Might as well start this
1. I don’t think Drake gets in. They should but I think they get hosed
2. Baylor/Gonzaga is going to be the title game
3. If Loyola is an 8/9 seed they might not win a game and certainly not 2.
1. Agreed. The committee has reason to omit them and therefore I expect they will. They deserve to be in it, but they also should have beat Bradley at the end of the season and should have scheduled a tougher non-conference slate.
2. No love for the Illini? 😉
3. Loyola deserves to be seeded higher than 8, but if they are an 8/9 I obviously don’t think they have a shot at any of the 1s for game 2. The Valley needs at least one victory out of the Ramblers.
1. Agreed. The committee has reason to omit them and therefore I expect they will. They deserve to be in it, but they also should have beat Bradley at the end of the season and should have scheduled a tougher non-conference slate.
2. No love for the Illini? 😉
3. Loyola deserves to be seeded higher than 8, but if they are an 8/9 I obviously don’t think they have a shot at any of the 1s for game 2. The Valley needs at least one victory out of the Ramblers.
Illinois can absolutely beat anybody not named Gonzaga. Baylor Already beat Illinois fairly easily sooooooo
Not sure about Gonzaga - they play in a weak conference outside of BYU. Illinois has been really good of late, winning AT Wis., Mich., Ohio St. No Dosunmu either for Wis or Mich. I think Baylor's a bad matchup for Illinois, but I'm not sure Baylor would beat them now.
Big 10 is easily the best conference this year and it would not surprise me to see Illini vs. Michigan in the final. Would not surprise me to see three Big 10 teams in the Final Four, depending on how the brackets are set up. Ill., Mich., and Ohio St or Iowa plus Gonzaga.
Illinois has a ton of talent. Could win it all this year. I don't think Gonzaga is the champ.
Gonzaga played Iowa and pummeled Iowa. They may not win it but they are the best overall team
Gonzaga beat Iowa by 11 early in the season. Two weeks ago, Mich beat Iowa by 22. Then Illinois, without
Dosunmu, pounds Michigan by 23.
Once a Saluki always a Saluki, so if Zags win it all at least we get to cheer on a Saluki. Vicarious thrills.
The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.
James Madison
It’s starting to sound like Loyola could be a 10 seed. I would prefer this over 8/9 but it appears the Valley still lacks respect nationwide. I’m not feeling good about Drake’s chances to make the tournament.
Loyola would get a huge break if they were a 10 as long as they avoided Iowa’s bracket. Huge drop off after the top 5
FWIW today Jay Bilus ranks Loyola #25 and Drake #46 in his top 68 from the regular season. That would translate to a 7 seed for Loyola and a 12 seed for Drake.
Not sure about Gonzaga - they play in a weak conference outside of BYU. Illinois has been really good of late, winning AT Wis., Mich., Ohio St. No Dosunmu either for Wis or Mich. I think Baylor's a bad matchup for Illinois, but I'm not sure Baylor would beat them now.
Big 10 is easily the best conference this year and it would not surprise me to see Illini vs. Michigan in the final. Would not surprise me to see three Big 10 teams in the Final Four, depending on how the brackets are set up. Ill., Mich., and Ohio St or Iowa plus Gonzaga.
Illinois has a ton of talent. Could win it all this year. I don't think Gonzaga is the champ.
Gonzaga has beat Iowa, West Virginia, Virginia and Kansas so far this year
Not sure about Gonzaga - they play in a weak conference outside of BYU. Illinois has been really good of late, winning AT Wis., Mich., Ohio St. No Dosunmu either for Wis or Mich. I think Baylor's a bad matchup for Illinois, but I'm not sure Baylor would beat them now.
Big 10 is easily the best conference this year and it would not surprise me to see Illini vs. Michigan in the final. Would not surprise me to see three Big 10 teams in the Final Four, depending on how the brackets are set up. Ill., Mich., and Ohio St or Iowa plus Gonzaga.
Illinois has a ton of talent. Could win it all this year. I don't think Gonzaga is the champ.
Gonzaga has beat Iowa, West Virginia, Virginia and Kansas so far this year
I've watched Gonzaga play both very good teams and average teams this year. They look great against both. IMO, they are far and away the best team I have seen play this year. I think Baylor is the only team that can hang with them this year. I think the Zags have a great chance to go all they way and get Aaron Cook a ring!
Gonzaga played Iowa and pummeled Iowa. They may not win it but they are the best overall team
If Gonz was in the Big 10, they would have at least 4 losses IMO. Losing to unranked BYU in 2nd half tonight. So many excellent defensive teams in the Big 10.
Byu can't hit squat in 2nd half. Close game until last minute. Zags very good FT shooters. Aaron Cook did not play in the 2nd half. Zags have one future NBA star. Freshman guard Suggs is terrific. Kispert too is an excellent 3pt shooter.
They play in a weak conference so not sure what kind of depth they have.
Their closest games were tonight .. deceptive score... very tight game until last minute or so.... and W. Virginia.
Not sure about Gonzaga - they play in a weak conference outside of BYU. Illinois has been really good of late, winning AT Wis., Mich., Ohio St. No Dosunmu either for Wis or Mich. I think Baylor's a bad matchup for Illinois, but I'm not sure Baylor would beat them now.
Big 10 is easily the best conference this year and it would not surprise me to see Illini vs. Michigan in the final. Would not surprise me to see three Big 10 teams in the Final Four, depending on how the brackets are set up. Ill., Mich., and Ohio St or Iowa plus Gonzaga.
Illinois has a ton of talent. Could win it all this year. I don't think Gonzaga is the champ.
Gonzaga has beat Iowa, West Virginia, Virginia and Kansas so far this year
I've watched Gonzaga play both very good teams and average teams this year. They look great against both. IMO, they are far and away the best team I have seen play this year. I think Baylor is the only team that can hang with them this year. I think the Zags have a great chance to go all they way and get Aaron Cook a ring!
Guess you missed the Illinois Ohio State game. Some great ball there.. Big 10 is going to get 9 teams in for a reason. The Big 10 tournament is so brutal, you have to wonder if that doesn't hurt them in the tournament.
The Zags are very good but haven’t faced the challenges Mich., Ill., OSU, Purdue face every time out. We'll find out in a few weeks..
I don't think there's a single team that is way better than everyone else. Gonna depend on matchups. Any of the top 4 seeds could win it.
Not sure about Gonzaga - they play in a weak conference outside of BYU. Illinois has been really good of late, winning AT Wis., Mich., Ohio St. No Dosunmu either for Wis or Mich. I think Baylor's a bad matchup for Illinois, but I'm not sure Baylor would beat them now.
Big 10 is easily the best conference this year and it would not surprise me to see Illini vs. Michigan in the final. Would not surprise me to see three Big 10 teams in the Final Four, depending on how the brackets are set up. Ill., Mich., and Ohio St or Iowa plus Gonzaga.
Illinois has a ton of talent. Could win it all this year. I don't think Gonzaga is the champ.
Gonzaga has beat Iowa, West Virginia, Virginia and Kansas so far this year
I've watched Gonzaga play both very good teams and average teams this year. They look great against both. IMO, they are far and away the best team I have seen play this year. I think Baylor is the only team that can hang with them this year. I think the Zags have a great chance to go all they way and get Aaron Cook a ring!
Guess you missed the Illinois Ohio State game. Some great ball there.. Big 10 is going to get 9 teams in for a reason. The Big 10 tournament is so brutal, you have to wonder if that doesn't hurt them in the tournament.
The Zags are very good but haven’t faced the challenges Mich., Ill., OSU, Purdue face every time out. We'll find out in a few weeks..
I don't think there's a single team that is way better than everyone else. Gonna depend on matchups. Any of the top 4 seeds could win it.
We'll see in the tournament. BYU is good. Shot 75% in the 1st half and Zags still came back to beat them. The Zags have beaten every good team they have played and most times, very handily. You can't just make unsubstantiated claims based on the strength of a conference. Illinois is going to be a #1 seed and they have some pretty sketchy losses. Enjoy the tournament.
