Didn’t know where to put this but Walton made the preseason all-Big Ten team. Also notable that there’s 3 badgers and 0 Spartans on the list.
Do freshmen ever make the list?
That’s probably the case but Im also surprised not to see Eron Harris with guys like Blackmon and Walton on the list.
Is that normal to release it as just a gif/video and not an actual list or article?
Compared to the top 25 list that we did with Inside the Hall, the differences were:
- We listed Edwards, Bridges, Anunoby in the top 10
- Big Ten team has Koenig, Walton and Blackmon instead.
We had ranked Walton 13th in our list, Koenig 12th and Blackmon 18th FWIW.
I’m sure it was close. Not surprised at all Blackmon is on there over him given his offensive production (which is really all this is based on unless someone has massive media hype as a stud defender).
I expect both Bridges and Langford will be among the best 10 players in the conference this season.
Shocked he made it over Irvin. I think Irvin is our best player.
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That seems a little optimistic. Guys like Appling, Payne, Dawson, and Gary Harris came into Izzo’s program just as highly ranked as these two. None of them were top 10 players in the conference as freshmen.
Izzo’s really never been great at integrating freshmen and making them immediate stars. I’m not saying it can’t happen, just that his track record doesn’t suggest it will.
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I doubt that even Izzo will be able to hold Bridges back so much that he is not top 10 in our league.
Looks like the media that voted seemed to favor guys that were established. Miles and OG might have more raw potential than anyone else in the league and to draftniks, but neither player made the list.
No. I don’t see it.
I can see why Walton was selected. If you look at the conference in my opinion Walton is one of the top three (3) point guards is a senior with lots of experience and has faired well against the other points guards in the league. Irvin is not far off but has more competition at any position he plays.
Good point, although in Dawson, Payne and Appling’s case (you could argue for Deyonta Davis last year too) playing time was the only thing holding them back. None of them played more than 22 minutes a game their freshman years.
Izzo has repeatedly chosen to play less talented veterans over his freshman talents, the problem this year is there is no one on the roster holding Bridges back. The two guys most likely to do so (Marvin Clark and Javon Bess) transferred.
With Langford, I’d assume he could see those problems behind McQuaid/Eron Harris but if Bridges plays anything less than 30 MPG I’ll be shocked. And if he plays 30 MPG, I don’t see how he isn’t a top 10 player in the conference.
From his performance in camps/showcases, I just think Langford is a guy who is freakishly talented and ready to contribute from day one, even if he’s been somewhat overshadowed by Bridges. He’s not raw in the way that some of Izzo’s past recruits were. I suppose he’ll likely be behind Harris but not McQuaid.
It will also be interesting to see how many minutes Winston gets. He is so much better than Nairn who can’t shoot, and he’s not a threat to go pro, so I can’t think of any reason for Izzo to hold him back (but he probably will anyway).
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I can think of a reason–defense. Nairn is a terrible shooter. However, he’s very good defensively, and for once, he might be the only player on MSU who is. If Winston plays, they’ll often be playing 3 to 4 freshmen at the same time (Ward’s going to get a fair number of minutes at the 5), along with Harris, who left WVU without a lot of regret from Huggins precisely because he was not an especially enthusiastic defender.
Bridges will be a great defender, I think.
I have never seen Langford play. Is he bad at defense? I don’t think Winston will defend well but it seems like his defense will not be as bad as Nairne’s offense. MSU is a weird team this year. I have a feeling they will not meet expectations…
When it comes down to Izzo vs his inexperienced roster, I have to give the edge to Izzo, until proven otherwise. The biggest worry with freshman is always the transition to playing defense against collegiate athletes, but Izzo is one of the best defensive coaches in the country.
But I also think they wont be a top 10 team, in terms of qaulity, at least to start the season. I’m very interested to see how Izzo handles a roster unlike one he’s had before.
Well, Payne was out of shape, not that good offensively, and a terrible defender as a freshman.
The thing is with Izzo, defense comes first and foremost. If you can’t guard at a high level, he generally doesn’t care if you’re an elite scorer. And that’s why he doesn’t generally play highly touted freshmen as much as some other coaches do. That goes back to guys like Jason Richardson, Zach Randolph, Marcus Taylor, Kelvin Torbert, Shannon Brown, etc., etc.
Now, coaches do evolve, and the fact that Langford and Bridges are potential one and done guys mitigates against working them in slowly, but he did that with Gary Harris and got him back for a second year.
Again, it could happen, but at MSU it generally doesn’t.
Why is it unlike his prior rosters? The guy has absolutely had plenty of elite recruiting classes before this one.