More Big Ten ripping

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coolhandgopher

coolhandgopher

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I don't know if you saw it, but Jim Delaney took ESPN and CBS to <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/11596054" target="blank" >task</a> for their coverage and criticism of the Big 10 this season.

Here's the response from cbs sportsline's Mike Freeman, who seems to be in a battle with colleague Gregg Doyel on which one can spew more negatively. Between those two and a few others, the tone of cbs sportsline's columnists often seems straight out of a message board-a poorly written one at that.

http://mike-freeman.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6264363/14382719
 

Freeman's writing was like that of a 2-year-old. I feel like I read just something to the affect of,

"Na na nan na na, my dad can beat up your dad." And this guy gets paid to write this stuff?

He doesn't exactly make a convincing argument.

So basically, the entire Big 10 stinks because it had the ugliest game of the college basketball season (no argument here it was the ugliest)? Real solid analysis, Mike.
 

Give Freeman's name a Google.

Hard to give respect to a guy who was fired for lying about his resume.
 

I'm glad Big Ten people are speaking out this year. I think this year the ripping on the BigTen has been very noticeable and out of line considering the success that a lot of the teams had - especially out of conference.

Some recent years - the ripping would be right on target. This year - not so much. Do I think we have ugly games - of course! Do I think we were better than the Big East top to bottom - heck no.

I think the only thing the Big Ten can do is keep winning - that's the only way to shut these people up. Plus it's fun to see ESPN swallow their words when they have to report on a Big Ten team doing well.
 

I'll also say this-Freeman's trash talk about the Big Ten having a chance to be better than the Big East in 2050. . .as Pewterschmidt pointed out last week, it could be as early as next year, where the Big East suffers a drop off and the Big Ten, as a whole, is very strong. Nice analysis.
 


I wish someone would define "ugly" when used to describe B10 games. I chose to think the B10 actually plays the "other" part of basketball in trying to keep the other team from putting the ball in the peach basket. If "pretty" basketball is running back and forth firing up off-balance shots, constantly playing one-on-one, or hanging on the rim, I'll pass. Naismith has probably turned over in his grave more than once. I assume the "pretty" preferred games give the talking-heads something to talk about. So where are the pretty-boys now?
 

I no longer read Mike Freeman. He's an out-and-out racist, IMO. A couple of his articles last year were pretty blatant, so I stopped reading him. Would love to see him get fired, and replaced with a responsible journalist.
 

CollegeBBallFan wrote:
I wish someone would define "ugly" when used to describe B10 games. I chose to think the B10 actually plays the "other" part of basketball in trying to keep the other team from putting the ball in the peach basket. If "pretty" basketball is running back and forth firing up off-balance shots, constantly playing one-on-one, or hanging on the rim, I'll pass. Naismith has probably turned over in his grave more than once. I assume the "pretty" preferred games give the talking-heads something to talk about. So where are the pretty-boys now?
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Great points.

Someone needs to define "not ugly" for us.

I think some of the better commentators stay away from this nebulous debate and instead talk about the definable performances that are taking place on the court. To make such broad statements like, "The Big Ten plays ugly basketball and therefore is an inferior basketball conference" is a bad idea because those comments can come back to bite you in the arse when a Big Ten team makes it to the national title game.
 

The issue is, Big Ten teams do tend to play some ugly ball AGAINST EACH OTHER. If you look at a lot of our non conference games, we have just flat out beaten teams and looked pretty darn good doing it. When we play in conference, it just so happens we play a physical, value each possession type brand of basketball that can occasionally be tough to watch. But our nonconference games have been anything but unwatchable. Was watching Minnesota rollup Louisville unwatchable? Was watching MSU beat up Kansas unwatchable? Was watching Michigan take UConn to the limit on the road unwatchable? Was watching Ohio State beat a team that was ranked quite highly at the time in Notre Dame unwatchable? Was watching any of the Big Ten games in the NCAA tournament or Penn State in the NIT unwatchable? I would answer no to all of those. But you know, we'll just focus on the fact that PSU and Illinois played ONE GAME that was an abomination to offense and judge the entire league based on that single game.
 



The intents of the glorious game of basketball founded by Dr. James Naismath were these two things:

1. Put the ball in the basket;

2. Stop your opponent from putting the ball in the basket.

His rules did NOT include extra team points for pretty ways to do it, nor did the rules deduct any team points for non-pretty ways to do it. JUST DO THOSE TWO THINGS.
 

The Big Ten had a very underrated resume. They had a string of great non-conference wins, including MN over Louisville, Michigan over Duke, Michigan over UCLA, Michigan over Clemson in the NCAA, Illinois blew out Missouri, Michigan State rolled Kansas and beat Texas (then beat Kansas again, UConn, and Louisville in the NCAA), Ohio State over Miami and Notre Dame (both ranked at the time), Northwestern beat Florida State, Iowa beat Kansas State, Purdue beat Pac-10 champ Washington in the NCAA, Wisconsin beat Virginia Tech in the preseason and then beat Florida State in the tourney, Penn State powered through the NIT.

I know the Big Ten had some losses, too, but for the most part - the Big Ten was superb in the non-conference head-to-head battles with other power conferences.

I am surprised that more pundits can't recognize all of that.
 

I think part of it is holdover from football. Which is totally unfair for the basketball coaches, as football and basketball in the Big Ten are two completely different animals.
 




"I think there's a difference between "can't" and 'won't.'"

Excellent point PLG. As an example. ... Digger Phelps is a former coach. He knows darn well Michigan State likes to push the basketball, yet he keeps spewing this garbage about MSU is a team that 'wants games in the 60's." Total garbage. MSU always has & always will want to run under Izzo. Phelps is just too much off an arrogant pr*ck to acknowledge that for some reason.

What these idiots should be pointing out is that MSU is equipped to beat you any way you want to play, half court, full court, transition, offense, defense, etc. Isn't that the idea, to be able to win games no matter what way the game is played?
 

SelectionSunday said:
"I think there's a difference between "can't" and 'won't.'"

Excellent point PLG. As an example. ... Digger Phelps is a former coach. He knows darn well Michigan State likes to push the basketball, yet he keeps spewing this garbage about MSU is a team that 'wants games in the 60's." Total garbage. MSU always has & always will want to run under Izzo. Phelps is just too much off an arrogant pr*ck to acknowledge that for some reason.

What these idiots should be pointing out is that MSU is equipped to beat you any way you want to play, half court, full court, transition, offense, defense, etc. Isn't that the idea, to be able to win games no matter what way the game is played?
Click to expand...

I think that specific analysis of Michigan State really is what stuck out to me about Digger. I mean, there's a difference between just being biased, and then just being completely and flat out wrong. He spewed that before each of Michigan State's last three games in this tourney despite all the evidence throughout the entire season to the contrary. That is just ridiculous and is extremely unprofessional. Spout your bias, whatever, but don't sit there and lie to everyone about how a team wants to play and all that just to make your biased point.
 

If North Carolina wins tonight it will be: "And the ACC once again proves just how much more dominant they are than the Big 10." If MSU wins, they'll say "What a game. MSU just managed to scrape out a win against a superior opponent. It just wasn't North Carolina's night." Or something to that effect.
 

Most TV guys want a type of game that is good for rating, and therefore they may define "good" to the criteria of rating. No fancy game you got? Then you must be a bad team, they argue. So, the BT is a conference full of shitty teams to them. I couldn't care less about that crap if it only were an issue of pride. However, I am concerned that the constrant ripping cannot be good for recruiting and therefore the overall performace of the conference in the long run. It really can be a self-fulfilling prophecy or sort.

The only way to battle such a bias is to produce results consistently year in, year out. But, bad seasons are bound to happen, which helps those TV guys to come out of closet with hammers. I am personally boycotting Digger Phelps, the worst violator and more upsetting because of his coaching days, but this can do only so much - even if all the BT fans boycott ESPN.

I don't want to scream that the sky is falling. But, the outlook of the defense oriented game is somewhat gloomy. At any rate, the BT will go on as it has been. So will I.
 

Are any of you watching the game tonight? The Big Ten Sucks. Its embarrassing to have lost to MSU when they clearly suck.
 


I'm a tool because MSU looks completely over matched? The Big Ten has no business being in the championship game. Louisville or Uconn would have at least made for a competitive game
 

Things go badly for Gophers or Big 10 = lawrence21 comes on to the 'Hole to goad everyone about it.

Classic internet troll...just ignore him.
 

When have things gone well for the Big Ten? Ohio State is the National joke of College Football and maybe if MSU can get to another Championship game next year, they can be the joke of College Basketball. You have to admit on a National stage in big games the Big Ten doesn't show up.
 

Where would message boards be without trolls? It would just be a bunch of idiots sharing their thoughts
 

lawrence21 said:
I'm a tool because MSU looks completely over matched? The Big Ten has no business being in the championship game. Louisville or Uconn would have at least made for a competitive game
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Of course MSU has business being in the championship game. They qualified for it by beating both of the teams you mentioned, so if anyone deserved being in, it was definitely them.

I won't disagree about them looking over matched- they did, for the most part. But regardless of that, they deserved to be there.
 

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