Big Ten Wins Big Ten/ACC Challenge

Sep 15, 2006
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A good night. Wahoos, Irish and North Cheatolina all get it handed to them big-time. The B1G isn't strong at the bottom this season, but the ACC might be even weaker.
 

TheC

All-Conference
May 29, 2001
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Wow... NC got smoked by Michigan and now OSU. I think UNC might be a tad bit overrated this year.
 

NJCat

All-Conference
Mar 7, 2016
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The B1G is really good this year. Top to bottom might be the best I can recall. Even the lowest tier could be trouble on some nights. No question the B1G is the best conference in the country this season.
 

Purple Pile Driver

All-Conference
May 14, 2014
27,113
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The B1G is really good this year. Top to bottom might be the best I can recall. Even the lowest tier could be trouble on some nights. No question the B1G is the best conference in the country this season.
B1G was much better last year.
 

GatoLouco

Sophomore
Nov 13, 2019
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I'm not sure that, by the time it's all said and done, we will feel the B1G of last year was better than this year's. I thought so when the season started. And we will see how teams develop. But, as of now, against last year:

Indiana Hoosiers - Better
Maryland Terrapins - Better
Ohio State Buckeyes - Better
Michigan Wolverines - Same
Penn State Nittany Lions - Better
Illinois Fighting Illini - Better
Iowa Hawkeyes - Worse, with potential to be better
Rutgers Scarlet Knights - Better
Michigan State Spartans - Worse, with potential to be better
Purdue Boilermakers - Worse
Northwestern Wildcats - Same
Minnesota Golden Gophers - Worse, with potential to be as good (Oturu is a stud)
Nebraska Cornhuskers - Worse
Wisconsin Badgers - Worse

That's 6 better, 6 worse, 2 sames. Subjective for sure, but I did not imagine I would be questioning if the league is, this year, as good as it was last year.
 
Sep 15, 2006
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Maryland has taken a lot of deserved flak for their craptastic football program of late, but nobody can deny they've been a boon to B1G basketball, both with their men's and women's programs.
 

jensberg

Sophomore
Jul 28, 2006
2,927
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Maryland and Ohio State may actually be the better teams than Michigan State this year despite all the hoopla about Michigan State during the preseason
 

NURoseBowl

Junior
Jun 16, 2009
8,137
319
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The B1G is really good this year. Top to bottom might be the best I can recall. Even the lowest tier could be trouble on some nights. No question the B1G is the best conference in the country this season.
Yep. As I've said on here before, the strength of a conference is measured from its top to its bottom, with everything in between. Having a couple of marquee teams at the top doesn't make a conference strong.
 

torque-cat

Redshirt
Dec 11, 2018
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Yep. As I've said on here before, the strength of a conference is measured from its top to its bottom, with everything in between. Having a couple of marquee teams at the top doesn't make a conference strong.

top to bottom we’ve been arguably the best conference over the past decade. Problem is people remember the top teams and we don’t have Duke or UNC.
 

Vassar69

Sophomore
Feb 16, 2019
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Yep. As I've said on here before, the strength of a conference is measured from its top to its bottom, with everything in between. Having a couple of marquee teams at the top doesn't make a conference strong.
This is the argument that teams that aren’t at the top make. Reality is, depth is good but the Big Ten is routinely deeper than the ACC. And yet, that is the marquee conference because the top is where the country’s blue bloods are.
 

jindy

Redshirt
Oct 17, 2007
15
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I'm not sure that, by the time it's all said and done, we will feel the B1G of last year was better than this year's. I thought so when the season started. And we will see how teams develop. But, as of now, against last year:

Indiana Hoosiers - Better
Maryland Terrapins - Better
Ohio State Buckeyes - Better
Michigan Wolverines - Same
Penn State Nittany Lions - Better
Illinois Fighting Illini - Better
Iowa Hawkeyes - Worse, with potential to be better
Rutgers Scarlet Knights - Better
Michigan State Spartans - Worse, with potential to be better
Purdue Boilermakers - Worse
Northwestern Wildcats - Same
Minnesota Golden Gophers - Worse, with potential to be as good (Oturu is a stud)
Nebraska Cornhuskers - Worse
Wisconsin Badgers - Worse

That's 6 better, 6 worse, 2 sames. Subjective for sure, but I did not imagine I would be questioning if the league is, this year, as good as it was last year.

One caution about this is that comparing end of season teams from last year to current teams is somewhat iffy. Purdue was 6 - 5 close to this point last year for example and are currently 5 - 3, having played a pretty tough schedule. The end of year team was pretty darn good, though. After losing 3 starters including 2 top scorers, reasonable Purdue fans expected an uneven start to this season with continued improvement through the year. I would guess that your list may look different for a few teams by the end of the season.
 

NURoseBowl

Junior
Jun 16, 2009
8,137
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This is the argument that teams that aren’t at the top make. Reality is, depth is good but the Big Ten is routinely deeper than the ACC. And yet, that is the marquee conference because the top is where the country’s blue bloods are.
You're spot on, 69. That's exactly what I'm saying - if you throw the entire Big Ten and ACC into one mix, and the best, say, two teams are from the ACC . . . and eight of the next ten best are from the Big Ten, then the ACC gets the "marquee" nod, but the Big Ten is the better conference. Night in and night out, there are fewer nights off in the Big Ten than there are in any other conference. That's what makes it the better conference, not the better two teams.
 

PURPLECAT88

Senior
Feb 4, 2003
7,674
724
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Maryland and Ohio State may actually be the better teams than Michigan State this year despite all the hoopla about Michigan State during the preseason
Michigan might be too. Don't be fooled by that tired bunch that showed up in L'ville. They played three tough games in three days in the Bahamas and then traveled two of the next three days to get to Louisville. They just looked spent. It won't be like that all season.
 

NURoseBowl

Junior
Jun 16, 2009
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Michigan might be too. Don't be fooled by that tired bunch that showed up in L'ville. They played three tough games in three days in the Bahamas and then traveled two of the next three days to get to Louisville. They just looked spent. It won't be like that all season.
Probably true, good point.
 

Medill90

Junior
Jan 30, 2011
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This is the argument that teams that aren’t at the top make. Reality is, depth is good but the Big Ten is routinely deeper than the ACC. And yet, that is the marquee conference because the top is where the country’s blue bloods are.

Well, since you invoke "blue blood" let's look at the money.

The ACC Network last year distributed just under $30 million per school.

The Big Ten Network last year distributed just under $55 million per school.

Getting fifty cents on the dollar compare to the Big Ten doesn't seem very marquee or blue blood.
 

CappyNU

Junior
Mar 2, 2004
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One caution about this is that comparing end of season teams from last year to current teams is somewhat iffy. Purdue was 6 - 5 close to this point last year for example and are currently 5 - 3, having played a pretty tough schedule. The end of year team was pretty darn good, though. After losing 3 starters including 2 top scorers, reasonable Purdue fans expected an uneven start to this season with continued improvement through the year. I would guess that your list may look different for a few teams by the end of the season.
Kenpom this year vs this point last year vs end of last year:

Ohio St._______2_________30_______________44____11-seed
Michigan St.___4_________11_______________3_____2-seed
Purdue________5_________12_______________9_____3-seed
Maryland______7_________34______________24_____6-seed
Michigan_____12__________6_______________6_____2-seed
Indiana_______20_________23______________52______NIT
Penn St.______23_________37______________43
Iowa_________38_________38_______________37___10-seed
Illinois________45_________88______________84
Wisconsin____60_________13______________16____5-seed
Minnesota____66_________50______________46___10-seed
Rutgers_______77________103______________78
Northwestern_98_________47______________74
Nebraska_____147________21______________47_____NIT

At this point seems like 10 teams have improved or maintained, leaving Wisconsin, Minny, us and Nebraska as worse.
 

NJCat

All-Conference
Mar 7, 2016
21,326
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I like Fran...think he's good for the sport. He's done a great job recruiting with or without his children.

Iowa, despite the injuries, can be good.
Luka Garza, a NU target, is having a monster start to the season.
 

Vassar69

Sophomore
Feb 16, 2019
959
142
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Well, since you invoke "blue blood" let's look at the money.

The ACC Network last year distributed just under $30 million per school.

The Big Ten Network last year distributed just under $55 million per school.

Getting fifty cents on the dollar compare to the Big Ten doesn't seem very marquee or blue blood.

Huh? That’s largely football money. We are talking about basketball.

Look I’m a fan of Big Ten basketball, and I am certainly biased towards it. But the Big Ten hasn’t had a national title winner in nearly 20 years. There are many years where I’ve felt the Big Ten is far stronger on the whole than any other conference. But the lack of top end teams (and inability to win a title every single year) is hard to ignore.
 

Purple Pile Driver

All-Conference
May 14, 2014
27,113
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Kenpom this year vs this point last year vs end of last year:

Ohio St._______2_________30_______________44____11-seed
Michigan St.___4_________11_______________3_____2-seed
Purdue________5_________12_______________9_____3-seed
Maryland______7_________34______________24_____6-seed
Michigan_____12__________6_______________6_____2-seed
Indiana_______20_________23______________52______NIT
Penn St.______23_________37______________43
Iowa_________38_________38_______________37___10-seed
Illinois________45_________88______________84
Wisconsin____60_________13______________16____5-seed
Minnesota____66_________50______________46___10-seed
Rutgers_______77________103______________78
Northwestern_98_________47______________74
Nebraska_____147________21______________47_____NIT

At this point seems like 10 teams have improved or maintained, leaving Wisconsin, Minny, us and Nebraska as worse.
7 teams in top 25? I will take some serious money against that at the end if the year.
 

NCPurplecat

All-Conference
Aug 3, 2019
1,104
1,070
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Michigan State lost its shooting guard again to injury. Huge loss as offense is out of balance. IZZO will figure it out by March. Big is decent. NU will be a surprise not in wins but in how hard the team competes
 
Sep 15, 2006
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Huh? That’s largely football money. We are talking about basketball.

Look I’m a fan of Big Ten basketball, and I am certainly biased towards it. But the Big Ten hasn’t had a national title winner in nearly 20 years. There are many years where I’ve felt the Big Ten is far stronger on the whole than any other conference. But the lack of top end teams (and inability to win a title every single year) is hard to ignore.

They've had plenty of top-end teams. The B1G has been national runner-up seven times since MSU's 2000 title and has had several other teams in the Final Four. It's hard to argue that the national runner-up or Final Four teams aren't top-end teams. Trouble is, they haven't been able to break through in the title game, and people just don't remember runners-up.