11/12: My B1G Power Rankings

To be honest, I think ISU is a good team, but making a big deal out of them beating Michigan is odd. Was Michigan overrated before they played at ISU, little bit. They are now where they should have been.

I do agree with Jon that UM is struggling to find that go to guy, but McGary has barely practiced and I still think GR3 is plain out of position. Stauskas could be POY in the conference, if he continues to play like he has, he is a JJ Redick clone, but further along in his career right now than JJ at the same point.

Michigan's biggest concern is whoever LaVert guards, ISU exposed his weaknesses in a big way, they just kept going at him. Michigan also controlled the game until they started missing wide open shots, give ISU credit for continuing to attacking Michigan though.

I still believe MSU/Michigan will be the two best teams, followed by OSU/Wisconsin and then put Iowa right there at 5th, after that you can pick names out of a hat, except for Nebby and NW.
 
sportstalent said:
To be honest, I think ISU is a good team, but making a big deal out of them beating Michigan is odd. Was Michigan overrated before they played at ISU, little bit. They are now where they should have been.

I do agree with Jon that UM is struggling to find that go to guy, but McGary has barely practiced and I still think GR3 is plain out of position. Stauskas could be POY in the conference, if he continues to play like he has, he is a JJ Redick clone, but further along in his career right now than JJ at the same point.

Michigan's biggest concern is whoever LaVert guards, ISU exposed his weaknesses in a big way, they just kept going at him. Michigan also controlled the game until they started missing wide open shots, give ISU credit for continuing to attacking Michigan though.

I still believe MSU/Michigan will be the two best teams, followed by OSU/Wisconsin and then put Iowa right there at 5th, after that you can pick names out of a hat, except for Nebby and NW.
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I think all of this is pretty spot on. That's about what I thought after Michigan's first two games and seeing that LaVert was their leading scorer. If Caris LaVert is their top guy, or even if he is a big factor for them, they are in for some trouble. McGary's injury will disrupt things a bit for them, but also the fact that their star is not their point guard is something they may struggle to adjust to. Also I think you can throw Penn State in the cellar with Neb and NW, as they seem to be compensating for the loss of Jermaine Marshall worse than most people would have expected.
 
Do you really give a team credit for losing to a top 25 team when the only reason the team is in the top 25 is because you lost to them?
 
volhawk50 said:
I think all of this is pretty spot on. That's about what I thought after Michigan's first two games and seeing that LaVert was their leading scorer. If Caris LaVert is their top guy, or even if he is a big factor for them, they are in for some trouble. McGary's injury will disrupt things a bit for them, but also the fact that their star is not their point guard is something they may struggle to adjust to. Also I think you can throw Penn State in the cellar with Neb and NW, as they seem to be compensating for the loss of Jermaine Marshall worse than most people would have expected.
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Belien must not trust Derrick Walton yet, he was going anywhere he wanted, but made a TO at the 6:13 mark and he didn't see the floor again. Not sure what happened there, but UM settled for shots, even though a lot of them were open, forced quick shots and stopped running the offense.

Walton is more like Darius Morris, he is a leader, not as much of a scorer, but he finds open space, I was shocked he wasn't on the floor after the last TV timeout. LaVert is a solid player, but I still think he is a really good 6th man and UM may consider going to a more conventional lineup, I know it isn't JB's style, but LaVert cannot defend anyone with strength.
 
doclee said:
ISU has a nice ball club; but, no depth. As the year wears on, the lack of depth will take its toll, maybe through an injury, but certainly through physical and mental fatigue. If they do beat Iowa in Ames, I will not go into panic mode. Hilton is a great venue for the home team. If you want to find a coach who recruits better than Fran, don't put your $ on FH. Again, take a look at his team's depth...transfers and juco's often create disadvantages in this area. As to the cry for a difference maker: Aaron White, Marble, and Uthoff will alternately fill that role just fine. And, guys like McCabe, Gesell, and Basabe will step up and win some big games for Iowa as the season rolls along. Book it.
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It's really not a bad situation either way for Iowa. ISU should move up into the Top 15-20. Iowa is playing @ISU so if you lose people aren't going to hit you too hard for it and if you win then it's a huge win.

Nothing to lose in that game so play with confidence.
 
sportstalent said:
Belien must not trust Derrick Walton yet, he was going anywhere he wanted, but made a TO at the 6:13 mark and he didn't see the floor again. Not sure what happened there, but UM settled for shots, even though a lot of them were open, forced quick shots and stopped running the offense.

Walton is more like Darius Morris, he is a leader, not as much of a scorer, but he finds open space, I was shocked he wasn't on the floor after the last TV timeout. LaVert is a solid player, but I still think he is a really good 6th man and UM may consider going to a more conventional lineup, I know it isn't JB's style, but LaVert cannot defend anyone with strength.
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The kid is a true freshman playing his first true road game. Not surprising Beilien is somewhat hesitant with him.
 
Linesetter said:
I'd say ISU is a legit Top 15 team at this point. They've challenged themselves in the non-con and won a tough game against a quality opponent in BYU last night. They are more than a fringe Top 25 team.

That's good for Iowa though. Helps SOS and gives Iowa a lot of attention if they can win @hilton
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LOL - They still haven't faced a team that plays defense. I do think they should be ranked about where they are as a result of their last 2 wins. Those 2 wins merit something in the 20 to 25 range IMO.

Iowa plays defense. I still like Iowa against ISU.
 
sportstalent said:
To be honest, I think ISU is a good team, but making a big deal out of them beating Michigan is odd. Was Michigan overrated before they played at ISU, little bit. They are now where they should have been.

I do agree with Jon that UM is struggling to find that go to guy, but McGary has barely practiced and I still think GR3 is plain out of position. Stauskas could be POY in the conference, if he continues to play like he has, he is a JJ Redick clone, but further along in his career right now than JJ at the same point.

Michigan's biggest concern is whoever LaVert guards, ISU exposed his weaknesses in a big way, they just kept going at him. Michigan also controlled the game until they started missing wide open shots, give ISU credit for continuing to attacking Michigan though.

I still believe MSU/Michigan will be the two best teams, followed by OSU/Wisconsin and then put Iowa right there at 5th, after that you can pick names out of a hat, except for Nebby and NW.
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I don't think McGary can ever be a go to guy because he is extremely limited offensively. He is great at finishing plays but he's not a guy who you can throw the ball into on the block and let him go to work, and without Trey Burke this year, he's not going to get near as many easy buckets as last year.
 
Linesetter said:
The kid is a true freshman playing his first true road game. Not surprising Beilien is somewhat hesitant with him.
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He was also one of the top 4 PG prospects in the nation. He was going wherever he wanted and made a bad mistake; it may have been a teaching moment, but I am still surprised that he wasn't out there. Walton is really, really good and Albrect is going to be a life back-up, not a bad thing, but Walton is easily the better player of the two. If you trust him to start at you most key position, then you trust him to finish.
 
hawkfan33 said:
I don't think McGary can ever be a go to guy because he is extremely limited offensively. He is great at finishing plays but he's not a guy who you can throw the ball into on the block and let him go to work, and without Trey Burke this year, he's not going to get near as many easy buckets as last year.
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I really don't agree with everything you say there because during their run he didn't just benefit from Burke, the guy works so hard when he is on the floor he also creates his own opportunities. Against ISU, he started hot and I will say that I really feel he started to get mugged on the block in the second half especially when ISU was coming back. He plays hard and hits the floor a lot, but he was on the ground underneath the basket a lot in that stretch. Not saying it cost UM, but it didn't help them, the fact they couldn't make a shot hurt them more than anything.
McGary has some nice post moves actually, he can handle the ball and if he gets that mid-range shot back, yeah he is going to be an animal. Walton will be sure that McGary gets his touches as well, he can pretty much go wherever he chooses, well, he did against ISU.
The work he can do on the glass without the ball is what is so impressive to me. Right now, every team they play, until someone else emerges for them. Stauskas is going to get his points, he is showing he can do more than shoot, but the key just as it was all last season is going to be GR3, every time he played like a man, UM was unbeatable, except for the Kansas game when Burke just took his game to a level few players can.
 
WindsorHawk said:
LOL - They still haven't faced a team that plays defense. I do think they should be ranked about where they are as a result of their last 2 wins. Those 2 wins merit something in the 20 to 25 range IMO.

Iowa plays defense. I still like Iowa against ISU.
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Ok but who owns better wins at this point in the early season that ISU? Michigan and BYU might not be exceptional defensive teams but beating Michigan and then winning a true road game in a really tough environment are really good wins. That crowd at BYU last night was exceptional, they had to deal with the altitude as well.

Michigan and BYU are also really good offensive teams.
 
sportstalent said:
I really don't agree with everything you say there because during their run he didn't just benefit from Burke, the guy works so hard when he is on the floor he also creates his own opportunities. Against ISU, he started hot and I will say that I really feel he started to get mugged on the block in the second half especially when ISU was coming back. He plays hard and hits the floor a lot, but he was on the ground underneath the basket a lot in that stretch. Not saying it cost UM, but it didn't help them, the fact they couldn't make a shot hurt them more than anything.
McGary has some nice post moves actually, he can handle the ball and if he gets that mid-range shot back, yeah he is going to be an animal. Walton will be sure that McGary gets his touches as well, he can pretty much go wherever he chooses, well, he did against ISU.
The work he can do on the glass without the ball is what is so impressive to me. Right now, every team they play, until someone else emerges for them. Stauskas is going to get his points, he is showing he can do more than shoot, but the key just as it was all last season is going to be GR3, every time he played like a man, UM was unbeatable, except for the Kansas game when Burke just took his game to a level few players can.
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He is a good rebounder but with teams having to sell out to stop Burke and Hardaway, it really opened up the paint for him to get on the glass easier. He was 10/11 against VCU on almost nothing but dunks, his game against Kansas was almost all put backs and finishing off of good looks from Burke. He's a good player, but he's not a go to guy. There's a reason he only averaged like 7 points a game in the B10 last year. He's just not that skilled offensively.

Not to mention he is a terrible free throw shooter, so you don't really want the ball in his hands at the end of a close game.
 
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hawkfan33 said:
He is a good rebounder but with teams having to sell out to stop Burke and Hardaway, it really opened up the paint for him to get on the glass easier. He was 10/11 against VCU on almost nothing but dunks, his game against Kansas was almost all put backs and finishing off of good looks from Burke. He's a good player, but he's not a go to guy. There's a reason he only averaged like 7 points a game in the B10 last year. He's just not that skilled offensively.

Not to mention he is a terrible free throw shooter, so you don't really want the ball in his hands at the end of a close game.
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He didn't start playing well until the postseason, that is why he averaged what he did. At the end of the year, we'll see, I believe he will clearly be the best big man in the conference at the end of the season.
 
sportstalent said:
He didn't start playing well until the postseason, that is why he averaged what he did. At the end of the year, we'll see, I believe he will clearly be the best big man in the conference at the end of the season.
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Yeah he didn't start playing well until Michigan started playing teams who were putting together scouting reports on them from scratch and obviously focusing all their attention on stopping Burke. Hammons, Vonleh and Payne are all better than McGary.
 
hawkfan33 said:
Yeah he didn't start playing well until Michigan started playing teams who were putting together scouting reports on them from scratch and obviously focusing all their attention on stopping Burke. Hammons, Vonleh and Payne are all better than McGary.
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Yeah because nobody knew about Burke/Hardaway in the the Big Ten...that is funny.
Hammonds is not better, Vonleh is a freshman and I will reserve judgement and Payne is a good player, but over time I think you will agree with me.
 
sportstalent said:
Yeah because nobody knew about Burke/Hardaway in the the Big Ten...that is funny.
Hammonds is not better, Vonleh is a freshman and I will reserve judgement and Payne is a good player, but over time I think you will agree with me.
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Other B10 teams know Burke and Hardaway well, which is why they already have scouting reports on them and know how to best attempt to defend them. Hammonds is way ahead of McGary offensively, the only reason McGary might be considered better is because of Hammons being lazy.

And I have a feeling I won't be agreeing with you on this, just like I didn't agree with you that Marc Loving would be B10 freshman of the year.
 
hawkfan33 said:
Other B10 teams know Burke and Hardaway well, which is why they already have scouting reports on them and know how to best attempt to defend them. Hammonds is way ahead of McGary offensively, the only reason McGary might be considered better is because of Hammons being lazy.

And I have a feeling I won't be agreeing with you on this, just like I didn't agree with you that Marc Loving would be B10 freshman of the year.
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Hammonds is a lazy turd and I don't think he is way ahead of anyone. He is big and that really goes a long way for him as well. He has to be double teamed because of that.

Loving is a very good player and since he isn't starting, he won't be FOY. Matta is going with a small, but very athletic lineup at this point.
 
I have never been overly impressed with McGary...other than during the NCAA run and that was all Burke. I'm with HF33 on this one. I do think he will get a lot of rebounds but I don't like his offensive game at all. I hope the Hawks use their 25 fouls at the 4 and the 5 to ensure he gets his 1 out of 2 at the line rather than a dunk.
 
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