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Probable Top 40 schools 2017-18 from b1G

G

Greene Rice FIG

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Watching Minnesota and the fact everyone returns appears to make them a candidate for one of the best teams next year, but upon further review.

Wisconsin loses everyone except Happ.......NO
Purdue everyone is back....YES (top 10?)
Maryland only lose Dodd...YES
Northwestern everyone is back...YES
Michigan State only losses Harris....YES
Minnesota everyone is back....YES
Michigan lose Irvin and Walton.....NO (but wouldn't write them out)
Iowa loses Jok but everyone else is very young......YES
Penn state everyone is back......YES (but i could see this going other way)
Indiana everyone is back.....YES (top 10?, at least early)
Ohio State everyone except Loving......MAYBE
Nebraska everyone except Webster....NO
Illinois 1/2 of rotation gone....NO
Rutgers....NO

we will enter preseason ranked 13th. I think we will see 9-10 top 40 type teams.We probably have 6 right now. It is going to be brutal and fun at the same time. purdue, michigan state, and Indiana potentially are going to be very good.

Obviously the analysis assumes no one leaves to the NBA. The bottom line wining 5-6 games would be a MAJOR feat next year. I want to get Ws this year, but if you are a guy who likes to see tangible progress (2017-18) measured by Ws it isn't the worst thing in the world we have 2 Ws so far. i am NOT in this boat.
 
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Those 4 names I could see leaving. I also wonder if Haas would be drafted.

I'd still think 3 of those teams are top 40 teams without those 4. Maryland maybe on the fence.
 
Hard to project next season based on a status of the current roster. So many different factors come into play. Freshmen, players leaving early, coaching, injuries, transfers as some examples that determine a projection in addition to the development of the current roster.

A perfect example is Maryland. Last year you would have said they would be in the bottom half of the conference based on the fact that they lost every starter and major contributor except for Trimble. Dodd/Cekovsky/Bender, Nickens, Brantley all came off the bench and some in very sparing minutes.

Indiana another example of a team you would say coming into this year has definitely top 25 talent and yet it hasn't materialized due to coaching and injuries. If Crean stays they're likely to be just as bad next year as this year.
 
The league will be tougher next year for sure. Most likely 5-6 ranked teams as opposed to the 2-3 we have now,. Ru will be 14th not 13th preseason.. Even with some guys leaving earlier these programs will still have the bulk of their talent returning except for Wisconsin and most will have top classes coming in. This was a down year for the league no question. It has allowed mediocre teams like Nebby, PSU, Iowa and Michigan to win more games than they should
 
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illinois gets decimated by graduation and the operator wont help Jim Croce make that call so you have a rebuild.
 
bac2therac said:
The league will be tougher next year for sure. Most likely 5-6 ranked teams as opposed to the 2-3 we have now,. Ru will be 14th not 13th preseason.. Even with some guys leaving earlier these programs will still have the bulk of their talent returning except for Wisconsin and most will have top classes coming in. This was a down year for the league no question. It has allowed mediocre teams like Nebby, PSU, Iowa and Michigan to win more games than they should
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We will continue to be a unanimous pick to finish dead last until we can prove otherwise.
 
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RutgHoops said:
We will be a better team in 2017-18 than we are this year. I am almost 100% certain.

This staff can COACH. This team gives 100% every night. Enjoy the build. I haven't enjoyed a Rutgers team this much since Rice's first squad On the Banks.
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Absolutely. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a Rutgers fan who doesn't agree that this is the most enjoyable team to watch since Rice's first-year club.
 
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Thanks for doing the research,GRF.

Some teams lose their best players. Who replaces Trimble and matches his production?

Haas is unlikely to get drafted with his numbers. For 7-2, 12 points five rebounds a game?Not seeing that. He will probably go overseas when he is done at Purdue.

Rutgers has a chance to be 8-14 next year as far as the rankings go for the BIG.
 
Rutgers was right there with 60% of the BIG this year. Not counting them out. Work on a couple of things, and they will contend.
 
contend? contend for 11th or 12th at best. Have to be realistic here. Yes we played some close games but there is a reason why we didnt win the far majority of them. Most schools in the Big 10 are playing competitive games night in and out and they have more talent. I think next years team is somewhat capped in their ability much like this year,. We would need tremendous improvement from Thiam and Eugene and Baker would have to show he is Big 10 ready right away, otherwise we will have a similar record to this year
 
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bac2therac said:
contend? contend for 11th or 12th at best. Have to be realistic here. Yes we played some close games but there is a reason why we didnt win the far majority of them. Most schools in the Big 10 are playing competitive games night in and out and they have more talent. I think next years team is somewhat capped in their ability much like this year,. We would need tremendous improvement from Thiam and Eugene and Baker would have to show he is Big 10 ready right away, otherwise we will have a similar record to this year
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11-12 would be huge improvement. You said at best. Every team gets the off season to improve. If you have the right coaching staff, most teams improve a little.
 
We blew Wisconsin and almost choked up the PSU game. Sanders, Johnson and Freeman must make FTs. Walton, Koenig, Trimble, Mason and McIntosh are going to make FTs when it matters to win games. Our guys need to have the guts to seal wins on the line. Will our guys learn how to win?

My confidence is waning.
 
bac2therac said:
contend? contend for 11th or 12th at best. Have to be realistic here. Yes we played some close games but there is a reason why we didnt win the far majority of them. Most schools in the Big 10 are playing competitive games night in and out and they have more talent. I think next years team is somewhat capped in their ability much like this year,. We would need tremendous improvement from Thiam and Eugene and Baker would have to show he is Big 10 ready right away, otherwise we will have a similar record to this year
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Think how much this team improved in 6 months. This team will be a lot better
 
bac2therac said:
The league will be tougher next year for sure. Most likely 5-6 ranked teams as opposed to the 2-3 we have now,. Ru will be 14th not 13th preseason.. Even with some guys leaving earlier these programs will still have the bulk of their talent returning except for Wisconsin and most will have top classes coming in. This was a down year for the league no question. It has allowed mediocre teams like Nebby, PSU, Iowa and Michigan to win more games than they should
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Will it ever matter that Rutgers always is ranked at the bottom of the B1G preseason and at the end of the season?Surely this impacts perception and recruiting which just perpetuates the status quo.Winning matters now not 3-5 years from now because by that time nobody that matters will care.
 
This team is going to be stuck right where it is until it can find shooters and break the mental block in shooting free throws. This cast of characters is going to finish last once again next year, it simply equals their talent level. Pikell is getting every ounce of talent out of them as is.

Now don't get me wrong I really like Pikell and his staff. I think they're some great coaches, however they're going to have to be able to sell their vision without the wins. It's the only way he's going to be able to get out of this mess of a roster he's inherited from Jordan.
 
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Almost no shot that everyone is back for Indiana, especially given the dumpster fire that they currently are. OG is a projected first rounder, and guys like Blackmon and Johnson seem like they just don't give a shit. Wouldn't be shocked if they lose 3 starters.

Same goes with Purdue. Id be surprised if Swanigan and/or Vince Edwards doesn't go pro. They'll still be pretty decent next year, but not top ten.

Illinois loses half their lineup, but they also have the top-rated recruiting class in the Big Ten coming in. That said their coach is still John Groce (for now), so it's hard to disagree that they won't be any good.

Iowa and PSU are two teams to watch next year. Both are extremely young, and you saw a glimpse of Iowa playing well without Jok. They might be another year away, but both will def be better.

On MD, their ceiling starts and ends with Melo's decision. If he's content being a second rounder or going overseas, he'll declare. That's not to say he'll be anything better after a senior year (his shot has kind of went to shit), but I don't think it's a foregone conclusion right now that he leaves. Still lots of basketball to be played though. That said, if he comes back MD will be top ten preseason next year. Even without him, they should be borderline top 25 with the three freshmen and two 4*s coming in. Only other meaningful guy they lose is Dodd.
 
Also should have mentioned that NW ought to be pretty good next year as they return literally everyone.
 
bac2therac said:
contend? contend for 11th or 12th at best. Have to be realistic here. Yes we played some close games but there is a reason why we didnt win the far majority of them. Most schools in the Big 10 are playing competitive games night in and out and they have more talent. I think next years team is somewhat capped in their ability much like this year,. We would need tremendous improvement from Thiam and Eugene and Baker would have to show he is Big 10 ready right away, otherwise we will have a similar record to this year
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Glad to see Bac doesn't limit his negativity to the women's team.
 
Hope BAC is wrong and I like being positive. Hopefully Thiam gets bigger and is a factor next year with Baker coming in.
 
shields said:
Hope BAC is wrong and I like being positive. Hopefully Thiam gets bigger and is a factor next year with Baker coming in.
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Thiam will without a doubt add at least five pounds to his frame.

I asked one of my friends about the status of Baker coming in with a program. I will post back with an answer.
 
Higgins, I have to disagree with you on Haas. NBA teams will be foaming at the mouth to get him, possibly as early as this year.
 
Nebraska loses Webster as you mention but they get Antwon Gil coming back as well as 4* transfer Palmer and 5* transfer from Georgetown. NU will be considerably better next year. They finally have some Big 10 players and depth.



edit: However, we are Nebraska and this is hoops. We won't be top 40 even with a very talented team.
 
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BillyC80 said:
Higgins, I have to disagree with you on Haas. NBA teams will be foaming at the mouth to get him, possibly as early as this year.
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Gotcha. How do you view how the NBA view potential?

Notice the 3 centers that are on the 2017 mock draft, They are all freshman. A lot of players that get on the first round board do it before their senior year.Why? Because the NBA wants the freshest legs in their league right now. Athleticism. Sells the tickets. Offense first, high lights second, defense last.

As a senior, averaging 11 points and 5 rebound, sorry but that is nowhere near first round material. Especially as a junior.

He is a big kid. He has not shown ridiculous NBA skills. He is not on the "must get" of any scout right now. Especially with a more shooting, guard driven league. Sticking with the trend.
 
Also, have a close friend connected with the program.


Every player that is recruited and signs with Rutgers already has a workout plan. Hopefully this means Baker comes in physically more ready.

If he does, that is a big step.
 
Illinois has the #11 class in the country coming in.....albeit Groce may not be back

RU has the 14th rated Big 10 class coming in..last. This is a concern. Yes you can say well we only have two ships to give but the fact is all the teams already ahead of us have signed better players. Thats bad news for next year considering the league was young and sort of down this year. Even with some additional roster turnover, that ranking probably will not budge. It means that Pike really will need back to back to back classes of top 7 classes out of 14 schools in league in the future
 
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