Big Ten Basketball 2020-21 Discussion (Part 2)

It’s 80% a ruse. I think they’re more likely a sweet 16 or elite 8 type team.

Also now that they’ve clinched a better conference record than Wisconsin I can officially stop stanning for them.

I just want @umhoops to admit their defense isn’t as putrid as everyone thinks anymore.

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They HAVE played pretty darn good D lately!

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Their defense is effective when the other team misses threes. It definitely isn’t good, though.

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Well they’re officially in the top half of the conference in defensive efficiency in conference play. If I claimed that would happen pre-season I think you and everyone else here would have banned me from the forums.

One early NCAA Tournament pick: Ohio State to lose in the first weekend.

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Bold. I will disagree.

Richard Pitino out at Minnesota. He’ll coach the remainder of the season.

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Tough break, right as they were about to land Chet Holmgren

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Dickie V was just tweeting about programs should be patient with coaches this year. I imagine this is what he was talking about

That’s a tricky one. They’ve certainly been tanking but injuries have done them no favors. Though I suppose you could argue that even a shorthanded Minny should beat Northwestern and Nebraska.

I think the pandemic saved his job last year and I don’t think they were willing to wait another one.

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Unless Washington plays like he does against us.

Holtmann hasn’t been a great tourney coach so far. I could buy that.

they are technically 7th in raw defensive efficiency in conference play. Per T-rank, though, their adjusted D in conference play is 10th because they have played fewer games against the best offenses. I mean they couldn’t play vs their own #1 offense, 2 games vs #2 OSU, 1 game vs #3 UM, 1 game vs #4 Illinois, and 1 game vs #5 Purdue.

Relatively very easy slate for a defense to face in conference play this year.

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Man, Tuesday is gonna be a huge day for the B10.

Illinois - Michigan fighting for the conference title
Indiana - MSU in what is pretty much a tournament play-in.
Wisconsin - Purdue fighting for the 4 seed

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Vitale coming to the defense of a Pitino? Next thing Tuesdays will start falling on the day after Mondays.

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Unseld didn’t play in the 90s.

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I don’t think Wisconsin can get the 4 seed. Even if they win out, they’re gonna be 12-8, with Michigan and Illinois ahead no matter what. The 3 teams currently ahead of them are OSU, Iowa and Purdue. If Wisconsin were to win out, and those 3 teams all were to lose out, OSU and Iowa would be at 12-8 with Purdue at 11-8. That would put Wisconsin, OSU and Iowa in a 3 way tie, but Wisconsin is 0-1 against OSU and 1-1 against Iowa would have them lose the tiebreaker (OSU would be 2-1 against the other 2 and Iowa would be 2-2). So best Wisconsin can do is the 5 seed.

This game is big for Purdue (and Michigan too) though. Purdue is 11-6 with 2 games left while OSU is 12-7 with one game left, and Purdue’s currently in 4th place in the conference. If Purdue either wins out or wins one while OSU loses to Illinois, they’ll take the 4 seed (assuming Iowa beats Nebraska). That would most likely end up in a Purdue-OSU 4-5 matchup with OSU as the 5, and a matchup where OSU has already lost to Purdue twice. That leaves good odds of a Michigan-Purdue semi-final in the BTT, which is probably our ideal matchup.

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Yeah, I knew him as a coach (of the Bullets) but his playing days were before my time.

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