Are we favored to win the B1G next year?

[dumpsterFyre]

- Maryland graduates Layman and Sulaimon (slight possibility of losing Trimble)
- MSU graduates Denzel and Costello
- IU graduates Yogi, Zeisloft, Bielfeldt (possibly loses Bryant)
- Iowa graduates Uthoff, Gesell, and Pokey

I think Wisconsin and Ohio St...maybe Michigan...will be our closest rivals

 

[Do Dah Day]

I've set my alarm for October 1st to think about this. I do know that we lose the #1 and #2 DPOYs plus solid leadership. I need to see what the recruiting classes look like too. Seems like there are some good ones coming to a few of the teams you've listed.

Yep - MSU with 2 five-stars and 2 four stars coming in.
IU with two 4-stars coming in

 

[atmafola]

we will be good but not that good. MSU will be favored. if Hayes stays, Wisconsin will be good. Don't count out Indiana. Ohio state with more experience becomes an NCAA team again. I think like this year, Purdue will be in the mix for good teams in the BIG. Favorite? not so sure

 

[BoilerDeac]

- Maryland graduates Layman and Sulaimon (slight possibility of losing Trimble)
- MSU graduates Denzel and Costello
- IU graduates Yogi, Zeisloft, Bielfeldt (possibly loses Bryant)
- Iowa graduates Uthoff, Gesell, and Pokey

I think Wisconsin and Ohio St...maybe Michigan...will be our closest rivals

Take a look at MSU's recruiting class (and it'll be even more ridiculous should they land Josh Jackson)...

probably not.

 

[rasrar]

MSU is gonna be very good next year given their recruiting class.

That said, I'm pretty excited and focused on how Purdue is gonna do this year. Really hoping they make their first final 4 since 1980.

 

[Heller]

I like our chances but being the favorite means Carson has to be the real deal and Weatherford and Taylor will need to be able to play significant minutes. If that happens we should be pretty good.

 

[boiler-deuce]

What? You do know we play in the NCAA first round Thursday......right?

 

[FleeTheScene]

I think our strongest season will be in two years. Next year we only lose Kendall who has at this point fallen out of the rotation.

 

[paintball1979]

Yea lets talk about this after Edwards and Swanigan share FF mvps

 

[*4purdue*]

We will not be favored, unless we win the NC this year, and even then probably not. I expect us in the top 3 though.

 

[PrintersRowBoiler]

I am not counting on hanging biggie, haas, and even Edwards in 2 years. Next year might be the last year All three are there. I'm not saying all 3 leave, but all three have potential to be first team big 10. Add in a very efficient point guard in PJ with Carson>hill and Matthias and cline solid at two we can be very very good. I think we will be a better team, really like the leadership in our current sophomores.

 

[depthcharge623]

Don't forget there is a good chance Diamond Stone enters the draft for Maryland, and (even though I think it would be stupid) Deyonta Davis for MSU.

 

[indyogb]

I think MSU will be the favorite. The lose (probably) Valentine, but, as I recall, their recruiting class is lights out.

Assuming Swanigan comes back, we will be solid, but it's not easy to replace Hammons and Davis.

I assume IU and Ohio State have good recruiting classes coming in, so they will probably be in the mix.

 

[dumpsterFyre]

What? You do know we play in the NCAA first round Thursday......right?

Your point?

If this topic distracting the team from the upcoming games, I'll stop right away.

 

[IndySouthsider]

I think MSU will be the favorite. The lose (probably) Valentine, but, as I recall, their recruiting class is lights out.

Assuming Swanigan comes back, we will be solid, but it's not easy to replace Hammons and Davis.

I assume IU and Ohio State have good recruiting classes coming in, so they will probably be in the mix.

Has anybody seen 1 mock with Caleb in it?

 

[purdu1378]

You also have to look at schedules and injuries. IU was good, but were they really the best team in the B1G or did they luck out with a easier schedule and playing Iowa twice in the back half of conference play rather than the front half as an example? Playing teams with a lot of seniors when you are young is harder to do earlier in conference play. Playing MSU for some teams while Valentine was out was lucky. Purdue lucked out playing Wisconsin @ the Kohl at in the first B1G game for their know HC.

 

[indyogb]

Has anybody seen 1 mock with Caleb in it?

I haven't, but I haven't been looking that closely. The mock drafts I've seen barely mention Hammons, let alone Swanigan. On another note, most of those mocks probably haven't been updated in at least a month, and Hammons has stepped it up a bit of late (not that he wasn't great before), so his stock, at least, may have risen.

My gut feeling is barring an amazing run in the tournament, he's coming back for next year. Of course, I would be willing to sacrifice having him for another season (a considerable gesture on my part, considering I'm a mere fan ) if it means he "goes off" in the tournament and carries us to the Final Four.

 

[Dryfly88]

Caleb isn't going anywhere. He isn't on any mock draft nor should he be. He has a ton of work to do before he is ready for the association. This isn't a knock on him it is just a fact and is the same for most 18 year old kids. He needs a consistent outside shot and more reliable post moves. He is a below the rim player and that takes real skill to be effective at the next level. While his conditioning has improved since high school, he still needs to get in better shape and add more muscle.

Rosie knows this infinitely better than I do and I'm sure will give Caleb sound advice.

 

[Purdue Grad in Texas]

Has anybody seen 1 mock with Caleb in it?

I have not.

I have seen AJH toward the tail end of the first round....think he'd be a good fit for Golden State or San Antonio....JMO......probably a little gold & black vision there, too.

Candidly, I haven't done a whole lot of checking, but from what I have seen (on multiple sites), Cal's two freshman (Brown and Rabb) and Kentucky's two freshman (Murray and Labissiere) along with MSU's Davis and Duke's Ingram have been projected as lottery picks. Simmons is consensus #1 pick. Diamond Stone was just outside the lottery, and it looks like Trimble is sliding toward the end/very end of the first round.

It's crazy trying to figure it out, but in a league flush with cash and guaranteed contracts.....there's a lot of financial incentive.

 

[bsmitty08]

If Bryant and Williams return for IU they will be very good.

5: Bryant.........Morgan/Davis
4: Davis (Fr)......OG
3: Williams.........Hartman
2: Blackmon.....Curtis Jones(freshman
1 Johnson/Newkirk.....Devonte Green (Freshman)

 

[Do Dah Day]

I haven't, but I haven't been looking that closely. The mock drafts I've seen barely mention Hammons, let alone Swanigan. On another note, most of those mocks probably haven't been updated in at least a month, and Hammons has stepped it up a bit of late (not that he wasn't great before), so his stock, at least, may have risen.

My gut feeling is barring an amazing run in the tournament, he's coming back for next year. Of course, I would be willing to sacrifice having him for another season (a considerable gesture on my part, considering I'm a mere fan ) if it means he "goes off" in the tournament and carries us to the Final Four.

I've done more research/searching than I should have. Swanigan does not appear in anyone's through the third round. Hammons ranges from 30 (on NBA.com) to not in top 100 (more often than he is in the top 100). Now ... don't shoot the messenger.

FYI,
Poeltl - 6 to 8 most places, depending on the team's needs.
Jaylen Brown - 5
Rabb - 9
Stone - 12 more or less, although does seem to be dropping toward 20
Thomas Bryant - anywhere from 30 to 50
Valentine in the 20s
foreign players - about 5 in the top 30

 

[dumpsterFyre]

Jared Sullinger, whom I like to use as a case study, stayed two years. He even came to OSU a year older than Swanigan.

Biggie doesn't turn 19 until the offseason.

 

[SqueakyClean]

Way too early for this. Probably shouldn't even be looked at until we know who is staying and who is going.
With that said, Wisconsin, IU, and OSU were very young this year and bring back almost everyone (Yogi being the biggest loss from any of those three teams). MSU brings in a monster class. Michigan loses Levert, but frankly, I'm not particularly thinking that is going to make them any worse than they have been for the last couple of years.

So offhand in relative order:

Contenders: MSU, Wisconsin
Half-Step Down: Purdue, IU, OSU, Mayland
Full Step Down: Iowa, Michigan, Illinois, NW, Nebraska, PSU
Hot Garbage: Rutgers, Minnesota,

 

[TwinDegrees2]

If Bryant and Williams return for IU they will be very good.

5: Bryant.........Morgan/Davis
4: Davis (Fr)......OG
3: Williams.........Hartman
2: Blackmon.....Curtis Jones(freshman
1 Johnson/Newkirk.....Devonte Green (Freshman)

Smitty, you seem to not like Tom Crean. Will he over coach the team in the NCAA's? Will Yogi feel the pressure if it's a tight game as he usually does? Will Williams play out of control as so often happens with no repercussions? And if Williams wasn't related to Boo, would he even be starting for your Hoosiers? As for next year, OG will be IU's best player.

 

[Chuchumutha]

Way too early for this. Probably shouldn't even be looked at until we know who is staying and who is going.
With that said, Wisconsin, IU, and OSU were very young this year and bring back almost everyone (Yogi being the biggest loss from any of those three teams). MSU brings in a monster class. Michigan loses Levert, but frankly, I'm not particularly thinking that is going to make them any worse than they have been for the last couple of years.

So offhand in relative order:

Contenders: MSU, Wisconsin
Half-Step Down: Purdue, IU, OSU, Mayland
Full Step Down: Iowa, Michigan, Illinois, NW, Nebraska, PSU
Hot Garbage: Rutgers, Minnesota,

As good as the incoming recruits are for MSU, do you really think they will be able to replace Valentine, Forbes, Costello and likely Davis and not miss a beat? I don't.

 

[FlintTown]

As good as the incoming recruits are for MSU, do you really think they will be able to replace Valentine, Forbes, Costello and likely Davis and not miss a beat? I don't.

If they land Josh Jackson, yes. If not, probably no.

 

[honey_badger]

MSU is loaded next year and combined that with the best coach in the Big Ten (and it's not even close), you have a successful combination to make it to the championship game next year, Not sure if they will beat Kentucky (Calipari just re-loaded with one and dones again - big time), but they will absolutely get to the championship game.

 

[bsmitty08]

Smitty, you seem to not like Tom Crean. Will he over coach the team in the NCAA's? Will Yogi feel the pressure if it's a tight game as he usually does? Will Williams play out of control as so often happens with no repercussions? And if Williams wasn't related to Boo, would he even be starting for your Hoosiers? As for next year, OG will be IU's best player.

IU is a team who could lose in the first round or find themselves in the final 4. Strange strange team...as for Williams. he is either really good or awful, no middle ground. Next year IU's best player will be Bryant.

 

[BBG]

IU is a team who could lose in the first round or find themselves in the final 4. Strange strange team...as for Williams. he is either really good or awful, no middle ground. Next year IU's best player will be Bryant.

If Bryant stays anyway. Most clear headed folks would say he he needs to stay but some mock drafts posted here have him going first round. If true, might be hard to keep him from bolting.

Personally I think it depends on how well he personally does in the tourney. But who knows.

 

[BBG]

MSU is loaded next year and combined that with the best coach in the Big Ten (and it's not even close), you have a successful combination to make it to the championship game next year, Not sure if they will beat Kentucky (Calipari just re-loaded with one and dones again - big time), but they will absolutely get to the championship game.

So, I'm starting to see the trend others have mentioned with you.. so really are a msu fan and not a Purdue one eh?

 

[SqueakyClean]

As good as the incoming recruits are for MSU, do you really think they will be able to replace Valentine, Forbes, Costello and likely Davis and not miss a beat? I don't.

I'm currently thinking Davis stays, but that might depend on how well MSU does in the tourney.

Even with those three gone, and even without the incoming class, most of the guys on the roster are still 4 and 5 star guys. If the rest of the league had everybody coming back, I would likely knock them down a notch, but outside of Wisconsin and OSU (the 6th and 7th seeds this year), every team in the Big Ten is losing some really significant pieces:

Purdue: AJH, Davis, and Hill
IU: Yogi, Bielfeldt, Zeisloft, (maybe more)
Iowa: Everybody
Maryland: Sulaimon, Layman, (possibly Stone)
Michigan: LeVert, Albrecht
Illinois: All non-law-abiding citizens.....Everybody

 

[patj11288]

We will be in the mix. It is tough right now to say one way or the other though, because teams can still add recruits/transfers and obviously no one has declared for the draft this early. I really like what we have coming back though and think we have all the pieces to be a top-10 team offensively. It will be a tough adjustment on the defensive end without AJ and Davis.

 

[SqueakyClean]

...and one more thing: If the past two years are any indication, the discussion should probably be tabled until the Big ten schedule comes out. While we know about IU's schedule this year, you gotta remember that Wisconsin's schedule two years ago was very similar to IU's this past year.

 

[WestCoastRoses]

If Jackson goes green, MSU could possibly have three first round and borderline lottery draft picks on next year's roster. They'll have Calipari-esque talent but it'll be coached by a hard nosed defense and rebounding preaching coach like Izzo.

 

[bsmitty08]

...and one more thing: If the past two years are any indication, the discussion should probably be tabled until the Big ten schedule comes out. While we know about IU's schedule this year, you gotta remember that Wisconsin's schedule two years ago was very similar to IU's this past year.

So was Purdues....

 

[boilerzz]

...and one more thing: If the past two years are any indication, the discussion should probably be tabled until the Big ten schedule comes out. While we know about IU's schedule this year, you gotta remember that Wisconsin's schedule two years ago was very similar to IU's this past year.

So was Purdues....

Doesn't know what he's talking about.

 

[bsmitty08]

Doesn't know what he's talking about.

Really? Last year PU only played Wisky, Maryland and MSU once each. The three best teams in the conference

 

[SqueakyClean]

So was Purdues....

Was Purdue's '14-'15 schedule favorable? Yes. We faced the top 4 teams (Maryland, MSU, Iowa, and Wisconsin) only once, 2 away, 2 at home. The next three (OSU, IU, and Illinois) we had home and away games at each.

Was Wisconsin's schedule even more favorable? IMMENSELY YES!!! Of teams finishing 2nd through 8th, they only faced ONE team twice (Iowa). Of the other six teams, four of those games were home games (MSU, Purdue, IU, Ill). So against the Top 8 teams, 5 home games, 3 away games. That was a HUGE schedule advantage.

Don't get me wrong, Wisconsin was arguably the best team in the nation and likely still would have won the Big Ten regardless, but I suspect the margin in the rankings would have been alot closer with a balanced schedule.

...and for the record, yes, IU's schedule in 2014-15 was tougher. They still lost to Purdue twice.

The point being, schedule has made a huge difference in results the past two years. It will likely play a factor again in next year's race.

 

[boilerzz]

Really? Last year PU only played Wisky, Maryland and MSU once each. The three best teams in the conference

2014-15 conference SOS:
Wisconsin - 66
Purdue - 31

2015-16 conference SOS
Indiana - 81
Purdue - 35

 

[SqueakyClean]

2014-15 conference SOS:
Wisconsin - 66
Purdue - 31

2015-16 conference SOS
Indiana - 81
Purdue - 35

In fairness, I equate IU's 2015 schedule to Wisconsin's 2014 schedule. The only difference is Rutgers and Minnesota were so monumentally bad this year that it brought the schedule strength down even more.