My Jan 19 Projections: MD 15-3, Iowa 14-4, Purdue 13-5, IU 11-7

[dconifer]

BRSECU answered it exactly how I would have. I go way back to watching Terp basketball since 1971, and when it was a small intimate league I loved it. However, as BRS says, we did always seem to be an afterthought, and it was nearly impossible to win ACC tournament games because they were always away games for us.

To add to the Pitt thing -- we, as a founding member, were assigned a "rival" that wasn't even a member of the league yet. It was quite off-pissing. So no, I don't miss the new ACC/Big East as it currently exists either. I like the B1G better. (Although like Boston College, et al, in the ACC, we'll always be the new guy and we'll hear every other day how it was better without us -- LOL, same as we said about the new ACC teams)...

edit: BRSECU, we should link the youtube video of the waning seconds of the 1980 ACC championship game. Those refs were afraid to call that foul, I think.

 

[terpaddict]

Do you miss the ACC?

Its still weird having MD and Rutgers in the B1G.

Its too bad we don't play twice during the regular B1G season this year!

I've been a Maryland fan since the early 70s, and I do miss the ACC. However, the conference has changed so much, that being there would not be the same. Still, the animosity Terp fans feel for the Dookies (especially in BB) remains at a fever pitch, and we don't even play them any more. Thirty-five years later, our fans still rally around the phrase "Buck (as in Williams) was fouled" because we've never forgotten the ACCT championship game in 1980 when Kenny Dennard carried Buck out of bounds in the closing seconds before he could tap in the winning basket. Duke won by one. The anger should have been directed toward the gutless referee who swallowed his whistle, but the disdain has flowed to Duke ever since. Every time the Dookies lose, someone posts the result on the premium board, and there is joy, at least temporarily, in the Maryland world.

I wouldn't be surprised if Iowa and Maryland played again - maybe twice. Presumably, the contests would also be close. Best wishes for continued success.

Chuck

 

[blockm2]

(Although like Boston College, et al, in the ACC, we'll always be the new guy and we'll hear every other day how it was better without us -- LOL, same as we said about the new ACC teams)...

My only "it was better back then" comment is that I liked when you played every other school in football each year and played home and homes in basketball every year. Now the teams in the other division aren't terribly frequent football opponents and I dislike not having 2 games each year vs every other team in the conference in basketball.

But those are relatively small complaints. On the other hand, I absolutely love the BTN. I live in ACC territory and it's wonderful for me to be able to see almost every single game in HD either on my TV or streaming on my computer between ESPN/ABC and BTN.

 

[StormHawk42]

These Maryland guys can stay. They provided well thought out responses. And whoever said they hate Penn State, that's ok, everyone else does too.

 

[Steve Waite]

Maryland fans are ok by me. I always rooted for Gary Williams being a Tom Davis assistant.
His teams were tough as nails and always played Duke to the wire.
I hate Duke with a passion and enjoy every time I see or hear that they have lost.
Glad they hate Ped State too!

 

[OnceAhawk]

Iowa 17-1
Michigan15-3
Maryland 15-3
Purdue14-4
MSU 12-6
OSU 11-7
Wisconsin 8-10
Northwestern 8-10
PSU 7-11
Nebraska 6-12
Illinois 3-15
Rutgers 1-17
MINNESOTA 0-18

no room for error!

 

[OnceAhawk]

I think Maryland will split w/Purdue and lose to either Indiana, Wisconsin or Michigan. They have a bunch of tough games ahead and I think will lose at least 2 more. I think Iowa splits w/ Indiana and loses @ OSU or Michigan. We have navigated the worst part of our schedule and done it extremely well. Maryland's toughest stretch is ahead of them. I like where we sit.

thanks; Iowa needs to continue to take care of business.

 

[OnceAhawk]

Not who you asked but as a MD alum, I'll answer. I miss the old ACC before expansion started. We lost home and homes with all of our main rivals with the last expansion. No one cares about playing teams like Boston College and VT in basketball and Football was even worse. We've always felt slighted by the ACC(all Carolina Conference). With the last expansion each school was given a designated rival school that they would play a home and home with every year. We got Pittsburgh. We had played them less than 10 times ever and it was the final straw with that conference. Sure we miss a lot of the great games and tradition with VA, UNC, DUKE, and NC State but it wasn't like that anymore and we were being lumped in with the old big east schools. The ACC tourny was in Greensboro NC nearly every single year. It's a crappy town and in NC. When we played there, it was always an away game as the NC teams would, mostly, cheer each other. There is a reason NC teams won 90% of the time there.

I am happy to be playing big state schools of the B1G rather than the new comers of the ACC. I feel like the ACC never appreciated the markets we were bringing to the table and were neglected. The ACC doesn't have a network so there was never any after game stuff like on the B1G network. I honestly feel more appreciated in this conference than the old. We bring a lot to the table in terms of revenue and smart fans of other schools understand that. In terms of sports we bring a lot to the table. We have the last NC in basketball, both men and women. On top of that our other non revenue sports are pretty good too. We just need to fix football so we can at least be competitive. If we are going to be outsiders, which we still are, we should at least be making more money.

Oh and we already hated PSU before we got here so we have a natural rival, even if no one else thinks so.

TL;DR The old ACC, yes. The current ACC, no, not really.

thanks for your comments and insight.

you mentioned feeling slighted. Nebraska felt that way in the Big 12 (whatever Texas wants they get, including their own flipping network)

in the Big 10, everyone is an equal, including when it comes to revenue.

Nevertheless, it is hard to say goodbye to the traditions of the conference where you have so much history.

 

[OnceAhawk]

BRSECU answered it exactly how I would have. I go way back to watching Terp basketball since 1971, and when it was a small intimate league I loved it. However, as BRS says, we did always seem to be an afterthought, and it was nearly impossible to win ACC tournament games because they were always away games for us.

To add to the Pitt thing -- we, as a founding member, were assigned a "rival" that wasn't even a member of the league yet. It was quite off-pissing. So no, I don't miss the new ACC/Big East as it currently exists either. I like the B1G better. (Although like Boston College, et al, in the ACC, we'll always be the new guy and we'll hear every other day how it was better without us -- LOL, same as we said about the new ACC teams)...

edit: BRSECU, we should link the youtube video of the waning seconds of the 1980 ACC championship game. Those refs were afraid to call that foul, I think.

thanks for your input.

Iowa fans hate Duke, so we have that in common (if we make the Big Dance, we always seem to get them in the 2nd round and when I think of Puke, i think of Christian Laetner....barf)

 

[OnceAhawk]

I've been a Maryland fan since the early 70s, and I do miss the ACC. However, the conference has changed so much, that being there would not be the same. Still, the animosity Terp fans feel for the Dookies (especially in BB) remains at a fever pitch, and we don't even play them any more. Thirty-five years later, our fans still rally around the phrase "Buck (as in Williams) was fouled" because we've never forgotten the ACCT championship game in 1980 when Kenny Dennard carried Buck out of bounds in the closing seconds before he could tap in the winning basket. Duke won by one. The anger should have been directed toward the gutless referee who swallowed his whistle, but the disdain has flowed to Duke ever since. Every time the Dookies lose, someone posts the result on the premium board, and there is joy, at least temporarily, in the Maryland world.

I wouldn't be surprised if Iowa and Maryland played again - maybe twice. Presumably, the contests would also be close. Best wishes for continued success.

Chuck

are you surprised MD is not playing better, especially with all of the preseason publicity? everyone thought MD would run away with the B1G; why aren't they? is it because MD is still finding its way and has yet to peak? just curious on all of you MD posters' thoughts

 

[OnceAhawk]

My only "it was better back then" comment is that I liked when you played every other school in football each year and played home and homes in basketball every year. Now the teams in the other division aren't terribly frequent football opponents and I dislike not having 2 games each year vs every other team in the conference in basketball.

But those are relatively small complaints. On the other hand, I absolutely love the BTN. I live in ACC territory and it's wonderful for me to be able to see almost every single game in HD either on my TV or streaming on my computer between ESPN/ABC and BTN.

i agree; its kinda crazy that we play 5 teams home and home and 8 teams just once but with expansion comes stuff like this.

 

[terpaddict]

are you surprised MD is not playing better, especially with all of the preseason publicity? everyone thought MD would run away with the B1G; why aren't they? is it because MD is still finding its way and has yet to peak? just curious on all of you MD posters' thoughts

Thank you for including me/us in your discussion. It's amazing how Kentucky usually has a "new team" every year, and yet they play together surprisingly well. That's not normally the case. Maryland was good last season, and Trimble and Layman returned from that squad. Jake, however, has gone back to WF from PF, and it must be tough for him going from one of the three top scorers to, perhaps, the fifth best starter. Carter was terrific at Ga.Tech, and he probably improved when he sat out a year. Sulaimon didn't have to redshirt, but he's new too. And the big freshman center (Stone) made the Terps a national favorite. So you've got 60% of the starting lineup new to the team, and another 20% playing a different position.

Maryland lost to UNC by 8 in Chapel Hill after gaining the lead with less than 10 minutes to go. If we play them again, I think we'll win. We lost at Michigan by 3 on a Tuesday after a road game at Wisconsin on Saturday. The Wolverines played very well, but I think we were under-prepared. And we lost to a very hungry Michigan State team at their place. Thankfully, we edged Iowa at home.

Talent-wise, Maryland may not lose again. What I don't know is whether the young men have a Juan Dixon on the roster to drive them over the hump. Without such a leader, they'll probably come in second in the conference and lose in the elite eight. I wrote in my basketball column in October 2001 that Maryland would win the national championship, and they did. I don't have that same confidence in these Terps, but they could take it all in Houston. If not us, Iowa would make a good story as champions.

Blessings,
Chuck Cleveland

 

[blockm2]

Talent-wise, Maryland may not lose again.

If talent was all that mattered, well UNC and Kentucky would've had a few more national titles between them the last 10 or 15 years. Maryland has the talent. But I think they will still lose a couple more conference games. Big Ten play is a meat grinder. Road wins are tough to come by and even though Maryland will deservedly be favored in the rest of their home games, they still play a few teams good enough to come in and steal one from them.

 

[hawkguy77]

please do not forget their 13-1 big ten record in 1955-1956. When our fabulous five Logan, Cain, Seaberg, schoof and scherman played and went to the national finals

The 1969-70 team finished 14-0 and averaged over 100 points per game in conference play with no three point shot.

 

[KeyWest Tim]

I'm thinking IN and MD each end up with 4 or more league losses.

If that is the case we control our own destiny. All we have to do is lose no more than 2 of our remaining games.

 

[dconifer]

are you surprised MD is not playing better, especially with all of the preseason publicity? everyone thought MD would run away with the B1G; why aren't they? is it because MD is still finding its way and has yet to peak? just curious on all of you MD posters' thoughts

I admit that I got caught up in the hype, and thought Maryland was a shoo-in for the Final Four. You'd think I'd be smarter than that by now. There is so much "new" about this year's team that there was no way to really know.

After seeing your team, I'm not sure how they got overlooked in the pre-season hype. I don't think I realized how good Woodbury is...

 

[OnceAhawk]

So far the regular season title appears to be MD's to lose.


Maryland (15-3)

W N'w..................CORRECT
L @Mich St...........CORRECT
W iowa..................CORRECT
W @OSU...............CORRECT
W @Neb
W Purdue
W WI
W @MN
W MICH
L @purdue
W ILL
W @IU




IOWA (14-4)
W @ Rutgers.........CORRECT
W vs Purdue..........CORRECT
L @ MD.................CORRECT
W vs N'w...............CORRECT
W vs PSU
L @ILL
L @IU
W MN
W @PSU
W WI
W @OSU
W IU
L @MICH



Purdue (13-5)

W OSU.......................CORRECT
L @Iowa.....................CORRECT
W @MN.....................CORRECT
W NEB.......................CORRECT
L @MD
W Mich State
L @MICH
W N'w
W @IU
W MD
W @Neb
W WI

Indiana (11-7)

W ILL.............CORRECT
W N'w............CORRECT
L @WI............CORRECT
W MN.............CORRECT
L @MICH
W @PSU
W IOWA
L @Mich St
W NEB
L Purdue
L @ILL
L @IOWA
L MD

 

[StormHawk42]

Purdue could really do us a big favor next weekend. Not sure I see it happening though.

 

[Tratzman]

It may come down to the last game with Michigan to determine if we win the title outright or if Maryland beats us on a tiebreaker.

 

[OnceAhawk]

Thank you for including me/us in your discussion. It's amazing how Kentucky usually has a "new team" every year, and yet they play together surprisingly well. That's not normally the case. Maryland was good last season, and Trimble and Layman returned from that squad. Jake, however, has gone back to WF from PF, and it must be tough for him going from one of the three top scorers to, perhaps, the fifth best starter. Carter was terrific at Ga.Tech, and he probably improved when he sat out a year. Sulaimon didn't have to redshirt, but he's new too. And the big freshman center (Stone) made the Terps a national favorite. So you've got 60% of the starting lineup new to the team, and another 20% playing a different position.

Maryland lost to UNC by 8 in Chapel Hill after gaining the lead with less than 10 minutes to go. If we play them again, I think we'll win. We lost at Michigan by 3 on a Tuesday after a road game at Wisconsin on Saturday. The Wolverines played very well, but I think we were under-prepared. And we lost to a very hungry Michigan State team at their place. Thankfully, we edged Iowa at home.

Talent-wise, Maryland may not lose again. What I don't know is whether the young men have a Juan Dixon on the roster to drive them over the hump. Without such a leader, they'll probably come in second in the conference and lose in the elite eight. I wrote in my basketball column in October 2001 that Maryland would win the national championship, and they did. I don't have that same confidence in these Terps, but they could take it all in Houston. If not us, Iowa would make a good story as champions.

Blessings,
Chuck Cleveland

Chuck, are you a former newspaper columnist? Thanks for the kind words. This has been a great year for Iowa sports; football, basketball and wrestling have all been ranked in the top 3 in the country at one point. Iowa Football finished 9th in the final AP poll and it will be fun to see where #3 ranked Iowa basketball and #2 ranked wrestling end up at season's end.

To all MD fans,

Sunday, during the Iowa game, the TV analyst said that MD played down to its competition. Do you agree?

Will the chemistry ever get there for MD where they are peaking by tournament time? Will it be in time to win the B1G and make a run at the national title?

The job of the coach is to put the 13 scholarship pieces together; do you like the job Turgeon has done this year or is MD underperforming?

As you can see, I have MD losing just once more in the conference; will they prove me right? (I hope not! )

 

[OnceAhawk]

I admit that I got caught up in the hype, and thought Maryland was a shoo-in for the Final Four. You'd think I'd be smarter than that by now. There is so much "new" about this year's team that there was no way to really know.

After seeing your team, I'm not sure how they got overlooked in the pre-season hype. I don't think I realized how good Woodbury is...

Analysts saw Iowa returning 4 seniors and 1 junior but the figured the bench would be Iowa's downfall. Fran McCaffery is doing a great job in year 6 on the job.

 

[lovedwatchingLester]

Once a hawk.... just can't see the Iowa loss at Illinois, maybe the Indiana and Michigan, but Illinois?, major upset

 

[terpaddict]

OnceAHawk, I live in a small town about 40 miles SW of Atlanta (far enough away to have a personality of its own, not a suburb of a big city), and I wrote a college basketball column for the local paper for ten years. The emphasis was on ACC and SEC schools. I also wrote travel articles for their quarterly magazine, and more recently I wrote the lead pieces on Christian leaders for a ministry near here.

In January I started a short series for the newspaper on college hoops nationally, which includes my guesses as to how the brackets (of the top 16 teams) will look on Selection Sunday [FWIW, I have Iowa as the #2 seed in the West]. I'll do an update in mid-February and try again during the conference tournaments in March. Admittedly, these efforts are almost always wrong, but, in one of my first columns in 2000, I did correctly predict the Final Four when the season had barely begun.

From what I can tell, Mark Turgeon has done very well in getting a talented squad to play together. I gather Carter and Sulaimon are the vocal leaders, but the team revolves around Trimble. I think the chemistry is solid, and I'd be surprised if they lost many more games. Playing the other IU for Yogi's last home game will be tough, but we might slip by Indiana. If so, Maryland would probably tie with Iowa.

I can see where the "playing down to their opponents" talk comes from. Maryland seldom clobbers teams (Ohio State at home being the exception), but we usually win the close games. Faced with a "lose and you're out" situation, I suspect they'll turn it up a few notches and prevail. Whether they can win the national championship remains to be seen.

Back to the real world. My wife and I celebrate 40 years of marriage in July, and I need to plan our trip to England. In addition, my breakfast group on Thursday includes a very serious UNC fan, and I'll need several days of preparation to treat him well when he goes off about the Tar Heels.

Blessings,

Chuck

 

[thewop]

I'm thinking IN and MD each end up with 4 or more league losses.

If that is the case we control our own destiny. All we have to do is lose no more than 2 of our remaining games.

That's going to be tough IMO. I know the schedule is 'easier' but a 7-2 finish would be VERY strong. @IU, @Mich, IU are all tough, but I'd hope we win at least 1, then we still have @OSU, @ILL, @PSU, all of which have proven difficult for us in the past. So a 13-3 finish would be excellent i think, but a 14-4 finish at least as likely. 14-4 may be enough though.

 

[OnceAhawk]

Once a hawk.... just can't see the Iowa loss at Illinois, maybe the Indiana and Michigan, but Illinois?, major upset

Note that I have us winning at OSU; i just think one of the road games (at ILL or at OSU) will trip us up; I hope I am wrong

some how, some way i think we finish 14-4, one game behind Maryland (15-3); again, i hope i am wrong

 

[OnceAhawk]

OnceAHawk, I live in a small town about 40 miles SW of Atlanta (far enough away to have a personality of its own, not a suburb of a big city), and I wrote a college basketball column for the local paper for ten years. The emphasis was on ACC and SEC schools. I also wrote travel articles for their quarterly magazine, and more recently I wrote the lead pieces on Christian leaders for a ministry near here.

In January I started a short series for the newspaper on college hoops nationally, which includes my guesses as to how the brackets (of the top 16 teams) will look on Selection Sunday [FWIW, I have Iowa as the #2 seed in the West]. I'll do an update in mid-February and try again during the conference tournaments in March. Admittedly, these efforts are almost always wrong, but, in one of my first columns in 2000, I did correctly predict the Final Four when the season had barely begun.

From what I can tell, Mark Turgeon has done very well in getting a talented squad to play together. I gather Carter and Sulaimon are the vocal leaders, but the team revolves around Trimble. I think the chemistry is solid, and I'd be surprised if they lost many more games. Playing the other IU for Yogi's last home game will be tough, but we might slip by Indiana. If so, Maryland would probably tie with Iowa.

I can see where the "playing down to their opponents" talk comes from. Maryland seldom clobbers teams (Ohio State at home being the exception), but we usually win the close games. Faced with a "lose and you're out" situation, I suspect they'll turn it up a few notches and prevail. Whether they can win the national championship remains to be seen.

Back to the real world. My wife and I celebrate 40 years of marriage in July, and I need to plan our trip to England. In addition, my breakfast group on Thursday includes a very serious UNC fan, and I'll need several days of preparation to treat him well when he goes off about the Tar Heels.

Blessings,

Chuck

thanks for sharing your background and for the quality discussion. congrats on your marriage, too. you don't see many marriages lasting 40 years now a days.

please ask that Tar Heel fan why UNC is not on probation after that academic fraud scandal that Roy supposed knew nothing about

the next couple of months should be a lot of fun; winning on the road is not easy!

 

[IllQChawk]

Once a hawk.... just can't see the Iowa loss at Illinois, maybe the Indiana and Michigan, but Illinois?, major upset

Agreed, if Iowa loses to Illinois this year, someone kidnaped Uthoff and Jok along with Woody before we left Iowa City.... Illinois with coach Groce are truly one of the worse teams in the Big this year and it's not even close.....

 

[OnceAhawk]

Agreed, if Iowa loses to Illinois this year, someone kidnaped Uthoff and Jok along with Woody before we left Iowa City.... Illinois with coach Groce are truly one of the worse teams in the Big this year and it's not even close.....

so you think we go 15-3 then? just curious; i would love 15-3 or better; i just see us stumbling on the road somewhere where we least expected

 

[blockm2]

So far the regular season title appears to be MD's to lose.



IOWA (14-4)
L @ILL

No offense, but when you suggest Illinois will likely beat Iowa you lose credibility with your prediction IMHO. They are 2-7 in conference play including home losses to Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State, and Wisconsin. KenPom says Iowa has an 86% chance of winning the game in Champaign.

The regular season title is clearly Iowa's to lose at this point.

 

[OnceAhawk]

No offense, but when you suggest Illinois will likely beat Iowa you lose credibility with your prediction IMHO. They are 2-7 in conference play including home losses to Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State, and Wisconsin. KenPom says Iowa has an 86% chance of winning the game in Champaign.

The regular season title is clearly Iowa's to lose at this point.

i may not get each game right but i still think we finish 14-4; i hope i am wrong (i just think we lose a road game no one expects us to lose)

Illinois beat Purdue by 14 at home; Iowa losing at Illinois is a possibility (anything can happen on the road in the B1G; or do you think, in your so called humble opinion, that statement lacks credibility, too?)

sorry you think that my 14-4 prediction has no credibility whatsoever

why don't you post your game by game predictions and see how credible you look? NOTE: if you get one game wrong, per your standards, you lose all credibility

 

[OnceAhawk]

From the Cedar Rapids Gazette
http://www.thegazette.com/subject/s...e-big-ten-breakdown-assisting-others-20160201

Second-half scheduling. Now that every Big Ten team has played at least nine games (six have played 10), it’s fair to analyze the league at the halfway point.

Four teams are within one game of the lead in the loss column. Iowa and Indiana are tied at 8-1, Maryland is 8-2 and Michigan is 7-2. But all four arrived at their destination in different ways.

Indiana had the easiest schedule of the four (and all 14 Big Ten teams), with its nine opponents compiling a 25-60 Big Ten record (29.4 winning percentage). Michigan’s league schedule was the Big Ten’s second-easiest with its nine foes holding a 33-51 record (39.3 percent). Maryland’s opponents were 46-49 (48.4 percent), while Iowa’s were 48-39 (55.2 percent).

Going forward, Indiana has the league’s second-toughest schedule with its opponents at 54-32 (62.8 percent). Michigan is right behind in third at 51-36 (58.6 percent). Maryland’s last eight opponents are 40-35 (53.3 percent) while Iowa’s are 40-43 (48.2 percent).

Here’s a look at the Big Ten schedules through nine (or 10) games and what teams face after the turn. Order is from the most difficult to least difficult;

FIRST HALF (Most difficult schedule listed first)

Rutgers (0-9) 59-26 (69.4%)

Northwestern (3-7) 55-40 (57.9%)

Illinois (2-7) 49-37 (56.9%)

Minnesota (0-10) 53-41 (56.4%)

Penn State (2-7) 49-38 (56.3%)

Iowa (8-1) 48-39 (55.2%)

Wisconsin (5-4) 44-41 (51.8%)

Maryland (8-2) 46-49 (48.4%)

Nebraska (4-5) 41-44 (48.2%)

Purdue (7-3) 42-50 (45.7%)

Michigan State (6-4) 40-53 (43.0%)

Ohio State (6-4) 40-55 (42.1%)

Michigan (7-2) 33-51 (39.3%)

Indiana (8-1) 25-60 (29.4%)


SECOND HALF (Most difficult schedule listed first)

Purdue 49-27 (64.5%)

Indiana 54-32 (62.8%)

Michigan 51-36 (58.6%)

Michigan State 43-34 (55.8%)

Wisconsin 48-38 (55.8%)

Penn State 40-33 (54.8%)

Maryland 40-35 (53.3%)

Ohio State 39-36 (54.8%)

Iowa 40-43 (48.2%)

Nebraska 41-44 (48.2%)

Minnesota 33-41 (48.2%)

Illinois 34-50 (40.5%)

Northwestern 28-47 (37.3%)

Rutgers (0-9) 25-61 (29.1%)

*********************************************************

Seven Big Ten teams have at least six wins right now. Here’s what they face on the Big Ten’s back stretch:

Iowa (8-1) — 5 of 9 opponents with winning records; Indiana twice; road against Michigan and Ohio State; home against Wisconsin

Indiana (8-1) — 6 of 9 opponents with winning records: Iowa twice; road against Michigan and Michigan State; home against Purdue and Maryland

Maryland (8-2) — 5 of 8 opponents with winning records: Purdue twice; road against Indiana; home against Michigan and Wisconsin

Michigan (7-2) — 7 of 9 opponents with winning records: home against Indiana, Michigan State, Purdue and Iowa; road against Ohio State, Wisconsin and Maryland

Purdue (7-3) — 6 of 8 opponents with winning records: Maryland twice; home against Michigan State and Wisconsin; road against Michigan and Indiana

Michigan State (6-4) — 6 of 8 opponents with winning records: Ohio State twice; road against Michigan and Purdue; home against Indiana and Wisconsin

Ohio State (6-4) — 5 of 8 opponents with winning records: Michigan State twice; home against Michigan and Iowa; road against Wisconsin


A couple of other notes:

Indiana plays three of its next four on the road, including games at Michigan and Michigan State. The Hoosiers finish the season at Iowa and against Maryland in Bloomington.

Four of Iowa’s next five opponents have at least seven Big Ten losses. But the Hawkeyes finish at Ohio State, home against Indiana and then at Michigan.

Maryland plays Michigan (home), Purdue (road) and Indiana (road) in three of its final four games.

Five of Michigan’s next six opponents have a combined record of 35-14.

Michigan State’s next three opponents (Michigan, Purdue, Indiana) are a combined 22-6 in Big Ten play.

Ohio State ends with Michigan State twice and Iowa in the middle.

Five of Purdue’s next six foes are a combined 37-11 in the league.

And ... Rutgers might win a game or two. The Scarlet Knights play only two teams with winning records, including Minnesota (0-10) twice. Only one of Rutgers’ first nine opponents had a losing record.

As for the weekly rankings:

Maryland is third in the USA Today/Coaches poll and fourth by the Associated Press.

The Coaches ranked Iowa seventh, while AP has the Hawkeyes fifth.

Michigan State is 10th in both polls

Purdue is 16th by the coaches and 18th by AP.

Indiana ranks 21st by the coaches and 22nd by AP

.

 

[blockm2]

i may not get each game right but i still think we finish 14-4; i hope i am wrong (i just think we lose a road game no one expects us to lose)

Illinois beat Purdue by 14 at home; Iowa losing at Illinois is a possibility (anything can happen on the road in the B1G; or do you think, in your so called humble opinion, that statement lacks credibility, too?)

sorry you think that my 14-4 prediction has no credibility whatsoever

why don't you post your game by game predictions and see how credible you look? NOTE: if you get one game wrong, per your standards, you lose all credibility

No, you misunderstand. I'm saying predicting a loss to Illinois is out there in crazy land. It could happen, but it's pretty damn unlikely. Did they beat Purdue? Sure. They got lucky. It's also their only win vs a KenPom top 50 opponent this season. 14-4 is also a fairly pessimistic prediction for Iowa at this point. 16-2 is more likely than 14-4.

Iowa currently has 1 game on KenPom they are less than a 60% chance to win. They have 2 games that are less than 74% chance to win. They are 82% or greater chance of winning 6 of their final 9 games.

Iowa will have to get upset three times to finish 14-4.

So when you say the conference title is Maryland's to lose, well that's where I have to call it out. I don't think any rational observer would agree with that. Maryland is 1 game back in the standings and has 2 games left where they will be underdogs. Furthermore they only have 2 conference games left that are as likely of wins as Iowa's 6 easiest remaining games.

 

[OnceAhawk]

No, you misunderstand. I'm saying predicting a loss to Illinois is out there in crazy land. It could happen, but it's pretty damn unlikely. Did they beat Purdue? Sure. They got lucky. It's also their only win vs a KenPom top 50 opponent this season. 14-4 is also a fairly pessimistic prediction for Iowa at this point. 16-2 is more likely than 14-4.

Iowa currently has 1 game on KenPom they are less than a 60% chance to win. They have 2 games that are less than 74% chance to win. They are 82% or greater chance of winning 6 of their final 9 games.

Iowa will have to get upset three times to finish 14-4.

So your prediction is 16-2 for Iowa. I am predicting 14-4 (a loss at Ohio State is very possible, where I currently have Iowa winning; so I may get the ILL loss wrong, BUT I may also get the OSU win wrong, which still leaves me at 14-4) .

Lets see who is right a month from now and lets see if you or I actually live in "crazy land (as you put it)."

 

[blockm2]

So your prediction is 16-2 for Iowa. I am predicting 14-4 (a loss at Ohio State is very possible, where I currently have Iowa winning; so I may get the ILL loss wrong, BUT I may also get the OSU win wrong, which still leaves me at 14-4) .

Lets see who is right a month from now and lets see if you or I actually live in "crazy land (as you put it)."

no, I said 16-2 is more likely than 14-4. My current prediction would be the same as KenPom at 15-3 so stop trying to throw out straw men. Also, please note that your 14-4 prediction wasn't what I termed crazy, it was your individual prediction of Illinois beating Iowa in a game that will see Iowa as roughly 12 point favorites.

Iowa has a quite easy schedule the rest of the way. Going 6-3 would be a bit of a downer after they just steamrolled to 8-1 against a far tougher opening half of the conference schedule.

 

[SDHawkDoc]

It's the terps title to lose. They've got the tiebreaker over the Hawks, although I think they finish a game better anyway.

 

[blockm2]

It's the terps title to lose. They've got the tiebreaker over the Hawks, although I think they finish a game better anyway.

the Terps are in 3rd place and face a tougher schedule than the Hawkeyes. It's one thing to own a tiebreaker, it's another to be behind in the standings with a tougher schedule to go.

 

[OnceAhawk]

no, I said 16-2 is more likely than 14-4. My current prediction would be the same as KenPom at 15-3 so stop trying to throw out straw men. Also, please note that your 14-4 prediction wasn't what I termed crazy, it was your individual prediction of Illinois beating Iowa in a game that will see Iowa as roughly 12 point favorites.

Iowa has a quite easy schedule the rest of the way. Going 6-3 would be a bit of a downer after they just steamrolled to 8-1 against a far tougher opening half of the conference schedule.

So do you have the guts to share your opinion on Iowa's next 2 losses or do you have no opinion and rely on Ken's analytics?

You obviously know nothing about the Illinois and Iowa rivalry, especially when the game is in Champaignn/Urbana. If you did, you would post more intelligently.

 

[OnceAhawk]

the Terps are in 3rd place and face a tougher schedule than the Hawkeyes. It's one thing to own a tiebreaker, it's another to be behind in the standings with a tougher schedule to go.

So tell us, who does Maryland lose to? If you have Iowa at 15-3, you have Maryland at 14-4 or worse.

 

[OnceAhawk]

Well, Indiana winning at Michigan was a surprise.


Maryland (15-3)

W N'w..................CORRECT
L @Mich St...........CORRECT
W iowa..................CORRECT
W @OSU...............CORRECT
W @Neb................CORRECT
W Purdue
W WI
W @MN
W MICH
L @purdue
W ILL
W @IU




IOWA (14-4)
W @ Rutgers.........CORRECT
W vs Purdue..........CORRECT
L @ MD.................CORRECT
W vs N'w...............CORRECT
W vs PSU..............CORRECT
L @ILL
L @IU
W MN
W @PSU
W WI
W @OSU
W IU
L @MICH



Purdue (13-5)

W OSU.......................CORRECT
L @Iowa.....................CORRECT
W @MN.....................CORRECT
W NEB.......................CORRECT
L @MD
W Mich State
L @MICH
W N'w
W @IU
W MD
W @Neb
W WI

Indiana (11-7)

W ILL.........,,....CORRECT
W N'w.........,,...CORRECT
L @WI.....,,.......CORRECT
W MN...............CORRECT
L @MICH..........INCORRECT (12-6 is new projection, but finishing in 4th still stands)
W @PSU
W IOWA
L @Mich St
W NEB
L Purdue
L @ILL
L @IOWA
L MD

 

[OnceAhawk]

Well, Indiana Indiana losing at Penn State sure was a surprise; but now they are back on pace to my original 11-7 projection.


Maryland (15-3)

W N'w..................CORRECT
L @Mich St...........CORRECT
W iowa..................CORRECT
W @OSU...............CORRECT
W @Neb................CORRECT
W Purdue.............. CORRECT
W WI
W @MN
W MICH
L @purdue
W ILL
W @IU




IOWA (14-4)
W @ Rutgers.........CORRECT
W vs Purdue..........CORRECT
L @ MD.................CORRECT
W vs N'w...............CORRECT
W vs PSU..............CORRECT
L @ILL
L @IU
W MN
W @PSU
W WI
W @OSU
W IU
L @MICH



Purdue (13-5)

W OSU.......................CORRECT
L @Iowa.....................CORRECT
W @MN.....................CORRECT
W NEB.......................CORRECT
L @MD.......................CORRECT
W Mich State
L @MICH
W N'w
W @IU
W MD
W @Neb
W WI

Indiana (11-7)

W ILL.........,,....CORRECT
W N'w.........,,...CORRECT
L @WI.....,,.......CORRECT
W MN...............CORRECT
L @MICH..........INCORRECT (12-6 is new projection, but finishing in 4th still stands)
W @PSU...........INCORRECT (back to original 11-7 projection)
W IOWA
L @Mich St
W NEB
L Purdue
L @ILL
L @IOWA
L MD