Big Ten thread

The Big Ten is going to be good this year.</p>

Michigan State and Indiana are highly ranked in the early going and should build well on their squads from last year.</p>

Ohio State, Wisconsin, Purdue, and Illinois make up the next tier,for the most partlosing a few key players but looking to bounce back.</p>

Minnesota, Iowa,and Michigan... they've got good new coaches!</p>

Penn State and Northwestern are in the conference.</p>

 

I'm afraid Bucky is just going to get dumptrucked at Cameron. We've only got three true guards right now, and despite Hughes' tremendous start (20 ppg, 5 rpg, 3.5 apg thru 4 games), I worry about our ability to avoid costly turnovers in such a hostile environment. I like how our frontcourt matches up with theirs, but I really think that @ Duke is just something this Wisconsin team is not yet prepared for. There is plenty of talent still on this team, and more experience than we're given credit for - 6 of our top 9 guys return. However, when a poor-shooting, low scoring team loses its top two point producers, there's bound to be a period of experimentation and discovery, along with a few wtf performances, before consistency is found.</p>

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That said, God am I glad that college hoops is back!!!</p>

 

The Big Ten is going to be good this year, I do believe. But at the same time, expect them to lose the Big Ten/ACC challenge yet again, and be worse than the Pac-10 too if their teams pan out like they'd like. ...But they should be one of the next best conferences. It's always hard to say how good you're going to be before the season gets going. MSU and IU are set to betop ten teams but Michigan State had a close call against Missouri tonight so I can't say for sure.</p>

Ohio State could be a top 15 team or so with all the new talent they brought in, but at the same time, those young guys just might not take off this year. However this year plays out though, the conference is headed in a great direction with the talent IU, MSU, and OSU are raking in year after year, with Wisconsin always up there in the standings with them, with Painter building up Purdue into a force, three good new coaches including Tubby, and so on. This year though is up in the air.</p>

 

Big Big Big game tonight.</p>

 

Yeah, not just MSU vs. UCLA but also there's Illinois vs. Duke tonight.</p>

And tomorrow Ohio State vs. Syracuse.</p>

 

MSU/UCLA should be a good game, but I'm not overly optimistic about our chances. We've got quite a few injuries and just came off of a game last night against Maryland. Fatigue should set in. Kevin Love's looked real impressive so far, but this team need Collison badly.</p>

 

UCLA should beat Michigan St. pretty easily IMO. UCLA is just head over heels over everyone but UNC, Georgetown, and Tennessee IMO, which isn't good news for the Pac-10. Michigan St. can keep it close with their guard play though if they can wear out the healthy UCLA guards, not sure that's going to happen though.</p>

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I think UCLA should beat MSU as well, but it isnt going to be easy with Collison out. He would give Walton and Neitzel fits, so Westbrook is going to have to play a good game on D and keep the offense flowing. Love should dominate again and I think Shipp has a big game.</p>

As far as the Big-10, I dont really like them, at least so far. MSU and IU are clearly the head of the class. I really think Illinois and Purdue are the next two followed closely by a young OSU team and Wisconsin.</p>

 

MSU starting out pretty good over UCLA, but there's a whole lotta whistles in this game.</p>

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Fast Luck)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>

MSU starting out pretty good over UCLA, but there's a whole lotta whistles in this game.</p>

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No way, a lot of fouls for physical play in a neutral game between a Big 10 and non-Big 10 team?...</p>

I love Kevin Love's footwork. We all talk about God-given athletic ability and size with these incoming frosh, but when a kid shows an intimate understanding of the game early on, that's what gets me excited about a prospect. He's going to be a fantastic player.</p>

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Entertaining game MSU just played against UCLA, and the Bruins showed a lot of intangibles that championship teams have, coming from behind to take out the Spartans 68-63. In major foul trouble throughout (MSU gets screwed by the refs more than any team I can think of), Sparty led most of the game against a Darren Collison-less Bruin squad. Real impressed with Kevin Love, and Josh Shipp seems to be ready to assume the mantle of go-to guy for that team after Afflalo's departure. That's a helluva inside-out punch, Love and Shipp, and Collison running the show is going to make them near unbeatable this year. Shipp has improved at putting it on the floor, too.</p>

I know my fellow Badger fans would cringe at what I'm about to say, but I love the Spartans. I mean, honestly, is there a better-run, more consistentoverall hoops program in the country? Love Izzo, love Neitzel (there's simply noplayer in the game today I'd trust to take a big shotmore thanhim), loveTravis Waltonand am in awe of Durrell Summers. He's a freak. If he had signed with UNC or Arizona, people would be buzzing about his athleticism. If he refines his game, wow. He'sJason Richardson +1. They always seem to have a have dozen quality true guards, so you can't press them. They've got as many usefull bigs, if not more, than every other school in the country. There's quality and basketball IQ and grit up and down the line. It's obvious considering my leanings; MSU is a program you really can't help but root for.</p>

 

UCLA showed they were the better team, but I was impressed with how my Spartans played tonight none the less. That's not to say they all played well, because Nietzel, Suton, Lucas, and Morgan all played horribly, but it's that fact that gives me hope --- that they still competed with the #1 team in the nation, and almost won, despite poor showings from all four of their top players.

The weirdest stat of the night: Goran Suton - 0-0 FG. Michigan State simply has no inside presence. I was impressed with Kevin Love just like you guys, but at the same time, I'm not sure about the kid as an NBA prospect. He dominated guys like Raymar Morgan tonight, but in the pro's, Morgan is a two-guard. He's horribly out of place as a post player in State's current system.</p>

Indiana was a lot more impressive tonight. They started off slowly, but Eric Gordon is probably the best freshman I've seen so far. He's got a lot of star potential, just so long as he doesn't jump to the pro's early, because I can really see his height limiting him on the next level.</p>

If I had to predict the top five Big Ten teams this season, I'd have to say it'd be Indiana, Michigan State, Ohio State, Michigan, and Wisconsin in that order.</p>

BTW - Who's with me on an Ohio State over Syracuse upset tomorrow?</p>

 

Kevin Love is going to terrorize the NCAA this year. The kid is absolutely amazing on the block.</p>

I was impressed with MSU though, they played some very good defense in the first half and really took UCLA out of their offense. Granted Collison wasnt playing, but im not sure I have seen anyone comepletely shutdown UCLA for 8 minutes at a time in a few years.</p>

 

Ohio State looked good against Syracuse today!</p>

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Fast Luck)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>

Ohio State looked good against Syracuse today!</p>

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Yeah, Ohio State looked very impressive. I was especially impressed with Koufos' defense. The boxscore says he only blocked two shots, but it seemed like he deterred a lot more than that.I was expecting him to be a perimeter-hanging Euro with no D, so I was really surprised when he turned out to have a very developed, complete game. That one runner he hit was especially impressive; as the announcer said, it was Ginobili-esque.

Ohio State just didn't seem like a team full of freshmen. I guess that's a sign of the age of college basketball we're witnessing though. With all of the experience these players have in the limelight, they're not as intimidated by the collegiate atmosphere as freshmen of the past would be. Diebler seemed especially confident. I know he only wound up shooting 2-8, but if I were Thad Matta, I would have felt comfortable having him take twice as many looks. He's got the form and the confidence of a Steve Smith.</p>

There were some positives to Syracuse'seffort too though. Devendorf looked like much more of a playmaker and distributer in the first half than seasons past, but then again, he fell apart a bit towards the end. Donte Greene also had his second straight, although he shot selection was questionable at times.

Where is Jonny Flynn? Ever since his breakout performance in game one (albeit against a group of scrubs in Siena), he's been missing in action. This is the first I've seen the kid, but I'm very unimpressed. He was justpathetic last night in all aspects of the game.</p>

All in all, Syracuse just didn't seem like a top twenty-five team but Ohio State did.</p>

 

OSU doesn't look like a top 25 team now! Boy, they got wrecked by A&M in the second half.</p>

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Fast Luck)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>

OSU doesn't look like a top 25 team now! Boy, they got wrecked by A&M in the second half.</p>

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I missed the game, but looking at the highlights, itseemed pretty ugly.

I guess that'll happen to a young team from time to time. They'll look great one night then fall apart the next. They'll probably start being more consistent and meshing betteraround conference action(right when MSU has to face 'em).</p>