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08-09 Big Ten Basketball Season

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Northwestern should turn the corner this year ... emphasis on the word "should" ... they were sorely lacking in size last year and added four guys to remedy that problem. I definitely would not call Northwestern "horrific" this year - they have the parts to make it back to the NIT for the first time since 1999 & will be very tough in Evanston. Indiana is a team that the word "horrific" seems to fit ... I don't think either PSU or Northwestern will finish behind Michigan. UM sorely lacks interior players. At center, UM has Zach Gibson, who's like a poor man's KK, and then a 7-foot Freshman stiff who isn't even medically cleared to play yet. Playing DeShawn Sims at the 4 will be done out of necessity as much as anything. UM is basically as weak inside as Indiana, that's why they shouldn't finish better than 9th. Penn State is a team that always seems on the verge of turning the corner ... they should make the postseason this year.

People shouldn't totally overlook Iowa. They have one of the best post duos in the conference in Cyrus Tate and Jarryd Cole (Cole suffered an ACL injury last year), and added some guys who fit the system. Lickliter won more games than you would've expected last year with what he had - now that he's added guys who buy into what he wants to do, shouldn't they be better than last year? Would Lickliter really run off Tony Freeman if they needed him THAT badly this year? Iowa could easily make the NIT this year. PSU, Northwestern and Iowa are all more likely to make the postseason than Michigan, who figures to have games with Duke, UConn and UCLA (likely opponent in early season tourney) in addition to their ACC-Big 10 game at Maryland.
 
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Dispatch

Who is the target?

Purdue is the preseason pick to win the Big Ten men?s championship for the first time in 11 years, but during interviews this morning in a suburban Chicago hotel, coach Matt Painter said defending champion Wisconsin should have the target on its back.
?Everybody always thinks the preseason favorite has a target on their back,? Painter said, ?but I?d like to think the team that won the league last year has a target on their back. They?re the ones that accomplished something.?
Painter also gave little credence to the validity of the pick, with good reason. The preseason pick has won the title only six times the past 15 years, most recently Ohio State two years ago. The last time Purdue was picked, in 1997-98, it finished a game behind co-champions Michigan State and Illinois. When the Boilermakers won three consecutive outright championships in the mid-90s, they were the preseason choice none of those seasons.




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Dispatch

Big Ten picks

Purdue is the favorite to win the Big Ten men?s basketball championship, according to voting of media attending today?s conference media day in Chicago.
Michigan State was second and Wisconsin third in the voting. At the direction of the men's coaches, the conference releases only the top three teams and no point totals or first-place votes. The women's coaches allow the order of all 11 teams to be released.
In an informal, unauthorized poll of 15 newspaper beat writers, Purdue edged Michigan State by six points while receiving twice as many first-place votes as the Spartans. The order of finish:
1. Purdue (10) 160 points
2. Michigan State(5) 154
3. Wisconsin 133
4. Ohio State 121
5. Minnesota 90
6. Illinois 85
7. Penn State 79
8. Michigan 67
9. Iowa 39
(tie) Northwestern 39
11. Indiana 23


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Would Lickliter really run off Tony Freeman if they needed him THAT badly
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You never know who ran off who. It is hard for me to phantom that Lickliter would run off one of their better, no change that, to best freelance score. Granted he might not fit Todd's system but he was one of the few Iowa guys who could shoot the ball last year. I remember that they beat us at their place last year but I really don't care who they have playing the post (I don't think you can really call Tate and Cole "Post" players). I personally just do not think that they're that good. But I can see them finishing ahead of UM but I would take Northwestern over them but not PSU. I see a fight for 10th place between PSU and UM.
 
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MaxBuck;1307396; said:
Bottom line is that after the top 4 teams, the league is not going to be very good. Again.
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Disagree, I think that Minny, PSU, Illinois, and Iowa are all teams that could either make the NCAA or NIT...I am thinking 7 teams will playing in post season tournaments...

NW could be improved as well, and Michigan depending on if guys have bought into the system have a a couple good players, but they have a tough non-conference schedule...

Indiana not so much...
 
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I'm seeing about 14-16 wins for Michigan. Some fans think we can be a bubble team, but I have a hard time believing that.. We lost our best inside post presence (and while that's not a big deal in Beilein's offense), Udoh was there game in and game out to clear out paint after the [censored]ty perimeter defense that we played allowed numerous drives to the basket. Without him this year, we have Zach Gibson down there and he's a big step down defensively.

If Michigan can win the pre-season games their supposed to, they'll have around 8 wins going into conference play, and they just have to go .500 in Big Ten play to get to 17 wins.. That'd be nice, but I'm still hoping for 14-16 wins because you never know what can happen.
 
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DZ83CK;1306936; said:
Would Lickliter really run off Tony Freeman if they needed him THAT badly this year? Iowa could easily make the NIT this year.
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TL is still in programing building stage so I don't think he's got a big pressure to win early. Freeman maybe didn't buy into the new regime.
 
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crazybuckfan40;1307687; said:
Disagree, I think that Minny, PSU, Illinois, and Iowa are all teams that could either make the NCAA or NIT...I am thinking 7 teams will playing in post season tournaments...

NW could be improved as well, and Michigan depending on if guys have bought into the system have a a couple good players, but they have a tough non-conference schedule...

Indiana not so much...
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40, 40, 40

I appreciate your love for the Big 10 but not so much your predictions. After the first four, I can see Minnesota and Illinois playing in the NCAA and maybe, just maybe, PSU, Northwestern, and Iowa playing in the NIT. Remembering that the NIT does not really take the cream of the crop:!
 
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12.jpg


I knew Diebler would have a better season this year, but the mini-beard proves it.
 
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Minnesota is the team beyond the top 4 that has a pretty good shot at making the NCAA tourney. After Minnesota, Illinois seems to have the best talent, but it's hard to say how well Alex Legion will play - he wasn't very good in the team's scrimmage (2-10 on 3s from my recollection). Their bigs are probably going to be better than I gave them credit for (particularly because Mystery Man Rich Semrau is playing really well right now).

PSU and Northwestern are two teams with a lot of key players coming back. They are both programs that should be more competitive than they were last year. PSU is a team that should finish 6th or 7th at minimum. People need to keep in mind that, without Claxton and Cornley, PSU beat Indiana last year and lost to Illinois on a last-second play in the Big 10 tourney. PSU and NU are teams where, in recent years, they just don't show up on the road for the most part. I'm definitely glad that OSU doesn't have to play on the road at PSU this year. I could see PSU making the NCAA tourney if they finish 6th, but they have to come up with a couple good nonconference wins and some good road wins.
 
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LitlBuck;1307768; said:
40, 40, 40

I appreciate your love for the Big 10 but not so much your predictions. After the first four, I can see Minnesota and Illinois playing in the NCAA and maybe, just maybe, PSU, Northwestern, and Iowa playing in the NIT. Remembering that the NIT does not really take the cream of the crop:!
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So you say maybe 6 teams in the NCAA and maybe 3 other teams in the NIT...

So you think there is a possiblity for 9 teams, and our Michigan fan says there is an outside spot that they could make the NIT and I say that we could see 7 teams playing in postseason play and you call me crazy?:tongue2:
 
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PtownBuckeye;1307802; said:
12.jpg


I knew Diebler would have a better season this year, but the mini-beard proves it.
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In my opinion Diebler is just too good a player to not have a much better season this year. Shooting a meager 30.4% from the field is just not him. Once he gets over his "freshman jitters" and into his "comfort zone", he should become the consistant scorer that everyone expected him to be. :)
 
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