2020-2021 B1G Basketball Thread

[MaximumSam]

No Musa Jallow for the Buckeyes

[Brutus Buckeye]

No Musa Jallow for the Buckeyes

[MaximumSam]

Man a cracker of a first half. 45-43 Michigan led by some blistering three point shooting.

[Brutus Buckeye]

Did one of the Wolverines have his hair cut like a Michigan helmet? Did I see that right? 

[medinabuckeye1]

Heck of a game in Columbus. Neither team has been able to break free so far although both have seemed on the verge.

[medinabuckeye1]

Oh well, it was a good game

[medinabuckeye1]

Oh well, it was a good game

That behind the back pass to nowhere was a catastrophe for Ohio State. At that point tOSU was down three and had the ball. Then that pass went to nowhere, Michigan picked it up, got a bucket and a foul and all of a sudden it was a six point game. 

[Brutus Buckeye]

[Kris60]

That behind the back pass to nowhere was a catastrophe for Ohio State. At that point tOSU was down three and had the ball. Then that pass went to nowhere, Michigan picked it up, got a bucket and a foul and all of a sudden it was a six point game.

It’s crazy in a close, hard fought game how a play like that can be so deflating.  Being down 6 feels like being down 12.

[medinabuckeye1]

It’s crazy in a close, hard fought game how a play like that can be so deflating.  Being down 6 feels like being down 12.

Exactly. I think there was a little under 2 minutes and it was a three point game. That is anybody's game. If Ohio State scores a bucket or a three it becomes a tie or a one point game. Instead turnover plus bucket plus foul plus made FT results in a six point game that, as you said, feels like it might as well be 12.

[Abba]

Obviously it's hard not to latch onto the Sueing play, but overall the Buckeyes only turned it over 9 times.  They shot well and played about as well as I could've expected.  The game against Iowa broke their way late, while this one broke against them.  

Now to see if they can avoid a let down against a desperate Sparty team.  Still have to get some more wins to stay in the top 4.

[bayareabadger]

Wisconsin thumped NW, which is bad. I'm not sure UW wins another game scheduled (maybe not another game), but avoiding that loss should mean a trip to the tournament. 

Not sure what to make of this team. Will be interesting if more or fewer than the expected two seniors return. 

[847badgerfan]

I think it's time to Davison to move on. He's become a liability.

[medinabuckeye1]

B1G Regular Season Title Race:
The Buckeyes, Hawkeyes, and Boilermakers all still have a mathematical chance but it is only theoretical.  Purdue and the IA/tOSU loser would need Michigan to lose all of their last five games while the tOSU/IA winner would need Michigan to lose at least four out of their last five.  

Thus, the only team still practically chasing the Wolverines is Illinois.  The Illini's chances frankly took a big hit when Michigan won in Columbus because the Illini can't get there by themselves, they need help.  

Michigan is 11-1 with five games to go.  Illinois is 12-3 with five games to go.  Illinois is scheduled to play 20 games while Michigan is scheduled to play 17 so there is no mathematical possibility of a tie.  If the Illini and Wolverines end up with the same number of losses, Illinois wins because they will have more wins and thus a superior winning percentage.  Thus, here is what needs to happen:

• If Michigan goes 4-1 or better in their last five they finish 15-2 or better and win the league no matter what.  
• If Michigan goes 3-2 in their last five they finish 14-3.  Illinois could win the league but only by winning out to finish 17-3.  
• If Michigan goes 2-3 in their last five they finish 13-4.  Illinois could win the league by going 4-1 or better to finish 16-4 or better.  
• If Michigan goes 1-4 in their last five they finish 12-5.  Illinois could win the league by going 3-2 or better to finish 15-5 or better.  Also, either Iowa or Ohio State could be in the mix by winning out.  
• If Michigan goes 0-5 in their last five they finish 11-6.  Illinois could win the league by going 2-3 or better to finish 14-6 or better.  Also, Iowa, Ohio State, and Purdue could potentially be in the mix.  

How good (or not) is Wisconsin?  Wisconsin is 10-7 which is great but they are 0-5 against B1G teams with .500 or better records in the league.  That 10-7 consists of:

• 0-2 against 11-1 Michigan
• 0-1 at 12-3 Illinois - home game remaining
• 0-1 vs 12-5 Ohio State
• 0-1 vs 11-5 Iowa - road game remaining
• 0-0 vs 10-6 Purdue - road game remaining
• 1-0 @ 8-9 Rutgers (Wisconsin's best win)
• 1-1 against 8-9 Maryland
• 1-0 vs 7-8 Indiana
• 1-0 vs 6-10 Minnesota
• 1-0 @ 5-9 Michigan State
• 1-1 against 4-11 Penn State
• 2-0 against 3-13 Northwestern
• 2-0 against 1-12 Nebraska

If Wisconsin wins again before the BTT, that win will be their best of the year so far.  

At their current 10-7/16-8 the Badgers would clearly be in if the Tournament started today but they have a serious deficiency in the "signature win" category.  Their best win is an absolute demolition of Louisville at home but that happened before Christmas.  Since we flipped our calendars to 2021 the Badgers' wins have come almost exclusively against teams that will NOT be Dancing.  That is a concern particularly if Wisconsin loses out to finish 10-11 in games against B1G opponents and 16-12 overall.  My guess is that would still be enough to get them in, but not by much and they'd be looking at a REALLY tough match-up in the second round.