Big Ten Breakdown Part 2!!

Everyone in the Big Ten is now 5-7 games in and some teams have been surprising, and some have played pretty much like I have expected them to (I'm talking about you Crimson and Crean!) So let's breakdown what has happened so far.

January 21, 2009

The day after Barack Obama got sworn in as our new commander and chief is a day that the top of the Big Ten and sports gamblers alike would love to forget. What the hell happened tonight?! Michigan State and Wisconsin who I had picked as the top of the class lost to Northwestern and Iowa who I picked to finish last. I know that you are thinking that I picked Indiana to finish last, but I am not including them in the Big Ten this year. They are done, and now we can actually have 10 teams in the Big TEN.

Michigan State needs to stop turning the ball over, plain and simple. They had 18 against Illinois and Northwestern. They have not shot 3's well at all in the those games, and I know Raymar Morgan was sick, but damn somebody else should step up. They out rebounded NW by 20 (39-19) had less fouls, but shot 7 less shots because of the turnovers, so kiss your home court winning streak goodbye.

Wisconsin got "Duked" by shooting 25 less free throws than Iowa. They just need to learn to put teams away. When you get up on a team that has such a hard time scoring like Iowa by 7 with 11:00 to play, put the hammer down. They did the same thing against the Fighting Tubby's but even worse. Blowing a 9 point lead with less than 4 minutes in a game is unheard of, unless of course you are Arizona and you are playing in the Elite 8. This is something that not only could lose the Big Ten for you, it could cause you to take Michigan's place in the NIT.

So here is a up to date standing of the Big Ten.

Michigan State (5-1)

After beating Illinois at home, I really wasn't sure if MSU would lose at all at home in the Big Ten, damn was I wrong. They are still in the drivers seat in the Big Ten, and I think that they will run off at least 5 in a row. @ OSU is not gonna be a problem for them. @ Iowa shouldn't be one either, Iowa still sucks no matter what miracle they just pulled off today. Penn State, the Tubby's, and the former Big Ten team known as Indiana will get polished off at home. I have more faith in Tom Izzo than I do in any other Big Ten coach, this team should not lose at home again this year once they start taking care of the ball.

Minnesota (4-2)

Still don't buy this team. They had 2 miracle wins already this year by beating Wisco, and beating Iowa on the road. They should be 2-4 but aren't so oh well. Next 4 out of 5 could be losses and should be. Purdue and Illinois at home, Michigan State and Ohio State on the road. If they go 3-2 I might start calling them the Gophers again. I have watched this team play terrible for long stretches in 4 of their last 6 games. They are lucky that I am writing this tonight instead of yesterday because the loss to Northwestern on the road was one of the worst displays of basketball that I have seen this year. I had so many jokes lined up it was great but MSU screwed that up for all of us. On the bright side I think this team still has some bed shitting left in them, so stay tuned.

Illinois (4-2)

What can you really say? The only gripe I have right now is that they had leads late in the second half of both of their losses on the road, but they are respectable losses. This team will be in every game this year because of their phenomenal defense. I am a little worried about playing Wisco on Saturday because I can't fathom the Badgers losing 4 in a row, but stranger things have happened, like Kevin Coble dropping 31 on Sparty tonight! I also like getting 4 days off before playing the Tubby's on the road. They need to steal 2 games on the road and win out at home, and they are not only dancing in March, they might take the Big Ten.

Purdue (3-2)

Lost their first 2 games to a decent team, and then a good home team. Survived a scare @ NW, and still aren't playing at the caliber they were last year, but the talent is there. This is the stretch that will tell whether or not this team will compete for the Big Ten title. @ Tubby's, @ Wisco, home against Michigan, @ OSU, @ Illinois. Go 3-2 in that stretch and they finish in the top 3, 4-1 and everyone else in the Big Ten should be afraid. Keaton Grant where have you gone?

Penn State (4-3)

Jamelle Cornely is a damn Beast!! So far a good home team, they suck on the road. At least Hummel and Kramer played against Illinois, but stealing that win @ Purdue was big. They will crush Iowa at home, but then it is time to pay the piper as they play @ MSU, @ Michigan, Wisco at home, then @ Purdue for the ass-kicking of the century. They really don't play really good defense and Battle has disappeared in some road games. Oh and it is Penn State basketball, so they will also crap the bed.

Ohio State (3-3)

I hate this god damn team and I hope they don't win another game, predictions be damned!! BJ Mullins is a tool and I will now focus all of my "I hope Eric Gordan is a bust" energy on this slappy jerk-off. So first this premature ejaculation (my new nickname for him since the best basketball player in high school hype was garbage) shushes the crowd at Illinois after a dunk when he was down 11, so he is on the Durty Butter list of people to target for every mistake they make. Then Evan Turner who played worthless goes to the Illinois bench after the game and says something to McCamey and starts banging his chest. What the shit is wrong with this team? I understand that Turner and McCamey have been best friends for the past 15 years, but get a grip beat off, you just got the shit kicked out of you!! He said in the post-game that McCamey knows him and his teammates, and that we should ready for a war in Ohio State. This is like a bad remake of "The Warriors". They all need to stop all this garbage and seriously pray that David Lighty comes back fast, but he isn't an world player, so they are in trouble. I could care less about who they play from now on, they are not good. NIT lock, and Matta can lock up all the All-Americans he wants, Freshman don't win championships!!!

Wisco (3-3)

Not closing out games, and they aren't getting any easier. Their next 5 games alternate between 3 away games and 2 home games against Illinois twice, Purdue, and @ NW and @ Penn State. They need to figure out how to play 40 minutes fast or their season could be over. I just hope they figure it out on Sunday after they have just lost to Illinois. I still think that they could pull out some wins, but they are not athletic or have dominate inside size, and a lot of other teams do have that. They need to figure it out on the defensive end and start hitting the open looks that they are getting.

Michigan (3-4)

No road wins (as I have stated before beating Indiana in overtime is a loss), and 2 home wins so they are really 2-5. Fluke offenses work occasionally and you will get some surprising wins, like beating Duke and UCLA, the same as Northwestern beating MSU tonight, but in the long run you will fold. When you have no back-up plan for going 5-30 from 3 point range, then ass kickings by Penn State happen. Too bad Yerk told me this after I picked them to beat a single digit spread against Indiana. Deshawn Sims should transfer right now, because his teammates avoid him on offense like he just failed an STD test.

Name one road game that they have left that you see them winning after what happened today in the Big Ten:

@ OSU
@ Purdue
@ UCONN (Great scheduling Beilin, that should really help your teams confidence)
@ Northwestern
@ Iowa
@ Wisconsin
@ Fighting Tubby's

Maybe Iowa.....Maybe?

Iowa and Northwestern (2-4)

They obviously shocked everyone tonight, but teams will now not take them lightly. Iowa lost their best scorer, and then pulled a guy off the bench who pretty much never played to lead them in scoring the last 2 games. David Palmer had 19 against Purdue and 21 against Wisco. Before that he scored 17 total points in 9 games, and didn't even get off the bench in 8 games. Does anyone else think that Todd Lickliter might be a total moron? Anyway, coaches will prepare for him now, so he will come back down to earth. But you do have to love a kid who shows up like this, he could end up being a good story in the Big Ten. Although, he could start hanging out with the Iowa football team and go to prison. Not sure which way the ball will bounce.

Northwestern is actually playing really good defense, and the 1-3-1 trap that they run is tough. That being said, that means that they will be competitive instead of being doormats. Games like tonight can happen, but they aren't going anywhere. They need to learn how to shoot free-throws at the end of games before I will give them more credit, because they absolutely pissed away the Purdue game and that was terrible.

So far the only thing that I am wrong about is Wisconsin and Minnesota, but the season is still early and I think Minnesota will have trouble late, if they both falter, it could be a 3 horse race with Illinois, MSU and Purdue. More breakdown next week.