Just looked at the schedule didn't realize we were heading into this stretch. I hate the 2 early big 10 games, makes no sense. Geronimo, will he get booed on his return or does no one really care?
Maryland Michigan Auburn Kansas
- Thread starter kurt cloverdales
- Start date
I'm with you on the early conference games. I also hate the conference tourney, and not just because we've always been terrible in it.
Conference tourney is only good for playing yourself into the NCAA's, like in 2022.. That said, it would be nice to win at least one someday.
The committee has stated multiple times the conference tournament is only for automatic bids. Very rare they use it for getting in but for final seeding. The only time it screws the system is if a team that wasn’t being considered wins the automatic bid from a power 5 conference.
About to get a lot harder with 36 teams in the B1G.
The committee says that...but its horse crap, and everyone knows it.
It gives teams a chance to boost their resume, or to make their resume worse. The committee might technically just view the conference tourney games as normal games...but the fact is they wouldn't exist if there weren't conf tournament games.
I find it incredibly hard to believe IU would have made the tournament 2 years ago, if the selection came at the end of the regular season. As an example. The committee might have seen the Michigan and Illinois wins, just as 2 more quad 1 wins, and that pushed them over the edge. But they wouldn't have happened without the BTT.
Conversely, bubble teams that have bad opening round losses in their conference tournaments don't always miss the tournament...but its often enough that its hard to believe the 1st round loss wasn't a factor.
Without the tournament, conference season would be longer by at least 2 games for everyone.
Getting off to a 2-0 start in B10 play against two beatable teams would be a good start. I expect the Auburn game to have a pro IU crowd, so we should feel pretty comfortable in 3 of the 4 games, from a crowd standpoint. The IU crowd for KU should be electric and I could see the defense show up like the UNC home game.
At Mi is the wildcard in my mind, first true road game for a bunch of new faces, we could use x for that one.
In order of difficulty...my guesses anyway...
1. Auburn
2. Kansas
3. Michigan
4. Maryland
If X is out against Maryland, that makes that game all the more challenging, as someone is going to have to guard Young. And even with X, we've been horrible at containing other teams top perimeter players thus far.
I'm having a hard time seeing us playing well at Crisler, right now. They're probably around our caliber of a team right now, but again, beating a solid team in a true road environment, right now...tough to envision.
The environment for the Kansas game will buoy us, I'm sure. But the student section won't be there, so that'll take a little bit of the energy away, especially if we get down, or if there are lulls in the excitement in the game. They're such a well rounded team though, and with Dickinson and Adams, I'm not sure our primary strength will be an advantage. And their guards are more than a little better than ours.
Auburn has the length up front to bother our bigs. And their guards and wings are quite a lot better than ours. Kansas is a tougher overall opponent, but with that game likely being one of those electric Assembly Hall games...and this one being a neutral site game...I'll go with this one as the most difficult.
I could easily see us going 0-4...I think 1-3 is what I'd predict...2-2 would be a great sign I think...anything better than that would be amazing, and shocking.
yeah and probably have to move the tourney to Denver every few yrs. Truly will be a coast-to-coast conference.
Haven't heard Walton say much about this lately. I know this was a jagged pill for him when first announced. He wrote a 'stop/reverse action' plea to the UCLA president...begging not to destroy his "Pacific Coast Conference of Champions". Those are his words...and he hits the "of Champions" part with extra affect.
If we can get bill in the hall for a ucla game I would be in heaven. I feel for him tho, you know this kills him.
I can't see this lasting. You just can't operate non-football sports "coast-to-coast"
don't know if he would lower himself to do it. He's forever loyal to Wooden and always disliked RMK because of RMK calling out Wooden/UCLA for the cheaters they were at the time. This crap goes back 40+ yrs.
The players are all getting paid now. This is what the pros do, and for a longer season.
IU is at home against Maryland ... and they have Geronimo. Seems like a W to me.
It's not those words he's hitting; it's his bong.
You should try it. Much better than a miller lite!
Wooden/UCLA were the original kings of cheating. I can never give Wooden his proper credit because of the cheating. I enjoyed Knight kicking their asses even more than Kentucky.
Or they do like the pros --- have west/east coast or mid-west swings?
Bring the tutors/academic advisors along for the trip.
Do classes/homework remotely. (You have to maintain the illusion that they are still students/athletes more for the NCAA's sake.)
It's barely Dec.
IMO 'must' wins are in Feb or March -- unless you have an escalation system: Must, Critical and Do or Die (DoD) wins?
Then I agree.
I am going for 2-2.
It's clear that the team hasn't gelled or hasn't learned to play together yet.
It is improving... but whether we have reached the tipping point I don't know. But there are signs of improvement.
Kansas with a 1-point lead 4 minutes to go against eastern Illinois, kid from silver creek leading eastern in scoring.
