Big Ten Basketball 2020-21 Discussion (Part 2)

to me it looks elite in the defensive backcourt and mediocre everywhere else. their wing options are notably unathletic IMO.

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I agree - not necessarily a title contender, but feels like a top-half of the conference team. They have three guards who can play at this level and Curbelo could be due for a jump in performance. I think they are a high floor team.

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yeah I think top-7 is safe because the B1G is taking a step back.

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Iā€™ve been the anti-Purdue guy on this board for the past year. So this conversation suits me well. Itā€™s obvious why people are high on them, but itā€™s also extremely hard for me to see a Trevion Williams focused team be top 10 in the country. Will Painter build a team that allows him to be a complementary piece in the middle? If so, give me their stock. If heā€™s the center of their team, Iā€™ll stick with them as a 15-20ā€™s type team who falls in the 2nd round.

Purdue also has a couple of top 50 recruits coming in

Actually, one guy from what I see.

And the fringe dude is the same position. If everyone on the team makes a leap I buy top 10 Purdue. I just didnā€™t see that as something to be confident in when watching this past season. Several of the freshmen felt like guys who were already pretty dang close to their ceiling. If Iā€™m wrong, Iā€™m wrong. But Iā€™ll also buy 5 UMHoops subscriptions for people if Purdue is a 1 or 2 seed.

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I donā€™t think Purdue has to be a top 10 level team in order to finish top three in the conference.

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So much Trevion slander on here. Ivey has some real upside. They need some shooters but I could see them having a good season.

I find it interesting that Kaufman and Furst are Purdueā€™s best collection of incoming talent since the 2007 class (Etwaun Moore, JaJuan Johnson, Robbie Hummel, Scott Martin (who left)) - Kaufman is their best recruit in school history (rankings era) outside Caleb Swanigan and Moore.

The two are good enough recruits (both top 55) but it sort of underscores how Painter is getting it done with under the radar players.

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Since I started some of the Purdue negativity let me clarify. I do think they are going to be a good team, I think they will be top four in the conference, and I think they have a chance at contending for the B10 title. However, I was pointing out that the hype they built off of the end of last season was a bit of a mirage and that preseason top ten seems very optimistic. They need Ivey to take another step up, Williams to return, Stafanovic to remember how to shoot, and the freshmen to contribute. I like themā€¦donā€™t love them.

I am also not ready to bury Illinois yet. I think they are in the second tier of the conference but ahead of most teams.

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sort of reminds me of the 2010-2011 darius morris um team

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One of Purdueā€™s long standing issues seems to be always having two centers among their four best players.

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It feels like Purdue didnā€™t get nearly enough flak for wetting the bed in the NCAA tournament this year. And for that reason alone, Iā€™m out.

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Purdue would seem a very safe bet to be a top 20 team. They return everyone of note and add some solid newcomers. Whether they can crack the top 10 is going to require at least 1 or 2 guys stepping up. I think they will. Ivey, Newman, and Gillis all looked pretty good as freshman and I expect them to each at least make incremental improvements. Losing Wheeler is addition by subtraction.

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It was one game and they lost in OT. We lost in the first round as a 4 seed in 2012 also. It didnā€™t affect us the next yearā€¦

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I agree with all of this and also could be accused of some Purdue hate earlier. Top 10 Purdueā€¦not buying it. But like @DLhoops saysā€¦top 20 Purdue yes.

Part of this is needing to recalibrate the B1G expectations. Last year a top 20 team was a mid tier B1G team. This year a top 20 team will probably get a BTT double bye.

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I have seen the comments about Illinois losing assistant coaches. I thought there was a chance they would lose Orlando and Chin to Kentucky, but I havenā€™t seen any discussion on here that they are losing three assistants! Is this true? From my reading of the Illinois boards tonight it sure seems as if itā€™s true.

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who is the third? is he also going to Kentucky?

edit: I see now, itā€™s Stephen Gentry to Gonzaga. Antigua and Coleman are confirmed to Kentucky. that is pretty rough for Illinois. I wonder if Underpants starts to think about that Kansas State escape clause

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sounds like Chester Frazier is at the top of the replacement wish list. He played at Illinois under Weber and is now an assistant at Virginia Tech

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https://www.news-gazette.com/sports/tate-mighty-forces-hold-sway-over-brad-underwoods-illini/article_a912d5c4-2898-5f25-a2da-6af08a200389.html

It seems like a long shot, but OSU sophomore E.J. Liddell and his Belleville family have engaged in serious discussions about him transferring to Illinois. As an All-Big Ten first-team selection by the leagueā€™s coaches, he is also weighing professional possibilities while keeping the door open at OSU.

Liddell sees himself as a forward in the NBA, and wants to perfect perimeter skills after being outsized by centers like Cockburn, Iowaā€™s Luka Garza, Michiganā€™s Hunter Dickinson and others. It is not clear whether OSUā€™s acquisition of Indianaā€™s 6-11 Joey Brunk will affect Liddellā€™s decision.

Lol, Joey Brunk.

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Where would I prefer him play, if this is really the case? Iā€™m not scared of this OSU team as itā€™s structured. Washington is a pain but weā€™re better than them. But for the long term, it would be nice to see Holtmann continue to spin his wheels.

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Just read that EJā€™s father shot down the rumors of him going to Illinois. With that said, I have to believe EJ and his family are looking hard at alternatives after what the OSU fanbase did to him following the tourney loss. Donā€™t blame him either.