I think the Big Ten has 4 teams squarely in the NCAAs(Michigan State, Ohio State and the 2 finalists in Purdue and Michigan).. You can make arguments, pro and con, for a couple others but those seem to be securely in, IMO.
Purdue - got great leadership in Carson Edwards, who is my favorite Big Ten player this year, and good role players in Vince Edwards and Dakota Mathias... Haas and Haarms are good big guys inside but I still wonder about them.. Just haven't had that explosive game against a real good team I have waited for from them but they have talent all over the floor.They are a team that I could picture getting upset early or making a deep run, if they get hot from the outside.. Don't know what to predict with that team.
Michigan - Its about time that John Beilein gets talked about in the same breath with the best in the conference, maybe even nationally. His son is also a successful head coach at a much smaller school.. Seems to get his kids to peak during the conference tourney... They will still live and die by the 3 but could be a scary team and a tough out in the NCAA's.
Michigan State - this is Tom Izzo's most talented team and deep but there is something missing, IMO.. They seem to lack that tough, gritty court leadership and physical force that Izzo likes.. Another team that has all the talent in the world but just don't know what is going to happen in the NCAAs.. If they had that 'tough guy' on the team, I would say they go deep but without that, I am just not sure they will go as deep in the NCAAs as many expect... But they have so much talent that you can hardly pick against them.
Ohio State - Holtmann is a great addition to the Big Ten as a coach... Made a much better run than people thought possible at the beginning of the year.. Who is in their regional will make a huge difference in how Ohio State does in the tourney. Another team that is all over the board as to how far they go.. Could be upset early or go deep depending on their guard play.
This has been a fun tournament but I am not sure I see any team that is dominant.. Michigan State has the potential to be but they have played tight the last few games and may lack that toughness that Izzo wants in his teams. I dont know that I ever have seen 4 teams that I had more confused thoughts on at this stage of the season.. We could see 4 Big Ten teams in the sweet 16 or none.. Of course, nationally I dont see a dominant team either so this could be one of the most interesting tournaments that we have seen in awhile.
Purdue - got great leadership in Carson Edwards, who is my favorite Big Ten player this year, and good role players in Vince Edwards and Dakota Mathias... Haas and Haarms are good big guys inside but I still wonder about them.. Just haven't had that explosive game against a real good team I have waited for from them but they have talent all over the floor.They are a team that I could picture getting upset early or making a deep run, if they get hot from the outside.. Don't know what to predict with that team.
Michigan - Its about time that John Beilein gets talked about in the same breath with the best in the conference, maybe even nationally. His son is also a successful head coach at a much smaller school.. Seems to get his kids to peak during the conference tourney... They will still live and die by the 3 but could be a scary team and a tough out in the NCAA's.
Michigan State - this is Tom Izzo's most talented team and deep but there is something missing, IMO.. They seem to lack that tough, gritty court leadership and physical force that Izzo likes.. Another team that has all the talent in the world but just don't know what is going to happen in the NCAAs.. If they had that 'tough guy' on the team, I would say they go deep but without that, I am just not sure they will go as deep in the NCAAs as many expect... But they have so much talent that you can hardly pick against them.
Ohio State - Holtmann is a great addition to the Big Ten as a coach... Made a much better run than people thought possible at the beginning of the year.. Who is in their regional will make a huge difference in how Ohio State does in the tourney. Another team that is all over the board as to how far they go.. Could be upset early or go deep depending on their guard play.
This has been a fun tournament but I am not sure I see any team that is dominant.. Michigan State has the potential to be but they have played tight the last few games and may lack that toughness that Izzo wants in his teams. I dont know that I ever have seen 4 teams that I had more confused thoughts on at this stage of the season.. We could see 4 Big Ten teams in the sweet 16 or none.. Of course, nationally I dont see a dominant team either so this could be one of the most interesting tournaments that we have seen in awhile.
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