Now,About That Weak Big Ten

[Chisox73]

Who would have thunk it? :notme: 3 Big Ten teams are now in the Elite 8. :eek: With Illinois winning last night,which was expected,you just had Michigan State upset Duke,an ACC team,and Wisconsin taking out another ACC team in NC State.

Personally,I thought Illinois and Wisconsin would make the Elite 8.I honestly didn't think Michigan State would beat Duke the way they did tonight.

Way to go Big Ten. :thumbsup:

[BPBlueSox]

Ha! I have (on my original bracket) Michigan State in the final vs...wake forest. :(

Anyways, I was quite pleased to see them beat Duke this evening.

[racinghoss]

I already posted my "exitedness" in the other threads, but yeah I am very stoked!

Down with the ACC pimps and the Big 10 naysayers!

[Tigers#1]

Like i said in the previous thread, the Big 11 always comes through when it means the most, in the post season.

[Timberwolf]

Big 10 may be a weak conference, but it says something when Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan St are still alive with the shot of going to the Final Four.

[awefullspellare]

I still saw it's not a great conference. VERY top heavy IMO. The top 3 are really good but I don't think Iowa, Indiana or Minnesota are anything great and the bottom is REALLY bad.

Had Ohio State been postseason eligible that would have made them a bit better too.

Teams like Northwestern, Penn State, Michigan, and Purdue are pretty mediorce though.

I think the Big 10 is underrated but I still say ACC > Big 10.

[racinghoss]

I cannot believe that some of you are still discounting the quality of the conference, especially after tonight. Yes, it is top-heavy, but so is every conference including the ACC.

The Big 10 did have an off year and was not as deep as it normally is, but mostly due to injuries and off-court issues. Michigan was rolling along pretty good until they lost thier best player (Daniel Horton) for the season, Iowa was a damn good team until they lost thier best player (Pierre Pierce), Indiana lost Bracey Wright for several games (thier best player). All 3 were contenders until they lost those guys and with the exception of Iowa, they fell apart without them, but even Iowa could not play at their former level.

Even the mighty ACC teams would not fair well in those circumstances.

Think what you want, but tonight was a great night for the Big 10. :beer:

[Baseball Guru]

IMO a tourney does not make a conference great..

Is the Big 10 good? Sure it is, but from top to bottom I still would not say they are the best.

I am happy as hell that MSU beat Duke!

You just have 3 very hot teams playing ball right now that are from the Big 10..

[racinghoss]

What does make a conference great then? Teams winning lots of games, especially when it counts, having the #1 team in the nation, getting 5 teams into the tourney (should have been 6 w/OSU), 3 still being alive in the elite 8, and consistency are all signs to me of a great conference.

I think it takes more than a couple of commentators kissing butt in a conference to make it great. I think Dick Vitale would marry Coach K. if given a chance; Dick sure dotes on him like Coach K was a supermodel who's poop doesn't stink.

There is only one measure of a conference's (or a team's) greatness --> winning, especially the big games. The ACC is nowhere near as good as people say it is; it is just hyped to the point that people believe it without any investigation of thier own. The Big 10 is alot better than most give it credit for and I still say the most competitive conference in the nation. The Big East and ACC are also good conferences, just not as good as the Big 10.

[rockin500]

IMO a tourney does not make a conference great..

Is the Big 10 good? Sure it is, but from top to bottom I still would not say they are the best.

I am happy as hell that MSU beat Duke!

You just have 3 very hot teams playing ball right now that are from the Big 10..
i have to call BS on tourneys not making conferences great. The big 10 is a very good conference. The top three teams are fantastic and can match up with any of the top teams in the ACC. Ohio State who was not elgible was a very good team and Indiana and Minnesota are equal to to the midlevel teams from the Big Least or the ACC.

Dickie V is a big apologist of Coach K, but not nearly as much as Billy Packer.

[Baseball Guru]

You Big 10 fans have a right to your opinion as do I.. I hate the ACC but I still recognize it as one of the best.. My comment was from top to bottom I do not think the Big 10 is as good as the BE or ACC.. Take your 3 top teams and the top 3 from the other conferences then I would rank them just as good as the others but from top to bottom as a whole they aren't.. Again, JMO..


What does make a conference great then?
30+ games during the regular season + rankings and rpi ratings, etc... Bucknell beat Kansas, does that make them a better team? No, not overall, but that 1 game, then yes... A single elimination tourney in which any team can get hot does not make them the greatest conference in America...

[racinghoss]

Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't the Big 10's combined RPI drop way down because of Ohio St. being kept out of the tourney?

[Baseball Guru]

You are correct... Again, we can battle back and forth but I'm not going to change my opinion and I dont expect you to change yours;)

Good luck to Illinois today vs Zona...

[Tigers#1]

You just have 3 very hot teams playing ball right now that are from the Big 10..
I agree with most of what your saying, but I wouldn't say that any of these 3 teams are hot. MSU lost bad to Iowa in the Confrence Tourney, Illinois lost their only game the last game of the regular season, and Wisconsin wasn't that great at the end of the year either. Saying that a conference is not great just because they do well in the post season is like saying the Patriots are just an average team, but they get hot in the playoffs.

[Baseball Guru]

I meant more that they are on a hot streak in the tourney, not before the tourney... They are all playing great ball now...

[racinghoss]

You are correct... Again, we can battle back and forth but I'm not going to change my opinion and I dont expect you to change yours;)

Good luck to Illinois today vs Zona...

Just making a point.

We may need a little luck today unless Head is feeling well enough to guard Stoudamire. However, I dont think that 'zona will shoot 70% against us like they did vs. Ok. St.

[Baseball Guru]

However, I dont think that 'zona will shoot 70% against us like they did vs. Ok. St.


You are probably right:D