Here we are smack in the middle of one of the most boring week’s of the sports calendar. College football is on hiatus until the bowl extravaganza begins. Due to finals, there is next to nothing in the way of college hoops scheduled all week long. If you can talk yourself into early season NHL game on Versus or a meaningless NBA game, then you might be able to find something, somewhere to your liking. Otherwise, reintroduce yourself to Network TV. Or get some Christmas shopping done.
Don’t fret, however. There is a big NFL game on Thursday night between Jacksonville and Indy. And by Saturday, your problems will be solved, with an ecletic lineup of lower division title games, the first two bowl games, a big time lineup of college hoops that includes, among others, UNC/Texas and Duke/Gonzaga and an NFL showdown in primetime between the Saints and Cowboys capping off the night.
I’ll have a lot of football posts in the coming weeks, but let’s talk hoops right now. Big 10 style. With the lull underway until the various league seasons start, lets take an incredibly premature journey through the Bracket Matrix and see where the Big 10 teams stand with two weeks to go before the league battles begin.
Seven Big 10 teams currently make the opening cut. The Big East also has seven teams on the list with the ACC, SEC and Big 12 each having six. We’ll get into a national perspective in some other post. For now, lets take a tour of the Matrix, highlighting the Big 10 clubs.
Purdue, #1 seed. Other #1′s: Texas, Kansas, Kentucky
The Boilers are one of the Matirx’s four #1 seeds, along with Texas, Kansas and Kentucky. Wouldn’t an NCAA bracket with both UK and PU on the #1 line be pretty much close to a nightmare March for Hoosier fans? Yuck, says this one. The Boilers support on the top line, however is the weakest among this quartet, with only half of the early bracketologists giving Purdue a top seed. Despite my IU blood, I actually like this Purdue team. A lot. And, that forbidden love will likely show through as I follow and write about Big 10 hoops all winter. Two seasons ago, when the Baby Boilermakers emerged, they coverd 13 of 16 games during a Big 10 run, winning their boosters a lot of cash. Already this season, they are 5-3-1 ATS wih a pair of nice covers against Wake Forest in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge and last weekend on the road at Alabama. Despite being down double figures at one point, the Boilers still came back, won and covered the 6-point number. They have the most impressive win in the Big 10 with their nuetral site victory over Tennessee, a Matrix 3-seed. Before heading into the bulk of Big 10 play, Purdue faces West Virginia, a matrix 2-seed, on New Year’s Day.
Michigan State, #3 seed. Other #3 seeds: UNC, Tennessee, Georgetown
The early vote on the Spartans is that they’re not among the first tier of Final Four candidates. Only four mocks elevate the Spartans above the 3-line. With losses already to Florida and UNC, the Spartans have switched spots with the Boilermakers as far as league favorite and team most likely to get to the Final Four goes. They’re just 3-6 ATS, including losing tickets in their three big OOC showdowns: UNC, Florida and Gonaaga, the latter being a win, but no cover. They play Texas next week, but will certainly be catching points with the game in Austin. With the odds changed, is MSU now a team worth buying? We’re in definite wait and see mode.
Ohio State #4 seed. Other #4 seeds: Florida, Connecticut and Washington
The Buckeyes spot on the four-line is a little misplaced and a reflection of how unreliable the Matrix might be right now as a barometer with so few mocks participating and/or updating this early in the process. Only the most up-to-date brackets include any of OSU’s results since the Evan Turner injury. Among that crowd, the Bucks are hardly worthy of the four line. Nearly twice as many–nine–have the Buckeyes some betwwen a 5-seed and 9-seed, than the five mocks with the Buckeyes this high after the injury and subsequent road loss to Butler. How the Bucks cope with the absence of Turner and where they standing when he returns will be one of the January storylines in Big 10 play to keep an eye on. They feast on three cupcakes before beginning league play with back to back road games at Wisconsin and Michigan. We’ll find out a lot in those two games.
Wisconsin, #6 seed. Other #6 seeds: Clemson, Cincinnati, New Mexico
The Badgers have been a surprise team this season. Believe it or not, but a lot of preseason mock brackets excluded Wisconsin. Among those offenders include the Sporting News and USA Today preview magazines on my coffee table. The Badgers emerged in November as a legit Big 10 threat, notching wins over Arizona and Maryland in Maui and a rousing home win over Duke. While they had a hiccup last week in losing on the road to UW-Green Bay, they rebounded to thump Marquette in their next start. Mocks seem more interested in the Badgers entire body of work, rather than the upset at the hands of the Phoenix. Wisconsin is either a 6- or 7-seed on all the mocks updated since the results of last weekend.
Illinois, #9 seed. Other #9 seeds: St Johns (!?!), Florida State, Vanderbilt
The Illini were one of the league’s biggest disappointments during Feast Week, dropping close contests to Utah and Bradley. Since, however, they’ve rallied to notch resume wins at Clemson and at home against Vanderbilt. The uneven season of the Illini is reflected in the various takes the mocks have on them. More than third have them as a double digit seed, while several have them from anywhere between the 5- and 7-seed line. A couple dont even have the Illini included as of now. Road games at Georgia and Missouri, followed by home games against Northwestern in the league opener and Gonzaga between now and January 2 should clear up a lot of thoughts on Illinois
Minnesota, #10 seed. Other #10 seeds: Miami, Oklahoma State and Tulsa
The Gophers have been money making cream puff eaters in recent weeks. They’ve covered three games in a row, all big numbers, against outclassed competition from sub Mid Majorville. Will the trend continue? Minnesota has seemingly gimme games against South Dakota State and Northern Illinois before league play begins. The Gophers have a win over Butler, but losses to Portland, Texas A/M and Miami in their red letter games thus far. They’re in the top 20 percent of all teams when it comes to scoring and shooting offenses and defenses, they’re just average at rebounding and terrible from the stripe. One quarter of participating mocks arent impressed and dont have the Gophers in their field. Included in that mix are two who have updated since the weekend. Looks like another season living on the bubble for Tubby’s crew.
Northwestern, #11. Other #11 seeds: BYU, Mississippi State, Missouri State
Is this the year Northwestern finally gets invited to the dance. The Cats, as widley known, have never made the NCAA field, but in the run-up to the season there was a lot of buzz about the Cats finally breaking through. Then, their best player Kevin Coble broke his foot and all optimism went out the window. Getting throttled by Butler seemed to confirm Northwestern’s fallen stature. Since then, however, a new story has emerged. With wins over Notre Dame, Iowa State and North Carolina State, the Cats have reinvigorated their candidacy. While a third of the mocks still have them on the outside looking in, its worth pointing out that 8 of the 11 brackets updated since the weekend have included Northwestern. It’s clear that if they beat Stanford this weekend, then Northwestern is a .500 record in Big 10 play away from breaking their March Madness cherry.
Michigan, also receiving votes. Other Also Receiving Votes: Uh, a lot.
Michigan may be the biggest disappointment thus far in the young Big 10 season. Billed as a sleeper Sweet 16 team, the Wolverines have fallen flat on their face in their encore to last year’s first bid to the dance in over a decade. No Big 10 team has proved costlier to the pocketbooks either as Michigan’s 1-5 ATS record attests. The punishment? At least from early bracketologists, its an exile. They’re not in the ‘First Four Out’ nor are they in the ‘Next Four Out.’ Nope, they’re relegated to the receiving votes category, with just three mock invites. Admittedly, two of those have not updated their blogs since before UM’s loss last week at Utah. Only one up-to-date Mock keeps Michigan in the field. The MGoCommentating class would like to buy you 1,000 cocktails, sir. Michigan has a chance to open eyes this week with a road trip to play Kansas, not to mention the chance for a resume win a week during the entire Big 10 slate.
As far as Indiana, Penn State and Iowa, well, they are buried on the rail. If the Hoosiers somehow get off a good start in Big 10 play, you might see a few people place them. But otherwise, these guys won be anywhere near the final field. But, if you go out and become feisty underdog plays this winter, I will never forget you and tell stories of your championship 2010 season.
