Okay, clearly Illinois is THE team to beat in the Big Ten this season..

However, which team will be right behind them in the standings come March?

Make your pick!

The Star Trib has Iowa finishing second behind Illinois.

While the Capital Times has the hometown Badgers there -- but gives Iowa some love with this profile of Erek Hanson and the Hawkeyes.

[ January 05, 2005, 12:15 PM: Message edited by: DCBucky ]

Hey DCBUCKY...thanks for the links - although the Erek Hansen link didn't seem to work.

I am very psyched for the Big Ten season! The weather is SO crappy today in Chicago, otherwise I'd even consider the 'L' ride up to Evanston to watch the slop-fest...Wildcats vs. Hoosiers.

Ummm...did somebody REALLY vote for Indiana?! LOL

eek!

Yeah ChiAthlete. It was me. Hoosiers have not been the same since Bobby Knight left. I think the last team I really liked was the one Calbert Chaney was on. The Jared Jeffries team was a fluke. What the heck happened to Iowa? I was extremely disappointed with the Hawkeyes. I can't stand Michigan.

No kidding, I was equally bummed! No me gusta 'Michigan' tampoco.

Say, what time is your basketball game on Saturday...you ARE playing, no?!

Of course I am playing. My game is at 1:00 p.m. Foster/Damen. I got my hops back after my stomach surgery and am doing two handed dunks with minimal effort. I wish my 3shots were as consistent as my dunks. Are you playing? Coming to watch?
Wisconsin is still on the top of your poll. That didn't sound right did it?

Yeah, we played the first game at 11:00am...lead at halftime and lost by 4. :-(

How 'bout dem Fighting Illini!!! Down by 9 at the half, trailing in the second half for the first time this season, and we go on a 24-point run, with Dee Brown sinking 3's like there's no tomorrow. The Mighty Illini win the game, Baby!!!

Hey, Dickie V.--take your "The ACC is the only conference there is" and shove it, you partial, biased pinhead!

Hail to the Orange,
Hail to the Blue.
Hail alma mater,
Ever so true, so true...

As much as I love Purdue, I wish we never had to play them again. They always seem to have the Illini's number. Thankfully they aren't very deep scoring wise.

Great game though.

How do we take back our 'Iowa' and 'Wisconsin' vote....

frown

I definitely want to take my Wisconsin vote back. How the heck did they lose to Indiana? I know Indiana is more athletic, but Wisconsin is suppose to be more mature. And they let Bracy Wright snap on them for 30 after they checked his ass last year to just 15 points. Daymmmm. Why did they lose? Daym that Devin Harris for leaving. Is there no god?

Wow... What a great game between Michigan State and Indiana. It started to look like the Spartans were on their way in the second half, but the Hoosiers found a way to get the game into overtime. That kind of game makes you really anxious to bring on March Madness. By the way, I will definitely be checking out the very hunky Spartan big man, Paul Davis (and not the one who sang "I Go Crazy" in 1979). What a stud! Good win for Indiana.

Good game it was! I'm really hoping the Hoosiers get a bid, because they always do well in tourneys, even in "rebuilding" years like this one. They'll be back - this year or the next!

HUGE win for the Hoosiers. Knocking off a Top 10 team this late, PLUS it keeps them in the running for 3rd place, which would mean Illinois on the other half of the bracket in the conference tourney.

Yep -- but they're going down in Madison tomorrow night! IU can fight the Goofs for 4th place . The first meeting back in January, Wright just lit it up (I think he had 30 points) -- ain't gonna happen again. Love to see the Hoosiers make the Big Dance though.

Solid win by the Badgers on the road in Columbus --- finish with a 4-4 road record in the league.

From one of our other Big Ten threads (can't have too many -- but I'll consolidate here). Question about the tourney:

SoFla, the boys on the badger board seem to think that An Ohio State U. will participate in the Big Ten tourney -- they took themselves out of the NCAAs / NIT. I don't know who's right. That being said, Breesboy had it right: for UW, IU or the Goofs -- finish 3rd and you don't have to face Illinois until possibly the final.

[ February 28, 2005, 07:09 AM: Message edited by: DCBucky ]