I don't love the conference bracket

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NorthKCHawk

Well-Known Member
We likely start with an angry and veteran Wisconsin team. We all know how hard it is to beat a team three times in one year.

If we do beat them, we get to face Ilini. Probably the hottest team in the country right now. I get that this is a loaded conference, but damn.

Maybe pulling a Fran and losing in the first round wouldn't be all bad. This team needs rest and to get healthy. I think we have cemented a 2 seed. I don't see us going up or down from that seed regardless of the weekend.
 
NorthKCHawk said:
We likely start with an angry and veteran Wisconsin team. We all know how hard it is to beat a team three times in one year.

If we do beat them, we get to face Ilini. Probably the hottest team in the country right now. I get that this is a loaded conference, but damn.

Maybe pulling a Fran and losing in the first round wouldn't be all bad. This team needs rest and to get healthy. I think we have cemented a 2 seed. I don't see us going up or down from that seed regardless of the weekend.
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I don't typically put a lot of credence into the BTT. The conference champ is still the team with the best record over the long haul of a season; the BTT is kinda like bowl games are for football. They could affect seeding a little bit if your team has a disaster, but overall the dance is the only thing we should really care about. Like you said, I don't see us losing a 2 seed at all.
 
I feel like winning Friday cements that #2 seed.

Yes, beating a team 3 times is tough but it's doable. And, we gave Illinois a good game this year. There's no team we can't beat if we're playing well. I would feel better about our chances with a healthy JW but I would rather have him completely healthy the next week.

We're due for a run in the BTT and the Dance, that's what I'm hoping for.
 
Yep at this point my concern is really just being rested and healthy for the NCAA Tournament. I find myself not really caring all that much about the BTT this year.

As for the bracket - yeah I'm not crazy about it either, but I don't feel the other side of the bracket is a cakewalk, either. There wasn't really going to be a "favorable" path, IMO. Barring upsets, of course.
 
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I don't think Wisconsin beating Penn State is a given either, assuming Penn State beats Nebraska.

Don't really mind the bracket because you've got to play these teams along with way anyhow. Whether we win or lose is probably not a huge factor.
 
Yeah, conference tourneys are do or die affairs at the low/mid major level but, in the high majors? They are the last refuge of the bubble teams, I think.

I don't think we lose/gain much between worst (lose first game) and best (win the whole thing) scenarios. I would certainly be open to resting JW for the conference tourney.
 
I don't think there is a way to get an ideal bracket but I think landing on the 3 seed instead of the 4 is better for Iowa. I felt that Iowa got fortunate beating Ohio State and I wouldn't care for a rematch with them on Friday or with Michigan if Iowa was able to get past Ohio State.

While I don't like the idea of facing Wisconsin back to back and a 3rd time I do think they are in the most winnable situation and I'd prefer a rematch with Illinois over Michigan. Overall I think they got into the best case scenario.
 
ssckelley said:
I don't think there is a way to get an ideal bracket but I think landing on the 3 seed instead of the 4 is better for Iowa. I felt that Iowa got fortunate beating Ohio State and I wouldn't care for a rematch with them on Friday or with Michigan if Iowa was able to get past Ohio State.

While I don't like the idea of facing Wisconsin back to back and a 3rd time I do think they are in the most winnable situation and I'd prefer a rematch with Illinois over Michigan. Overall I think they got into the best case scenario.
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Agreed. A close loss to a Wisconsin team that we've already beaten twice is better for the morale than getting whipped by OSU or Michigan (maybe even Illinois, too).
 
I'm not afraid of this year's Wisconsin team, 1st, 2nd, OR 3rd time. They played to their typical level this year and we beat them by 15; they played one of the best games of their season yesterday and we beat them by 4. Of course they could play out of their minds on Friday, but I like our odds of beating them again. Illinois is a great team, but Ohio St. led them most of their game last week, and we've shown we can hang with them. Michigan and Purdue are much more dangerous, IMO. Our draw is just fine, but like others, I find myself less focused on the BTT and moreso on what comes after. Even if we beat Illinois and lose to Michigan, I doubt we jump Illinois into a #1 seed. I just wish Michigan would have had to play a full 20-game schedule -- if Nebraska could play 13 games in 27 days, the Wolverines could have fit in a couple more into their schedule.
 
NorthKCHawk said:
We likely start with an angry and veteran Wisconsin team. We all know how hard it is to beat a team three times in one year.

If we do beat them, we get to face Ilini. Probably the hottest team in the country right now. I get that this is a loaded conference, but damn.

Maybe pulling a Fran and losing in the first round wouldn't be all bad. This team needs rest and to get healthy. I think we have cemented a 2 seed. I don't see us going up or down from that seed regardless of the weekend.
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The good thing is we don't have to beat Wisconsin 3 times. We only have to beat them one. I wonder if stats back up the saying that it's hard to win that 3rd game?
 
Love our side of the bracket. We’re significantly better than Wisconsin IMO. They may lose Thursday. Zero pressure Saturday because everyone expects Illinois to win. We can play loose. If we can beat Illinois we can beat our Sunday opponent. It’s all good to me.
 
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