Big Ten Mid-Terms
Super Bowl, Schoomper Bowl.
Although it was nice to see Detroit so vibrant and it was fun hanging out with Jacob (sorry I didn’t call earlier and sorry about the plumbing), Nicole, Emily, Chris, DJ and Jeni at the worst, coldest and most expensive bar ever, it’s February and getting to the prime of college basketball season.
The teams in the Big Ten reached the halfway mark of their conference schedule and games are getting tighter and tighter. Wisconsin has lost three straight and maybe their chance at a conference title. Penn State pulled off an amazing upset last night snapping the Illini’s 33 game home winning streak. And the once cool Hawkeyes now look like a legitimate title contender.
Here are my mid-term reports on the deep and talented Big Ten Conference.
1. Iowa – the Hawkeyes look real good and have a somewhat favorable schedule leading into their last seven conference games. They get MSU at home and revenge will certainly be factor as the Spartans smashed Iowa earlier this year. The Hawkeyes close with two games at home. At 7-2, they are the favorites to close out this year with the Big Ten title.
2. Illinois – oh the Illini let a sixteen-point lead evaporate to a scrappy Penn State team. This loss exposed Illinois for what they are, a defensive oriented team that struggles to score consistently. That’s good for eight to ten wins in the Big Ten, but it won’t get you a championship. At 6-3, Illinois closes out with three of their last four on the road, including a trip to Ann Arbor and East Lansing. The Illini will get ten wins, but that’s it.
3. Michigan – the most dangerous team in the Big Ten. They play pressure defense and feel like they do not get any respect. They pulled off a solid win, with the help of three officials, against Michigan State and then blew out Wisconsin. Those are the Wolverines two big wins. They have a make-it or break-it game against the Illini at home and close with two straight home games. U of M is 6-3; expect them to get to twelve wins and a high seed in the NCAA Tournament.
4. Indiana – the favorite team in the coaches/ESPN Top 25 poll. How the Hoosiers could stay at number eleven for so long baffles me. Indiana is banged-up…again. And again, Mike Davis will be able to save his job by stating the injury bug story. The Hoosiers have four of their last six on the road, including a rematch with the Wolverines. In the first meeting Indiana won by seven, thanks to 16/25 to 4/5 advantage at the free throw line. The Hoosiers will get to ten wins, but won’t get a title this year.
5. Ohio State – Thad always seems to have his teams playing the best at the end of the year. At Xavier he knocked off un-defeated St. Joe’s at the end of the season. Last year his Buckeyes handed Illinois their only regular season loss. Unfortunately, they won’t be able to knock-off an undefeated team this year. The Buckeyes will face U of M twice and MSU at the Breslin Student Event Center. They will play Illinois at home and Wisconsin on the road. OSU is a good team, but the second half of the Big Ten will be difficult. I like them to go 5-3 in their last eight and get ten wins in the Big Ten.
6. Wisconsin – Rick Majerus believed the Big Ten championship would go through Madison this year. As he was saying that Wisconsin lost to North Dakota State University. Since that loss Wisconsin is 1-3 and have lost six of seven. Bo Ryan is a good coach, but his team is not very good, especially when they have to leave the Kohl Center. Wisconsin is 1-5 on the road this year. That’s right out of 22 games, the Badgers have only had to travel six times. Their remaining Big Ten schedule is brutal with three of their last four on the road as they travel to Iowa City and East Lansing. The Badgers will continue to slide and go 3-4 in their last seven to end at 8-8.
7. Michigan State – the most confusing team in the Big Ten. One game they are up, the next they are down. Shannon Brown has emerged as a prime-time player, but Maurice Ager continues to struggle with consistency. However, unlike Wisconsin, who has only played six road games, the Spartans have only played nine of their 22 games at the Breslin Center (they played “home” games at Van Andel in Grand Rapids and the Palace of Auburn Hills). The Spartans will close out the season at home against Wisconsin and Illinois. They will get U of M at home. However, they still have to go to Iowa City and Bloomington. If MSU wants a Big Ten title they must win out at home and win at Iowa. State will get either eleven to thirteen wins in the Big Ten; most likely twelve.
Purdue, Northwestern, Penn State and Minnesota are a combined 9-27 and do not warrant any discussion. Sure Purdue beat Wisconsin and Penn State had a huge upset over Illinois. Outside of that, these teams just aren’t able to compete for a title this year.
So here’s how the Big Ten will end the 2005-2006 regular season.
1. Iowa: 12-4
2. MSU: 12-4
3. U of M: 12-4
4. Illinois 10-6
5. Indiana 10-6
6. OSU 10-6
7. Wisconsin 8-8
Although it was nice to see Detroit so vibrant and it was fun hanging out with Jacob (sorry I didn’t call earlier and sorry about the plumbing), Nicole, Emily, Chris, DJ and Jeni at the worst, coldest and most expensive bar ever, it’s February and getting to the prime of college basketball season.
The teams in the Big Ten reached the halfway mark of their conference schedule and games are getting tighter and tighter. Wisconsin has lost three straight and maybe their chance at a conference title. Penn State pulled off an amazing upset last night snapping the Illini’s 33 game home winning streak. And the once cool Hawkeyes now look like a legitimate title contender.
Here are my mid-term reports on the deep and talented Big Ten Conference.
1. Iowa – the Hawkeyes look real good and have a somewhat favorable schedule leading into their last seven conference games. They get MSU at home and revenge will certainly be factor as the Spartans smashed Iowa earlier this year. The Hawkeyes close with two games at home. At 7-2, they are the favorites to close out this year with the Big Ten title.
2. Illinois – oh the Illini let a sixteen-point lead evaporate to a scrappy Penn State team. This loss exposed Illinois for what they are, a defensive oriented team that struggles to score consistently. That’s good for eight to ten wins in the Big Ten, but it won’t get you a championship. At 6-3, Illinois closes out with three of their last four on the road, including a trip to Ann Arbor and East Lansing. The Illini will get ten wins, but that’s it.
3. Michigan – the most dangerous team in the Big Ten. They play pressure defense and feel like they do not get any respect. They pulled off a solid win, with the help of three officials, against Michigan State and then blew out Wisconsin. Those are the Wolverines two big wins. They have a make-it or break-it game against the Illini at home and close with two straight home games. U of M is 6-3; expect them to get to twelve wins and a high seed in the NCAA Tournament.
4. Indiana – the favorite team in the coaches/ESPN Top 25 poll. How the Hoosiers could stay at number eleven for so long baffles me. Indiana is banged-up…again. And again, Mike Davis will be able to save his job by stating the injury bug story. The Hoosiers have four of their last six on the road, including a rematch with the Wolverines. In the first meeting Indiana won by seven, thanks to 16/25 to 4/5 advantage at the free throw line. The Hoosiers will get to ten wins, but won’t get a title this year.
5. Ohio State – Thad always seems to have his teams playing the best at the end of the year. At Xavier he knocked off un-defeated St. Joe’s at the end of the season. Last year his Buckeyes handed Illinois their only regular season loss. Unfortunately, they won’t be able to knock-off an undefeated team this year. The Buckeyes will face U of M twice and MSU at the Breslin Student Event Center. They will play Illinois at home and Wisconsin on the road. OSU is a good team, but the second half of the Big Ten will be difficult. I like them to go 5-3 in their last eight and get ten wins in the Big Ten.
6. Wisconsin – Rick Majerus believed the Big Ten championship would go through Madison this year. As he was saying that Wisconsin lost to North Dakota State University. Since that loss Wisconsin is 1-3 and have lost six of seven. Bo Ryan is a good coach, but his team is not very good, especially when they have to leave the Kohl Center. Wisconsin is 1-5 on the road this year. That’s right out of 22 games, the Badgers have only had to travel six times. Their remaining Big Ten schedule is brutal with three of their last four on the road as they travel to Iowa City and East Lansing. The Badgers will continue to slide and go 3-4 in their last seven to end at 8-8.
7. Michigan State – the most confusing team in the Big Ten. One game they are up, the next they are down. Shannon Brown has emerged as a prime-time player, but Maurice Ager continues to struggle with consistency. However, unlike Wisconsin, who has only played six road games, the Spartans have only played nine of their 22 games at the Breslin Center (they played “home” games at Van Andel in Grand Rapids and the Palace of Auburn Hills). The Spartans will close out the season at home against Wisconsin and Illinois. They will get U of M at home. However, they still have to go to Iowa City and Bloomington. If MSU wants a Big Ten title they must win out at home and win at Iowa. State will get either eleven to thirteen wins in the Big Ten; most likely twelve.
Purdue, Northwestern, Penn State and Minnesota are a combined 9-27 and do not warrant any discussion. Sure Purdue beat Wisconsin and Penn State had a huge upset over Illinois. Outside of that, these teams just aren’t able to compete for a title this year.
So here’s how the Big Ten will end the 2005-2006 regular season.
1. Iowa: 12-4
2. MSU: 12-4
3. U of M: 12-4
4. Illinois 10-6
5. Indiana 10-6
6. OSU 10-6
7. Wisconsin 8-8
posted by az at 5:30 PM
4 Comments:
i bleed green. not b/c i'm a state fan, but mostly b/c i have a hemoglobinopathy...not really, but anyhoo...
is that really their fight song? it almost sounds like someone is admonishing them. indiana, oh indiana whereforeout thee, indiana.
if dj white were healthy. yikes. scary team. but no-eyebrows killingsworth can't carry the team alone. i like mike davis, but he hasn't put together a team that competed all season. two years ago his team started hot and then took a nose dive. last year they started real hot, then forgot how to play, then remembered again, then bitched about not getting into the ncaa tournament and then got blown out in the nit. this year's team kinda has that up and down quality (similar to the last five spartan teams) and part of me wonders if it has something to do with mike davis going from high to low in less than a second.
anyhoo, i have to sleep. i love indiana's warm-ups.
Indiana sucks.
i should have said, if dj white was healthy. sorry
No, it is were. You were right. I U still sucks though.
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