The gauntlet
- Thread starter hdhntr1
- Start date
Yup the team is right where they need to be going into this stretch, the difficulty turns up a notch from here on out. The games ahead will determine this season's story line. Getting a win against Indiana would be a great start.
Then the magic number would drop to about 4 including BTT
I think at this point we need a signature win to lock it down, that or win at least 6 of the next 10. Even if we only win 4 or 5 before the BTT, if we get a win against Purdue or Wisconsin on the road then I think we're in. I would gladly trade a win @Illinois for a win @Wisconsin.
NU is fortunate to have played a really competitive game against Nebraska to get ready for IU and the rest. An Iowa-like game would have given the team a false sense of how good they are.
SInce nobody believes in NU except NU, the spread will probably be about 5 for IU. Huge game! GO CATS!
SInce nobody believes in NU except NU, the spread will probably be about 5 for IU. Huge game! GO CATS!
Sports, basketball at the forefront, is very often about matchups. I'd like to see this discussion become one about how we match up against each of these teams.
If we have equal or better matchups I like our coaching staff in the preparation area. If our matchups are bad against say Purdue, we have to play above our level and hope Purdue has an off night.
If we have equal or better matchups I like our coaching staff in the preparation area. If our matchups are bad against say Purdue, we have to play above our level and hope Purdue has an off night.
4 wins after IU would be at least10 in the season and a winning record for the first time since...and a win in BTT whick almost always gets in or 11 wins in conference and one and done in BTT I can't think of a time since it went to 64 that an 11 win team has not gotten in. While it would certainly be nice, don't think we need 12 to get in.
I'm worried if the 11 all came against lesser competition and then both Dayton and Wake find a way to nosedive down the stretch. We would be left without any RPI top 50 wins. Not saying that this is a likely scenario, but I believe at 12 win we would be an unquestionable tourney lock, at 11 it's a possibility we could be on the bubble.
Us having zero top-50 RPI wins by season's end has such a low statistical possibility at this point that it probably makes little sense to be concerned about it.
Quit wasting your trip by focusing on the end game. Let's focus on Game 9 of the Big 10 season. NU has to guard the perimeter and put the clamps on Blackmon which means Law will guard him. Lindsey needs to guard Johnson and Pardon needs to push Bryant out by the 3 point line
How about Ohio State last year? They finished 21-14 (11-7) and did NOT make the NCAA Tourney. They also won a game in the BTT. However, they had some bad losses OOC that hurt them that we don't have.