Well Purdue and Indiana appear at the top of the Big Ten Men's basketball standings, and they both play Michigan State at home this week. The similarities start to differ however in the direction of each program.
Purdue is the surprise team in the Big Ten, comprised of primarily freshmen and sophomores...no one had Matt Painter's team in the Top 4 teams in preseason. After playing excellent basketball last night and beating Michigan State, the have narrowed the field down to 3 for the Big Ten title. A welcome sight for Purdue fans who suffered a few years back!.
And now Indiana, one of the pre-season favorites in the Big Ten and a Top Ten pick nationally, may have to face up to the alleged shenanigans of it's Coach Kelvin Sampson. It appears as though the NCAA is charging them with some serious rule violations related to behavior Sampson was warned about yet continued to conduct himself in a questionable manner. Read the article for more details.
I don't like his methods, I didn't like the hire I think Indiana basketball is better than that. As a Michigan fan who has pained for years due to embarrassment and sanctions caused by our own scandal, I hope the Hoosiers deal with this swiftly and correctly to minimize long term damage
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| Posted by Art Nicholas at | | | |
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Ok, so Pryor is yet to decide and he could go to UM, OSU or PSU which if you believe the experts could change the balance of the Big Ten Races in 2009-2011. Oregon is in the mix and maybe LSU. Also Sam McGuffie who was a heralded UM recruit (see YouTube video below) at RB is nto signing yet, he might end up at Cal. This could be due to some other signees at UM.
The Rivals and Scout ratings for each team and links to the team announcements are on the website.
Quick comments on each team
Buckeyes...as expected strong class, another Top Ten with a chance to really hit the jackpot if they land Pryor
Michigan...rose from 13 to a Top Ten finish with some last minute switches. However this is a team without a QB
Illinois..Zook continues to land talent including WRs and a QB, 3 good classes now means they should have the talent to contend for the next several years.
Minnesota..wow never thought they would land in the Top 25! Let's see if this class rallies a dead fan base
Michigan State..loaded up on defense which is what they needed, the rebuilding process is well on its way
Indiana..this was a team on the rise, between early grad of star WR and this low rated class..the finger seems to be pointing back down
Northwestern..never a strong class along scored some of the better Chicago area talent on OL and other areas
Purdue...this mediocre performance is related to so so play on the field plus Tiller stepping down at the end of next year.
Iowa..a few years back they were in the Top 10 or 25...no longer..Ferentz may wish he took an NFL gig
Wisconsin..big delta between Scout and Rival. Badgers usually match or beat their signing day ratings..they get a lot out of their talent in other words
Penn State...very average class. Signing Pryor would change the landscape a lot. I have to believe JoePa's age and lack of successor is impacting the 'Lions.
Anyone have stats of how well these teams did in the years 2003,2004,2005?
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| Posted by Art Nicholas at | | | |
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Ok so Pryor sent a txt message to the AP saying he is not picking a school today when he does his press conference. The full article is here at MLIVE. Well he might need more time to visit Oregon, LSU and others. Frankly I know this is heresy as a Michigan fan but I might want him to go to a non Big Ten school.
Reason#1: Right now he is leaning toward Ohio State, which has a stockpile of talent, an experienced coach and of course UM's main rival.
Reason#2: He might stay close to home and pick Penn State, making them another team UM needs to worry about passing them up as they shift offensive styles and deal with no experienced playmakers on offense.
Reason#3: Drew Henson. If UM somehow gets him to come, I fear as though promises along the lines of what Carr did to get Hensen will come into play. At a school like Michigan you can't sacrifice the good of the team for one player period..the Henson fiasco was one I am sure Coach Carr regretted.
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| Posted by Art Nicholas at | | | |
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Ok today is the big day...it's about 9AM here in Chicago on a day where it's expected we will get 6 to 10 inches of snow...after a day of rain and sleet.
Scout.comhas the recruiting classes stacked like this: OSU #9, Michigan #11, Illinois #18, Minnesota #23 and Wisconsin #25. Rivals.com has it looking this way OSU #7, Michigan #13, Minnesota #16, Illinois #20.
The Pyror decision will obviously impact OSU, Michigan or Penn State...but the surprise is Minnesota. People knew Zook could recruit and were not surprised when he did well early at Illinois...but Brewster? This might cause the Gopher fans to gain a pulse!
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| Posted by Art Nicholas at | | | |
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Ok, so this issue started to get much more play in the media last year after word got out that Erin Andrews got verbally harrassed at an Iowa game. One might suggest if Ms. Andrews prefer not to be judged on her appearance vs her reporting skills and avoid cat calls from 19 year old males, she could change her wardrobe.
Personally I find her pretty knowledeable ..as knowledgable as many of the men who do similiar work and I find her pretty attractive. Not Jill Arrington attractive but attractive.
But a female friend of mine pointed out how it's become almost standard practice to have a female as the sideline reporter and she needs to be eye candy. The same can't be said for past/present male counterparts (sorry Jack Arute!).
Again my thoughts are, TV is a visual media and a qualified person who is more attractice from a less attractive one is more likely get the gig..whether it is sports, news or entertainment.
If this subject interests you or disgusts you, you'll either love or hate a sight that a reader sent me yesterday
www.sidelinehotties.com
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| Posted by Art Nicholas at | | | |
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Drunken rants against an opponent tend to come from those looking to match the success of the target. And we Michigan alums tend to feel we are above the fray minus the occassional swipe at our rivals when provoked.
Well, one UM grad chose to embarrassed herself and the rest of us with apparently a drunken rant during a roast of ESPN's Mike and Mike...more details below the photo... sidebar..Erin Andrews isn't a UM grad is she?
The Fox Sports story on this event which earned her a suspension from ESPN.
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| Posted by Art Nicholas at | | | |
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| I included the Penn State team among my review of the bottom dwellers of the Big Ten then realized they are 2-3 in the conference. While that won't get them the NCAAs, they have a chance of beating the 6 win mark making them a cut above the really bad teams.
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| Posted by Art Nicholas at | | | |
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There are several "races" during the Big Ten conference season; who will win the conference and who will qualify for the NCAAs. I am not prepared to predict a conference champion yet among Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan State but I can share why the "second race" is almost done.
This year, more so than in recent past it is pretty clear who will qualify for the tournament and who will not. This situation is caused by two factors; first most of the mid level teams feasted on weak non conference opponents, ensuring them enough wins to qualify for the tournament if they have over .500 conference records. Secondly there are more really bad teams this year making it easier for the decent teams to reach 10-8 this season.
Who is a Lock to make the tournament?
As stated earlier, the Big Three of Indiana, Michigan State and Wisconsin, along with Ohio State
Who Should also make the tournament?
Purdue is playing well and should end up 11-7 maybe even better
Who are the long shots?
Either Iowa or Minnesota might sneak in as the 6th team. Several things are working against both schools the most important being neither is great. Secondly, the conference has been weak for the past several years in the middle of the pack and thus won't get any special breaks from the Selection Committee. However, given the weak bottom of the conference, one of these teams probably Iowa could end up 10-8 and make it.
Which teams smell like ripe diapers this season?
The Big Ten has featured at least 2 clunkers every year...teams below 6 conference wins. Despite having 2 more conference games this season 3 teams for sure will fall under the 6 win line, Michigan, Penn State and Northwestern and there is an outside chance Illinois will fall to that level if they play like they did in the second half against Purdue.
More analysis as the season moves closer to the midpoint.....
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| Posted by Art Nicholas at | | | |
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My brother and I go around and around on this subject because I am a firm believer that winning the Big Ten Conference in football means a lot and not so much in basketball. He claims this is primarily due to the fact that as a Michigan fan, my team has tended to win it's share of football titles, and not won a basketball title in quite some time, even in the Fab Four days.
The merits of winning the football title are fairly obvious; you are assured of either the Rose Bowl or the BCS Championship game. You cannot win the National Championship without winning the title. And since the BCS Championship pairing includes subjectivity, if you win the Big Ten and say have 0 or 1 loss you have the right to say you deserved to be in the title game. Playing in the Rose Bowl is also one heck of a consolation prize if you don't make the big game.
Basketball...64 teams make the tournament every year. Any more 6 seed or above has a legitimate chance to win the Tournament. The Big Ten sends at least 5 schools to the tournament.
So what does winning the Big Ten regular season really mean? Does it guarantee a Number 1 seed in the tournament? No. Does it assure home court advantage in the early rounds? No. Does it prove you are the best ten in the conference? Maybe.
On this last point I stress two reasons that winning the regular season title may or may not prove you are the best team. College basketball is very much a home court advantage type of sport, even more so than college football (someone have the stats to disprove this please send them along). The way the conference schedule plays out, the top 3 teams may play each other only once, with the team having home court having a big advantage.
Let's say Michigan State gets to beat up Michigan, Penn State, Northwestern twice each this season but only has to play Indiana and Wisconsin once and they are home games for the Spartans. And let's say Indiana had to play Wisconsin twice and played one of the cupcakes only once. MSU finishes 16-2 and Indiana finishes 15-3..it is clear who should be the Big Ten champ?
Second point what do you do if one team wins the regular season title but loses in it's first conference tournament game while a close second place team wins the tournament. Using my theoretical season above, if Indiana was 15-3 and won the tournament while MSU lost its first tournament game....would it be obvious who is the best team in the Big Ten? Or would you wait to see how each of them did in the NCAAs to decide.
The change to an 18 game conference schedule improves the value of the Big Ten regular season...when it was only 16 games, that meant you were playing 4 teams only once making my point above much more valid. However the combination of the conference tournament (waste of time) and the size of the NCAA Tournament dilute the regular season.
So what is my preference for viewing my team's success in basketball?
1. National Championship
2. Final Four
3. Elite Eight
4. Regular Season conference champ
5. Sweet 16
6. Big Ten Tournament champ
7. Making the NCAA
in that order...
Of course given the state of Michigan basketball it will be a few years before any of the above are a reality.
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| Posted by Art Nicholas at | | | |
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How can I can say this succiently..this season was a BUST for the conference. Yes my view is tainted by the fact I am a Michigan fan although the Wolverines ended on an up note by beating the Gators.
In addition to losing my bet, the SEC finished 6-2 and the Big Ten finished a lame 3-5. The Buckeyes punked out in the National Championship game and Illinois showed they are not quite at BCS level yet with a Rose Bowl trashing by USC.
If you want a positive spin, read the Big Ten Conference summary http://bigten.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/011108aab.html.
Next Football entry will be after Signing Day February 6, 2008. This year we will cover the Big Ten Basketball season.
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| Posted by Art Nicholas at | | | |
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