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Peegs Preseason B1G Rankings


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http://scout.com/college/indiana/Article/Big-Ten-Hoop-2017-18-Preseason-power-ranking-105898654

1. MSU

2. Minnesota

3. Maryland

4. Northwestern

5. Purdue

6. Wisconsin

7. Indiana

Key Returnees: Robert Johnson, De'Ron Davis, Josh Newkirk, Juwan Morgan, Devonte Green, Curtis Jones, Freddie McSwain

Significant losses: Thomas Bryant (NBA), OG Anunoby (NBA), James Blackmon (NBA)

Impact additions: F Collin Hartman (medical redshirt), SF Justin Smith (94), PF Clifton Moore (102), 2G Al Durham (NR)

Comment: Taking care of the basketball and point guard remain a question but this is a more experienced team than IU has usually fielded. Hoosiers may start a pair of fifth-year seniors (Hartman and Newkirk), a four-year starter (Johnson), another returning starter (Morgan) and have a promising soph in the middle in Davis. The age of this team should help this win close games. Defense has been a  problem for awhile but now you bring in a proven, defensive minded coach in Archie Miller. Plus the NBA departures who played all season weren't exactly known as good defenders. Getting Green and/or Jones to step up would go a long way to making this an NCAA team.

8. Michigan

9. Iowa

10. Penn State

11. Illinois

12. OSU

13. Nebraska

14. Rutger

 

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13 hours ago, Colonialcrester said:

I am willing to go with this since we really do have some questions...how will Hartman come off his injury?  Can some of our previous year's B players step up?  Freshman impact?  

Really wish OG or Bryant would have stayed...

I think we will defend better than we have in many years and our experience level is also great. I think we have a much higher ceiling than anything the media is talking about.  

By the way, why is @bluegrassIU your profile picture?

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We do have some good parts. We have good experience. We have a new energy.

 

One thing I don't see is having is a go to scorer. Maybe one will develop, maybe we will be so balanced we don't need one. But it sure is nice when you have a player or two that you can put the ball in his hands and say "go get some buckets" when the offense breaks down.

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55 minutes ago, bluegrassIU said:

We do have some good parts. We have good experience. We have a new energy.

 

One thing I don't see is having is a go to scorer. Maybe one will develop, maybe we will be so balanced we don't need one. But it sure is nice when you have a player or two that you can put the ball in his hands and say "go get some buckets" when the offense breaks down.

I think Davis and Johnson both have a chance to be our go-to guy. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

There is definitely a chip on the shoulder of some of these guys.  Robert Johnson and Colin Hartman leading the way.  I think Newkirk and Morgan follow right in line as far as that leadership and chip goes.  There is going to be a new attitude and leadership.  Most of you have heard this but the comments from Hartman on JMV about a month ago was basically, "I told the guys if I come back, I'm coming back to win."  And they said they are in.  And that was solidifying in his decision to return.  

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To be honest, I really don't have a good feel for how we'll end up. I suspect we'll start off slow as the team learns CAM's system and learns how to play without OG, JBJ and Bryant, and then plays strong, barring injury, down the stretch, revealing better how the team will be under CAM. Our team D should be significantly better, OG's loss notwithstanding. We have shooters. We have very good veterans. On court leadership, how the team gels under the new system and coaching overall, how Rob plays on ball, who steps up after Bryant's departure -- how DD and Morgan play, and how much growth we see from our sophs probably determine if we're top 4 or top 7.

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To me, it's MSU and then everybody else. It'd be a huge upset if they don't win the conference. I don't think Maryland should be 3. If I had to rank, I'd go as follows:

1. MSU

2. Minnesota

3. Purdue

4. Northwestern

5. Maryland

6. Michigan

7. Wisconsin

8. IU

9. Iowa

10. Penn State

11. Illinois

12. Ohio State

13. Nebraska 

14. Rutgers

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We do return three key players from a Big Ten title team. Sure, it wasn't last year but why is that less valuable experience than what some of the other returners in the conference have?

I think our issue last year was coaching and chemistry more than. Anything, assuming those are addressed then what is actually better about these teams, sans MSU? 

Wisconsin's best player is a liability at the end of the game. 

Iowa's sophomores seem impressive, but life gets hard when you don't have a 20 PPG guy. 

Purdue is similar. They've got some nice role players, but Caleb Swanigan made everyone much better. And let's be real, Matt Painter has shown when he doesn't have players competing for CPOTY his teams are average. Anyone really think Vince Edwards can carry Purdue to a high level like Swanigan, Johnson or Moore? I sure don't. 

Michigan lost as much as we did two years ago. Unless the kid from UK can pick up where Walton left off that was a huge loss from a team that really wasn't that good most of the season anyway. 

Northwestern will be tough, but surely no one actually thinks they have better talent? If Archie was the right hire over a guy like Collins, then he should have us playing greater than the sum of our parts much like Collins does. Only our parts are better than theirs. 

 

This team has experience, toughness and they're hungry. We will finish top 3 in conference. 

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