Before conference season gets too far underway, go ahead and post up your predictions so you can look back at the end of the year and marvel at how much foresight you had. Here are mine - Standings (based on conference record): 1) Michigan State - Drew Neitzel's play is really disappointing me so far, but Raymar Morgan has really taken his game to another level (31/10 against Minnesota? Are you kidding me!?!), and Kalin Lucas is my new favorite Spartan (17.3/3.0/6.0 off the bench in the last three games). 2) Wisconsin - Forget the talent or experience - they only play Michigan State once, and it's at the Kohl Center! The Big Ten scheduling Gods smiled on Wisky this year, and believe it or not, Brian Butch isn't the laughing stock of the league anymore. 3) Indiana - They probably have the most talented roster in the Big Ten, but their roster is too young for me to see them finishing at the top this season. Experience is undervalued in today's game, and it'll be a huge factor in how the Hoosiers play down the stretch. 4) Ohio State - What an underrated team; all three of their losses on the year were to top 15 opponents. With Koufos, Diebler, and Turner getting the burn they're getting, they're also one of the younger teams, but the Big Ten really only goes four deep this season. They'll stumble against the big dogs but shouldn't have a problem with the rest of the conference. 5) Minnesota - The Gophers may seem like a paper tiger with their inflated record and soft non-conference schedule, but the way they played against Michigan State, not giving up until the final buzzer, convinced me that this team has a realistic shot at the tournaemnt. Tubby's one of the top coaches in the NCAA, and he's got a talented enough roster to run a ten man rotation. Not too many coaches can boast that. It also doesn't hurt that they have not one, but two legitimate post presences. 6) Purdue - They looked great against Clemson but have been inconsistent since, a product of their youth. Their six main offensive weapons are all underclassmen - four of them freshmen, two of them sophomores. In conference play, that's a recipe for disaster. Looking strictly on a talent level though, this team's one of the better teams in the league. It's not hard for me to see them stealing a win from one of the conference's top three squads. 7) Illinois - They've really struggled as of late, but at the end of the day, they have a lot more talent and experience than their record indicates. The real X-Factor is the play of Brian Randle. He's one of the top defenders in the Big Ten, but his aggressiveness often gets him into foul trouble. When he's on the floor, I'm confident that this team can go toe to toe with the Michigan State's and Wisconsin's of the Big Ten, but they just don't have enough depth to compete with him on the sidelines, especially with Trent Meacham's streaky shooting. 8) Penn State - They looked decent in non-conference play, knocking off Seton Hall, and they have a lot more depth than last season's squad, but Talor Battle is the deal breaker for me. I'm really not a fan of his play. He's undersized, a streaky shooter, turnover prone, inexperienced, and seems to force it too much offensively. With Battle running the show, I can see this team getting run over by all of the league's upper echelon teams, and then some. 9) Michigan - The Wolverines aren't really as bad as their 4-10 record indicates. Some of their losses have been real head-scratchers, but most of their losses are understandable: at Georgetown, at Butler, Boston College, at Duke, UCLA, Wisconsin, etc. They're in a transition year in every sense of the word, but if they play as cohesively as they did for most of the UCLA game, they'll avoid being in the Big Ten's basement this season. 10) Iowa - It's been a disastrous season for the Hawkeyes so far, and it probably won't get much better from here. I was expecting more from their upperclassmen like Cyrus Tate and Kurt Looby this season, especially with Freeman out. Without their contributions though, they Hawkeyes are essentially a two man team this season. 11) Northwestern - I never understood how a school right outside a major city like Chicago that has an outstanding academic reputation (ironically, including their sports journalism programs) can be so consistently bad at basketball. I don't remember one year since I've been following college basketball that they've been a threatening team. In fact, they haven't been to the NIT since '99, and they've NEVER been to the NCAA tournament. What a joke. Teams in the tournament - Michigan State, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio State, Minnesota Teams in the NIT - Purdue, Illinois, Penn State <u>All Big Ten First Team </u> G - Jamar Butler (Ohio State) G - Eric Gordon (Indiana) F - Raymar Morgan (Michigan State) F - D.J. White (Indiana) C - Brian Butch (Wisconsin) <u>All Big Ten Second Team</u> G - Drew Neitzel (Michigan State) G - Manny Harris (Michigan) F - Geary Claxton (Penn State) F - Dan Coleman (Minnesota) C - Kosta Koufos (Ohio State) <u>All Big Ten Third Team</u> G - Trevon Hughes (Wisconsin) G - Justin Johnson (Iowa) F - Brian Randle (Illinois) F - Goran Suton (Michigan State) C - Shaun Pruitt (Illinois) Player of the Year - Raymar Morgan (Michigan State) Freshman of the Year - Eric Gordon (Indiana) Coach of the Year - Tubby Smith (Minnesota)
In my eyes, MSU is really head and shoulders above everyone else in the Big Ten. Those predictions are pretty much the exact same as what i would have, except i think Neitzel will heat up during the season, and (hopefully) join Raymar Morgan on the Big Ten First team.
I really like what I see whenever I play Michigan St. Their experience will bring them places in the tournament this year. Purdue is going to be scary next year and the year after. And look for Minnesota to improve with a very highly regarded class coming in next year.
I dont want to put this on record... 1 IU- I think that Gordon is the real deal 2 MSU- Im eather going to be bald, have a heart attack or my liver will quit on me before the end of the season 8 Other teams 11- Michigan
