Expectations for Big Ten play

[NJcatsfan]

Okay, we’ve seen a fair amount out of this group. They’ve notched an epic signature win against #1 Purdue, and picked up a very nice win against Dayton. Everything else was more or less par for the course, minus the very bad CS loss. NU is 10-2 and 1-0 heading into the new year.

What do people expect the final record to be?

And what do people believe it would realistically need to be to punch our ticket for the program’s first ever back-to-back appearances in the NCAA tournament?

Happy New Year & Go ‘Cats!

 

[Catreporter]

I'm not optomistic, especially if Barnhizer is still suffering from that hand injury.

 

[AdamOnFirst]

All the analytics systems roughly agree on where NU ranks nationally and ESPN’s BOI actually projects that out to just over 10 Big Ten wins, or 9 more wins this year. The bracketology systems pick somewhere between a 9 and 11 (no play-in required) for NU, which Jones with that, so I’ll be slightly optimistic and say 10 more wins for an 11-9 Big Ten finish. Huge opportunity game in a couple days here as all the systems don’t a cou t for TSJ and expect NU to get killed.0

 

[NJcatsfan]

I'm not optomistic, especially if Barnhizer is still suffering from that hand injury.

We definitely need a healthy Brooks

 

[NJcatsfan]

All the analytics systems roughly agree on where NU ranks nationally and ESPN’s BOI actually projects that out to just over 10 Big Ten wins, or 9 more wins this year. The bracketology systems pick somewhere between a 9 and 11 (no play-in required) for NU, which Jones with that, so I’ll be slightly optimistic and say 10 more wins for an 11-9 Big Ten finish. Huge opportunity game in a couple days here as all the systems don’t a cou t for TSJ and expect NU to get killed.0

Would 10-10 in the conference get us in? I guess it depends who the Ws and L’s are against but we’ve got a top shelf W in the bank already. 19-12 (10-10) heading into the BTT seems a little precarious, but maybe doable?

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Would 10-10 in the conference get us in? I guess it depends who the Ws and L’s are against but we’ve got a top shelf W in the bank already. 19-12 (10-10) heading into the BTT seems a little precarious, but maybe doable?

I would say no. If we go 10-10 in conference play, we probably don't get in unless we win 2 BTT games.
As of right now, Big Ten looks like a league that will put 6 teams in the NCAA tournament.
Or will at least deserve 6.

 

[AdamOnFirst]

I would say no. If we go 10-10 in conference play, we probably don't get in unless we win 2 BTT games.
As of right now, Big Ten looks like a league that will put 6 teams in the NCAA tournament.
Or will at least deserve 6.

The bracketologists don’t agree with you. I will also just continue to copy paste that the concept that conferences are allocated a number of teams based on strength is a completely false paradigm.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

The bracketologists don’t agree with you. I will also just continue to copy paste that the concept that conferences are allocated a number of teams based on strength is a completely false paradigm.

bracketologists... harumph!

I don't base my ratings on "strength of schedule" - it is results that matter. KenPom, Bart Torvik, Evan Miya - they all do the same, in varying methods. But the NET methodology puts it back in the ratings.

As of today, the Big Ten has only 5 teams that have played well enough to deserve to be in the NCAA tournament...
Purdue, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State. After that there is a significant drop to a group of teams residing just off the bubble, composed of Iowa, Michigan, NU and Nebraska. Then another drop to Rutgers, Minnesota, Penn State, Indiana and Maryland.

Can some of those teams improve? Sure. Certainly. Will 1 to 3 more do enough to deserve to make the field?Well definitely 1or 2. But the league has not shown itself to be superior so far... and there is no reason for that perception to change when Big Ten teams are only playing each other.

It is the bias in the NET methodology that moves the Power 6 teams up once conference play begins.

 

[ballerog711]

Big10 12-8. Overall 22-9

10 seed in March Madness.

 

[jensberg]

Big10 12-8. Overall 22-9

10 seed in March Madness.

After watching tonight's Illinois game and seeing the weaknesses we have I'm thinking we will not even win 10 games this year and a Big Ten unfortunately

 

[ballerog711]

I picked 7 games for the football team after the rutgers debacle, how did that work out? Could be wrong.