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i love this, nice jobComment -
They have some molding to do yeah, but I think the trio of Douglas, Novak, and Morris is gelled pretty good already. Dumars can step in right away and make an impact so I'm not thinking that failure is the eventual outcome this year. The only thing that is really a huge question is big men, but if they play scrappy they can hang around.Comment -
Novak was playing lights out at the end of last season. I'm expecting big things from him this year, he's gotta step up and be the leader this year offensively and defensively.Comment -
I don't think he has a choice. He has to be the one to lead or this team will go absolutely nowhere. I also think as a sophmore Morris is mature enough already to be a solid leader on the court. This will be a very interesting team to watch grow throughout the year.Comment -
Likely Michigan starting lineup...
Player (% of minutes)
PG: Morris (66%), Douglass (34%)
SG: Douglass (50%), Hardaway (50%)
SF: Novak (66%), Vogrich (34%)
PF: Smotrycz (66%), Novak (34%)
C: Morgan (66%), McLimans (34%)
Get ready for a long season.Comment -
Thats what im talkin bout!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Comment -
U of M basketball would have been sent to the religation zoneComment -
The Big Ten got a major infusion of talent at the top and is poised for a special season. Unfortunately, the bottom of the Big Ten lost a lot and could be in serious trouble.
#1 - Purdue
Purdue has the best nucleus of players coming back this season. They're going to miss Keaton Grant's shooting and Chris Kramer's defense (a friend of mine is a Purdue grad and he says "the game hasn't truly begun until Chris Kramer is sliding on the floor"), but as long as their big 3 stays healthy, they'll be tough to beat, especially at Mackey.
#2 - Illinois
Illinois had a good but not great team last season but this could be a breakthrough year with Jereme Richmond. The only question is whether Illinois will continue to emphasize mid-range jumpshots, the worst shot in basketball. That emphasis is one of the reasons Illinois takes such a ridiculously low number of free throws.
#3 - Michigan State
At first I thought the Spartans were the team to beat, but now I'm not so sure. Kalin Lucas says he's back but there's no way he's 100% recovered from a torn achillies this quickly. He might not be 100% until tournament time. Now Korie Lucious, who led MSU to the Final Four in Lucas' absence last season has been busted for DUI. He pled down to reckless driving, but blowing .09 when he's not even 21 yet isn't going to win him Izzo's respect. And just like that, MSU is shorthanded in the backcourt. They better hope Keith Appling is the real deal, because he could see some big time minutes right away. Up front they'll be just fine with Roe, Nix, and now Adriean Payne.
#4 - Ohio State
I don't know how Thad Matta manages to pull recruits in like he does, but he's turned into John Calipari Jr. This year he's got Jared Sullenger, a Columbus native and brother of former Buckeye JJ Sullenger, along with Deshaun Thomas. From what I saw at the McDonalds All American game, Sullenger is an absolute BEAST. I expect him to compete with Harrison Barnes for the Naismith Award. Plus, OSU has a veteran backcourt featuring a very underrated William Buford and Jon Diebler who could be one of the best 3pt shooters in the nation. The only thing holding OSU back is lack of a true point guard. Matta ran off the last true point guard he had in Anthony Crater, and as good as Evan Turner was running the point he was notoriously turnover prone.
#5 - Wisconsin
I'm basing this on nothing other than the fact that under Bo Ryan, Wisconsin has never finished outside the top 5 of the Big Ten standings. They're big, they're slow, they execute perfectly, and they get all the calls at the Kohl's Center. They've still got Jon Leuer, but now they're without Trevon Hughes. Are Jordan Taylor and Rob Wilson really enough?
#6 - Minnesota
I don't know how Tubby Smith got this team to the tournament last year, especially in light of their 2 blowout losses to Michigan, and Al Nolen's allergic reaction to academics. Now they have their eligibility situation cleared up and should be ready for a much better season.
#7 - Indiana
I'm giving them this spot ahead of Northwestern because NW's defense is just so bad you have to believe IU will surpass them this year now that they're fully healthy. Then again that's what Tom Crean gets for leaving Creek in late up 50 vs. Bryant.
#8 - Northwestern
Had Kevin Coble come back you could have made the case that Northwestern was ready to make the tournament for the first time ever. Without him, Northwestern is the same efficient offense/awful defense team they were last year. Although if Drew Crawford has improved from his freshman year he could be downright scary.
#9 - Michigan
Last year was a major disappointment for Michigan. While Beilein banked a lot of goodwill in 2009 for taking Michigan to its first legitimate NCAA tournament appearance since 1994, in 2010 Michigan regressed back into a 3pt shooting team that sucks at shooting 3s. In addition, going from 2 fifth-year senior pointguards to a true freshman point guard left the wolverines with a leadership gap that Manny Harris didn't seem to want to fill. A lot of naysayers believe Michigan could finish dead last in the Big Ten after losing their two best players, but I disagree. Based on early results, Tim Hardaway Jr. could already be better than Manny Harris in ball handling, shooting, and coachability. In addition, Michigan added a major infusion of size. No longer will Michigan be reliant on a 6'3 guard to play power forward as they now have 4 players 6'9 and above to call upon.
#10 - Penn State
Things look very bleak for the Nittiny Lions. Taylor Battle is a great player, and his brother Taran Buie could be as well. But even with Battle, Penn State went 11-20 last season finishing dead last in the Big Ten. Now Chris Babb and Bill Edwards have transferred. This will probably be Ed Dechellis' last season as coach.
#11 - Iowa
Its amazing how far Iowa has fallen since Steve Alford bolted for New Mexico. After three seasons of watching Todd Licklighter fail at everything except watching players leave, Iowa brought in a more up-tempo coach from Siena. I actually think this new coach could help change the Big Ten's reputation as a slow physical league. But for now, with pretty much nothing but Matt Gatens and breaking in an entirely new system, Iowa seems like the candidate for Big Ten team most likely to go 0-18.Comment -
Good analysis, but I'm not sure how Lucious getting a DUI is going to hurt MSU's backcourt. He may sit for a few games, but I'd be shocked if he misses any big ten games.Comment -
Nice write up on the Big Ten. I can't wait for college hoops to begin!Comment -
that's mostly because we REFUSE to teach king puss tisdale how to play 7'+, as he is NEVER in the paint...he's the biggest joke of a big man ever, yet he does hit those 15'+ shots, but there is no reason he should EVER be taking those.....if webber can get that puss to play inside then we'll be way way way better than last year and a LEGIT title contender with everything coming in to help mccamey, paul and richardsonComment -
pretty accurate. illini have huuuuge potential. if weber rotates them right, we could see 9 or 10 deep of real players. davis needs to get his head on straight and focus on the game, he was lost for a lot of the season - horrible shooting. meyers will step up for a physical presence. griffey is a runner, really worked on his speed this year. dj and paul need to support on defense and definitely offense for mccamey. everyone, including mccamey knows he needs to step up. crandall is becoming a great defender, definitely an asset, bertrand has mad handles. overall, we have a team of real contributors with real specialities. could be a nightmare for defenses. given continued good coaching, limited injuries, and a little luck, illinois should be lookin at final 4 this year. they are so driven for that goal, it is a clear possibiltiy.Comment
