B1G Performance in the BB Tournament

I honestly can’t remember which conferences were shining and which were not before the shutdown last year. I’m guessing most people won’t remember the B1G’s performance in any way that will impact its teams seasons meaningfully.

While the B1G only has 3 out of 9 teams left in the tournament through 1.5 rounds (nice job bozos lol), this is not cause for concern for next year.  The reason why the B1G was perceived as such a great league was their performance in the non-conference portion of the schedule this season.  The B1G dominated the ACC/Big Ten challenge and played well against nearly all other opponents. 

The only way this tournament has an affect on next season are the early top 25 rankings.  And we all know how little those matter.

Top 25 rankings don't matter, seeds in the tournament don't matter, and records don't matter (once seeded). It is a new season once the tournament starts. You have to win 6 straight to win the whole damn thing. 1 team will do this. ONE. Against "the best" that Division I college basketball has to offer. And ya know what? No one ever talks about who got the silver medal and the bronze and who placed 4th, there are no consolation matches for placing in the top 8. People may talk about who lost in the finals, as we obviously do around here and is natural. But please tell me who the 5th best team and 9th best team was last year. Or the year before, when there was a tournament to utilize for these things, who was the 12th best team? What about the 36th? 

It literally makes no sense to base any criteria on the season prior. Especially with players leaving and coaching changes. Perhaps a program with a storied coach or history will get a nod over others, like MSU or Duke getting their ref privileges and things of the like

Does anyone really think Illinois, OSU, and Purdue are not any good or just had a bad night and/or their opponents had good nights?  They don't call it March Madness for nothing.

If The B1G wasn't so strong.. would Michigan have lost 3 of their last 5 games?

Way back in 2011 the Big East had the same narrative. It was the top conference going in and surely the Elite 8 and Final Four would be the Big East invitational. And all of the Big East teams promptly lost in the first two rounds. There went that narrative.

Except for Connecticut who won the tournament. 

Who really gives a care?  Just win, baby, win!

I think people tend to forget how much these random matchups affect Tournament results. In a single-elimination tournament like the NCAA, luck of the draw seems to play an outsized component, especially early. How teams match up or how a team is playing that week are of the utmost importance.

Examples: Loyola presented perhaps the best possible team to beat Illinois--limiting possessions by slowing the pace, having a center that could defend Cockburn decently and score himself, playing great defense against their slashing/driving guards and forcing them to chuck up long jumpshots (which they love to do). Without this draw, I'm not sure we see Illinois lose until at least much later. And how about Oregon State? A mediocre team in a down conference that has just put it all together in the PAC-12, and now NCAA, tournaments. They got hot at just the right time. Tennessee and Okla St. were unlucky to draw them.

I realize that NCAA Tournament advancement is ultimately how we judge the overall performance of a team, but this might not be the best criteria by itself.

I was able to improve my performance using one small pill before sexual encounters 

I'm just worried about beating lsu

Every power conference outside the Pac-12 is having a bad tournament so far. The Big Ten has been a little worse, but I am not sure how any of this matters. Do you think the ACC being terrible this year is going to affect how people view or seed Duke, UNC, Louisville, Virginia, and Syracuse next year and in the foreseeable future?

There's been a few upsets, but besides that B1G teams have lost to who they were supposed to lose to based on seeding. OSU, Illinois and Purdue were upsets, but MSU and UCLA were both 11 seeds, Rutgers lost to a 2 seed, Wisconsin lost to a 1 seed, Maryland is upsetting teams, Iowa is fine, we're still in it, so I think this narrative is weird

This is a weird year. Far fewer non-conference games. Gonzaga has been the wire-to-wire #1 because of a total of 4 non-conf games against what are believed to be good opponents. 

We didn't play a single elite team in non-conf, and then annihilated most of the B1G. So what does that tell us?

Not much, apparently. 

I confess that I found the OSU and Illinois losses bizarre in part because the teams looked nothing like the outfits that buzzsawed through the B1G tournament just a week prior. Given how Cameron Krutwig seemed to score against Kof Cockburn at will, I wonder if Illinois was honestly more committed to beating Michigan in our regular season meeting than to focusing on Loyola in the NCAA Tournament. Ohio State, meanwhile, missed dozens of shots that went in when they played us. It was just strange. 

But it's a crazy year. Weird non-conference schedules, teams with funny breaks for COVID, lots of upsets. According to Stew Mandel, the tournament has already tied the "significant upset" record at 10 with 8 games still to play today. So, even on the scale of "The NCAA Tournament is always crazy," this has been a pretty crazy year. 

Wouldn't surprise me one bit if we were one of the victims today, honestly. Or we could go all the way. 

It doesn't matter one bit for next year. What matters next year is how teams do in non-conference play. 

I really don't care about how the rest of the conference does and it doesn't say a ton about the Big Ten which has been a solid league for years. The perception of the conference affects Michigan very little. Like a seed line at best. However the joy I feel having seen OSU lose to a 15 seed and a whiny Illinois not even make the sweet 16 will last for years

Seems like you just enjoy being miserable or in a constant state of worry. 

makes zero difference.

so the difference is 6 teams in rather than 9? Drop a seeding line or two?

so what? you still have to win your games.

only difference is the amount of bank the conference gets and no recruiting bump, which has been the case for years now

Would much rather OSU & Illinois lost early in embarrassing fashion, and whatever happens after that seems like a OK trade-off. I'm not convinced anybody will give a shit next year, though.

Why is anyone surprised at the Big Ten's performance?

Take a look at Brad Underwood and Chris Holtmann's tournament histories.  They have one career Sweet 16 appearance between them (and nothing beyond that).

Fran McCaffery likewise has zero Sweet 16s in his 25-year career.  Would it shock you if that continued and they lost to Oregon?

Coaching in a single-elimination tournament is a skill.  Beilein had it.  These guys, evidently, don't.

Zero impact on next year.  It's just fun fodder for all of the national writers to write out and get clicks from ACC/SEC fans and hand wringing Big Ten fans

What it does impact is the ceiling of this Michigan team.  Wins against Ohio State and Purdue really don't look quite as good in the rear view mirror.  MIchigan might not be quite as "good" as we thought they were.  Does that mean they can't make a run?  Heck no!  But should it make everyone a bit more worried about LSU?  Yes, definitely.

That’s the problem with a single-elimination tournament. Sometimes you have a bad game or bad matchup and - that’s all folks.

I wonder how Oral Robert’s, North Texas, etc. would do in a 20 fame B1G schedule.

Big Ten refs stink.  I think that is a factor, the Big Ten calls too many fouls and our teams look a little surprised at all the contact being allowed in the tourney.

Clearly the PAC-12 is the best conference and deserves all the #1 seeds next year.  

It never matters for SEC football, why would it matter for B1G basketball?

My Bracket reflects the Big 10 Performance...Figuring we really were the best league and had a ton of great  all beating each other up I figured the B10 would have a great tourney once they got out of league...WRONG!!!  although the rest of you must have realllllly bad brackets because I was still in the top 20 % because most of  my other non B10 teams selections have done well...Olieo St Purdue and Rutgers Killed me...I had Rutgers winning yesterday and they should of.... CHOKE!!!!  Illinois CHOKE!!!!!  Olieo St...CHOKE.....looks like its up to MICHIGAN to carry the league banner

Don't let the media or so call "experts" fool you.  None of them predicted how the tourney is shaking out right now just like none of them had Michigan on their radar at the start of the season let alone teams like Oral Roberts, etc...

We will be fine...GO BLUE!

The ACC had one team make it out of the first round. I have read that both Duke and UNC are considering dropping basketball because of this.

The media was already questioning the strength of the conference the very minute OSU lost to Oral Roberts.  They had an obvious agenda immediately, even before the rest of the B1G teams started to lose. 

It's not enough for me to care because I loved watching OSU go down.  And I also loved watching Illinois go down.  Fuck those guys. 

In the end, all that matters is Michigan. 

It doesn’t affect OSU in football so why should it affect us in basketball?

Now Iowa is getting pummeled by a 7-seed.

The Big Ten was MASSIVELY overrated this year.  Let's hope our team has some magic left in it without Livers.

If the Big Ten had 2 1-seeds and 2-sseds all fail to make the sweet 16, that would be a flameout of historic proportions.

Whatever...its a one and done tourney, shit can happen. 

But I am very surprised how well the Pac 12 is doing...talk about big misses by the "experts"

Kudos to the Pac...needed love since football is still not even close. 

I have no loyalty to the big 10 in the tournament except Michigan! If another big 10 team goes far in the tournament it helps there recruiting and brand which I dont want! It could possibly sway a 18 year old recruit deciding between Michigan and (x) team if they go far like to the final four and we don't?!

Add Iowa to the list of B1G teams to underperform in the tourney.  We know they don't play defense, but they just got ran out of the gym.  Oregon almost put 100 on them!

The Big Ten isn't just losing.  It is getting utterly embarrassed.

.
1-seed Illinois blown out by an 8-seed by 13.
2-seed Ohio State losing to a 15-seed.

2-seed Iowa blown out by a 7-seed by 15

4-seed Purdue beaten by a 13-seed.

Yes 2 of these losses were in OT.  But this is still embarrassing for the conference no matter how it is spun.  Only a FF run by Michigan could really offset this in any way.
 

Yes: "there seems to be something wrong with our bloody [basketball teams this week]"

Anyone think the officiating in the league during the season has anything to do with this?  They let them bang and hack each other during the season on what would be "no blood no foul" calls, and then other league refs in the tourney call them fouls.  I feel like it causes the B1G teams to change their style of play during the tourney and lose games they would have won if playing with B1G refs.  Could be why the B1G hasn't won a NC since the early 2000's.  

Don't worry. They'll always be another hype train for the big ten.