Big Ten Basketball Thread (Includes Weekly Power Rankings!)

[BigRedLedbetter]

Nebraska is gonna get a beatdown when they come out east to College Park.

.

This year? Hmmm. We will see. We got a W in East Lansing last year. Who knows. I am super excited to be in a hoops conference with Maryland now though. I like Turgeon as a coach but I have heard the Terps fans are becoming impatient with him. He did a good job at Wichita and A&M so I hope they are patient with him.

[Lament]

I fully expect this to be Turgeon's last season if he can't get them into the big dance. I'll be blunt, he's done absolutely nothing to impress me since he took over. I'm very ready to see him go. I think he actually benefited a lot from being hired in the same off-season that the University hired Randy Edsall to take over the football program, and Edsall being much worse. That took a lot of heat off of him early on. But at this point the overwhelming opinion of the fanbase seems to be that it's time for him to go if they can't crack the tournament.

I expect this year's team to play well at home, but very poorly on the road. This is the most talented squad by far since Turgeon's arrival, but every team has overwhelmingly underachieved.

And I actually could see Nebraska crushing Maryland in College Park just as easily as I could see Maryland winning that game.

[BigRedLedbetter]

I fully expect this to be Turgeon's last season if he can't get them into the big dance. I'll be blunt, he's done absolutely nothing to impress me since he took over. I'm very ready to see him go. I think he actually benefited a lot from being hired in the same off-season that the University hired Randy Edsall to take over the football program, and Edsall being much worse. That took a lot of heat off of him early on. But at this point the overwhelming opinion of the fanbase seems to be that it's time for him to go if they can't crack the tournament.

I expect this year's team to play well at home, but very poorly on the road. This is the most talented squad by far since Turgeon's arrival, but every team has overwhelmingly underachieved.

And I actually could see Nebraska crushing Maryland in College Park just as easily as I could see Maryland winning that game.

I think Turgeon was a bit over his head in the ACC. The dude has potential but I'm not sure he has what it takes to battle the UNC's and Dukes of the world. I thought A&M was a great fit for him. I'm sure a school like Maryland would have zero problem finding a good replacement. Someone like Archie Miller, Tommy Amaker, Mitch Henderson, Shaka Smart and Josh Pastner would be a good fit. Smart and Pastner would cost a lot of money though.

I thought Edsall on paper was a good hire. He did a very good job at UConn. I think he will get eaten alive in the B1G this year. Yes they were decent last year but I could see them only winning 4 games this year. Which would probably mean Edsall gets fired. I'd love to see them get back to the Friedgen days for the benefit of the conference.

How'd you become a Maryland fan? I was pulling for their baseball team to make it to Omaha. One win away from doing so this past year.

[Lament]

I went to school there.

The baseball team's run was pretty exciting, especially when they won that first game against Virginia. Man, I can't begin to tell you how sweet it would have been to leave the ACC by going to the CWS at the expense of Virginia.

Sean Miller, Jay Wright, and Jamie Dixon were the guys most people wanted to replace Gary when he stepped down. People were surprised by the Turgeon hire, but he was welcomed with open arms and treated very fairly, especially during that rough first year. But people are getting really impatient with the inability to win close games, the embarrassing complaining to the media (especially after the Syracuse loss at home last year, when he complained about the officiating even though Maryland had 27 free throw attempts to Cuse's 6), and the way it seems like one out of every three players has transferred out under him. It's been a rough fall. While it's been more than a decade now since the back to back Final Fours and the National Championship, people forget that it was only 2010 when they won the ACC Regular Season title with Gary Williams & Greivis Vasquez winning ACC Coach & Player of the Year respectively. Between the Under Armour money, the new influx of cash from being in the Big Ten, and the direct pipeline to DC-area talent, they should be able to get someone far more savvy and ready to win now. I'd be thrilled if they hired someone like Josh Pastner.

Edsall is a guy I haven't been enthusiastic about from day one. His hiring was not met with enthusiasm at all. Friedgen didn't want to leave yet (he'd just won ACC Coach of the Year for a second time and engineered a HUGE turnaround after a disastrous 2-10 season), and most of the fan base didn't want him to leave either (it was a shock when the story started bubbling, cause most of us assumed at that point he'd have the job till he didn't want it anymore). So Edsall walked into a situation where he was trying to replace an alum who had turned the program completely around and was coming off an excellent season. People were skeptical, and he responded with a 2-10 and then 3-9 season. I could easily see them losing every single conference game this year. Beyond Stefon Diggs, there's not much to be excited about with that team.

In a weird way though, I think the move to the Big Ten

[BigRedLedbetter]

I went to school there.

The baseball team's run was pretty exciting, especially when they won that first game against Virginia. Man, I can't begin to tell you how sweet it would have been to leave the ACC by going to the CWS at the expense of Virginia.

Makes sense.

Oh I bet. I was pulling for them. I don't think it will take Jake Stinnett to make it to the majors if he stays healthy.

[Lament]

Do you prefer Nebraska being in the Big Ten?

[BigRedLedbetter]

Do you prefer Nebraska being in the Big Ten?

Football absolutely. Culture wise and recruiting I think it's the best fit. Everyone moaned that we'd lose out on recruiting Texas in football which hasn't been the case. We have recruited Texas very well since moving conference. That shit all depends on where your ast coaches have ties. I have a friend who is friends with the O line coach and he has said it's made recruiting easier as far as getting your foot in the door.

Basketball, for obvious reasons, it's been way better. Last year was the first time we made the dance in 16 years and we finished 4th in the conference. Beat Wisconsin and Michigan State and lost to Michigan by 1 (our only home loss of the year)....Our new arena helps but style of play wise I think Nebraska basketball at it's best fits better in the Big Ten instead of the Big 12. Every home game last year and this coming year is sold out. For someone like myself who has been to lots of Husker basketball games where about 6000 people were there last year as awesome and this season can't get here soon enough. I just hope we keep Tim Miles long term. Fantastic young coach and great ambassador for the program.

Baseball no way. We were very good at baseball from 1999-2008 (three CWS berths, 4 Super Regionals, 4 conference tourney championships, etc) and moving to the B1G isn't really conducive for baseball success. But I do have to give it to Darin Erstad (who is our coach now) he has done his damnedest to schedule good out of conference teams. Next season we have Texas, LSU, Cal State Fullerton, UC- Irvine, Arkansas and Fresno State on the schedule and we will be top 20 preseason so we will see how that works. Add Indiana (top 10 all year last year) and Maryland to that schedule as well who was one win from Omaha and maybe we can make some noise RPI wise.

Long winded answer done.........

[Lament]

That all makes sense. As an outsider, it definitely doesn't seem "weird" that Nebraska is in the Big Ten. They seem to fit in very well for the most part.

I'm still not sold on Maryland being a good fit.

[BigRedLedbetter]

That all makes sense. As an outsider, it definitely doesn't seem "weird" that Nebraska is in the Big Ten. They seem to fit in very well for the most part.

I'm still not sold on Maryland being a good fit.

Long term the Big Ten is a perfect fit for us. Maybe not right now but I think Pelini needs to go. We scream 7-5 in football this year. I read the other day we are 116th in the country in starts by returning offensive lineman. Add an inexperienced QB and not much at WR/TE after Kenny Bell and a questionable defense after Randy Gregory and we struggle at times this year. I think we can hire Scott Frost (OC at Oregon, former Husker QB) without spending a butt load of money and use that money to lock up Tim Miles. Bob Devaney (our football coach in the 60's and early 70s) pushed for us to get into the Big Ten when he was hired. Only thing I really miss about the Big 12 is playing Oklahoma and how good of a baseball conference it is. We weren't playing OU in football every year anymore anyway and baseball as much as it tugs at my heart strings isn't a money maker (though the baseball program made money from 2002-2006 which is unheard of) so I loved the move to the Big Ten. I also hate the Texas Longhorns will all that I am so I was happy to tell them to fuck off.


For Maryland I'm totally sold for hoops but everything else it's a head scratcher. Even if Turgeon doesn't work out it's the kind of school you hire the right coach and you are right there 2-3 years later. It brings the DC market and Rutgers brings the NY/NJ market which is what James Delany wanted. I would have rather had Louisville and Maryland. Notre Dame would have been sweet but that wasn't happening....sadly.

[Lament]

Yeah, I'm definitely gonna miss the rivalries. Knowing Duke & UNC were on the schedule every season for hoops was always exciting, and there has been nothing but pure loathing between Maryland and Duke for the past two decades. Plus, so much of the school's athletic identity was tied up into being a charter member of the ACC. It seems like the students there now are excited about it, but nearly everyone else is upset to some extent or other.

I mean, best case scenario is that the Big Ten eventually treats Maryland as Indiana University East; A school with a great basketball tradition, where hoops truly is king over football, but a joke on the gridiron every year. I do believe eventually Maryland will get back into the top echelon of college hoops like they were in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and the 00s, but I don't see them ever being more than a blip on the football radar as long as they're in the Big Ten.

[BigRedLedbetter]

Yeah, I'm definitely gonna miss the rivalries. Knowing Duke & UNC were on the schedule every season for hoops was always exciting, and there has been nothing but pure loathing between Maryland and Duke for the past two decades. Plus, so much of the school's athletic identity was tied up into being a charter member of the ACC. It seems like the students there now are excited about it, but nearly everyone else is upset to some extent or other.

I mean, best case scenario is that the Big Ten eventually treats Maryland as Indiana University East; A school with a great basketball tradition, where hoops truly is king over football, but a joke on the gridiron every year. I do believe eventually Maryland will get back into the top echelon of college hoops like they were in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and the 00s, but I don't see them ever being more than a blip on the football radar as long as they're in the Big Ten.

I kind of agree with all of that. Maryland's hoops tradition is wonderful. Williams was a great coach and I always liked Steve Blake, Juan Dixon, Joe Smith and of course Steve Francis as a Rockets fan.

[BigRedLedbetter]

Bump.

Heading to the Husker basketball game (My GMs seats....4th row center court) tonight. Expecting a crowd of 15-16K despite the shitty (cold) weather.

Go Big Red!

[Lament]

2015 Big Ten Champion Maryland Terrapins.

[Kaius]

Go Illini

[BigRedLedbetter]

I think you got a good hire in Groce at Illinois. The Big Ten has so many good basketball coaches. I think Collins will do well at Northwestern if they are patient.

My seats last night here. So much fun. Our new arena is great.

For PJ I was right above the ast coaches and two sections over.

I wonder which one I am? New Rangers hat.

[@SkitchP]

Why would you wonder which one you are? I would hope you would be the one to know for sure.

[BigRedLedbetter]

Why would you wonder which one you are? I would hope you would be the one to know for sure.

That was a question to others.

Are you a Sparty or Wolverine?

[@SkitchP]

Why would you wonder which one you are? I would hope you would be the one to know for sure.

That was a question to others.

Are you a Sparty or Wolverine?

Neither really. I've always rooted for Michigan more, but I did not attend either university.

[Monkey_Driven]

I think you got a good hire in Groce at Illinois. The Big Ten has so many good basketball coaches. I think Collins will do well at Northwestern if they are patient.

My seats last night here. So much fun. Our new arena is great.

For PJ I was right above the ast coaches and two sections over.

I wonder which one I am? New Rangers hat.

The arena is very nice, but it was a shit show getting into the PJ concert (took me almost 30 minutes of standing in line). Why in the word are the elevators leading to the upper deck halfway between the two entrances? Causes unnecessary congestion.

[BigRedLedbetter]

I think you got a good hire in Groce at Illinois. The Big Ten has so many good basketball coaches. I think Collins will do well at Northwestern if they are patient.

My seats last night here. So much fun. Our new arena is great.

For PJ I was right above the ast coaches and two sections over.

I wonder which one I am? New Rangers hat.

The arena is very nice, but it was a shit show getting into the PJ concert (took me almost 30 minutes of standing in line). Why in the word are the elevators leading to the upper deck halfway between the two entrances? Causes unnecessary congestion.

I do agree with that. They were not prepared and agreed that makes no sense with the elevators.