B1G/NCAA basketball

[iam416]

If there are 2 B10 #1 seeds and 2 B10 #2 seeds it gets much easier. Those 4 will be in different regions.

[froot loops]

Great win for the the Spartans after that Harbaugh vs OSU performance in Ann Arbor.

[iam416]

I think Sparty is back to being off bubble.

[Hannibal]

Pretty much. We had a chance to knock them out of the tourney yesterday and we blew it.

[iam416]

They're a tournament team. There really aren't many teams that are going to beat Illinois, OSU and M in two weeks.

[AlabamAlum]

The B1G is easily the best basketball conference this year. No one is close. As such, borderline teams like MichState will get a bid - and they should. You play in the toughest conference, you get the benefit of the doubt.

[iam416]

Covid is making it harder. I think an extended non-conference would have only helped the B10. I think they probably get 10 or 11 with a full non-conference. As it is, the NCAA isn't putting in anyone with a losing record, so tough shit for IU and Penn State. Although, for IU, if they beat FSU instead of losing by 2 in OT, then they're at least on the bubble. Penn State should probably get credit for housing Va Tech, which, I assume is a tournament lock, but they're 10-13 instead of something like 18-13 or 17-14.

So, anyway, 9 bids is indicative of a strong league but probably not as reflective of good it actually it is.

[AlabamAlum]

I’ve seen Penn State play. They are not good. At all. Them not being seems legit.

[Hannibal]

They're a tournament team. There really aren't many teams that are going to beat Illinois, OSU and M in two weeks.

You are right, but if we had beaten them, they would have been four games below .500 in conference play and I don't think that they would be in. But we blew it. Another shitty moment to remember for UM's revenue sports. It wouldn't shock me if they beat Maryland and then beat us again on Friday.

[iam416]

Looking at the B10 brackets (https://bigten.org/documents/2021/3/...et.pdf?id=6983), M should probably cruise into the Final. Ohio State, I hope, can beat the nFw-Goofer winner. Unfortunately, Purdue always gives Ohio State fits, so I'm not liking their chances in that one. If they do win, then they get M and then Illinois or Iowa. LOL.

I have a hard time seeing anyone other than Illinois-M in the final.

[Hannibal]

If we play MSU on Friday, we'll lose.

I know how these shitty movies end.

[iam416]

You are right, but if we had beaten them, they would have been four games below .500 in conference play and I don't think that they would be in. But we blew it. Another shitty moment to remember for UM's revenue sports. It wouldn't shock me if they beat Maryland and then beat us again on Friday.

I think the B10 was/is getting 9 at a minimum. I think Sparty was in the 9th spot regardless of yesterday and has now cemented it. If they had lost yesterday then they would have needed to get that 1 win at the BTT

AA:

Penn State isn't bad. They're probably a 14-6 team in the SEC. They're actually painfully close to something like 13-10 instead of 10-13 -- they've probably had 7 or so really close games and they've lost all of them except 1.

[Hannibal]

You could be right, but has a team with a .400 winning percentage in conference play ever made the tourney?

I guess we'll never know if MSU would have gotten in. The scenario didn't play out. They are in for sure.

[Mike]

If we play MSU on Friday, we'll lose.

I know how these shitty movies end.

Unfortunately, I feel the same way.

[iam416]

They're playing much better. Henry has become a guy they can count on to score (he sort of saved their ass against Ohio State). And they have a couple other players who can score. And, generally, they aren't shooting like blind toddlers any more. They're still prone to horribe stretches of offense, but those are coming a lower rate than they were earlier in the season.

They're a pain in the ass to play. I think they're pretty squarely in the group with Wisconsin, Maryland and Rutgers.