I see the back half of the B1G being Northwestern, Penn St., Illinois, Minnesota, Rutgers, and Iowa
Breaking down the team compared to Rutgers:
Penn St. has talent, but their coach is holding them back, and they don't have great team chemistry. If Rutgers plays defense as they have of late, PSU could be in trouble. PSU plays the game as front-runners. When things are going great, they can beat anyone in the league, but the first sign of adversity they fold like a house of cards.
Northwestern will get exposed for not have a real PG. They are doing it by committee, and that's not going to get it done in this league. Also, NW doesn't have a presence in the middle with a big man. Rutgers should be able to pressure them and control the lane.
Minnesota is puzzling. They have talent, but they don't like playing the game together. They have individuals who can take over a game and win it for the Gophers, but they don't come to play every game. They are a strong team at home, but on the road they suspect. Of all the teams on this list, Minnesota has the potential to move up. This is just a tough game for Rutgers no matter where it's played.
Iowa IMO is the same team it was from last year. How are they ranked is beyond belief? Iowa's athletic dept didn't like the fact their radio announcer Gary Dolphin called out the team. Dolphin basically said this team isn't great and has flaws that haven't been addressed. Iowa is questionable on defense because they don't have guards with the foot speed to cover average guards. It's why they are playing more zone, but they are not great at it because it's new to them. Good passing teams can pick them apart. They are one of the few teams that can match Rutgers' size. I think Rutgers' defense will continue to present problems for Iowa, and Rutgers is more athletic than last year's team that beat Iowa.
Illinois is a young talented team with way too many moving parts. When they finally get it together, they will be dangerous. Right now they can beat the brakes off a good team and follow that up with a stinker against a lousy team. Rutgers is young like Illinois, but the difference is how much more organized Rutgers in all aspects of the game.
One team I didn't add to this group is Wisconsin because I think they will finish no worse than the middle of the B1G pack. I think they are a solid team, but the lack of depth and not having other players capable of scoring to take pressure off of the main guys could haunt them at times during the B1G season. I think Rutgers' size can give them problems especially Happ and if you impact his scoring, Wisconsin is in big trouble.
I'm like Rutgers chances going forward. I think Rutgers will not finish last this year. I think they can finish 10th if they give a similar effort like the last 3 games. A little more experience and another player or two will push them towards the top half of the B1G.
Breaking down the team compared to Rutgers:
Penn St. has talent, but their coach is holding them back, and they don't have great team chemistry. If Rutgers plays defense as they have of late, PSU could be in trouble. PSU plays the game as front-runners. When things are going great, they can beat anyone in the league, but the first sign of adversity they fold like a house of cards.
Northwestern will get exposed for not have a real PG. They are doing it by committee, and that's not going to get it done in this league. Also, NW doesn't have a presence in the middle with a big man. Rutgers should be able to pressure them and control the lane.
Minnesota is puzzling. They have talent, but they don't like playing the game together. They have individuals who can take over a game and win it for the Gophers, but they don't come to play every game. They are a strong team at home, but on the road they suspect. Of all the teams on this list, Minnesota has the potential to move up. This is just a tough game for Rutgers no matter where it's played.
Iowa IMO is the same team it was from last year. How are they ranked is beyond belief? Iowa's athletic dept didn't like the fact their radio announcer Gary Dolphin called out the team. Dolphin basically said this team isn't great and has flaws that haven't been addressed. Iowa is questionable on defense because they don't have guards with the foot speed to cover average guards. It's why they are playing more zone, but they are not great at it because it's new to them. Good passing teams can pick them apart. They are one of the few teams that can match Rutgers' size. I think Rutgers' defense will continue to present problems for Iowa, and Rutgers is more athletic than last year's team that beat Iowa.
Illinois is a young talented team with way too many moving parts. When they finally get it together, they will be dangerous. Right now they can beat the brakes off a good team and follow that up with a stinker against a lousy team. Rutgers is young like Illinois, but the difference is how much more organized Rutgers in all aspects of the game.
One team I didn't add to this group is Wisconsin because I think they will finish no worse than the middle of the B1G pack. I think they are a solid team, but the lack of depth and not having other players capable of scoring to take pressure off of the main guys could haunt them at times during the B1G season. I think Rutgers' size can give them problems especially Happ and if you impact his scoring, Wisconsin is in big trouble.
I'm like Rutgers chances going forward. I think Rutgers will not finish last this year. I think they can finish 10th if they give a similar effort like the last 3 games. A little more experience and another player or two will push them towards the top half of the B1G.
