Big Ten Really That Good this year?

[OSUScoonie12]

Was the Big Ten really as good as people thought it was this year? With 6 teams in the tournament, only 2 making it to the second round and losing. Alot of people are now saying the Big Ten was just a bunch of ok teams that just kept knocking each other off.

I will say, that i dont think the Big Ten was the best conference in basketball...Big East wins that. But the computer polls still said the Big Ten was the best. I never imagined the Big Ten without at least 1 team in the Sweet 16, and this year is the first time in 16 (somewhere around there) years that the Big Ten didn't have a team in the Sweet 16. Most of the Big Ten losses in the tournament were upsets people didn't seeing coming, like MSU loss to George Mason and Iowa loss to Northwestern St. Then OSU and Illinios losses in the second round were upsets too.

Big Ten had alot of solid teams this year but were all huge disappointments in the tourny.

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

Was the Big Ten really as good as people thought it was this year? With 6 teams in the tournament, only 2 making it to the second round and losing. Alot of people are now saying the Big Ten was just a bunch of ok teams that just kept knocking each other off.

I will say, that i dont think the Big Ten was the best conference in basketball...Big East wins that. But the computer polls still said the Big Ten was the best. I never imagined the Big Ten without at least 1 team in the Sweet 16, and this year is the first time in 16 (somewhere around there) years that the Big Ten didn't have a team in the Sweet 16. Most of the Big Ten losses in the tournament were upsets people didn't seeing coming, like MSU loss to George Mason and Iowa loss to Northwestern St. Then OSU and Illinios losses in the second round were upsets too.

Big Ten had alot of solid teams this year but were all huge disappointments in the tourny.

Actually, three teams made the second round (OSU, Illinois, Indiana) and it has been 10 years since the Big Ten failed to have a team in the Sweet 16.

However, I agree that the B10 was overrated.

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

I watched a number of Big Ten games on the tube... and what kept coming over me... was how tired the Big Ten teams were of late... probably from beating the shit out of each other... that constant physical play just wore these teams out

It was so obvious that the Buckeyes ran out of gas in the Big Ten tourny... and it continued on the NCAA... the other Big Ten teams looked equally spent

If you look at games in January and February there was still a spark and energy... that energy was exhausted come late Feb/early May

 

[crazybuckfan40]

Did the big ten do good in the tourney?? no.

Does that mean they were overrated?? no.

The reason the big ten was rated so high was b/c of overall depth, same with the big east. There was not a single team besides maybe Purdue and PSU(who made the NIT) that was almost an automatic win. But they both had thier fair share of nice wins in the big ten.

Now on to the reason we did bad in the tourney. It is all about matchups in the tourney.

Lets start with Wisky, they played a team that had the talent to be a a top 4 seed, but underachieved all year, and when they came out and Zona smacked them in the mouth early it was over. Zona played a very good game and then went toe to toe with Nova and almost pulled the upset. So in that matchup we were on the short end of the stick to start with. Yeah they were the #4 team in the big ten, but alot of that has to do with thier homecourt advantage. It would of been different if they could of started off with a different 8 seed say like GW.

As for MSU, they havent played well all season, and they played a very determined and very good GMU team. The same team that beat UNC who was also a very good team. Should they have won, probabaly but they just got the wrong team in the first round. What if they get a different 11 seed like S. ILL who played terrible in the first round. They could of advanced too.

What about IU. I think they did as good as they could of with the talent they had. I honestly saw a first round upset and they escaped by the skin of their teeth and then Gonzaga was just too much for them.

Illinois they were a team all year that certain teams just created problems for them and they were usually a quicker team like us. That is what happened when they matched up with Washington. What if they matchup with a team like Pitt, who isnt quite as fast as Washington. They also got taken out of their game not being able to play their physical style of D which the refs were not allowing in the tourney.

Iowa, they were up by 14 and just started to coast and it came back to bite them in the ass. That NW st. team wasnt that great, but they just got the bounces when it counted. They play that game 9outta 10 times and Iowa wins the last 9 games.

And as for us, we got to play the best 7 seed in the tourney who played the most efficient game they could of played, and we didnt play that great.

So what does all this say, Yes there are teams out there that will create a mismatch for any team in country, besides a UCONN who is a very balanced team. Even GTown created mismatches for Duke earlier in the year.

Also bball is a tough game to base one game on how a conference is. I mean any team can play thier best game on any given nite and if a team just can't miss there is really not a whole lot that can be done, especially if you are still up in their face on D and just can't find the rim on O.

 

[sandgk]

Another way to say this crazybuck is that the margin between top teams, from conferences with depth, in the NCAA tourney is smaller than many believed.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

I believe that you can't judge a conference on a few games like most of the media is doing. The season should be what the league is judged on, not the last game they played. To much emphasis on your last loss in today's media.

 

[jwinslow]

I'm not so sure the ACC would be getting bashed quite as much by the espn talking heads, tho the big ten was unimpressive to say the least. Some teams were overrated, many teams had tough matchups (a theme in the tourney this year).

OSU may not have been a 2 seed, but on the same token, GTown was clearly NOT a 7 seed (closer to a 4-5 imo). Illinois would be in the sweet 16 if they were allowed to go to the line more than once in the second half. MSU had so many excuses made for them, largely b/c Izzo finds a way to win in the tourney (last year was average before the tourney). This year, they didn't turn it around, and so their prestige left them overrated.

Indiana faced america's team, who can overcome that

 

[OH10]

There were 6-7 good teams in the Big Ten this year. I wouldn't consider any of them to have been very good, like a Florida or Texas. And I certainly wouldn't consider any of the teams to be cream of the crop contenders, like Duke, UConn, and Villanova.

 

[Dryden]

Basketball, unlike other team sports (football and baseball for example), can be dominated by one or two stars. A great player on a bad football team isn't likely to win games, but a Jordan, LeBron, or Kobe can singlehandedly win you 50% of your bball games provided the supporting cast is merely above average.

The Big 10 had a lot of really good basketball teams, but virtually no stars. No offense to Dials, he's been a great Buckeye and earned every bit of his Big 10 POY award, but lets face it -- Dials being the POY says A LOT about the dearth of talent around the conference. If Dials had been in the Big East or the ACC, forget about it.

Big 10 teams had very few outstanding stars and virtually no depth. The teams that did manage a run to finish the season were left sleepwalking into the NCAAs with only 7 or 8 guys left and completely out of gas.

Frankly, I'm not surprised by the tournament result. The Big 10 teams got caught with a lot of match up problems in their games, and absent true NBA caliber superstars there wasn't much any of the teams could do.

 

[calibuck]

Agree with what's posted above. The B10 was a good league, as it is always (breaking even with ACC is one piece of evidence), but there's probably more than a modicum of truth to the fact the teams looked 'gassed out' and all of the teams were running around them.

It appeared to me that everyone had their tournament wrapped up a WEEK before the selection, and that's a week to rest tired legs after 30+ games in a season (what, two or so a week?). Even for 18-22 year old student/athletes, it takes a toll.

Embarassing? yes. It will take a toll on the 'bubble' teams next year. Or maybe the B10 teams are not rated as high. The lack of 'star power' is also true. Didn't see Dee Brown work his magic, as his supporting cast wasn't as good. OSU seemed to go into a three-four game shooting slump. Not good entering the Big Dance. Not getting elevation on the shot means it clangs off the rim. Tired legs again.

Maybe going to the finals of the B10 wasn't such a good idea. One and done in the B10 tournament might be the answer. Or get the powers that be to move the tournament earlier by a week.

The B10 will rise again, but this time we'll sneak up on 'em.

:osu:

 

[OSUScoonie12]

Hopefully the Big Ten starts getting those stars. OSU should have one in Oden next year. It would be nice to see NBA talent in the Big Ten, like what the ACC and Big East are full of.

 

[jwinslow]

Hopefully the Big Ten starts getting those stars. OSU should have one in Oden next year. It would be nice to see NBA talent in the Big Ten, like what the ACC and Big East are full of.

osu alone already has 5 *****'s coming in over the next three years (if you count lauderdale, and I do ). We'll help bring some serous star power to the conference.

 

[tibor75]

It would be nice to see NBA talent in the Big Ten, like what the ACC and Big East are full of.

agreed. Dials wouldn't have even been a top 5 MVP candidate in any other conference, let alone the winner.

 

[crazybuckfan40]

according to scout.com

Us at #2 recruiting class and Michigan st. @ 13, and Wisky @ 19 are the only classes in the big ten.

Michigan has a 5 star coming in, but that is it.

Also we are the only one in the big ten to have a McDonald's all american and we have 3.

I hope that some of these schools can start recruiting better, and the big ten can become a dominant conference.

I mean Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois should all be hotbeds for talent in the next couple years, that the big ten should have some very good talent.

Edit: So I took a look at what some of the schools had coming in for the 07' class, we have Diebler and are banking on Lauderdale and Kosta and maybe one more guy.

But Illinois has a 5 star a 4 star already in the bag, Michigan has a 5 star already, and MSU has two 5's and a 4. Looks like the talent is going to be on the rise in the big ten.

agreed. Dials wouldn't have even been a top 5 MVP candidate in any other conference, let alone the winner.

That would depend who he played for and how they ran thier offense.

 

[calibuck]

It is gratifying to see that most every poster is very pro OSU (naturally), but then is also pro B10. With the exception of Meatchicken, I root for the B10 in every matchup. Strong rivals make for a strong team.

I'm almost (and I know I'll get slammed for this) wishing that Bob Huggins would land at a B10 school and get those two Cincy hotshots (Mayo, that won't even visit OSU) to stay in conference. Ohio has a bunch of talent coming up in the next two-three years, and Matta is keeping them at home, plus bringing in some out of staters (Oden, Conley, etc). Duke was built that way, and winning has a habit of producing a legacy, and if Matta stays he can build a dynasty as solid at OSU as Coach K at Duke or Bobby Knight at Indiana.

:osu: