Most Impressive BIG Teams in ACC/BigTen Challenge 1 thru 12

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Moses87

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1)IU - Blowing out UNC in the fashion they did was extremely impressive...Looks like they have depth and lots of skillful players.

2)OSU - WTF? Yeah, I know they lost, but I came away very impressed with OSU's defense and grit in the first 35 minutes especially. Losing a close game at Cameron Indoor is nothing to sneeze at.

3)Minn - That win might not look as good later in the year if FSU don't improve quickly, but the Gophers really controlled the game from start to finish.

4)Michigan - Burke, Hardaway and company looked very solid but may not have the depth to survive an off night from Burke or Hardaway.

5)Purdue - Nice win at Clemson who aren't world beaters but they're not chopped liver either. Purdue will always play tough at home, but winning on the road the way they did was impressive.

6)Nebraska - Surprising performance on the road...Looks like the new coach is getting instant results.

7)Illini - Yes they beat GA Tech, but I was thouroughly unimpressed. They don't have any inside presence at all and will not be .500 in the BigTen Conf play.

8)Iowa - Fairly competitive in a tough environment but a 10 point loss nonetheless.

9)MSU - Terrible performance on the road in the same arena where the Gophers won by 20 just 8 months ago against the same core players. Shocking!

10)Wisconsin - Losing at home to Virginia proved two things to me. A)Bo Ryan doesn't have a horseshoe up his sphincter and B)Brust is not the answer at the point.

11)Northwestern - Maryland had a breakout performance from Alex Len but the Wildcats were really destroyed at home despite being a 5 point fave...That was ugly!

12)Penn State - May not win a conference game.
 

Interesting & nice job, Moses, but with regards to MSU I'd say disappointing, yes. Shocking? No. Miami was a 1.5-point favorite. Anyone who saw Sparty's previous 2 games leading up to Miami probably weren't all that surprised. Other than Appling, MSU is not playing all that well right now, and two key guys (Harris & Trice) were in their first game back returning from injuries.

I like your list. Relative to expectations, I might even kick Nebraska up a couple spots. I know Wake sucks, but I'd never guessed the Huskers could blow out another major-conference team. I like what Purdue did, too. Boilers are rebuilding, but Painter will bring that team along.
 

Didn't you have MSU in the FF? I like Appling but their roster for this year definitely never struck me as FF. Was your prediction more based on Izzo's history? Just curious.

SelectionSunday said:
Interesting & nice job, Moses, but with regards to MSU I'd say disappointing, yes. Shocking? No. Miami was a 1.5-point favorite. Anyone who saw Sparty's previous 2 games leading up to Miami probably weren't all that surprised. Other than Appling, MSU is not playing all that well right now, and two key guys (Harris & Trice) were in their first game back returning from injuries.

I like your list. Relative to expectations, I might even kick Nebraska up a couple spots. I know Wake sucks, but I'd never guessed the Huskers could blow out another major-conference team. I like what Purdue did, too. Boilers are rebuilding, but Painter will bring that team along.
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Yes, my preseason Final Four was Indiana, Louisville, Michigan State, and Missouri, with IU winning it all. Sparty hasn't been impressive early on, but I'm banking Harris, Dawson, and Payne will get better & better as the season goes along. Certainly right now they're no better than the 4th or 5th best team in the Big Ten, but I would expect that to change.
 

SelectionSunday said:
Yes, my preseason Final Four was Indiana, Louisville, Michigan State, and Missouri, with IU winning it all. Sparty hasn't been impressive early on, but I'm banking Harris, Dawson, and Payne will get better & better as the season goes along. Certainly right now they're no better than the 4th or 5th best team in the Big Ten, but I would expect that to change.
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Michigan is the sketchier team in my estimation because of their reliance on the 3 point shot. They don't really have a strong inside game and will be vulnerable to losing close games because they won't be able to get to the FT line. I agree that MSU has tremendous potential because of their interior strength PLUS a reliable scorer in Appling.
 


I still like the Gophers' chances of competing with all of these B1G teams, outside of Indiana, which I am very impressed with. We don't have any glamorous standouts, but a TEAM of yeomen from which on any given night 2 or 3 different guys can dominate, with the rest doing their usual.

I don't expect Dre to score 41 in any B1G game;
I don't expect EE to get double doubles on a regular basis;
I don't expect Rodney to average 16 ppg in the Conference;
I don't expect Beast Trevor to play 35 minutes a game;
I don't expect Austin to defend their top guards and hold them scoreless;
I don't expect Joe to all of a sudden be a 3-point threat;
I don't expect Mav to sub in and be flawless; just be a contributor.
I don't expect Big Mo to perfectly protect the lane when we are on defense;
I don't expect Andre Ingram to be flawless, just a great contributor
I don't expect Oto to come in and hit 4 or 5 threes in 7-10 minutes of floor time.

I do expect some of the above to happen each game, and which 2 or 3 or 4 come thru, the Gophers will triumph more often than not.


I DO EXPECT Tubby to show us all how good of a coach he really is.
I DO EXPECT that win or lose, the negative nannies will be roosting with the vultures and come out in force.
I DO EXPECT that several GopherHolers will try run me off the board because I am not afraid to challenge their stupid inane comments.


This is going to be a survival of the fittest for the B1G Regular Season Champion.
 

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