You think? You may be right but I never saw it that way.
Getting hot and winning 3 or 4 games in a row seems more likely to happen then to go a 20 game stretch with a top record in conference play.
I would say the regular season title means much more; curious to hear what others say.
This feels like recency-bias for UM fans (not Sly in particular). The '14 BTT where State beat us really didnāt have me upset at all, because I took comfort that we were demonstrably the best team throughout the regular season.
Does Tillman still get 30 MPG when Ward comes back? Do you think Ward just comes off the bench in a limited role when he returns? His strengths and Tillmanās strengths are different and MSU needs to play differently to highlight each guyās strength. I just donāt think it will be a completely smooth transition. This is a different team than it was when Ward first was injured. Tillman needs as many minutes as he can handle. Ward eats into that. I also donāt think Ward will be thrilled if he gets Kithier type minutes.
Izzo is still the guy that benched JJJ so he could play Ben Carter in the NCAA Tournament, so Iām not banking on Tillman getting the same minutes if Ward is available. He may well, but itās not a foregone conclusion.
Iām seeing Rutgers +2 against Nebraska and Illinois -2 against Illinois for tonightās first round games.
Am I taking crazy pills or do both of those lines seem like very good bets. Nebraska showed some life against Iowa, but I donāt know how Illinois doesnāt blow out Northwestern with Vic Law out.
Illinois -2 against Illinois seems like a tough line. On the one hand, you canāt lose that bet, but on the other hand you canāt win it either. Not a lot of upside there.
I like Illinois -2 for sure if Law is out. Iād probably pick Rutgers to win but not confident enough to bet it
Quite likely Tim Miles will be coaching his last game at Nebraska this evening.
I think you guys are making great points. If Izzo over-plays a healthy Ward instead of Tillman and if it results in being to MSUās detriment, then it is going to be 100% on Izzo. I am crossing my fingers Izzo hurts his teams chances in this way partially because even as big of a hater as I am, I must admit Izzo has done a very good job this year. He still has time to blow it though. We call him Mr. March for a reason 
And I think it might well cover MSU against Indiana, unfortunately.
Rutgers is favored against Nebraska using BartTorvikās H-Rank (adjusted effeciency in last 10 games). Illinois would also probably be a 4-5 point favorite using H-Rank.
So, give me Rutgers Moneyline and Illinois -2
To be fair to Nebraska, this is going to be the same team make-up that beat Iowa. That said, I canāt imagine being in a scenario where Johnny Trueblood is looking at 15-20 minutes of runtime in the first round of the BTT is what Tim Miles was hoping for at the start of the season.
Illinois was a bit of a darling for a couple weeks but has lost 5 of 6. Northwestern has some seniors who are staring at the end of their careers. Northwestern canāt score but does a good job of not turning the ball over. Is Law actually out? Iām not sure that Illinois is such a sure thing.
Here are my picksā¦ where did I go wrong?
Agree with all of theseā¦Except Iāll go with PSU making the final and losing to Wisconsin.
Dylan, why are you suddenly a Purdue believer after downplaying them all year? Or, are you no longer as high on Michigan?
I picked Michigan to beat Purdue?
In the final
Sorry, I misread it.