Official 2010-2011 NCAA Basketball Thread

[Palehosefan]

 

Solid.

[ZoomSlowik]

I think the not comparable is a bit of a stretch. No doubt they got destroyed in Champaign, but the game at OSU was close for the most part, and on a neutral court they went to 2 OT's (which Illinois should have one if they could have executed a simple in bounds play). Better no doubt, but I don't think by THAT much. And that's still WITH Turner, again, a near triple double guaranteed most of the time.

 

I'll take Leuer over Sullinger, but he will be one of the better big men probably.

 

WIth Illinois it's all about playing to potential. I think Richmond will bring a different attitude, I think Head/Bertrand will force the guards to compete at another level all year for playing time, and I think Leonard could be a potential sleeper. We shall see though.

 

Their resumes tell a very different story. There's a reason that one of them was a #2 seed and the other went to the NIT. The game in Columbus was not close, Illinois was not within 10 points after Buford's and-one with 7:54 to go. They won comfortably in two of their three matchups, and execution like we saw in the Big Ten tournament is exactly why you can't necessarily expect greatness from the Ilini. OSU was a far more consistent team. If they weren't adding quite a bit of talent you might have a case that they'd come back down to earth without Turner, but part of the reason that they went 3-3 with him gone is that they had no depth and only one big man, neither of which is the case anymore. Under no circumstances will they be starting someone as marginally useful as PJ Hill, even Aaron Craft would bring better defense and passing. Lauderdale probably won't even start this year, and Thomas and Siebert have far more talent than Madsen and Simmons.

 

I worded that poorly, I was just referring to Sullinger's offensive abilities. JaJuan Johnson will still probably make the biggest overall impact because of his defense, which is why I still had Purdue ahead of OSU. Leuer is fairly comparable on offense, Sullinger will probably be better on the blocks but Leuer has more range. Then again, Sullinger will definitely average more than 5.8 rebounds.

 

You hit the nail on the head with the last part, it's a moot point if Illinois doesn't play better. It again won't be close if the Illini don't show up for multiple games and continues to have poor games from the wings and frontcourt. Davis and Tisdale have to play with more energy and aggression up front, and someone on the perimeter besides McCamey will have to be a consistent scoring threat.

 

Illinois might return all five starters, but in my view they have more question marks than Ohio State. You know what you are going to get from OSU's three solid wing players and Lauderdale, and you're reasonably sure that Sullinger will be a force down low. You're nowhere near as sure what is going to happen on the wings in Champaign, or whether their frontcourt will actually try to attack the rim on a given night. I've got Illinois somewhere in the 13-20 range, so I'm expecting them to close the gap quite a bit, just not quite all the way.

Edited April 8, 2010 by ZoomSlowik

[RockRaines]

(1) Neither recruit is a one and done caliber player ala Wall or Cousins. At best they'll be good component pieces to the starting five, but they won't be a focal point.

 

(2) You're losing Turner, the national player of the year, the triple double machine, the guy that led your team the entire season. He's not replacable IMO

 

(3) There's talent there, don't get me wrong, but you guys won a ton of games with the 3 ball as a result of Turner's ability to drive and dish. That component will be gone next year.

 

Clearly I'm not saying they'll be awful. I expect them to contend next year for the conference and get a 1-5 seed. But I don't buy the top 5-10 hype. I think next year it's going to be a very similiar Big Ten. I'd rank them as follows:

 

PUR

MSU

ILL

OSU

WIS

MINN

NW

MICH

IU

PSU

IOWA

 

Purdue and MSU are going to be a step ahead of ILL/OSU/WIS who are all going to be about even. It obviously depends on which of the top 5 gets "lucky" with the schedule too.

well, its official you are high. Sullinger is probably the best HS kid in the country, yet he's not an NBA type player? How many top recruits arent "that good" according to you. All of a sudden you think that ILL is going to go from a non-tourney team, and hop over THREE teams that made it this year. Classic Illanoy view on sports.

[Soxbadger]

Ive already talked to Zoom in depth, but might as well put up my very early assessment of the Big 10.

 

I think as of now, you have to consider Purdue/MSU as the favorites. This could all change depending on injuries/declaring for the NBA, but they are returning most of their starters, on teams that we already at the top of the conference.

 

My next 2 would be OSU/Wisconsin. OSU gains Sullinger, but loses Turner. I think they have the talent to win the conference, but they also have some question marks which could lead them to being in the 3/4 range. Wisconsin (imo) will be better than this year. They lose Hughes/Bohannon, but hopefully Leur progresses and Taylor becomes the best guard that Ryan has had since Devin Harris. They will need another player to step up between Nankivil, Rob Wilson, etc, but I think that they will have enough (and win 90%+ of their games at home) to make sure that they stay in the top 4.

 

The next 3 would be, NU/Illinois/Minnesota. This is where you may see 1 team on the outside come tournament time. NU has never made the tournament but will probably have one of their best teams ever. Minnesota was up and down this year, so who knows how consistent they will be. If they improve they could jump into the top 4. Illinois is by far the biggest question mark of the 5 teams listed. They had some good halfs, some good games, but never could consistently put it together. They will be relying on a lot of young players, so who knows how that will turn out.

 

The final 4 are UM/PSU/IU/Iowa. IU is the only team of the group that has the ability to show significant improvement. The other 3 are probably going to be bad unless something drastic happens.

[Buehrle>Wood]

The Big Ten is going to be scarey good next season. OSU, MSU, Purdue, and Illinois are all legitimate top 15 teams. Minny, UW, and NU form a pretty good 2nd tier. The bottom looks pretty bad as usual, but whatever.

[Jenksismyhero]

well, its official you are high. Sullinger is probably the best HS kid in the country, yet he's not an NBA type player? How many top recruits arent "that good" according to you. All of a sudden you think that ILL is going to go from a non-tourney team, and hop over THREE teams that made it this year. Classic Illanoy view on sports.

 

Can you read? I said he's not a "one and done" like Wall or Cousins. I never said he wasn't good enough to play in the NBA. I don't think he'll be a lottery pick after next year. This class just isn't that good.

 

And yeah, my prediction is that Illinois will be a tourney team and will hopefully finish in the top 3. I also said it depends on the schedule. It'd be one thing if last years team just flat out sucked or played to its absolute potential. Neither was the case. They had great games and they had lots of s***ty games where they didn't show up. But they showed enough flashes of being a really good team last year to make me think they'll be much improved.

 

 

[Chisoxfn]

(1) Neither recruit is a one and done caliber player ala Wall or Cousins. At best they'll be good component pieces to the starting five, but they won't be a focal point.

 

(2) You're losing Turner, the national player of the year, the triple double machine, the guy that led your team the entire season. He's not replacable IMO

 

(3) There's talent there, don't get me wrong, but you guys won a ton of games with the 3 ball as a result of Turner's ability to drive and dish. That component will be gone next year.

 

Clearly I'm not saying they'll be awful. I expect them to contend next year for the conference and get a 1-5 seed. But I don't buy the top 5-10 hype. I think next year it's going to be a very similiar Big Ten. I'd rank them as follows:

 

PUR

MSU

ILL

OSU

WIS

MINN

NW

MICH

IU

PSU

IOWA

 

Purdue and MSU are going to be a step ahead of ILL/OSU/WIS who are all going to be about even. It obviously depends on which of the top 5 gets "lucky" with the schedule too.

How much money do you want to bet that Iowa will not finish last? They have an improved coach, are a very young team, and seem to be keeping all of there recruiting class (which is though to be a top 35 or so class nationally). I'm not going to say they will win the big ten, but they should be much much improved and the cupboard finally isn't bare at Iowa.

 

Now things could change between now and than, but as of now, it sounds as if everyone is eager to stay and learn Fran's new system and Fran seems to be saying and doing all the right things so far at Iowa. The big question is going to be whether he can recruit the athletes necessary to run his high octane offense successfully in the big 10.

[whitesoxfan99]

well, its official you are high. Sullinger is probably the best HS kid in the country, yet he's not an NBA type player? How many top recruits arent "that good" according to you. All of a sudden you think that ILL is going to go from a non-tourney team, and hop over THREE teams that made it this year. Classic Illanoy view on sports.

 

I'd place OSU over Illinois for sure going into next year and just behind MSU and Purdue. I wouldn't be surprised if any of those 4 teams won the Big 10. I would also be really surprised if Illinois finishes behind Wisconsin next year. Leuer is a stud and I like Taylor but the rest of that team just isn't impressive at all. I really don't get how people can say Wisconsin will be better next year than they were this year without Hughes and Bohannon when they don't replace them with anyone of note although Wisconsin will still easily be a tournament team. Also, Illinois finished ahead of Minnesota playing a more difficult Big 10 schedule this year, loses less and brings in a much better freshmen class. How exactly would it be surprising for Illinois to finish ahead of Minnesota? I see 4 potentially elite teams (with Purdue and MSU being sure things, OSU being close to a lock, and then Illinois as a potential elite team but far from a lock), a surefire tournament team in Wisconsin, and then Minny and NW as potential tournament teams. Indiana will finish 8th and then the other three teams will be absolutely horrible and will fight it out for last with Penn State if Battle leaves being the overwhelming favorite for last place.

[RockRaines]

Can you read? I said he's not a "one and done" like Wall or Cousins. I never said he wasn't good enough to play in the NBA. I don't think he'll be a lottery pick after next year. This class just isn't that good.

 

And yeah, my prediction is that Illinois will be a tourney team and will hopefully finish in the top 3. I also said it depends on the schedule. It'd be one thing if last years team just flat out sucked or played to its absolute potential. Neither was the case. They had great games and they had lots of s***ty games where they didn't show up. But they showed enough flashes of being a really good team last year to make me think they'll be much improved.

Yes, I can read, and you didnt put the best HS player in the country in the same statement as similarly talented players. I think thats a joke, just like the rest of your opinion on the Big Ten. Putting Illinois above teams like Wisconsin and OSU is hilarious and is only wishful thinking at best.

[Jenksismyhero]

Yes, I can read, and you didnt put the best HS player in the country in the same statement as similarly talented players. I think thats a joke, just like the rest of your opinion on the Big Ten. Putting Illinois above teams like Wisconsin and OSU is hilarious and is only wishful thinking at best.

 

ZOMG! I didn't put an OSU player in the nba draft list. ZOMG! A fan has inflated expectations for his team. ZOMG!

 

 

[SockMe]

Stevens signs a 12yr deal with Butler, personally I think thats great for College Basketball.

[Soxbadger]

Leuer is a stud and I like Taylor but the rest of that team just isn't impressive at all. I really don't get how people can say Wisconsin will be better next year than they were this year without Hughes and Bohannon when they don't replace them with anyone of note although Wisconsin will still easily be a tournament team.

 

As I would say, Hughes could be Wisconsin's best player, he also could be their worst player. He was the only player who was allowed to play outside of Bo's system (this year, previously years he would have been yanked). His style of play won Wisconsin some games, but also put Wisconsin in a bad position an equal amount of games. With Taylor taking over, they will have a pg who is much more careful with the ball and who wont jack up a 3 early in the shot. He is far better at getting Leur the ball in good position and is superior at facilitating the offense.

 

Bohannon is a loss, obviously they will be looking to Jarmusz to provide the same abilities. Solid player but not spectacular. He is supposed to be a better pure shooter than Bohannon but never really has done much offensively. Only time will tell.

 

They also have Rob Wilson who is a far superior offensive player to Jarmusz, but has been a defensive liability at some points. Ryan used him later in the season and he is a taller guard who fits well into the swing offense (he is taller so better at posting), he is also a pretty solid shooter.

 

Ryan Evans should progress as a redshirt soph, and he provides solid defense with limited offense.

 

Nankivil is a mystery, some games he looks phenomenal other games he looks meh.

 

The rumor is that the starting line up will have Leur at the 3, with perhaps Berggren starting at the 5. They dont have spectacular recruits but they have some pretty solid ones, with Duje Dukan being the wild card. Hes a 6'8 sf from Deerfield who's father was a foreign pro. He was not really on the AAU circuit so he may have been under recruited. He led Deerfield to a pretty good season and supposedly hes a lights out shooter. He may redshirt, its hard to tell with Wisconsin. They also have Evan Anderson and Gasser coming in.

 

As long as Leur progresses and doesnt get injured, I really dont see why they would be worse. In the few games where Hughes had foul trouble, they generally would go on pretty big runs with him on the bench and Taylor as the pg. In fact by the end of the season Hughes was really a shooting guard (out of position and small), Bohannon was the SF (out of position and small) so they could drastically improve their defense.

Edited April 9, 2010 by Soxbadger

[nitetrain8601]

Holy Moly. A good reason why 'Nova didn't meet expectations:

 

This is an easy one to verify as everyone on the Villanova campus knows it.

 

Anyway, Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher, Nova's two best players, were benched for the start of first round tournament game against Robert Morris, for what Jay Wright called a "minor teaching point."

 

Reynolds who was an All American this year, was awful the whole tournament and the team seemed off the last few weeks of the year. The minor teaching point and reason behind the demise of this fine Catholic institution's pristine basketball team? Reynolds and Fisher got into an all out brawl the night before the game because Fisher was not only banging Reynold's girlfriend, he got her pregnant

 

I got confirmation on the Scottie/Corey incident that you told us about….I was just talking to one of our anesthesiologists who is a Nova grad and his sister is currently a professor at Nova and tutors some of the players. Apparently Corey Fisher got Scottie's girlfriend pregnant.

 

There were several fist fights that occurred outside of practice and the team as a whole chose sides, the DC/Maryland kids against the NYC/NJ kids. All of this happened around December/January, right when the team imploded.

 

Apparently Jay Wright wants the whole issue gone and despite Scottie's graduation thinks it would be best for the team if Fisher transferred. This would allow him to give Wayns the minutes he needs/deserves and be a huge bonus for Corey Joseph to sign with Nova.

[ZoomSlowik]

Since everyone else wants to pump up their own teams, I'll go on my own little rant pumping up the Wildcats.

 

On paper, this should be the best NU team ever by a fairly wide margin. Last year was one of their best seasons ever even with Coble missing the entire season. They're way bigger and more talented than normal. Shurna and Coble gives them a versatile forward pairing, Thompson is a solid PG that should thrive as a shooter now that he won't have to carry a large chunk of the offensive load, Crawford has the most raw talent of any player I've seen NU sign, and Mirkovic helps their rebounding up front and thankfully won't have to force shots this year. Heck, NU actually signed a 4-star recruit (at least according to rivals) and he won't start next year. I'm feeling good about them making the tournament, which is usually when something bad happens like T.J. Parker leaving to play in Europe, the Michael Thompson from Duke quiting basketball and Coble hurting his foot.

 

Here's how I'd rank the Big Ten, with spaces for the tiers:

 

1) MSU

2) Purdue

3) OSU

 

4) Illinois

 

5) Northwestern (yes, I'm being a bit of a homer)

6) Minnesota (not sure who the go-to scorer is on that roster)

7) Wisconsin (sorry Badger, I need to see another scorer before I believe)

 

8) Indiana

9) Penn State

10) Iowa

11) Michigan (I think they're REALLY going to suck without Harris and Sims, unless Smotrycz wins freshman of the year or something)

Edited April 9, 2010 by ZoomSlowik

[LittleHurt05]

Stevens signs a 12yr deal with Butler, personally I think thats great for College Basketball.

 

Definitely, good for him, glad to see he realizes what a great position he is in too. Unless a top notch job like UNC, KU, UK, etc. opens up, I don't think he should leave. As he has shown, he can do just as much at Butler as he can at a lot of other BCS programs.

[Palehosefan]

Definitely, good for him, glad to see he realizes what a great position he is in too. Unless a top notch job like UNC, KU, UK, etc. opens up, I don't think he should leave. As he has shown, he can do just as much at Butler as he can at a lot of other BCS programs.

 

He seems like a great choice for UNC's job in 7-8 years.

[LittleHurt05]

As far as the Big Ten goes, MSU is definitely looking like the #1 dog next year.

 

I would put Purdue after them, but I wouldn't be so quick to label them "elite" right away. With modern science, recoveries from ACLs are getting quicker and quicker, but you never know how long it will take Hummel to be 100%.

 

OSU is definitely the 3rd team with all the talent they have, even without Turner. Jenks, I love how you talk up the Illini, but you are giving freshmen Richmond & Leonard all kinds of credit with helping UI, while discounting how much Sullinger & co. will help OSU, when their recruiting class is much better.

 

Illinois would be next with all the returning talent, and one would hope they learn how to show up for every game. NW will have it best team ever and should make the tourney. Wisco does lose some talent, but I've learned to never discount Bo Ryan, especially with that home court advantage. I don't know much about who Minnesota has returning or coming in, but I'm sure they will have the talent to compete.

 

Indiana should keep improving under Crean, and after that I don't really know or don't really care either.

 

 

[He_Gawn]

Their both going to be stunned when they find out JFP is the real father.

 

Holy Moly. A good reason why 'Nova didn't meet expectations:

 

[RockRaines]

ZOMG! I didn't put an OSU player in the nba draft list. ZOMG! A fan has inflated expectations for his team. ZOMG!

Resorting to that only proves the point, your opinion is about as valuable as "ZOMG".

 

 

Zoom, one can only hope NU puts it together this year, I think they dont "surprise" teams this year, I think that they flat out run the table on some of the teams in the conference. They are a matchup nightmare. And I still think Wisconsin is up there for the B10, they have arguably one of the best coaches in the country and some real valuable pieces coming back. I dont view Bohannon as much of a loss, the kid disappears for long periods of time.

Edited April 9, 2010 by RockRaines

[ZoomSlowik]

Zoom, one can only hope NU puts it together this year, I think they dont "surprise" teams this year, I think that they flat out run the table on some of the teams in the conference. They are a matchup nightmare.

 

I think their offense will be very good, they were already 33rd in offensive efficiency this year even with only 2.5 guys that were really scoring threats (Crawford didn't always play well, figures for a freshman and he was banged up at the end of the year).

 

Their defense I'm not as sure, they were 169th in defensive efficiency. They just got carved up on numerous occasions, even against Penn State. They really get in trouble with that 1-3-1, if they face teams with guards that are smart enough to not try to drive against it you can carve them up inside and on open 3's after the D collapses. Hopefully the improved length (they'll start 3 guys 6'8" or taller and a 6'5" SG) will allow them to close off some passing lanes and get at least a few more rebounds. They're not going to be able to just out-score teams like MSU, OSU or Illinois (though they've somehow faired well against Purdue of late).

[danman31]

Holy Moly. A good reason why 'Nova didn't meet expectations:

Deadspin says it was a hoax.

[Balta1701]

Jon Scheyer put up a twitter post after the win saying "holler at me..." with an actual phone number in it.

 

Turns out its the phone number of a guy he played with in high school.

 

That guy has now received over 2000 messages and several hundred calls.

[Buehrle>Wood]

OSU is definitely the 3rd team with all the talent they have, even without Turner. Jenks, I love how you talk up the Illini, but you are giving freshmen Richmond & Leonard all kinds of credit with helping UI, while discounting how much Sullinger & co. will help OSU, when their recruiting class is much better.

OSU also doesn't return the best player in the Big Ten, or any near McCamey's caliber really.. That may be the difference between the two teams.

Edited April 9, 2010 by Buehrle>Wood

[He_Gawn]

I'm with Rock. This Illinois love is ridiculous. Are Davis and Tisdale all the sudden going to realize they need to bring it every night and be consistent? Is Mccamey going to lose the attitude? And Sullinger not a stud? Gimme a break, hes a top 5 pick next year.

[danman31]

I'm with Rock. This Illinois love is ridiculous. Are Davis and Tisdale all the sudden going to realize they need to bring it every night and be consistent? Is Mccamey going to lose the attitude? And Sullinger not a stud? Gimme a break, hes a top 5 pick next year.

Yeah, let them think what they want. Illinois was also supposed to be much improved and loaded with talent this year.