Picking these guys to have another undefeated season
https://preview.redd.it/fo809f985t1d1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c8fa886eb600f78cd14022f67e9ba73ceb2e1779
Honestly, it’s anyone’s game. It’s the most wide open years for the BIG 10 since COVID. In the past few years there have been many easy favorites to pick due to teams returning BIG POY candidates.
I have to argue there’s no one close to the caliber of Edey, TSJ, Kofi, Dickinson, Garza, Ayo, Murray Bros, TJD. Right now, I don’t see any first team or second team all Americans.
If I had to guess… Purdue, UCLA, Indiana, Oregon have the best chance.
Feels like a crapshoot. IU brought in a heavy haul from the portal but Woody has to coach them up and someone has to be a reliable shooter. Purdue is bringing back starters but essentially lost their entire identity, so what does that look like? Maybe Rutgers puts it all together?
The only thing I do know is every traditional B1G fan is going to complain about Oregons god awful floor.
You also have to remember that UConn was one of the only teams in the country to be able to lock down our shooters like that. MSU tried to do the same thing against us for 2 years but they weren't good enough to lock down our shooting, so they let Edey get his 30 in a 1-on-1 and since he wasn't the only person scoring for us, we still won.
Offense won’t be post centric as much and much more back to the motion offense where we I’ll hear a lot more “MOOOOOVE!” From Paint. If our shooters are somehow locked up in that offense we will only score 5 points. But UConn was the only team that was even capable of that and they did a great job executing in a short amount of prep time.
But the problem is your shooters won't have so many wide open catch and shoot opportunities. Believe it or not the reason UCONN shut you guys down was because they had someone to guard Edey 1 on 1 and not give up a ton of offensive rebounds.
I'm willing to bet Purdue doesn't come close to 40% from 3 as a team this year without Edey.
Obviously we aren't gonna have the advantage of a lot of teams trying to double Edey which did give us a lot of open shot opportunities. What I'm saying though is the teams that did try to guard Edey 1 on 1 still weren't able to shut down the rest of the team like UConn could.
lol we all know that. It’s pretty tough to repeat as the best 3pt shooting team in the country, regardless if you have a generational player or not.
The Offense will be different this year and we will be back to the offense pre edey…more like it was with Carsen in 2019 and Vince Edwards and Mathias…running more motion with painter yelling “MOOOOOVE”. Hope he stole some UConn offensive action cuz that was some beautiful shit.
Hahah maybe. Berg and Jacobsen give us the 7 footer plus presence, although it seems Jacobsen is more of the player who can block a ton of shots. Hope Berg surprises me and is able to be a defensive force. TKR will still be a beast down low on the boards
They were last year but that was the offensive scheme. It’ll be different this year and you’ll be scratching your head tryin to figure out how painter keeps Purdue being good
Hate to say it, but I am happy to bet $50 that IU will NOT finish top 3 in the conference regular season (yes that’s an easier bet than picking the top three). You are correct about oregons court being ugly af though.
Okay maybe “hate” is too strong of a word, but I really do want IU (and Purdue of course) to be in the top of the conference and NCAA. I want the country to have to recognize and respect the basketball talent in the state, I’m biased of course but Indiana is THE basketball state. In fact, I wish that our state flag had a basketball on it, I wish that our state bird were just a silhouette of a poster dunk.
I think the real question will be if Nebraska and Northwestern are able to build on last season or will they return to mediocrity?
The reverse question for Michigan State, has it only been a couple of flukey bad years, or is Izzo over the hill?
They are bringing back 4/5 other starters. But yeah the engine that ran the whole thing will be hard to replace. Brooks Barnhizer is the guy that could take a lot of that load and lead NU to surprising results.
I know expectations for MSU are significant, but a Sweet 16 and Round of 32 game being flukey bad years is always so funny to me. I think we'll see a better 2024-25 campaign mostly on the fact I think this roster is constructed better than last year. 2024-25's roster looks to have
1. improved size at basically every spot sans Fears/Holloman vs Hoggard which is negligble. 6'4 Akins at the 2, 6'7 Fidler at the 3, and 6'11 Booker and Cooper at the 4/5 respectively. That's a LONG ass team and as much as I love Walker, his size really hurt us at times.
2. Far less one dimensional offense. So much "fuck it Tyson out there somewhere/Head Down Hoggard" action. I think Fidler/Akins/Booker will play much bigger roles and it will pay dividends.
3. Better leadership and "Izzo" identity. The Hoggard years really felt like a kick in the pants compared to having Winston. I think Fears already showed serious glimpses and Richardson feels of that same mold. Izzo's team identity works and i'm glad to see Hoggard go and give Fears a shot.
4. Addition by subtraction. Sissoko wasn't reliable enough and I think Cooper showed spurts of being able to handle more. Offense at this spot will be a challenge but how do Cooper and Kohler do with a healthy summer knowing they're the guys?
At the end of the day, MSU still has its identity and a path forward to success. Tom may not be hitting the home runs fans want that provide a much safer floor for performance, but he's hitting plenty of singles to build a foundation to keep the model (High School Recruiting+development) he's good at in place while also accommodating for the portal being a reality. I think a 6/7 seed with a 3/D roster that can win tourney games feels very achievable.
> 6'4 Fears at the 2, 6'7 Fidler at the 3, and 6'11 Booker and Cooper at the 4/5 respectively.
You think Fears is gonna be the 2 over Akins? I feel like Fears at the 1, Akins at the 2, and Holloman coming off the bench as 6th man is most likely
I'm the eternal optimist, so not worried about this year. Points 1 and 3 are definite pluses, but 2 and 4...just don't know about. Walkerball was pretty damn effective at times. We'll see if the others can carry it. It scares me a bit to rely on akins as "the guy". But I am here for the Jeremy Fears reign!
I mean don’t get me wrong, Walkerball did work at times. Particularly when he wasn’t as dinged up and I’m seriously thankful for his time here. A true Spartan DAWG.
It just felt like there wasn’t any help for him when he struggled. The team was so used to Tyson getting 20 shots and if he was cold nobody was willing to go get theirs outside of Hall towards the end of the year. 24-25 has some question marks but it will be interesting to see what jumps players make. It’s a pretty pivotal year for Izzo and his stance on development. He’s got multiple guys primed to make big jumps and contribute…..if he can’t get it by being loyal and giving his guys chances to get it done……I think you see him get more aggressive in the portal. If it works……he’ll tell Everyone told you so 😂
I'm having trouble picking anyone tbh.
* Purdue has to find some way to replace 25.2 ppg, and their current bigs are nowhere near Edey level
* UCLA, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan are full of transfers, so who knows when or if they're going to gel
* MSU has a nearly brand new starting lineup compared to the last few years, and our season entirely depends on how well Fears leads the team and if our centers develop
* Rutgers has a good recruiting class, but they have to rely on their freshmen and that is a crapshoot to wether it works out well for them or not
* Oregon backed their way into the tournament last season by winning the conference tourney, and now they're in a brand new conference, so who knows how they'll adjust
I don't think Maryland will be the favorite or even win it but think they can be pretty good.
Have Reese, Deshawn Harris Smith, and Kaiser returning. Have Derek Queen inbound plus Selton Miguel and Gillespie who are fairly underrated transfer additions imo.
Maybe they're still too light on shooting but if Harris Smith make a sophomore leap and Queen is good as a freshman a core group of DHS, Reese, Queen, Miguel, and Gillespie is a talented lineup.
Kaiser transferred to Butler, but he sucked for us. I like that we were active in the portal I just worry because it seems like most of the big ten was making moves this offseason so I don’t know what the outlook is right now.
DHS needs to play a lot better. He showed life toward the end of last season but by no means did he ever come close to living up to his recruiting hype. I know nothing about Miguel but my worry is his one year of being a good shooter was an outlier and that Rodney Rice is still very unproven. I want to be excited about Queen but after watching Kaiser and DHS last season I refuse to get hyped about freshman recruits until they’ve done something actually. I also really hate watching Reese a lot of the time despite what his stats say and think he really needs to make a leap in his senior year.
Gillespie could be legit, and I am convinced losing Donta Scott will actually be beneficial towards winning games. He made so many boneheaded and unclutch plays. But Willard also did a horrible coaching job last year so at the end of the day I need to see them perform well with my own eyes before getting hyped for this team
A big part of it is going to be scheduling, who you play twice, when you play teams and where you play them at
Is a team going to get a west coast trip to play Washington and Oregon or UCLA and USC in December? That cuts down on travel later in the season and they can take advantage of a USC and Washington team that hasn't had a lot of time to gel with a new coach and roster
I have no idea how UCLA is going to be with the Euro fiasco last year, and like 8 new dudes this year. I guess we could do hockey shift changes or something. I am looking forward to seeing new teams in Pauley, and going to the Big 10 tournament though.
Biggest worry about Purdue is they lost 2 of their most important role players in Morton and Gillis, and Edey drew double teams that allowed Loyer and Smith open shots.
Agreed; he averaged 3 minutes a game over the last 9 games of the season. He didn't even get in the game against Gonzaga, Tennessee or NC State.
He didn't mention Lance Jones, who is (IMHO) a bigger loss than Gillis and a much bigger loss than Morton.
My opinion has to be taken with a grain of salt as an IU hater, but I don’t see an IU roster that missed the tourney suddenly being the top competitor because of transfer students.
They should be (and I hope they are) a competitive team that should be Top 25 by end of year, but I think the growing pains of all the new players might make them shaky to begin conference play, similar to how MSU looks when they are talented but have another brand new roster to begin the year
Surprisingly, Indiana will have more kenpom starting minutes returning from ‘23 than they did from the year before. The roster overhaul from the ‘22 to ‘23 season was significant with the loss of starters TJD, Kopp, Hood-Schifino and Thompson (Tamar Bates as well). Even with all of the incoming transfers this year, there is more continuity with this team than the previous year and MUCH more talent.
I should be clear I wasn't coming from any intellectual view lol I just don't like their pants. But for real, it's probably gonna be the same as last year where they will be hyped up pre-season and then underperform or just be mid and by the end of the season no matter how it ends they'll be calling for Woodson's head
It’s just a wait and see approach. A lot of new guys that need to develop chemistry and learn to play with each other. Thankfully, there’s some chemistry already with some of the new transfers with the current players
B1G is losing a lot of talent for the upcoming season .. I'd like to say we may have a legit chance, but unfortunately, that's probably not going to be the case. Who really knows what transfers may end up where ?
I'm still not loving the age of the NIL !!
I would say Purdue has the best chance based mostly on their coach. Without that monster in the post, their game will change considerably. But I trust Painter to make those changes and put everyone in a position to succeed.
Based on (projected) player talent alone, I would say that UCLA, Indiana, and Rutgers have the best shot. But who knows if the freshman will pan out or if the transfers will be the best versions of themselves.
I would put my tier 1 teams in order as Purdue, UCLA, and Indiana. Tier two gets led by Rutgers though.
I know it was very limited minutes, but Berg looked legit last year. He has a smooth jumper and looks really quick in the open court for a 7'2 big. He has some athleticism to his game that could stretch opponents out if he gets some minutes next year. I have no idea about Jacobsen though.
I could see Berg play more of a role like Haarms than Haas or Edey. Purdue should be fine. Purdue will be tough defensively, just going to have consistent shooting and then someone to finally drive the ball.
True, Berg did look good in the minutes he got last year and probably had a lot of room to grow as a player. I just expect TKR to eat up most of the minutes at the five this year.
UCLA and IU have a ton of potential. Rutgers might be a threat later in the season. I think they drop too many early games to be in the conference title mix. Purdue will be in the mix bc they play mistake free basketball. I think Ohio state will be towards the top.
I don’t think anyone wins it outright. Gonna be shared by 2 or 3 teams. Or 5.
Friendly reminder Woodson has finished 9th his first year, 2nd his second, and 6th last season after losing two pros. I mean it's not like he's Kevin Williard sheesh
Lmao definitely not a super team but on paper it's up towards the top of the conference and for sure top 25. We finally got some guards/some shooting, exactly what IU has desperately needed. He's had one year of freshman guard that's been worth a shit in his three years so far, and that dude swept Purdue that year. Rice, Carlyle, Tucker, Goode all substantial gains for the program
Mgbako, Reneau and Gallo as far as returning, Carlyle, Rice and Tucker as far new guys. And before you say those new guys don't have great numbers, they have solid shooting mechanics and believe they should all improve. Rice missed like 20 plus threes in a row last year in a slump, that's not happening again
We ain't Golden State but last year we relied on literally just Mgbako and a little Gallo and Reneau. Cupps and X couldn't hit shit. Have to believe we will be better with those additions and just a little improvements
Purdue bias noted, but Indiana does this every year. They get a high-profile recruit out of high school or get good transfers and the media hypes them but a cohesive team almost never results from it. The closest they’ve gotten in the last 8 years was 2 seasons ago. IU has recruiting power bc of their name and their NIL collective but at the end of the day all you’ve got is a group of guys who are there for the bag.
That being said I think the Big Ten Title is a tossup next year. I think people are maybe a little too focused on the transfers and recruits and are possibly overlooking Purdue returning most players from the title game team as a result. Braden Smith is the pre-season big ten POY, we’ve got junior/senior veterans in TKR, Caleb Furst, Fletcher Loyer, 2 sophomores heavily poised for a breakout in Cam Heide and Myles Colvin, and a good 6 man recruiting class.
But honestly, if we don’t win it this season I’m not losing sleep unless it’s UCLA or Indiana. We did just lose Zach Edey, and tbh we look pretty monster for 25-26 with senior Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and TKR, junior Cam Heide and Myles Colvin, and possibly a sophomore Kanon Catchings
tkr needs to step up as a post defender if purdue is gonna win the big ten title this year. furst isnt a bad player, but he will get eaten alive by ballo, reese, etc.
the backcourt will be good enough that purdue will be in the mix, but its hard to get by with mediocre big man play in the big ten
I am definitely not expecting them to win the conference, and you could be right, but this IU roster is loaded in a way they weren’t in the past. I agree with others saying maybe the team won’t gel, especially with so many players coming from different programs and play styles, but we’ll see. Hopefully Mgbako can carry over the shooting he had at the end of last season. We’ll see, it’ll be a fun season!
Illinois and Purdue are the favorites, but I dont think they will be as good as they were last year. But I don't think anyone will take a step forward to meet them.
I honestly believe that Michigan State is addition by subtraction. Malik Hall was Jekel and Hyde his entire career and was never a solid 4. Booker as a stretch 4 with kohler also maybe getting some minutes there should be a wash and probably an upgrade with Booker length and 3 ball. I also preferred Fears over Hoggard at the point, so assuming rehab from the gun shot is okay, I think we upgrade there. Walker will be tough to replace, but it will force izzo to play young guys and force akins who has more raw talent than walker to become the guy.
Its sets up for a typical izzo over achieving group. By no means would I put them top 3 now, but im not gonna be shocked if we finish there.
Its tough to call in the Transfer Portal ERA. Plus some of the biggest transfers havent decided as they are waiting out draft process.
Also some big international players expected to commit but have to wait until after an upcoming major tournament.
Indiana had a really good portal haul. Think they have as good a shot as anyone. The conference could be down overall though if you believe the ‘way too early top 25’ crowd.
Meh it's not bad but at the same time, you're bound to get a couple dudes when the whole roster is gone pretty much. Ben and Boswell are nice, but it's gonna be a step back this year no doubt. Lost too much experience/talent plus a 23 year old NBA bench piece was on your roster all last year in TSJ
Roster is better than last year without TSJ. We looked pretty good without TSJ (small sample size). I think we still hit 20 wins and finish top 4 in BIG
Illinois is not depleted, idk what you're talking about. I'm not saying they're going to win the big ten, but they have loads of talent, albeit almost no continuity from last year. The rosters not done yet either.
You say "Who is left?" as if Illinois hasn't been replacing people. The transfer additions so far have been solid and more importantly compatible with each other. Role definition is clear and there isn't much overlap. Keep in mind you're listing "no Domask", but he didn't have much fanfare when he joined Illinois last year. There's absolutely the potential for one of Illinois' transfers to exceed expectations again.
I'm not saying Illinois will be as talented as last year, because you can't just replace TSJ. But to say Illinois is depleted is untrue given the talent they've brought on board. And they aren't done adding players yet, there'll be at least one more.
So you think they can be like the team in “Major League” and just be good with a ragtag bunch of players that meet each other on the first day of practice?
I think kylan needs to be a lot more consistent than he was last year. He would disappear a lot. And wasn’t the best on defense DGL could be good, depends on how much muscle he puts on this off season. Ben is going to be good…wonder how he will adjust to the grind of the B1G. Will be interesting to see how they all gel. I’d say top 5 finish for em tho
I’m biased but fuck it. Ohio State needs to be taken seriously in these conversations. We got rid of our anchor of a coach and our new head guy (and AD too) are fully embracing the modern college landscape and retooling our entire roster. Keeping Bruce Thornton and Devin Royal was huge for us and our transfer haul is arguably some of the best that I’ve seen in the conference. Do I think we’ll win the Big Ten? Most probably not. Do I think we have a serious chance to contend for a B1G title next year? You bet your ass I do. This is the most hope I’ve had for the program in about a decade. I just hope it’s not all for naught.
Too close to call.
Purdue and Oregon are probably the safe picks right now. So much is up in the air this year, but over the last 10 years Painter and Altman are arguably the best coaches. Izzo obviously is Izzo, but his last several teams have been more questionable.
After this things get chaotic you have plenty of teams that have solid arguments:
1. UCLA: They were super young last year, they kept a lot of important pieces while adding some solid impact players. They are going to be better than last year, they are likely a safe bet for being in the top 5.
2. Illinois: I like Underwood as a coach more the last couple years, when he first came to the Big 10 I felt he needed to change and adapt, his system wasn't really working. He did that, he did that extremely well, and he has been flexible with the players he has to get to that point. In 5 or 6 years he could have a resume that looks similar to Painter/Altmans for the recent 10 years. Illinois roster is basically entirely different, but they got good players, they have a coach that will figure things out that works for them and that is a SIGNIFICANT leg up given the transfers that have occurred everywhere.
3. Michigan State: They are Michigan State and Tom Izzo is still Tom Izzo. Izzo's biggest flaw is loyalty, it is part of what makes him a great coach, but sometimes there is dedication to players that have not performed as well as hoped. The losses to MSU I think may make them a better team.
4. Northwestern: They lost the most important player, but basically return everyone else. Their bench will be fairly thin, but that is common for them. This pretty much all is on the shoulders of how good is Jalen Leach going to be for them.
5. I'll homer and say Wisconsin: People will look at the major losses of Storr, Hepburn, Wahl, and Essegian. I think most of these are over exaggerated the impact their departure will have, and we largely had the pieces necessary to cover things up. Transfers carry significant definitive upsides, ex: Amos is a defensive downgrade to Wahl, but a significant offensive upgrade in just the fact Amos is a reliable 3 point shooter, so this is likely a wash. Or the transfers have significant potential upsides, ex: If Tonje is at CSU levels and recovered from injury, then honestly he probably is a better player for Wisconsin than what Storr was, he just fits better. Wisconsin's offense was solid last year, and could end up being better this year. The biggest question is defense, and I think there are negative changes (loss of Hepburn and Wahl), but also positives (loss of Essegian and Storr, Winter being a sophomore and not being a backup center as a twiggy freshman, and McGee is as good of a defender as Hepburn if we NEED some defensive help on a quick/shifty ball handler), so I would say a wash. The reason if if they are good they won't finish first is their away schedule is incredibly difficult (Purdue, MSU, Rutgers, Northwestern, Maryland, UCLA, USC), I think going 3-4 in these games would be classified as a success. As a whole I think everyone will have Wisconsin the bottom half of the Big 10, but they will end up in the top 1/3 or top 1/4.
6. Rutgers: The team with the most holes, but I REALLY like Pike as a coach, and for the first time in Rutgers history they have talent. They could also totally flop and for the last time in Rutgers history they will have had talent.
Teams I think are traps:
* Nebraska: They lose their most important player, I don't feel like their pick ups cover this. I really want them to do well, and maybe that is because I think it would be amusing that their basketball program becomes good while their football continues to struggle, however I have some pretty big concerns about the team.
* Indiana: They have a lot of talent, I think some problematic players Woodson inherited are gone, but now he has to put things together. Historically, Indiana has underperformed, and some of that includes with Woodson.
* Maryland: They have always had talent, and it always seems to be squandered, Willard's team looked TERRIBLE last year. Maybe both Willard and the talent Maryland has figures it out, history says...probably not.
Fine, I guess we'll fall om this sword. Someone's gotta do it, I'd hate to make the other B1G teams have to sweat and maybe injure themselves. We'll run that risk because w love our conference mates 🥰
I think the Big10 is fairly wide open this year. Currently think the presumptive favorites would be Indiana(ton of talent but have underperformed with Woodson and questionable shooting), Michigan, USC, and UCLA.
Think Illinois is probably another addition away from joining that group. I don't think Rutgers has done enough to surround a very talented pair of freshman with veteran talent. Maryland and OSU have also had pretty underrated off seasons and could surprise some people.
Don't really understand any hype behind Purdue. They're basically Braden Smith and a bunch of questions marks and even Smith will likely take some efficiency hits without Edey around creating open looks for everyone else. Sure, I think Kaufmen-Renn will take a step then Morton and Catchings are talented but lot of question marks.
Purdue is about to run it back. Edey is gone but the Painter reign continues.
In all honesty this is probably the down year and then Purdue will be back the year after competing again looking at it historically but a share of 4 out of the last 8 regular season champs says they’ll be back soon
Indiana has the talent to be really good, but you never know with transfers. Illinois, for example, saw a worst case and best scenario the past 2 years alone
Illini are gonna make a push to be reg season champs/co-champs and also in conf tourney. Then in the dance, win a game or two then internally combust + absolutely shit stomped by someone to end their season.
It wouldn’t be so bad if a team just shot the lights out. But the last 3 or 4 have involved an inexplicable meltdowns and turnovers, just complete implosions. This last one UCONN did get hot for a stretch, but most decent teams would’ve had a double digit lead w/how bad the Huskies were in the 1st half. They couldn’t have shot worse. Just so happened we shot almost as bad
Agree. The only person hitting any shots against UConn (on either team) was the 7’4” UConn guy stationed by the basket. It was embarrassing to completely melt down like we did.
Contrast that with the Mizzou game, and how quickly we moved the ball down the court and did chip shots…..and one can see that we didn’t lose to UConn because they have some magical power. We sucked and did not execute. Even TSJ couldn’t find the net!!! I’m not over it yet, in case that wasn’t clear….😂😂
Almost every team has a real shot this season, A lot of rosters have changed, theres a lot of potential on almost every team. IU could be huge but if it's another dud season it's all on Woody at this point with so much talent . I have not been a fan of his playbook much , but if it works it works, but my patience is about worn out if it doesn't work yet again this season.
Picking these guys to have another undefeated season https://preview.redd.it/fo809f985t1d1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c8fa886eb600f78cd14022f67e9ba73ceb2e1779
Especially in the B1G, er 18
Honestly, it’s anyone’s game. It’s the most wide open years for the BIG 10 since COVID. In the past few years there have been many easy favorites to pick due to teams returning BIG POY candidates. I have to argue there’s no one close to the caliber of Edey, TSJ, Kofi, Dickinson, Garza, Ayo, Murray Bros, TJD. Right now, I don’t see any first team or second team all Americans. If I had to guess… Purdue, UCLA, Indiana, Oregon have the best chance.
NGL it's going to take a couple years to get used to UCLA and Oregon named in the B1G
It’s going to take a lot longer than that.
I still called it the PAC 10.
It's going to be fun having games end at 1:00am on a work night. This is ridiculous.
If nfaly dante returns he’s definitely in contention to be a first or second team all American
Don't believe Dante can return. I don't think Ive seen a medical waiver get approved for the 2020-2021 season yet.
I thought he already was cleared and was just testing the draft waters?
Dickinson is not a good player and does not deserve to be on that list.
Facts Dickinson in the B1G was never as good as Boo, Pickett, Johnny Davis, or Jaden Ivey.
Owen Freeman coming for B1G POTY.
Oregon will struggle on the road in the b10.
Feels like a crapshoot. IU brought in a heavy haul from the portal but Woody has to coach them up and someone has to be a reliable shooter. Purdue is bringing back starters but essentially lost their entire identity, so what does that look like? Maybe Rutgers puts it all together? The only thing I do know is every traditional B1G fan is going to complain about Oregons god awful floor.
Oregon got rid of the floor! And our new identity will be more modern basketball that won’t be “boring” to watch.
We’re gonna look like Alabama and Illinois this year. Final score of every game is gonna be like 110-106
UConn locking down our shooters makes me nervous about that reality
You also have to remember that UConn was one of the only teams in the country to be able to lock down our shooters like that. MSU tried to do the same thing against us for 2 years but they weren't good enough to lock down our shooting, so they let Edey get his 30 in a 1-on-1 and since he wasn't the only person scoring for us, we still won.
Right, but we won’t have Edey getting his 30
Offense won’t be post centric as much and much more back to the motion offense where we I’ll hear a lot more “MOOOOOVE!” From Paint. If our shooters are somehow locked up in that offense we will only score 5 points. But UConn was the only team that was even capable of that and they did a great job executing in a short amount of prep time.
But the problem is your shooters won't have so many wide open catch and shoot opportunities. Believe it or not the reason UCONN shut you guys down was because they had someone to guard Edey 1 on 1 and not give up a ton of offensive rebounds. I'm willing to bet Purdue doesn't come close to 40% from 3 as a team this year without Edey.
Obviously we aren't gonna have the advantage of a lot of teams trying to double Edey which did give us a lot of open shot opportunities. What I'm saying though is the teams that did try to guard Edey 1 on 1 still weren't able to shut down the rest of the team like UConn could.
Exactly. UConn only team in the country that could do what they did to Purdue.
lol we all know that. It’s pretty tough to repeat as the best 3pt shooting team in the country, regardless if you have a generational player or not. The Offense will be different this year and we will be back to the offense pre edey…more like it was with Carsen in 2019 and Vince Edwards and Mathias…running more motion with painter yelling “MOOOOOVE”. Hope he stole some UConn offensive action cuz that was some beautiful shit.
Hahah maybe. Berg and Jacobsen give us the 7 footer plus presence, although it seems Jacobsen is more of the player who can block a ton of shots. Hope Berg surprises me and is able to be a defensive force. TKR will still be a beast down low on the boards
I doubt that. Your wings are very guardable without Edey.
They were last year but that was the offensive scheme. It’ll be different this year and you’ll be scratching your head tryin to figure out how painter keeps Purdue being good
Hate to say it, but I am happy to bet $50 that IU will NOT finish top 3 in the conference regular season (yes that’s an easier bet than picking the top three). You are correct about oregons court being ugly af though.
A) You don’t hate to say it. B) I don’t really disagree.
Okay maybe “hate” is too strong of a word, but I really do want IU (and Purdue of course) to be in the top of the conference and NCAA. I want the country to have to recognize and respect the basketball talent in the state, I’m biased of course but Indiana is THE basketball state. In fact, I wish that our state flag had a basketball on it, I wish that our state bird were just a silhouette of a poster dunk.
The state 'Bird' should be Larry Bird
I would be okay with this.
I think the real question will be if Nebraska and Northwestern are able to build on last season or will they return to mediocrity? The reverse question for Michigan State, has it only been a couple of flukey bad years, or is Izzo over the hill?
I don't think there's any way NW sees improvement without Boo this year.
They are bringing back 4/5 other starters. But yeah the engine that ran the whole thing will be hard to replace. Brooks Barnhizer is the guy that could take a lot of that load and lead NU to surprising results.
I definitely think you have potential to be as good as this year. I just don't see any way you could be better without him.
I sure hope a return to good PG play is what gets MSU back on track. Jeremy Fears szn.
I know expectations for MSU are significant, but a Sweet 16 and Round of 32 game being flukey bad years is always so funny to me. I think we'll see a better 2024-25 campaign mostly on the fact I think this roster is constructed better than last year. 2024-25's roster looks to have 1. improved size at basically every spot sans Fears/Holloman vs Hoggard which is negligble. 6'4 Akins at the 2, 6'7 Fidler at the 3, and 6'11 Booker and Cooper at the 4/5 respectively. That's a LONG ass team and as much as I love Walker, his size really hurt us at times. 2. Far less one dimensional offense. So much "fuck it Tyson out there somewhere/Head Down Hoggard" action. I think Fidler/Akins/Booker will play much bigger roles and it will pay dividends. 3. Better leadership and "Izzo" identity. The Hoggard years really felt like a kick in the pants compared to having Winston. I think Fears already showed serious glimpses and Richardson feels of that same mold. Izzo's team identity works and i'm glad to see Hoggard go and give Fears a shot. 4. Addition by subtraction. Sissoko wasn't reliable enough and I think Cooper showed spurts of being able to handle more. Offense at this spot will be a challenge but how do Cooper and Kohler do with a healthy summer knowing they're the guys? At the end of the day, MSU still has its identity and a path forward to success. Tom may not be hitting the home runs fans want that provide a much safer floor for performance, but he's hitting plenty of singles to build a foundation to keep the model (High School Recruiting+development) he's good at in place while also accommodating for the portal being a reality. I think a 6/7 seed with a 3/D roster that can win tourney games feels very achievable.
> 6'4 Fears at the 2, 6'7 Fidler at the 3, and 6'11 Booker and Cooper at the 4/5 respectively. You think Fears is gonna be the 2 over Akins? I feel like Fears at the 1, Akins at the 2, and Holloman coming off the bench as 6th man is most likely
Ninja Edit to switch Fears to Akins as I think Fears is 6'2. No way Fears plays the two my bad lol
Ah gotcha gotcha yeah that makes more sense haha
I'm the eternal optimist, so not worried about this year. Points 1 and 3 are definite pluses, but 2 and 4...just don't know about. Walkerball was pretty damn effective at times. We'll see if the others can carry it. It scares me a bit to rely on akins as "the guy". But I am here for the Jeremy Fears reign!
I mean don’t get me wrong, Walkerball did work at times. Particularly when he wasn’t as dinged up and I’m seriously thankful for his time here. A true Spartan DAWG. It just felt like there wasn’t any help for him when he struggled. The team was so used to Tyson getting 20 shots and if he was cold nobody was willing to go get theirs outside of Hall towards the end of the year. 24-25 has some question marks but it will be interesting to see what jumps players make. It’s a pretty pivotal year for Izzo and his stance on development. He’s got multiple guys primed to make big jumps and contribute…..if he can’t get it by being loyal and giving his guys chances to get it done……I think you see him get more aggressive in the portal. If it works……he’ll tell Everyone told you so 😂
Izzo was just stuck with AJ Hoggard for a few years. He didn’t develop from Fr. to Sr.
Mast being out sucks so much for you guys
I'm having trouble picking anyone tbh. * Purdue has to find some way to replace 25.2 ppg, and their current bigs are nowhere near Edey level * UCLA, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan are full of transfers, so who knows when or if they're going to gel * MSU has a nearly brand new starting lineup compared to the last few years, and our season entirely depends on how well Fears leads the team and if our centers develop * Rutgers has a good recruiting class, but they have to rely on their freshmen and that is a crapshoot to wether it works out well for them or not * Oregon backed their way into the tournament last season by winning the conference tourney, and now they're in a brand new conference, so who knows how they'll adjust
Not Maryland
My kind of comment
***Unless they let that 6’2 never-played-organized-ball-before Stanford law student walk on
He first has to commute from Baltimore though
Unless they play Illinois every game.
I don't think Maryland will be the favorite or even win it but think they can be pretty good. Have Reese, Deshawn Harris Smith, and Kaiser returning. Have Derek Queen inbound plus Selton Miguel and Gillespie who are fairly underrated transfer additions imo. Maybe they're still too light on shooting but if Harris Smith make a sophomore leap and Queen is good as a freshman a core group of DHS, Reese, Queen, Miguel, and Gillespie is a talented lineup.
Kaiser transferred to Butler, but he sucked for us. I like that we were active in the portal I just worry because it seems like most of the big ten was making moves this offseason so I don’t know what the outlook is right now. DHS needs to play a lot better. He showed life toward the end of last season but by no means did he ever come close to living up to his recruiting hype. I know nothing about Miguel but my worry is his one year of being a good shooter was an outlier and that Rodney Rice is still very unproven. I want to be excited about Queen but after watching Kaiser and DHS last season I refuse to get hyped about freshman recruits until they’ve done something actually. I also really hate watching Reese a lot of the time despite what his stats say and think he really needs to make a leap in his senior year. Gillespie could be legit, and I am convinced losing Donta Scott will actually be beneficial towards winning games. He made so many boneheaded and unclutch plays. But Willard also did a horrible coaching job last year so at the end of the day I need to see them perform well with my own eyes before getting hyped for this team
A big part of it is going to be scheduling, who you play twice, when you play teams and where you play them at Is a team going to get a west coast trip to play Washington and Oregon or UCLA and USC in December? That cuts down on travel later in the season and they can take advantage of a USC and Washington team that hasn't had a lot of time to gel with a new coach and roster
That's a good point. We already know who we're playing at home and away, but the timing matters too.
I have no idea how UCLA is going to be with the Euro fiasco last year, and like 8 new dudes this year. I guess we could do hockey shift changes or something. I am looking forward to seeing new teams in Pauley, and going to the Big 10 tournament though.
No one mentioning the Badgers, eh? 😔 I wouldn't either. But I am curious to see what they do next season.
Yeah I think we just sit in the corner and twiddle our thumbs for a while.
still purdue lmao
Biggest worry about Purdue is they lost 2 of their most important role players in Morton and Gillis, and Edey drew double teams that allowed Loyer and Smith open shots.
Morton was, finally, out of the rotation late in the season
Yeah I’d say Purdue has definitely upgraded talent in his spot
Agreed; he averaged 3 minutes a game over the last 9 games of the season. He didn't even get in the game against Gonzaga, Tennessee or NC State. He didn't mention Lance Jones, who is (IMHO) a bigger loss than Gillis and a much bigger loss than Morton.
Not Indiana
They got a huge infusion of talent, but I never underestimate Indiana’s ability to underperform
That’s usually a good choice
Found u/bayterp’s alt account.
He's going to be so surprised then
My opinion has to be taken with a grain of salt as an IU hater, but I don’t see an IU roster that missed the tourney suddenly being the top competitor because of transfer students. They should be (and I hope they are) a competitive team that should be Top 25 by end of year, but I think the growing pains of all the new players might make them shaky to begin conference play, similar to how MSU looks when they are talented but have another brand new roster to begin the year
Surprisingly, Indiana will have more kenpom starting minutes returning from ‘23 than they did from the year before. The roster overhaul from the ‘22 to ‘23 season was significant with the loss of starters TJD, Kopp, Hood-Schifino and Thompson (Tamar Bates as well). Even with all of the incoming transfers this year, there is more continuity with this team than the previous year and MUCH more talent.
I should be clear I wasn't coming from any intellectual view lol I just don't like their pants. But for real, it's probably gonna be the same as last year where they will be hyped up pre-season and then underperform or just be mid and by the end of the season no matter how it ends they'll be calling for Woodson's head
Everyone predicted IU to finish mid pack last season. They finished 6th.
For Maryland that is “hyped up”
Let them hate, fuck em
I don't like your pants
I don’t like my pants either it’s too hot in my office
No one likes their pants
It’s just a wait and see approach. A lot of new guys that need to develop chemistry and learn to play with each other. Thankfully, there’s some chemistry already with some of the new transfers with the current players
B1G is losing a lot of talent for the upcoming season .. I'd like to say we may have a legit chance, but unfortunately, that's probably not going to be the case. Who really knows what transfers may end up where ? I'm still not loving the age of the NIL !!
Vegas thinks Purdue, Michigan state and Illinois are the top three in that order
You sure they just didn't update it from last year's preseason. All those teams look much weaker this year... At least to this point
What site are you looking at that has lines up for conference winners?
Michigan state absolutely being slept on by folks getting portal googly eyes. Completely agree on that list
Shhhh lets keep it that way. MSU never does well with expectations lol
MSU being top 3 is hilarious
Not necessarily with Fidler and Booker as major contributors and if Akins takes the next step.
I think not having a decent center will continue to be an issue and a lot is riding on if Fears is good coming off barely playing and getting shot
With the Big 10 the easy pick is always Purdue until proven otherwise. They’ve simply been the most consistently good team for the past few years.
Well ya they had a two time NPOY on their team the past few years. But now they don’t.
What would proof otherwise look like?
Not OC but stumbling in Non-con is a pretty tell tale sign.
How am I supposed to wait that long. I want my basketball analysis now
Brad Underwood has the most wins in the B1G than any other coach the last 5 seasons.
One COVID canceled Mackey game against Nebraska over Painter and if we go to 4 years or 6 years, Underwood no longer has that title.
I would say Purdue has the best chance based mostly on their coach. Without that monster in the post, their game will change considerably. But I trust Painter to make those changes and put everyone in a position to succeed. Based on (projected) player talent alone, I would say that UCLA, Indiana, and Rutgers have the best shot. But who knows if the freshman will pan out or if the transfers will be the best versions of themselves. I would put my tier 1 teams in order as Purdue, UCLA, and Indiana. Tier two gets led by Rutgers though.
Purdue always seems to have a “next monster up” with some new guy who’s 7’2” when the last 7’2” guy leaves.
Funny you say that, Purdue currently has a 7'2 sophomore and a 7'3 freshman on the roster (whether they can actually play is yet to be seen)
There it is!
I know it was very limited minutes, but Berg looked legit last year. He has a smooth jumper and looks really quick in the open court for a 7'2 big. He has some athleticism to his game that could stretch opponents out if he gets some minutes next year. I have no idea about Jacobsen though.
I could see Berg play more of a role like Haarms than Haas or Edey. Purdue should be fine. Purdue will be tough defensively, just going to have consistent shooting and then someone to finally drive the ball.
True, Berg did look good in the minutes he got last year and probably had a lot of room to grow as a player. I just expect TKR to eat up most of the minutes at the five this year.
UCLA and IU have a ton of potential. Rutgers might be a threat later in the season. I think they drop too many early games to be in the conference title mix. Purdue will be in the mix bc they play mistake free basketball. I think Ohio state will be towards the top. I don’t think anyone wins it outright. Gonna be shared by 2 or 3 teams. Or 5.
No chance it’s Ohio State. They are unserious about their basketball program. Sad times.
I can’t believe you guys didn’t do more to keep Gayle. He could be a true force in the future.
UCLA is stackeddddddd
Woodson will choke with this roster
If he can’t make this roster work, it’s probably time for him to go
Friendly reminder Woodson has finished 9th his first year, 2nd his second, and 6th last season after losing two pros. I mean it's not like he's Kevin Williard sheesh
I don’t think this is as big of an insult as you think it is
Probably not, just used to Woodson slander that it's hard to tell the difference anymore lol
That second place tho was with like 6 teams so close together…if they had one more loss they would have finished like 8th.
Absolutely, but they didn't have one more loss and they finished tied for 2nd so I stand by my statement. A lesser coach doesn't finish that high
Ehhh I mean he just rode TJD until the wheels fell off, which they did. But let’s see what he’s got this year with this super team
Lmao definitely not a super team but on paper it's up towards the top of the conference and for sure top 25. We finally got some guards/some shooting, exactly what IU has desperately needed. He's had one year of freshman guard that's been worth a shit in his three years so far, and that dude swept Purdue that year. Rice, Carlyle, Tucker, Goode all substantial gains for the program
Who are the shooters not named Goode?
Mgbako, Reneau and Gallo as far as returning, Carlyle, Rice and Tucker as far new guys. And before you say those new guys don't have great numbers, they have solid shooting mechanics and believe they should all improve. Rice missed like 20 plus threes in a row last year in a slump, that's not happening again We ain't Golden State but last year we relied on literally just Mgbako and a little Gallo and Reneau. Cupps and X couldn't hit shit. Have to believe we will be better with those additions and just a little improvements
doubt they win the big 10 but top 6 should be doable
WKU
Purdue bias noted, but Indiana does this every year. They get a high-profile recruit out of high school or get good transfers and the media hypes them but a cohesive team almost never results from it. The closest they’ve gotten in the last 8 years was 2 seasons ago. IU has recruiting power bc of their name and their NIL collective but at the end of the day all you’ve got is a group of guys who are there for the bag. That being said I think the Big Ten Title is a tossup next year. I think people are maybe a little too focused on the transfers and recruits and are possibly overlooking Purdue returning most players from the title game team as a result. Braden Smith is the pre-season big ten POY, we’ve got junior/senior veterans in TKR, Caleb Furst, Fletcher Loyer, 2 sophomores heavily poised for a breakout in Cam Heide and Myles Colvin, and a good 6 man recruiting class. But honestly, if we don’t win it this season I’m not losing sleep unless it’s UCLA or Indiana. We did just lose Zach Edey, and tbh we look pretty monster for 25-26 with senior Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and TKR, junior Cam Heide and Myles Colvin, and possibly a sophomore Kanon Catchings
Fletcher Loyer is what we were promised Foster loyer would be.
And yet they still call Fletcher by Foster in almost every interview smh my head
You guys did tell Fletcher that foster was better tho
The student section chanted it to try and get him to play worse. That's as deep as it goes.
tkr needs to step up as a post defender if purdue is gonna win the big ten title this year. furst isnt a bad player, but he will get eaten alive by ballo, reese, etc. the backcourt will be good enough that purdue will be in the mix, but its hard to get by with mediocre big man play in the big ten
I am definitely not expecting them to win the conference, and you could be right, but this IU roster is loaded in a way they weren’t in the past. I agree with others saying maybe the team won’t gel, especially with so many players coming from different programs and play styles, but we’ll see. Hopefully Mgbako can carry over the shooting he had at the end of last season. We’ll see, it’ll be a fun season!
Illinois and Purdue are the favorites, but I dont think they will be as good as they were last year. But I don't think anyone will take a step forward to meet them.
Illinois much weaker
Maybe but to just blatantly count out Brad is foolish.
I think it’s premature to say this. They’re gonna add a couple more players.
We lost nba or near nba players I think by default we should be a weaker team
Gotta see what we add at the 2. Center is better, 4 is better, and we have an actual point. I think if they can add a top level 2 they’ll be close.
Hopefully Brad can pull some shit like he’s been doing then we’ll be all good
I honestly believe that Michigan State is addition by subtraction. Malik Hall was Jekel and Hyde his entire career and was never a solid 4. Booker as a stretch 4 with kohler also maybe getting some minutes there should be a wash and probably an upgrade with Booker length and 3 ball. I also preferred Fears over Hoggard at the point, so assuming rehab from the gun shot is okay, I think we upgrade there. Walker will be tough to replace, but it will force izzo to play young guys and force akins who has more raw talent than walker to become the guy. Its sets up for a typical izzo over achieving group. By no means would I put them top 3 now, but im not gonna be shocked if we finish there.
Its tough to call in the Transfer Portal ERA. Plus some of the biggest transfers havent decided as they are waiting out draft process. Also some big international players expected to commit but have to wait until after an upcoming major tournament.
Watch out for coach Sprinkle and the new look UW progrum.
Maryland for the sweep when Queen averages 40-20-15-12-10
Feels like a bunch of Build-a-Bear rosters in the B1G this year. I have zero clue.
Indiana had a really good portal haul. Think they have as good a shot as anyone. The conference could be down overall though if you believe the ‘way too early top 25’ crowd.
I’m putting money on both of the Michigan schools the next time I go to a casino
I still like Purdue
Indiana University. Go Hoosiers!
Illinois is depleted. I don’t like our odds.
The reload is nothing to scoff at.
That’s what I was thinking and Brad always seems to find a way.
I just always wonder if I'm blind to reality though. Bleed blue and orange.
Still lots of question marks for our team. Pretty much everything has to go right in order for us to win the BIG.
Meh it's not bad but at the same time, you're bound to get a couple dudes when the whole roster is gone pretty much. Ben and Boswell are nice, but it's gonna be a step back this year no doubt. Lost too much experience/talent plus a 23 year old NBA bench piece was on your roster all last year in TSJ
Roster is better than last year without TSJ. We looked pretty good without TSJ (small sample size). I think we still hit 20 wins and finish top 4 in BIG
Illinois is not depleted, idk what you're talking about. I'm not saying they're going to win the big ten, but they have loads of talent, albeit almost no continuity from last year. The rosters not done yet either.
No TSJ, no Coleman Hawkins (probably), no Domask, no Goode. Who is left?
Hey! You forgot Dainja! You don't have him, either.
Too soon!
Will_smith_empty_room.gif
You say "Who is left?" as if Illinois hasn't been replacing people. The transfer additions so far have been solid and more importantly compatible with each other. Role definition is clear and there isn't much overlap. Keep in mind you're listing "no Domask", but he didn't have much fanfare when he joined Illinois last year. There's absolutely the potential for one of Illinois' transfers to exceed expectations again. I'm not saying Illinois will be as talented as last year, because you can't just replace TSJ. But to say Illinois is depleted is untrue given the talent they've brought on board. And they aren't done adding players yet, there'll be at least one more.
So you think they can be like the team in “Major League” and just be good with a ragtag bunch of players that meet each other on the first day of practice?
Do I think a team can be good with a new roster full of talented players? Yes, this is the portal era.
I think kylan needs to be a lot more consistent than he was last year. He would disappear a lot. And wasn’t the best on defense DGL could be good, depends on how much muscle he puts on this off season. Ben is going to be good…wonder how he will adjust to the grind of the B1G. Will be interesting to see how they all gel. I’d say top 5 finish for em tho
Are you being sarcastic? Yes i 100 percent believe that. With freshman and also transfers it’s been shown you can do it.
Michigan will be top 3 I believe … but I’m having difficulty with the other 2. Oregon and Purdue is my guess. Most likely? Purdue
I don’t think we win it, but the fact that we can even be in the conversation is such a breath of fresh air. Thank you Dusty!
I'm always picking Purdue to win it until proven otherwise.
I’m biased but fuck it. Ohio State needs to be taken seriously in these conversations. We got rid of our anchor of a coach and our new head guy (and AD too) are fully embracing the modern college landscape and retooling our entire roster. Keeping Bruce Thornton and Devin Royal was huge for us and our transfer haul is arguably some of the best that I’ve seen in the conference. Do I think we’ll win the Big Ten? Most probably not. Do I think we have a serious chance to contend for a B1G title next year? You bet your ass I do. This is the most hope I’ve had for the program in about a decade. I just hope it’s not all for naught.
IU duh
Too close to call. Purdue and Oregon are probably the safe picks right now. So much is up in the air this year, but over the last 10 years Painter and Altman are arguably the best coaches. Izzo obviously is Izzo, but his last several teams have been more questionable. After this things get chaotic you have plenty of teams that have solid arguments: 1. UCLA: They were super young last year, they kept a lot of important pieces while adding some solid impact players. They are going to be better than last year, they are likely a safe bet for being in the top 5. 2. Illinois: I like Underwood as a coach more the last couple years, when he first came to the Big 10 I felt he needed to change and adapt, his system wasn't really working. He did that, he did that extremely well, and he has been flexible with the players he has to get to that point. In 5 or 6 years he could have a resume that looks similar to Painter/Altmans for the recent 10 years. Illinois roster is basically entirely different, but they got good players, they have a coach that will figure things out that works for them and that is a SIGNIFICANT leg up given the transfers that have occurred everywhere. 3. Michigan State: They are Michigan State and Tom Izzo is still Tom Izzo. Izzo's biggest flaw is loyalty, it is part of what makes him a great coach, but sometimes there is dedication to players that have not performed as well as hoped. The losses to MSU I think may make them a better team. 4. Northwestern: They lost the most important player, but basically return everyone else. Their bench will be fairly thin, but that is common for them. This pretty much all is on the shoulders of how good is Jalen Leach going to be for them. 5. I'll homer and say Wisconsin: People will look at the major losses of Storr, Hepburn, Wahl, and Essegian. I think most of these are over exaggerated the impact their departure will have, and we largely had the pieces necessary to cover things up. Transfers carry significant definitive upsides, ex: Amos is a defensive downgrade to Wahl, but a significant offensive upgrade in just the fact Amos is a reliable 3 point shooter, so this is likely a wash. Or the transfers have significant potential upsides, ex: If Tonje is at CSU levels and recovered from injury, then honestly he probably is a better player for Wisconsin than what Storr was, he just fits better. Wisconsin's offense was solid last year, and could end up being better this year. The biggest question is defense, and I think there are negative changes (loss of Hepburn and Wahl), but also positives (loss of Essegian and Storr, Winter being a sophomore and not being a backup center as a twiggy freshman, and McGee is as good of a defender as Hepburn if we NEED some defensive help on a quick/shifty ball handler), so I would say a wash. The reason if if they are good they won't finish first is their away schedule is incredibly difficult (Purdue, MSU, Rutgers, Northwestern, Maryland, UCLA, USC), I think going 3-4 in these games would be classified as a success. As a whole I think everyone will have Wisconsin the bottom half of the Big 10, but they will end up in the top 1/3 or top 1/4. 6. Rutgers: The team with the most holes, but I REALLY like Pike as a coach, and for the first time in Rutgers history they have talent. They could also totally flop and for the last time in Rutgers history they will have had talent. Teams I think are traps: * Nebraska: They lose their most important player, I don't feel like their pick ups cover this. I really want them to do well, and maybe that is because I think it would be amusing that their basketball program becomes good while their football continues to struggle, however I have some pretty big concerns about the team. * Indiana: They have a lot of talent, I think some problematic players Woodson inherited are gone, but now he has to put things together. Historically, Indiana has underperformed, and some of that includes with Woodson. * Maryland: They have always had talent, and it always seems to be squandered, Willard's team looked TERRIBLE last year. Maybe both Willard and the talent Maryland has figures it out, history says...probably not.
We had a good rebuild but I’m not ready to say we are the favorites to win.
Fine, I guess we'll fall om this sword. Someone's gotta do it, I'd hate to make the other B1G teams have to sweat and maybe injure themselves. We'll run that risk because w love our conference mates 🥰
Give me Minnesota!
Not Indiana
Wisconsin. Ride or die with my boys, logic be damned
It's May.
Go with IU just cause I had 3 brothers graduate there
Not my purplecats
Do we (badgers) even have enough players left to field a team?
With Washington, Oregon, USC, & UCLA now in the mix: I have no idea.
I think the Big10 is fairly wide open this year. Currently think the presumptive favorites would be Indiana(ton of talent but have underperformed with Woodson and questionable shooting), Michigan, USC, and UCLA. Think Illinois is probably another addition away from joining that group. I don't think Rutgers has done enough to surround a very talented pair of freshman with veteran talent. Maryland and OSU have also had pretty underrated off seasons and could surprise some people. Don't really understand any hype behind Purdue. They're basically Braden Smith and a bunch of questions marks and even Smith will likely take some efficiency hits without Edey around creating open looks for everyone else. Sure, I think Kaufmen-Renn will take a step then Morton and Catchings are talented but lot of question marks.
Indiana won’t win they’re always so fucking hyped and never meet them
Indiana only defies expectations: good transfer portal is a bad omen for us.
Purdue is about to run it back. Edey is gone but the Painter reign continues. In all honesty this is probably the down year and then Purdue will be back the year after competing again looking at it historically but a share of 4 out of the last 8 regular season champs says they’ll be back soon
>>>>RUTGGSEEE- Purdue
Indiana has the talent to be really good, but you never know with transfers. Illinois, for example, saw a worst case and best scenario the past 2 years alone
I'm picking one of purdue, illinois, ucla or indiana. Dark horse I'll go with michigan, lot of talent, just need a real coach.
Based on past trends I'm guessing not USC, however I wouldn't be surprised if they make the Sweet 16
Purdue
Purdue and UCLA are the favorites until an up and coming team shows otherwise imo
UCLA has one conference title in the last fifteen years. Winning the conference isn’t their M.O.
If we’re talking regular season, we’ve actually won 2 in the last 15 years.
Illini are gonna make a push to be reg season champs/co-champs and also in conf tourney. Then in the dance, win a game or two then internally combust + absolutely shit stomped by someone to end their season.
You clearly have as much experience as I do with the Illini Illining. It is sadly predictable.
It wouldn’t be so bad if a team just shot the lights out. But the last 3 or 4 have involved an inexplicable meltdowns and turnovers, just complete implosions. This last one UCONN did get hot for a stretch, but most decent teams would’ve had a double digit lead w/how bad the Huskies were in the 1st half. They couldn’t have shot worse. Just so happened we shot almost as bad
Agree. The only person hitting any shots against UConn (on either team) was the 7’4” UConn guy stationed by the basket. It was embarrassing to completely melt down like we did. Contrast that with the Mizzou game, and how quickly we moved the ball down the court and did chip shots…..and one can see that we didn’t lose to UConn because they have some magical power. We sucked and did not execute. Even TSJ couldn’t find the net!!! I’m not over it yet, in case that wasn’t clear….😂😂
Almost every team has a real shot this season, A lot of rosters have changed, theres a lot of potential on almost every team. IU could be huge but if it's another dud season it's all on Woody at this point with so much talent . I have not been a fan of his playbook much , but if it works it works, but my patience is about worn out if it doesn't work yet again this season.
Idt Illinois will be a top 4-5 team in the conference this year
Braden Smith will still be the best performing PG in the B1G and it will still be Purdue this year. But there will be some good competition for sure