down big ten plus an easy non-conf schedule could get us to 20 wins. The issue is whether against a weak schedule in a weak conference that would get us in.

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

[ QUOTE ]
On the up side, a down big ten plus an easy non-conf schedule could get us to 20 wins. The issue is whether against a weak schedule in a weak conference that would get us in.

[/ QUOTE ]

Like Wisconsin in football this year, our out-of-conference schedule is absolutely no benefit to us, unless we beat either UCLA or Georgetown. I could certainly see us having 20 wins and being on the wrong side of the bubble.

We've been pretty dominant in the NIT, though. And while Amaker has finally put together a decent recruiting class, my suspicion is another season without an NCAA berth might be the end of his tenure here.

He can look back on games like this if he thinks he's been given a raw deal.

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

Here we go PSU!

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

[ QUOTE ]
Any chance my alma mater MSU will make any noise this season? Looks like a down year for the program, but I'm kinda far from the action so it's hard to tell. Too many players leaving after one or two years of college have taken their toll.

[/ QUOTE ]
This is probably as down as its going to get under Tom Izzo, but considering how successful he's been that doesn't necessarily mean a horrible team. They should still be better than average and some hot recruiting classes are on the way, so all should be well soon enough.

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Any chance my alma mater MSU will make any noise this season? Looks like a down year for the program, but I'm kinda far from the action so it's hard to tell. Too many players leaving after one or two years of college have taken their toll.

[/ QUOTE ]
This is probably as down as its going to get under Tom Izzo, but considering how successful he's been that doesn't necessarily mean a horrible team. They should still be better than average and some hot recruiting classes are on the way, so all should be well soon enough.

[/ QUOTE ]

agreed...the question is how quick the young guys come along

Izzo is among the best coaches, so there is always hope. Expect big things in 2 years though.

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

[ QUOTE ]
Here we go PSU!

[/ QUOTE ]

possibly, they built some momentum last year and the big10 is down. It's the perfect scenario for getting in there.

I'm still upset that they pulled that miracle at Champaign last year. It's the only Illinois loss at home in the last 40 games or so and it cost Illinois their 5th big ten title in 6 years.

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Butler tags Indiana showing how weak the big10 is and, in my biased opinion, what IU can expect from Sanctions coaching.

[/ QUOTE ]

You sound bitter. I actually prefer watching games in Champaign instead of Bloomington. No pesky banners blocking your view at the U of I.

[/ QUOTE ]

If I wanted to live in the past, I could bring up Illinois' 4 national titles in football. They have about as much relevance to today as Indiana's banners. Indiana history > Illinois history, but I'm not jealous over anything today, or for the past decade.
Have fun watching Sampson not develop talent and play his brand of bball.

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

worst predictions of the year
seriously, how do some of these people get paid with their head so far in the sand

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
On the up side, a down big ten plus an easy non-conf schedule could get us to 20 wins. The issue is whether against a weak schedule in a weak conference that would get us in.

[/ QUOTE ]

Like Wisconsin in football this year, our out-of-conference schedule is absolutely no benefit to us, unless we beat either UCLA or Georgetown. I could certainly see us having 20 wins and being on the wrong side of the bubble.

We've been pretty dominant in the NIT, though. And while Amaker has finally put together a decent recruiting class, my suspicion is another season without an NCAA berth might be the end of his tenure here.

He can look back on games like this if he thinks he's been given a raw deal.

[/ QUOTE ]


I keep waiting for Michigan to break out as I think they have the talent. I keep thinking Amaker will mature into a good coach, but he proves me wrong time and time again.

The good news is that the NIT dominance has lead to some big selling merchandise in Ann Arbor
http://www.sportsfrog.com/archives/66.jpg

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/8431/jackstuo5.jpg

Game #2 and alot more interesting. The Illini were without their top 3 players tonight and it showed. Jackson St stormed out to an 18-4 lead in Champaign. But, the Illini D is as good as ever and some of the role players got a chance to really get some crucial minutes. They met the challenge. Game was tied 34 all at half on a driving buzzer layup by Chester Frazier. The Illini kicked ass the second half, outscoring Jack St 42-21 to make it a route at the end. It's about a perfect script from a coaching perspective.

Frazier played great D, made jump shots (!), led the team when it was down, distributed the ball well, ran the offense, but made a ton of turnovers. His ability to drive to the basket when needed is something that last years Illini missed.

Warren Carter had 16 points and 15 boards. He was weak on the ball early and had a few trips were he was on vacation, but he did play 37 minutes. His size and athleticness helped him put up a big stat line.

Calvin Brock's defense was excellent. He shot well, too! Still made a couple of bad turnovers.

Trent Meachum canned a couple of 3s and dished out 6 assists while only making a couple turnovers. His defense was solid, but he's too short to guard huge scorers.

Pruitt didn't get the ball quite enough, but played exactly as expected. He got his share of points and boards.

Freshman Brian Carlwell really gave the team a needed lift and I was impressed with how good he looked. This guy might not last 4 years at the college level.

Freshman Richard Semrau contributed good minutes. His footwork on defense and offense is top notch for a newcomer to major college bball. He drained a couple of long jumpers including a 3 bringing back Jack Ingram memories. I'm very happy as both Semrau and Carlwell appear to have the bodies and game to go into big10 action.

A very good outing for the Illini without McBride, Randle, and Smith. However, expect the Illini to lose one they shouldn't in the next few weeks as the depth and experience is not there yet. Plus, it's tough to imagine them smoking through the non-conference every year. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Oh yeah, in the postgame interview, the interviewer mentioned the Kansas-Oral Roberts score to BAM, Weber replied [ QUOTE ]
and Butler beat Indiana, I was soooooooo disappointed (laughs)

[/ QUOTE ] emphasis was Weber's....ROFL.

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

Key points from Michigan's game tonight against UW-Milwaukee.

1) Courtney Sims is still a pussy
2) NIT = likely
3) We need female managers

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

Illinois beat Savannah ST 81-34 today

They beat FAMU this past Sunday big after struggling the first half. Unverified stat is that Illinois scored on 20 straight possessions in the second half.

Last week, I saw them beat Georgia Southern handily.

McBride is back and looked good. Meacham can shoot. Brock can contribute. Carlwell can add minutes. It looks better than anticipated so far if Jamar Smith and Brian Randle come back strong from injuries.


First real test is Friday verse Miami OH

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

Illini had a good weekend

they overcame a match-up nightmare verse Miami (OH) and a 16 point defecit without Randle and Smith. Miami made one fg in the last 10 minutes as the Illini got the one point victory.

The next night was a close, hard-fought victory over Bradley. The Illini sucked from the line in the first half and they fell behind as a result. Jamar Smith played injured and nailed a few 3s to open up the Bradley D.

This team is still finding its identity, but things look good at 7 wins without a loss.

Tomorrow is the Maryland challenge. Randle will still be missing and Smith is gimpy. Ibekwe's health is in question for the Terps. Hopefully, the home court advantage will be enough to overwhelm Maryland. Man, I hate Gary Williams.

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

[ QUOTE ]
Key points from Michigan's game tonight against UW-Milwaukee.

1) Courtney Sims is still a pussy
2) NIT = likely
3) We need female managers

[/ QUOTE ]

Rough one against Maryland Baltimore County or whoever it was. Still, we could get out of non-conference with as few as 1 loss. If we can pull 8-8 in a weak Big Ten that'd leave us at something like 21-9. We'll have a terrible RPI but maybe that's a good enough record anyway...I'm trying to rationalize how we can do this, and this is the best I've got.

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

[ QUOTE ]
Rough one against Maryland Baltimore County or whoever it was. Still, we could get out of non-conference with as few as 1 loss. If we can pull 8-8 in a weak Big Ten that'd leave us at something like 21-9. We'll have a terrible RPI but maybe that's a good enough record anyway...I'm trying to rationalize how we can do this, and this is the best I've got.

[/ QUOTE ]

Another uglyish game by Michigan. 3-pt shooting continues to be poor (4-20 v umbc, 28.4% overall) and turnover rates are through the roof. However defensively we've stepped it up a bit from last year. Improvements in FG% (35.1%), guarding the 3 ball (30.5%), steals (8.0pg), and blocks (6.6pg), and turnovers forced (17pg) are stats that keep me slightly optimistic.

Hopefully we will use the first 7 games as a warmup for the rest of the ooc schedule. Tonight is a very important game to win, followed by contests against wofford (4pt loss @ncst, 1pt win@ cincy) and @miami(oh) before the showdown with likely #1 UCLA in westwood. If we have any hopes of making the tourament in March, the important one at least, we'll need to come out of the UCLA game with no more than one loss.

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

UCLA is that good? Yikes! Hopefully we don't relive the Duke experience that one year, when it was something like 39-8 at one point.

Ah, looked it up...34-2.

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

[ QUOTE ]
UCLA is that good? Yikes! Hopefully we don't relive the Duke experience that one year, when it was something like 39-8 at one point.

Ah, looked it up...34-2.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hopefully we relive Duke 1996.

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

I was really disappointed in Michigan tonight. They really didn't seem to want the game as bad as NCState, which is disturbing considering the way they ended last year. You'd think they would be out to prove something. They were into the game for the last 10 minutes, but it was too late. With State's best player going down early with an injury, they outscored Michigan by 33 over the next 20 minutes or so. I really questin if Ammaker is going to get it done there.

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

[ QUOTE ]
I really questin if Ammaker is going to get it done there.

[/ QUOTE ]

I no longer question that. He ain't. If all they want is someone who represents the university well and doesn't cheat, they can hire me. I need a job and will work for far less than him. Plus Dick Vitale is much less likely to bury me in ridiculous superlatives, which is always a good thing.

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

That McBride turnover on the cross court pass under his own basket was eerily similar to Grahmn Brown @ Illinois last year if anybody remembers that.

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

grrrrrrrrr....the Illini blew a very winnable game today
they just couldn't shoot at all and finally had too many injuries to overcome

I thought Jamar Smith would be ready to play, but he wasn't

Warren Carter had 13 and 10 in the first half, but was MIA in the second half after a knee/lower leg injury

Just not enough horses with Randle out and they let Vazguez tear them up

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

Tim Doyle is without a doubt my favorite big ten basketball player ever.

DOYLE UP!!

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

Got to see the Illini for the first time tonight, a few thoughts. McBride is still real slow but still manages to play decent defense in the half court but is a liability in transition. #1 PG is better than I thought and held his own on the defense end but the offense becomes stagnant when Frazier stays in and goes to the 2. The freshman center #21 will be a very good player and a possible 1st team Big Ten in years to come. It was very apparent that they missed thier best two players in Smith and Randal. I expect them to should finish third behind OSU and Wisconsin

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

Beat writer Tupper's assessment of the first Illini non-conf home loss in a generation

pretty good IMO

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

[ QUOTE ]
Beat writer Tupper's assessment of the first Illini non-conf home loss in a generation

pretty good IMO

[/ QUOTE ]

It could be worse. You could be Minnesota (bad link on espn). Dan Monson is reportedly resigning. This is probably worse news for an already horrible team. They looked absolutely horrible last night against Clemson.

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

yeah...Minny looked bad last night

I heard Linc is coming in to coach them now

It's really a down year for the big10. It's interesting to see who will step up into the #3-#5 spots. This could be a great chance for Michigan or Purdue to get their programs going again. It's also interesting to see if Illinois and Michigan State (who have dominated the big10 the past 8 years or so) will stay up there. The torch seems to have passed to tOSU for the forseeable future. Matta is a recruiting machine and an above average game coach.

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

I've seen Purdue play a few times this year, I really like the job Matt Painter has down there. Carl Landry is first team all-big ten material. I wouldn't be suprised to see them in the top 4 at the end of the year at all.

osu is clearly the favorite right now. There's really no reason to think otherwise. Illinois and Wisconsin are right there as well imo. Penn State could be a suprise top 5 team. As always, whoever can win a big game or two on the road in conference will be a leg up on the rest.

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

That's funny. I was just wondering last night if they might fire him mid-season since they are off to such a disastrous start in a do-or-die year for him. It's really interesting how Monson left Gonzaga and instead of him going on to great success and the Zags fading into obsurity, it was the other way around.

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

I'd love to believe that Illinois is up there with Wisconsin, but there are still far too many questions.

IMO, it's Ohio State and Wisconsin way above everyone else.

But, the Illini do have a favorable big10 schedule and the team hasn't gelled yet, or even taken the court together at anywhere near full strength this season.



Yeah....I thought about Penn St after the last post. They are another team that can make an unexpected surge. I've also read that Indiana's schedule is favorable, but I just don't see Kelvin Sanction's style succeeding on the road in the big10.

Re: ***Official Big10 bball 2006-7 season thread***
 

Wisconsin = overrated