College Basketball 02/29 Thread
You can use this thread to discuss the story lines out of this evening's games, if you like. At this time of year, games can have very dramatic consequences on the conference champs and the dance.
I'm sure we're all most interested in OSU @ NW this evening. I have mixed feelings on the subject. First, I can never bring myself to root for OSU in anything, but I know I'm going to need to do so when they play MSU in the Finale unless MSU manages to drop another. Secondly, I'm concerned that if OSU drops one, they won't play to their potential in the game vs MSU because the conference championship will be out of their grasp. Finally, though, for whatever reason, I think I want NW to make the tourney. Shurna's nursing home probably won't let him play another season with that bad hip, so it's his last chance. I think he deserves it.
I suppose I'll be rooting for NW and then hoping that OSU still has enough fire to want to take down MSU in the finale.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:03 PM ^
I think at this point it's better if OSU gets hot against NW. I want them coming into EL with a full head of steam looking to dominate Sparty.
I would like to see NW in the tournament though. They deserve it at this point.
February 29th, 2012 at 1:30 PM ^
loses to Northwestern we can get the second seed, and just a 2 way tie for the title if OSU would beat MSU this weekend.
February 29th, 2012 at 1:36 PM ^
True! How about I root for a 99-98 NW win in 2OT. That way OSU will be shooting well AND we can get that 2 seed.
February 29th, 2012 at 2:52 PM ^
If we win out, that is. We win all tiebreakers with OSU because of their loss to Wisconsin, even if they win out. They can only get the 2 seed over us if we lose.
February 29th, 2012 at 6:31 PM ^
Hopefully someone more savvy with Big Ten tiebreaks than myself can answer this question. If OSU were to lose tonight and OSU beats MSU and we win out, resulting in a two-way tie for first between us and MSU, would we be the 1 or 2 seed in the BTT? I know that's a lot of results that would need to go our way, but it's certainly possible.
February 29th, 2012 at 7:24 PM ^
With our loss to Purdue we have been eliminated from getting #1 seed in the B1G Tournament.
As well, MSU is guaranteed the #1 seed. A split between them and us yields a tiebreaker where they swept Purdue and we did not. A split between MSU and OSU yields a tiebreaker where MSU swept Wisconsin and OSU did not.
February 29th, 2012 at 8:25 PM ^
MSU is guaranteed the #1 seed. The tiebreaker they win against us doesn't even get to Purdue, it's that they are 2-0 against Wisconsin and we are only 1-0. It's not winning percentage, it's better record, so that breaks the tie.
February 29th, 2012 at 9:38 PM ^
That seems a little unfair. We're punished there by our schedule. (I know it ultimately doesn't matter because of the record against Purdue, but still.)
I kind of wondered if that may be the case. I should have put it in my post.
Thanks for the clarification.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:07 PM ^
I really hope USF wins tonight. I've never seen a team go 11-5 in a conference projected to send 9 teams to the tourney and get left out. And they beat SHU and Cincinnati head-to-head, who are both projected to get in instead of them.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:09 PM ^
Very conflicting issue. I would love to see NW make the tournament and Shurna absolutely deserves it. However, if Ohio loses and the title is out of their grasp, I don't think they'll stand a chance against an MSU team playing to avoid tying with their most hated rival and having one of the most successful years (football and basketball combined--both going undefeated at home) in East Lansing history.
It'll be a damn good game tonight, though. That's for sure.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:14 PM ^
I doubt there's this "game to game correlation" that fans want to see. NW and MSU are very different teams with different styles.
You could argue that if OSU loses, they'll be down against MSU. But you could just as easily say they'll have nothing to lose versus MSU and play loose.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:21 PM ^
That's true. As long as MSU doesn't somehow catch OSU on a night when the team as a whole shoots 26% including 2-12 nights from both Thomas and Buford. Thomas has really been coming on strong lately, so if he can keep it going they should be able to win. I get the impression that they're a bit streaky, so I think winning at NW with a good shooting night will set them up nicely.
Easiest way to beat MSU at this point is to get Payne/Nix in foul trouble. Green is fantastic, but he can't do it on his own, and if they don't have their bangers down low, it frees up defenders to double on Green.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:28 PM ^
If they lose tonight, and cant get it done in EL, we wont be conference champions, but we would at least most likely not see MSU and OSU until the BTT finals...
February 29th, 2012 at 3:31 PM ^
I hadn't thought of that. OSU falling to 4th would be good for UM in the BTT. I'd take the share of the regular season over the preferential BTT bracket, though.
February 29th, 2012 at 6:22 PM ^
February 29th, 2012 at 12:31 PM ^
I have been addicted to keeping tabs on bubble teams, mostly using ESPN.com's "Bubble Watch" the last few weeks, and some of the teams vying for an at-large invite are really interesting (Iona, Harvard, St. Louis, etc.) while others seem like they definitely should not be a tournament team, and most years wouldn't even be discussed, but because of the "soft bubble" have a fighting chance (Colorado, Colorado St., St Joes, UCF, etc.). I also have consistently marveled at just how bad the Pac-12 has become; in the old Pac-10 days not long ago, I recall watching the usual powers at UCLA and Arizona and sometimes Stanford and Washington, and it just seems impossible to me that it is such a bad conference these days. They literally beat almost no decent team collectively out of conference and even the teams at the top of the standings (UW, Cal), are considered major bubble teams. There are a few "elimination" type games between bubble teams that will be of great interest this week, and of course the conference tournaments should be outstanding with so many teams still trying to either get the auto-bid or otherwise prove their worth with a marquee win.
Also, I would definitely like to see Northwestern finally make it, but my bigger wish (as it is for us all) is that UM somehow wins their last two and we get the final assist from hated Ohio. Even if the Bucks win tonight and then get a share of the title themselves on the weekend, I've just been waiting too long for UM to win the conference in basketball to not root for them, assuming the maize and blue take care of their own business. Still a huge long shot, but as long as it's a possibility, I won't give up hope.
February 29th, 2012 at 1:50 PM ^
MSU has one more game which is against OSU.
February 29th, 2012 at 1:54 PM ^
I know we're worried that if Ohio loses tonight, they will it in vs MSU on Sunday
One, obvs, MICH needs to take care of its own business beforehand. Both of their last 2 games will start and finish before Ohio/MSU
But, lets say Ohio does lose tonight, MICH wins out.......the silver lining to the Bucks mailing it in and then losing to MSU is that--presuming Wisco wins out--they would fall to the #4 seed.
We'd have IU at 5, OSU at 4 and MSU at 1, all fighting it out one side of the bracket. Should MICH make the semifinals of the BTT, I love, love, love their chances in a 2/3 game vs Wisco, much more than I do against Ohio
BOOM SILVER LINING
Cheer for NW tonight. Save your OSU cheering for if we really need it on Sunday
February 29th, 2012 at 1:57 PM ^
Want NW to win and then have OSU beat MSU- so that we split Big Ten if we win out and have outright 2 seed because OSU would have one more loss.
February 29th, 2012 at 2:09 PM ^
February 29th, 2012 at 3:32 PM ^
I agree.
2 conference road games are never givens.
But Illinois has collapsed and Penn St is garbage. If we lose to PSU we deserve to be a 5 seed for NCAA. So we should win both games- but yes it is very much not a given.
However, for rooting gotta root for the chance for the title.
February 29th, 2012 at 2:26 PM ^
but I'm having a hard time worrying too much about what OSU does against NW. We need to win tomorrow. End of story.
February 29th, 2012 at 2:33 PM ^
February 29th, 2012 at 3:44 PM ^
Lucky for us, that game falls on MSU's spring break, so the home court advantage won't be as great as it could be.
February 29th, 2012 at 2:53 PM ^
GO OSU BEAT MSU!!!! Now all we have to do is win TWO road games back to back
YIKES!!!
February 29th, 2012 at 5:01 PM ^
I've thought about if OSU loses tonight do they mail it in Sunday vs MSU. I'd say no for two reasons. One is seeding, they could drop down to four as stated above. But also, with how much they've struggled recently, losing to MSU, us, and Wisco in their past 5 games, if they were to lose two more, that would be 3 to end the season and 5 of 7. They'd have no momentum and if they went out eraly in the B1G tournament, they'd drop wildly seeding wise. They would want to win just to prove to themselves they can make a run in the tourney.
February 29th, 2012 at 8:39 PM ^
February 29th, 2012 at 9:39 PM ^
Robbie Hummel has been a monster the last 3-4 weeks. If he'd played this way all year Purdue would be Big Ten champs.
February 29th, 2012 at 10:30 PM ^
Wow - can Northwestern steal this game?
February 29th, 2012 at 10:33 PM ^
February 29th, 2012 at 10:36 PM ^
Haha, he sounded like a teenage boy going through puberty. I feel bad for NW, they've had so many close losses this year. I definitely feel like they are a top 68 team in the country and should make it in the tournament. Hopefully they do.
February 29th, 2012 at 10:40 PM ^
Lol, Gus made the 3point like NW had won the game or something...
February 29th, 2012 at 10:44 PM ^
Well, it did tie the game - a game NW never led and was down big for long stretches.
February 29th, 2012 at 10:36 PM ^
I hate everything.
February 29th, 2012 at 10:40 PM ^
I don't really know if it would've been a good thing for OSU to lose. I wouldn't be able to see OSU bouncing back and beating MSU on sunday for us if they lost today.
February 29th, 2012 at 10:47 PM ^
but I really wanted NW to pull one of those games out finally. Especially with that clutch three.
February 29th, 2012 at 10:36 PM ^
And that's the reason you've never made an tourney appearance NU. Sully gets an easy layup for the win.
February 29th, 2012 at 10:39 PM ^
Man, NW just kissed their tourny chance goodbye. Cant get the team to play defense for 7sec
February 29th, 2012 at 10:42 PM ^
Was watching that game though. NW, though they've lost some close games, is a quality team. A bubble for sure, but they play good basketball and the Committee deciding the NCAA Tourney participants likes quality teams (obviously, but W/L record against even better teams doens't always favor the team that "loses" to the really good teams i.e. Big Ten teams).
I don't think NW is out of the picture yet. Losing to a 2 seed-type team shouldn't disqualify a team. Get the 18th win, and a good showing in the BTT and they're very much alive.
February 29th, 2012 at 10:40 PM ^
So Northwestern has now lost twice to Michigan in OT and has lost to Purdue and Ohio on last-second shots. Talk about snakebitten. I hope they make it somehow.
Well, I guess this is good for us. Ohio now will be playing for the Big Ten title, so they'll give it their best shot on Sunday. It's up to us to take care of business.
February 29th, 2012 at 10:43 PM ^
February 29th, 2012 at 10:43 PM ^
NW was lucky enough to get back to one possesion game, and they blew it. well, now OSU has to beat MSU in EL, they got the spark from tonight.
February 29th, 2012 at 10:46 PM ^
I think so much we care about what other teams do in order to win the B1G that we forgot that Michigan needs to win two more road games.
February 29th, 2012 at 10:52 PM ^
I know conference tourney games do count towards bubble selection. I hope NW can win out from here and pick up two in the tourney to finish with a 500 conference record. They deserve to finally make the dance. They're better than half the AQ's.