Big Ten Basketball 2023

It’s very odd how people have certain agendas.
We have a guy that hates the Big East, I’ve yet to figure why. We have a guy that hates Ohio St, but claims to be a fan. We have a guy that rips on every school and conference, because his school (Notre Dame) is irrelevant.
 
Cedar_Point said:
We have a guy that rips on every school and conference, because his school (Notre Dame) is irrelevant.
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To be clear, I rip on Big Ten football, and that’s because that conference deserves it. It has nothing to do with me being a Notre Dame fan.

I think I’ve been relatively neutral and objective when discussing college basketball.
 
So after the dust settles today I believe (as long as Purdue doesn’t massively choke again and NW doesn’t get the luckiest a team could ever be and beat UCONN) the Big Ten will have two teams in the sweet 16. Not very good but a much better improvement over the last couple seasons
 
cjb5656 said:
Illinois can beat anyone, but to get through Iowa State and UConn to get to the Final Four is a hard road. The only thing that makes it even possible is having the best player in the tourney.
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Good article in The Athletic this weekend about Underwood and changing roster construction philosophy after getting bounced early by Loyola-Chicago a few years ago.

Went into detail about how teams that win in the Big Ten usually have massive (and immobile) post players and have small to mid size on the perimeter. After Cockburn graduated, he's emphasized getting bigger/longer at every position.

With the exception of a 6'4 guard, his entire 7-8 man rotation this year is guys that are between 6'6 and 6'10.
 
nwwarrior09 said:
Good article in The Athletic this weekend about Underwood and changing roster construction philosophy after getting bounced early by Loyola-Chicago a few years ago.

Went into detail about how teams that win in the Big Ten usually have massive (and immobile) post players and have small to mid size on the perimeter. After Cockburn graduated, he's emphasized getting bigger/longer at every position.

With the exception of a 6'4 guard, his entire 7-8 man rotation this year is guys that are between 6'6 and 6'10.
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I’m glad to hear Underwood smartened up, because he’s largely underachieved and I don’t see him as a good game coach.
 
nwwarrior09 said:
Good article in The Athletic this weekend about Underwood and changing roster construction philosophy after getting bounced early by Loyola-Chicago a few years ago.

Went into detail about how teams that win in the Big Ten usually have massive (and immobile) post players and have small to mid size on the perimeter. After Cockburn graduated, he's emphasized getting bigger/longer at every position.

With the exception of a 6'4 guard, his entire 7-8 man rotation this year is guys that are between 6'6 and 6'10.
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He’s done a beautiful job at constructing that roster. Very envious with what he has done. It’s not rocket science but yet most coaches continue to try winning without the big and long wings
 
cjb5656 said:
I’m glad to hear Underwood smartened up, because he’s largely underachieved and I don’t see him as a good game coach.
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Ironic, because I would have considered him a tremendous game coach prior to Illinois.

Averaged 30 wins a year for three years at Stephen F. Austin due to style of play and coaching. Started off with the same system at Illinois. Changed and adapted because it didn't work.
 
cjb5656 said:
I’m glad to hear Underwood smartened up, because he’s largely underachieved and I don’t see him as a good game coach.
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I only saw a couple of his tourney games at SFA, but I’ve always felt he’s grossly underachieved with the talent he’s had at Illinois. We’ll see what he does in this tourney. Losing to Wisky in the B1G tourney is classic Underwood. He has more talent than Iowa State, but if I was a gambler I would bet ISU’s coach guides his team to the win. I hope not, because I want to see the B1G have some success and I love watching Shannon play.
 
cjb5656 said:
I only saw a couple of his tourney games at SFA, but I’ve always felt he’s grossly underachieved with the talent he’s had at Illinois. We’ll see what he does in this tourney. Losing to Wisky in the B1G tourney is classic Underwood. He has more talent than Iowa State, but if I was a gambler I would bet ISU’s coach guides his team to the win. I hope not, because I want to see the B1G have some success and I love watching Shannon play.
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When did Illinois lose to Wisconsin in the BTT?
 
cjb5656 said:
I only saw a couple of his tourney games at SFA, but I’ve always felt he’s grossly underachieved with the talent he’s had at Illinois. We’ll see what he does in this tourney. Losing to Wisky in the B1G tourney is classic Underwood. He has more talent than Iowa State, but if I was a gambler I would bet ISU’s coach guides his team to the win. I hope not, because I want to see the B1G have some success and I love watching Shannon play.
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My bad. He won it. I was infuriated Wisky played it so tight at the time, but yes…he got the win that day. I hope he has changed his ways, as NW reported, but I just can’t get that past underachieving out of my head when it comes to Underwood and I fear a loss to ISU, which is a good team…but I do not think they have more talent that Illinois. It’s unfortunate they are in the same region as UConn.
 
cjb5656 said:
My bad. He won it. I was infuriated Wisky played it so tight at the time, but yes…he got the win that day. I hope he has changed his ways, as NW reported, but I just can’t get that past underachieving out of my head when it comes to Underwood and I fear a loss to ISU, which is a good team…but I do not think they have more talent that Illinois. It’s unfortunate they are in the same region as UConn.
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I think they blast Iowa State but I agree it’s unfortunate they are running into Connecticut but oh well. UCONN is the only team I know for a fact that would beat UNC and Dook who I both hate extremely. Lesser of two evils
 
AEW Champion said:
I haven’t watched a ton of UNC this season, but having Armando Bacot as the stalwart inside, with Withers, Washington and even Ingram adding size and rebounding ability was the difference in that game.

Big Ten teams are slowly but surely getting picked off one by one, like unsuspecting squirrels prancing through a dewey meadow as a hawk’s nest oversees the proceedings from a nearby tree.
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Having an average age of 22.3 for your starting 5 also helps.
 
Orin Swift said:
Having an average age of 22.3 for your starting 5 also helps.
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Exactly, seems like the teams that have a lot of 3 - 5 year plyers do well in the tournament. It is why I think the Illini will make a long run in the tourney. Also, why I believe OSU if Diebler can keep the team together will do very well the next 2 years.
 
Orin Swift said:
Having an average age of 22.3 for your starting 5 also helps.
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Comparison: OKC Thunder average age for starters is 22.6; roughly 24 for the roster. The Spurs average player is 23.5.

Age, body maturity, etc., for a lot of older teams is similar to a young pro team. A bunch of these guys ought to be riding pine in the NBA or playing in the G-League or overseas, but are getting to have the Tommy Boy college experience due to the extended COVID eligibility.
 
Very off topic, but this extended eligibility era has thrown a major monkey wrench into the roster construction and philosophies of coaches like Calipari (young pro talent) and Bennett (old/mature system players).

UK fans are ready to put Cal's head on a spike, and he'd probably get fired if he didn't have a $30+ million buyout. Bennett increasingly seems to be rumored to be retiring or near retirement, probably in no coincidence to having struggles with many other successful teams getting older and UVA having real issues (NIL and admissions) with utilizing the portal to add talent.
 
nwwarrior09 said:
Particularly Big Ten and SEC...those schools have a lot more money than Big East schools due to TV money from football.

Of course most would leave.
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Incoming Big Ten member USC is reportedly losing coach Andy Enfield to SMU of all places. So there’s an example of one coach heading the other direction by choice.
 
AEW Champion said:
Incoming Big Ten member USC is reportedly losing coach Andy Enfield to SMU of all places. So there’s an example of one coach heading the other direction by choice.
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USC has not been to a FF4 since 1954. Good luck to him in the ACC.

Another ex. of a HC who caught lightening in a bottle at a small school capitalized that with a big pay day at USC. With USC he has a career 105 - 100 league record. Very similar to Holtmann who had a 65 - 62 career BIG record.
 
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Cedar_Point said:
It’s very odd how people have certain agendas.
We have a guy that hates the Big East, I’ve yet to figure why. We have a guy that hates Ohio St, but claims to be a fan. We have a guy that rips on every school and conference, because his school (Notre Dame) is irrelevant.
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I don't hate the big east if you are referring to me.
 
AEW Champion said:
Incoming Big Ten member USC is reportedly losing coach Andy Enfield to SMU of all places. So there’s an example of one coach heading the other direction by choice.
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Think this has more to do with SMU trying to spend very big for the sake of attempted relevance, and this being the best they could do after striking out on Musselman, Moser, etc.

Probably will never know for sure since both are private universities, but I bet he got a decent pay increase on top of the main SMU basketball booster (guy that has his name on the court) making a huge NIL commitment. SMU big money donors very badly want to be relevant in athletics.
 
Spartacus1987 said:
For supposedly the SEC being so down Ohio State finished 1-2 vs that conference with both losses being at home. Inexcusable
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When the Big Ten does poorly in the tourney, you say the Big Ten sucks.

When the SEC does bad in the tourney, you say "the regular season is what's important".

Got it.
 
wolves82 said:
When the Big Ten does poorly in the tourney, you say the Big Ten sucks.

When the SEC does bad in the tourney, you say "the regular season is what's important".

Got it.
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I’m saying that the SEC is better than the Big Ten and they definitely care more as a conference about basketball. Not that they were all that good.
 
Purdue just looks so slow and lacks length at the guard position. Letting Gonzaga score too easily and can’t keep up with them. Too many guards under 6’2 getting playing time which isn’t good.
 
Difference between Purdue this year and last year is the boilers 3 pt. shooting much improved. Believe Purdue is the team to beat (now that Houston is done) but anything can happen.
 
wolves82 said:
Now that my bracket is busted (Had Houston / Arizona final) I am rooting for Illinois and Purdue just to shut up certain posters on here.
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Purdue has gone one round further than I thought they would, but they definitely have a shot to win on Sunday…though I don’t think they will. I hope they do, though. Illinois is the one team from the B1G I felt could reach the Final Four. Unfortunately, they got put in UConn’s region. Shannon is the best player in the nation, IMO, but he’s not enough to stop UConn.
 
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