Big Ten Basketball

[Transmogrified Tiger]

They'll still have Butler, Ron Lewis, and Ivan Harris as role players with the Thad 5. They could be 8 or 9 deep strong next year, with arguably the best player in the country on their team.

 

I think it's quite a stretch to think Oden's going to be (even arguably) the best player in the country next year.

 

OSU wins because they are shooting ridiculously well from the outside(Foster, Butler and Sullinger are over 51% from 3 in over 230 attempts!). Foster and Sullinger(165 of those attempts) are gone next year, so they'll need those freshman to shoot well. Otherwise Oden's going to be collapsed on and they won't be very effective. They have a great shot of taking the Big 10 next year with several teams having heavy losses, plus their great influx of talent.

[Sweep The Leg Johnny]

They'll still have Butler, Ron Lewis, and Ivan Harris as role players with the Thad 5. They could be 8 or 9 deep strong next year, with arguably the best player in the country on their team.

 

I think it's quite a stretch to think Oden's going to be (even arguably) the best player in the country next year.

 

I'd agree with that Statement. I know Oden will be an absolute beast, but to say an incoming freshman will be the best player in the nation is a bit much.

[badgercub]

What a crazy last couple of weeks. Wisconsin goes from first to seventh to third in the conference over the course of the last 7-10 days.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

For proof that the Big Ten is crazy, you need to look no further than to see who's in 1st place.

[MarkPrior]

What a crazy last couple of weeks. Wisconsin goes from first to seventh to third in the conference over the course of the last 7-10 days.

 

Yea, they essentially switched places with IU

[fiver]

Evidently Davis had more to say today and has conceeded that change may be needed at IU. I wasn't able to view the full article. Can anyone paraphrase?

 

http://indiana.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=512682

 

TJ King on Mike Davis:

he is running out of buttons to push to get his team to play hard. He also stated that the only solution may be a change at the top.

[illiniguy]

Evidently Davis had more to say today and has conceeded that change may be needed at IU. I wasn't able to view the full article. Can anyone paraphrase?

 

http://indiana.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=512682

 

TJ King on Mike Davis:

he is running out of buttons to push to get his team to play hard. He also stated that the only solution may be a change at the top.

So all the fans know it, now the coach knows it, how many more years until the AD gets it?

[Mark_R]

They'll still have Butler, Ron Lewis, and Ivan Harris as role players with the Thad 5. They could be 8 or 9 deep strong next year, with arguably the best player in the country on their team.

 

I think it's quite a stretch to think Oden's going to be (even arguably) the best player in the country next year.

 

OSU wins because they are shooting ridiculously well from the outside(Foster, Butler and Sullinger are over 51% from 3 in over 230 attempts!). Foster and Sullinger(165 of those attempts) are gone next year, so they'll need those freshman to shoot well. Otherwise Oden's going to be collapsed on and they won't be very effective. They have a great shot of taking the Big 10 next year with several teams having heavy losses, plus their great influx of talent.

 

Why is it a stretch at all? Its not a stretch to say that the best HS player in the country could be the best college player when he will just sky over everyone, while still being incredibly skilled on the offensive end to dominate inferior Big Ten post players (all of the good ones are leaving as it is).

 

I wouldn't be shocked to see Oden average 20/10 next year.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

They'll still have Butler, Ron Lewis, and Ivan Harris as role players with the Thad 5. They could be 8 or 9 deep strong next year, with arguably the best player in the country on their team.

 

I think it's quite a stretch to think Oden's going to be (even arguably) the best player in the country next year.

 

OSU wins because they are shooting ridiculously well from the outside(Foster, Butler and Sullinger are over 51% from 3 in over 230 attempts!). Foster and Sullinger(165 of those attempts) are gone next year, so they'll need those freshman to shoot well. Otherwise Oden's going to be collapsed on and they won't be very effective. They have a great shot of taking the Big 10 next year with several teams having heavy losses, plus their great influx of talent.

 

Why is it a stretch at all? Its not a stretch to say that the best HS player in the country could be the best college player when he will just sky over everyone, while still being incredibly skilled on the offensive end to dominate inferior Big Ten post players (all of the good ones are leaving as it is).

 

I wouldn't be shocked to see Oden average 20/10 next year.

 

How many players over 6-7 has Oden faced this year? If any, how many of them weren't waifs?

 

I'm not saying Oden's going to be bad, but I think you'll probably see a replica of Dials's production his freshman year, which is fantastic. That's not POY stuff though, not even close.

[Mark_R]

How many big men in the Big Ten next year are any good?

 

Butch?

Pruitt?

White? (if he stays in school)

[Transmogrified Tiger]

How many big men in the Big Ten next year are any good?

 

Butch?

Pruitt?

White? (if he stays in school)

 

You don't have to be a great big man to play defense. Has Oden had to try to score on competition the caliber of Butch, Stiesma, Pruitt, Gray, Trannon(if he gets eligibility), Sims, White, Allen, or Petway? Especially when he could see double teams consisting of those types of players?

[MarkPrior]

White's not going anywhere.

 

If I can remember correctly, Courtney Sim(m)s will be back in Ann Arbor.

[TripJ]

Mike Davis thinks Indiana needs a former player to coach the team.

 

This sets up nicely for Iowa, I hope. We make a nice little run here at the end, Indiana throws a pile of $$$ at Steve Alford, and we're finally free.

 

Hey, a guy can dream, can't he? Despite our success this season, I still can't stand the guy. Let Indiana have him.

[badgercub]

How many big men in the Big Ten next year are any good?

 

Butch?

Pruitt?

White? (if he stays in school)

 

Butch, most likely, would never match up with him on defense. Chappel and Stiemsa (assuming he is eligible next year) are much better defenders. That is one thing the Badgers will regain next year is depth with their bigs. They will be able to throw three guys 6'10" or above out there in their rotation.

[hawkeyecub]

Mike Davis thinks Indiana needs a former player to coach the team.

 

This sets up nicely for Iowa, I hope. We make a nice little run here at the end, Indiana throws a pile of $$$ at Steve Alford, and we're finally free.

 

Hey, a guy can dream, can't he? Despite our success this season, I still can't stand the guy. Let Indiana have him.

 

You should be proud.

 

The fact that you can't enjoy what could be our first sole Big Ten Championship in 36 years simply because you don't like the coach is pathetic. We've not won a share of the title in 27 years. This is the latest we've been in first place in 24 years. AND we're doing it in a season where the Big Ten is as deep and solid as it has been in years. Not to mention that this team is led by a group of Iowans who have never been in a sniff of trouble and have only busted their tails since they first put on a Hawkeye uniform.

 

But yeah instead you dream about getting a new coach. Good Lord.

[hawkeyecub]

Mike Davis thinks Indiana needs a former player to coach the team.

 

This sets up nicely for Iowa, I hope. We make a nice little run here at the end, Indiana throws a pile of $$$ at Steve Alford, and we're finally free.

 

Hey, a guy can dream, can't he? Despite our success this season, I still can't stand the guy. Let Indiana have him.

 

You should be proud.

 

The fact that you can't enjoy what could be our first sole Big Ten Championship in 36 years simply because you don't like the coach is pathetic. We've not won a share of the title in 27 years. This is the latest we've been in first place in 24 years. AND we're doing it in a season where the Big Ten is as deep and solid as it has been in years. Not to mention that this team is led by a group of Iowans who have never been in a sniff of trouble and have only busted their tails since they first put on a Hawkeye uniform.

 

But yeah instead you dream about getting a new coach. Good Lord.

[TripJ]

Mike Davis thinks Indiana needs a former player to coach the team.

 

This sets up nicely for Iowa, I hope. We make a nice little run here at the end, Indiana throws a pile of $$$ at Steve Alford, and we're finally free.

 

Hey, a guy can dream, can't he? Despite our success this season, I still can't stand the guy. Let Indiana have him.

 

You should be proud.

 

The fact that you can't enjoy what could be our first sole Big Ten Championship in 36 years simply because you don't like the coach is pathetic. We've not won a share of the title in 27 years. This is the latest we've been in first place in 24 years. AND we're doing it in a season where the Big Ten is as deep and solid as it has been in years. Not to mention that this team is led by a group of Iowans who have never been in a sniff of trouble and have only busted their tails since they first put on a Hawkeye uniform.

 

But yeah instead you dream about getting a new coach. Good Lord.

 

Easy, man. I AM proud. I love this group of kids. I pull hard for them every time out. I think they're a good bunch, and am happy for their achievements.

 

I've supported this team through good and bad times, and always will.

 

That being said, I cannot stand our head coach. I think he's an arrogant, pompous jerk who has mishandled the program almost every step of the way. I don't believe that he is a good fit here, and I would be very happy if he left. Don't confuse my dislike for Alford with my loyalty to the team. It's no different than rooting FOR the Cubs yet wishing Dusty would go somewhere else (I do that too, for the record).

[hawkeyecub]

What makes you think he's an arrogant, pompous jerk? Have you ever met him or dealt with him? I have and he's always been very willing to talk and has seemed genuine. I also know that this group of players have a lot of respect for him and are willing to fight for him.

I think a lot of people simply have that impression because he has slicked back hair and there were a lot of rumors thrown around when we had rough seasons. If you've had experiences with him, whatever, but otherwise "don't believe everything you hear."

 

At this time last year I also felt we needed a change. But he was able to rally a team that seemingly had nothing to play for, got some big wins and played their way into the tournament. You're seeing this year how much it helps to get through the majority of the season with no serious injuries or trouble. Most of that simply wasn't his fault.

 

And yes he did not handle himself well with the media in the past. Again that wouldn't have been a problem if we were winning though.

This year he has been extremely accountable, taking the blame for basically every loss saying he has to do a better job in the areas where we struggled. He also was responsible for bringing the entire team over to the student section after the OSU game, thanking and saluting them for what they gave the team.

 

I think he's grown quite a bit and I don't think there's any question that he's a much better coach now than he was 7 years ago. Whether we should have been paying $1M for that is a whole different debate.

I really don't see anything he's done this year (as a coach or handling the press/public) that could make you upset. He's also run a clean program which isn't always a given in college basketball today. I hope he's still our coach and don't see why he's a bad fit.

[hawkcub]

With Alford I said at the beginning of the year he needs to take this team to the Sweet 16 or else he needs to go. I stand by that. This is a very veteran team.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Michigan State is being whistled for more than one foul per minute at this point. They lead by 2 in Carver.

[illiniguy]

Good lord the refs are letting Doug Thomas murder Paul Davis. and of course Iowa is already in the bonus. :roll: Typical Carver Hawkeye game.

[illiniguy]

Michigan State is being whistled for more than one foul per minute at this point. They lead by 2 in Carver.

Yeah that and Thomas is just murdering Davis with no calls being made.

[illiniguy]

Michigan State is being whistled for more than one foul per minute at this point. They lead by 2 in Carver.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Calm down illiniguy, I know it's Iowa, but it's not even your team. :lol:

 

MSU down 4 at the 8 minute TV timeout, 3 Spartans have 2 fouls.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

MSU loses :(