Big Ten Conference Season Tip -off. Who's #1?

[BigTenGuy]

To me, the Big Ten is not a great conference this year AT ALL.

My moniker reflects that I would like to disagree, but this is a reasonable take, at the moment. But substantial improvement can happen in conference play, e.g. Iowa last year.

Also, apart from the Pac-12, it doesn't seem like there are any great conferences this year. But that too could change.

 

[cancontent]

My moniker reflects that I would like to disagree, but this is a reasonable take, at the moment. But substantial improvement can happen in conference play, e.g. Iowa last year.

Also, apart from the Pac-12, it doesn't seem like there are any great conferences this year. But that too could change.

All depends on how one wants to define "great". Like you noted, the Pac-12 seems to be in a class of its own compared to the other P5. The BIG10 seems to have more parity this year making predicting who ends up being the champion harder.

That's great for fans of the conference and for the teams themselves if you ask me. It could be a situation where teams hone in on what works in advance of the tournament. The same could be said of the ACC as well. Whoever makes it to the big dance out of these conferences will definitely be battle tested that's for sure.

 

[cancontent]

Came across on Twitter/X while on a break. Thought this would be of interest to some on the board.

 

[cancontent]

Hoopla 40: 2023-24 Midseason Rankings

My picks for the 40 best Big Ten players to start the new calendar year

hooplanewsletter.substack.com

Interesting analysis of the top players in the conference per Wyatt Crosher. Definitely puts in the time to have the numbers to justify his selections.

 

[Bigboote]

Came across on Twitter/X while on a break. Thought this would be of interest to some on the board.

That was enjoyable. Indiana had a similar game against a good Nebraska team today.

The thing that I like about watching Indiana is that they have such good fundamentals. I was initially skeptical how well Scalia and Parrish would fare last season, but they've fit really nicely. Parrish isn't scoring that well this year (although she scored very well today), but her defense and rebunding are both really good. And having Parrish at 6-2 and Garzon at 6-3 in their guard corps makes starting four guards more like starting three forwards.

My only complaint with Indiana this year is that they sometimes play down to the competition. They beat Illinois by 5 or 6 then go and beat Michigan and Nebraska by 20+. They can win the B1G, but they can't continue having games like the one against Illinois if they want to contend.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Indiana seems to be pretty off the radar considering they only have 1 loss and it was right at the beginning of the season. Yeah it was a blowout, but a lot of time has gone by since then. Maybe they don't mind not having attention on them.

 

[cancontent]

Indiana seems to be pretty off the radar considering they only have 1 loss and it was right at the beginning of the season. Yeah it was a blowout, but a lot of time has gone by since then. Maybe they don't mind not having attention on them.

From what I've observed, the team just focuses on what they can control. It doesn't seem to bother them either way.

 

[GoChips20]

Indiana seems to be pretty off the radar considering they only have 1 loss and it was right at the beginning of the season. Yeah it was a blowout, but a lot of time has gone by since then. Maybe they don't mind not having attention on them.

They were last season too despite still being undefeated around this time. Feels like they didn’t become central to the national conversation until late January/early February. Kind of crazy considering they were the #2 overall seed a year ago.

 

[Plebe]

Indiana seems to be pretty off the radar considering they only have 1 loss and it was right at the beginning of the season. Yeah it was a blowout, but a lot of time has gone by since then. Maybe they don't mind not having attention on them.

Somewhat under the radar, but that's a function of who they've (not yet) beaten. Today's win at Nebraska is their best by far.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Illinois fell to 0-3 in conference and 6-7 overall. Might be the leader thus far for biggest disappointing team in the country. Wisconsin got their first conference win against the Illini. It was a home game for UI too, cannot lose on your home floor to a team entering the game 0-3 in conference. What an incredible about face for their program after last season.

 

[Bjbod]

Indiana playing really well: shot 60% from 3 today vs Nebraska; made their 1st 14 or 15 shots vs Michigan game before. Everyone is tall and can shoot; Moore-McNeil is listed as 5'11" but looks 6'3" with her length. If they play close to this next Saturday in Iowa City the Hawkeyes will be lucky to stay within 10. Will be a tough battle.

 

[bballnut90]

Indiana seems to be pretty off the radar considering they only have 1 loss and it was right at the beginning of the season. Yeah it was a blowout, but a lot of time has gone by since then. Maybe they don't mind not having attention on them.

Came here to post this but you beat me to it. I wouldn't be surprised to see them make a strong push as the season continues, everyone seems to have forgotten about them.

 

[TerpWomenFan]

Illinois fell to 0-3 in conference and 6-7 overall. Might be the leader thus far for biggest disappointing team in the country. Wisconsin got their first conference win against the Illini. It was a home game for UI too, cannot lose on your home floor to a team entering the game 0-3 in conference. What an incredible about face for their program after last season.

Maybe last season was an aberration.

 

[Darwin]

Indiana is underrated, prob due to the early blowout loss to Stanford, it happens. I can see them winning @ Iowa, which would catapult them into the national eye again. They have a lot of history with Iowa and know how to play them. This will be a close game just like both were last season when they split and Iowa won one on a Clark buzzer beater from the logo (I know). Gonna be must watch TV. I think Holmes will dominate the matchup vs Stuelke (sp?) at center.

Some forget that IU won the B12 regular season title last season, not Iowa.

 

[Dillon77]

Two match-ups on Big Ten Network tonight (Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024) featuring teams with somewhat similar records:

- At 6 p.m. ET
Maryland (10-4) vs. Michigan State (11-3)

- At 8 p.m. ET
(Minnesota 11-3 vs. Michigan 11-4)

 

[cancontent]

Two match-ups on Big Ten Network tonight (Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024) featuring teams with somewhat similar records:

- At 6 p.m. ET
Maryland (10-4) vs. Michigan State (11-3)

- At 8 p.m. ET
(Minnesota 11-3 vs. Michigan 11-4)

Here's how I see these games for all teams involved.

Maryland: Can they gain some consistency and get on a streak?

Michigan State: How do they bounce back from a tough loss? Are they that much improved to beat Maryland?

Minnesota: Can they match up against Michigan and take the win at home?

Michigan: Which team do we see tonight?

 

[TerpWomenFan]

Here's how I see these games for all teams involved.

Maryland: Can they gain some consistency and get on a streak?

Michigan State: How do they bounce back from a tough loss? Are they that much improved to beat Maryland?

Minnesota: Can they match up against Michigan and take the win at home?

Michigan: Which team do we see tonight?

Maryland is a good team except for rebounding which they are terrible at. MSU has a good shot at home.

Like Indiana, Michigan is very well coached. I like them alot in this game.

 

[BigTenGuy]

Here's how I see these games for all teams involved.

Maryland: Can they gain some consistency and get on a streak?

Michigan State: How do they bounce back from a tough loss? Are they that much improved to beat Maryland?

Minnesota: Can they match up against Michigan and take the win at home?

Michigan: Which team do we see tonight?

Minnesota game is at Michigan.

MSU is the betting-line favorite tonight at home against Maryland. Interesting. The NET/analytics like MSU (big margins of victory against bad teams), but they have beaten nobody, other than PSU missing Marisa.

RPI/ELO rank MSU much lower, and RPI (per Warren Nolan) has Maryland as the slight favorite tonight. With a weekend game at Ohio State, seems like MSU has a lot riding on the line tonight. A loss tonight would drop MSU to 1-3 in the conference, with two home losses.

 

[cancontent]

Maryland is a good team except for rebounding which they are terrible at. MSU has a good shot at home.

Like Indiana, Michigan is very well coached. I like them alot in this game.

Yes, Michigan is well coached but they've also have had some puzzling performances against teams they should/could have beaten (e.g. Toledo and Florida). That's what I mean regarding which team will we see.

 

[12au]

Something interesting I noticed: Caitlin Clark has 1.1 Defensive win shares, tied for the most in the Big Ten. Seems like Iowa's D is much improved this year

2023-24 Women's Big Ten Conference Leaders | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

2023-24 Women's Big Ten Conference Leaders

www.sports-reference.com

 

[Plebe]

Here's how I see these games for all teams involved.

Maryland: Can they gain some consistency and get on a streak?

Michigan State: How do they bounce back from a tough loss? Are they that much improved to beat Maryland?

Minnesota: Can they match up against Michigan and take the win at home?

Michigan: Which team do we see tonight?

All four of these teams I would consider at-large teams, if not top 25.

Michigan State played well at Iowa but needs to continue to back up their surprisingly high NET ranking.

 

[cancontent]

Here's how I see these games for all teams involved.

Maryland: Can they gain some consistency and get on a streak?

Michigan State: How do they bounce back from a tough loss? Are they that much improved to beat Maryland?

Minnesota: Can they match up against Michigan and take the win at home?

Michigan: Which team do we see tonight?

Let's review:

1) Maryland played well overall but lost to a gritty Michigan State team.

2) Michigan State bounced back and closed out a tough game of runs against Maryland.

3) Yes, they can match up against Michigan, on the road (my bad). Heck, they took it to Michigan and punched them in the mouth if you ask me.

4) Michigan started off well and was going back and forth with Minnesota. Don't know if Brett's injury had a mental effect, but they weren't the same afterwards.

 

[Plebe]

4) Michigan started off well and was going back and forth with Minnesota. Don't know if Brett's injury had a mental effect, but they weren't the same afterwards.

The Brett injury surely had some effect. Michigan went from up 1 to losing by 16. But credit to Minnesota for catching absolute fire in 4Q; they could hardly miss.

I'd say Grocholski wrapped up Big Ten FOW already: she scored 16 of MN's 29 points in the fourth quarter.

 

[JellyBean]

Minnesota is playing some pretty good basketball this season. Michigan is a confusing team. They played really well against Ohio State a few weeks ago and then play Indiana and Minnesota without that same energy they had against Ohio State. I was watching that Minny/Michigan game and Minnesota just got hot in that 4th quarter. Great game and win for Minnesota.

 

[BigTenGuy]

Minnesota is playing some pretty good basketball this season. Michigan is a confusing team. They played really well against Ohio State a few weeks ago and then play Indiana and Minnesota without that same energy they had against Ohio State. I was watching that Minny/Michigan game and Minnesota just got hot in that 4th quarter. Great game and win for Minnesota.

Michigan is the slowest paced team in the BIG, which is a good matchup for Minnesota. Hart, Grocholski and Heyer can struggle in transition, but Michigan seldom pushes the pace.