You're listening to the back home network, presented by home field apparel. Hi folks, welcome back to Crimson cast Scott here with you. And we said we're going to have them on. I was partially like man. I don't want any more podcast but IU basketball. We have got to talk to our friend Thomas Benedict, over at BT Powerhouse. Thomas. How you doing? Man? Good good. Thanks for having me on. No problem real quick. It's get some business out of the way home field apparel.
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And when your bracket pool Thomas, let's start here is Indiana, really the only team playing for any kind of tournament bubble hopes. Like I was going to say like who's most likely to play their selves in who could play them? I was out it seems like Indiana is really the only team out there in the Big Ten who could play themselves in and everyone else is kind of either in or out. Would you would you say oh, well, I would agree with a
small, a small caveat. I do think all the Big Ten teams that are NCAA egg, you know, at large contenders are all in solidly. At this point may be solidly is a little too strong, a word but are in good shape right now, but for Indiana, The Only Exception I would make is Rutgers. And in the unlikely scenario that so they're the four seed which means they're going to play either Iowa or the winner of the Nebraska Northwestern game on Friday.
If Iowa gets upset, and they end up playing Nebraska and North Northwestern and lose that game. That would be a pretty damaging loss. So I do think there is a potential doomsday scenario for Rutgers, but it would take Iowa going down in that first game, which I don't think is going to happen. Yeah, I mean the other thing that is tough for Rutgers. Getting. I agree with you like yeah, if let's say North Western, Nebraska makes that run and they'd beat Rutgers that would
be rough but I don't know. It's I think that the tournament they never talked about it, but when they look at it, like I do Rutgers is for seed based on, you know, a couple tie breaks here and there but it's like it. They normally the tournament doesn't like to put in teams ahead of other teams in Conference standings. So that would mean that Could basically have, Iowa, Ohio, State, Michigan, State, Michigan, all in the tournament and Rutgers.
Not, even though Rutgers finished ahead of all of those teams in the Big Ten. Yeah, it's bizarre. I had one a buddy message me today who was like, how is Rutgers on the bubble and the fourth team in the Big Ten and it's just it's a weird resume and I think you see that we're in the net there outside the top 70. I think though. 73 or 74 right now, which just an initial glance is obviously not good enough to make the tournament.
It's not anywhere close, but the resume so weird, because they have so many high quality wins to go with a couple bad losses that I somebody said, you know, they broke the net this year and I tend to agree. I think they have a really weird profile, but it's an NCAA one. And, in my eyes and like I said, barring a loss syndrome. Brasco or Northwestern which seems unlikely. I think they're in.
Yeah, I mean the right now in the bracket Matrix there only on 79 of the whatever available 123 brackets. That's right. Now just got a wild. There's brackets out there that don't have them in whereas even now 25 of those brackets on the bracket Matrix have Indiana in which is just It is mind-boggling, but I think it goes to show that the committee's looking for, sometimes things that aren't always wins and losses. And at the bottom of the bubble is pretty soft.
Yeah, it doesn't seem to be one of those years where, you know, as you said a team, you know, not even just Indiana.
I know I've seen you guys like to talk about the Hoosiers, but some of those other like, Rutgers has that weird Divergent roster or resume rather wear great wins, horrible losses, and then you look at like a team like Michigan, who for the last month of the season has literally been win-loss when in loss and so I know there used to be an old Saying of, like, what you want to get hot, you know, they want teams that are showing, you know, positive play down the stretch, Michigan.
I don't know if they are or they aren't depending on your perspective because it's like, like I said, it's win-loss win-loss literally for the last month. So it does seem to be a little bit down of a bubble year. Doesn't seem to be as many mid majors in contention this year. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's, that's how it seems. So, we'll see. But I do feel like Indiana one. Nguyen is probably going to get them in though. It might be that that dreaded first for Dayton game.
Yeah, as as you looked at the bracket when it was released and we've had it now for about a day in our hands, you know, as an Indiana fan. I saw it. I'm like that was, that was the kind of the worst possible break for us. Like, I think Michigan, and Illinois or the two teams, I would just, most not want to face in the Big Ten right now, and I kind of liked it. I was like looking like Wisconsin would be there again. I don't think we could beat any of those teams in the first four
bits. Like of. If I had to pick one. It feels like Wisconsin was the one we pay the best of, but I'm just, I'm curious, you know, we're looking at it from Indiana spin. When you saw the bracket and how things finally laid out. Did you did anything glare out to you? Like? Ooh, that broke really well for this team or, you know, who that broke really poorly for, you know, this team. Well, things I found interesting was first stuff, you know, you've mentioned the, Indiana,
Michigan matchup. It is a pretty fun to have literally to Bubble teams playing. Yeah, on on Thursday may be a little, you know, need some Tums or something for Indiana fans involved in it, but it's kind of fun to have one of those games where you can say pretty confidently. Whoever wins is going to feel pretty good for selection Sunday at least to get in. So that was one of the things that popped out.
The other thing is, is Ken Pon released his odds, for the Big Ten Tournament, you know, who has the best odds of making? My final or the final and winning the title, obviously, and it was interesting that Illinois is actually third in can Palms odds to actually win the title, even though they're the one seat, which I found pretty interesting, and I don't think people would guess. So Purdue is is number one.
They have the best odds / Ken Palm to win the title, which probably isn't super surprising given their just statistical profile. But Iowa is s, Iowa has been red-hot over the last Last month, I know Illinois. Beat them on Sunday in a one-possession really tight game. But Iowa is in really good shape. I think the thing, if I'm a Hawkeye fan that I'm worried about is Nebraska who's also red-hot is probably going to win that first game. And then it's going to be Iowa, Nebraska.
So to just scorching red-hot teams playing each other on Thursday. So that's a, that's a little fun matchup there. And then as far as the best draw, I really do like Purdue. Draw, you know, Purdue really, really good team. I think a lot of people would argue. They're the best team in the Big Ten. They just the games, didn't break their way for the Big, Ten title, and I'll let people
debate that. But Ohio state has, really not look that great over the last couple weeks and they're the team that Purdue is projected to play on Friday and then the other teams that they might play on Friday or Minnesota Penn State, both teams entering with with some I'm losing streaks. So they're playing some pretty cold teams or at least projected to and then they're going to play either, Wisconsin.
Who knows? If Johnny Davis is going to be able to play and Wisconsin, certainly is not the team. If Davis is not in the lineup, they're not at all who they were before and then, you know, Michigan State. Yeah, they want on Sunday and you know, will enter the Big Ten Tournament with a little momentum, but I've been pretty rough. The last month Maryland's are
struggling team. So like you look at that side of the bracket and the only team with any positivity, really is Purdue, so they might have a nice route to the title game. So that was the thing that stood out to me. At least. I will ask you this Gail and I were talking this on our last call. I think we did it off are maybe it was on air and I apologize for not remembering some happened four days ago. But obviously we have a little bit of you know, just Purdue.
Just you know, or Pro. Do you know anger so to speak and this comes out of just you know, I envy what they've been able to do is kind of out of a place of mean-spiritedness, but it is, I was thinking about this, you know, they didn't win the Big Ten title as you mentioned, a lot of things, kind of led up to this year. You know, they this is kind of like the culmination of a couple of really good years. You have your, you know, MBA level lottery, pick on the team.
You have a couple of seniors. You have your twin. H mean, this is like the year you're building up to date on the Big Ten title. If they don't win the Big Ten Tournament, you know, and again, let's just say they don't make the final four like their app to normally do. It does feel like this could be a year? Just kind of like, what was all of that for?
Do you think they need to win the Big Ten Tournament title and, or get to a final four to kind of make this a successful season or am I just trying to project my anger on my rival? No, I actually, I completely agree. I think they need to make some serious noise. If you can view this as a successful year. This is a stack roster. They spent the most of the year in the top five. I know they're not there right now. But when you, when you look at the team, you're like, yeah, that is it.
That's a team that can do some major damage. And I know we had discussed on maybe a podcast a month or so ago that there are some some deficits in how they play specifically defensively that, you know, You concern about whether they could actually win the title, you know on Monday night in April, but they're loaded team.
They have all everything. You normally look for on a final four Championship level Squad and not only lose the Big Ten, but to be the third seed which, you know, I guess you could debate whether that really matters that much, but to be the third seed and as you pointed out, you know, if they get knocked off on Friday, which Which is an impossible. We've we've seen Ohio State, beat some teams.
I mean we've seen Minnesota and Penn State, beat some teams to, it wouldn't be, you know, floor dropping or anything. Then you're talking about, they're going to enter with a pretty underwhelming seed in March Madness. And at that point, you know, it's going to be an uphill battle to get to the final four or so. I agree with the sentiment. I think they need to do something and I mean already when you look back at what they I've done in Big Ten, play it already feels like a huge missed
opportunity. So many games, they have lost this year. One possession on the road. I mean, rockers obviously who's your fans know what happened when they played in Bloomington Michigan State game. They easily could have won. They could have beaten Wisconsin. I mean, just a lot of missed opportunities and it'll be interesting. I've had this this feeling where I'm like, is this going to be one of these years? Where produce?
Fans are just like we were cursed all year or I almost got a little bit, a couple flashbacks this week to, I don't know if Indiana fans will remember as much, but the Michigan team. The first final four team with John beilein where they had Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway dumped. You and your and that was the team that got right down to the edge in Indiana, you know, won the Big Ten title in a couple epic matchups. I thought towards the end of the season and that was one of those.
Teams were, they had no Big Ten title. They had big flamed out in the Big Ten tournament and they ended up as like a four seed for the NCAA tournament and they got hot. They made the final four. And I wonder if Purdue, you know, we'll get some lucky bounces in the tournament. But yeah, as this set here right now, they need to do something big this month. Otherwise, it's definitely going to be a lot down.
Yeah, no, it reminds me of that that 2013 season where Pi Michigan made the final four because on the flip side, you know, Indiana had a number one, ranked team. We were a one seed, you know, we were number one team for always a good portion of that year for, but definitely the start the year and, you know, bits and pieces here and there. And you know, that year, I believe we lost in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament to like, Illinois, or are we?
Lost to the eighth seed, who was it that? I forget it. But anyway, we lost the Big Ten tournament. We lost in the sweet 16 and it's like had we not won the Big Ten title. You look back and be like, man. What was that? Like, whoa, what was that all for? And yeah, may I just I look at Purdue's similar. Like if I was a produce handbook the same way. It's like damn like we kind of put it all together and that was our best shot and you walk away with kind of nothing.
That's how it's looking right now. We'll see as we talked about. I mean, wouldn't wouldn't be shocked if they made the final four. But yeah, they got some work ahead of them. Do you think any team in the Big Ten right now could play their way into a one seed? I do not. Yeah, I don't know. I thought was concen had a shot and then they blew the Nebraska game at home on Sunday. That's going to be a really damaging loss and the other thing too. Now, we briefly hit on it.
But the Johnny Davis thing, where would the committee look on them. A little more skeptically if their best player is out. I don't know. Michigan had it last year. Isaiah livers, one of their better players was out and they still One seat. But yeah, Wisconsin, I thought I had a shot. But I think it's out the window now. Yeah, I mean if they win, if they win a but they said a lot of teams to jump. I mean ahead of them.
Again looking at bracket Matrix, maybe have Duke Kentucky, Kansas Auburn Arizona Gonzaga Baylor. It's like I have a hard time believing of all those guys. Wisconsin. Can jump those teams, even if they win the Big Ten Tournament. Again, kind of same for same for Purdue, and I think Purdue if they win, because, you know, if they win, either those teams they win. They're basically only winning, you know, three games, which is not. It's not bad, but it's like I just don't think that's enough.
To jump all those teams I mention because I think of all those teams probably at least, three of them are going to win their conference tournament as well. That's what I was going to say. Yeah, a couple of those teams are probably going to get hot too. So there's nothing wrong with the to see. We'll see, I don't know. So I mean, you know going back to this your kind of a Michigan guy.
I just don't see a world where this is a good matchup for, Indiana. You know, it seems it obviously seems like one of the best early matchups we have in the Big Ten Tournament, you know, Maryland Michigan of the set match ups, you know, the Wednesday games are kind of their Wednesday games. Then you know, Michigan State just beat Marilyn and Maryland's kind of coasting to the end
here. It seems like this is the best match up the Indiana Michigan game, but I just, I don't, I don't see a world where this is a great matchup for Indiana and Michigan to your point. They've been kind of win/loss win-loss, but as I mentioned earlier podcast, you know, even in their losses, the last month or so. We've been averaging over 1.1.2 possession.
So it's like they score at a high volume, even when they lose and Indiana hasn't even been able to keep at the volume of the points per possessions that Michigan is able to get to when they lose low load. When I tend to agree, you know, we'll see there's always some craziness in the Big Ten Tournament. I mean, a couple of years ago, it Michigan looked like they were dead dead meat, and they knocked off, Indiana. In one of those one, what 18 or 19 games? So who knows, you know what
could happen? But as far as the matchup on the court, yeah, I don't think. Jackson Davis is the best matchup for Hunter Dickinson. And then, I mean, some of the, some of the guards. Eli Brooks tends to do pretty well against the loser. So if it's a tough game, not impossible for Indiana, because one of the things they only played once during the regular season, which Michigan one in Bloomington. Caleb Houston, who continues to be the X-Factor for the Wolverines is really hit or
miss. He'll have one game where it looks like. Oh my gosh, I can see why this guy was projected as a first round pick last year. And then the next game, he'll go over five from three and be a complete non factor. So if he was red-hot, when Indiana played Michigan last time, can he do that again? It's possible. I doubt who will be as good as he was in that game. And if he's not, you know, Indiana can probably hang make things interesting and hope that
Michigan continues. Its streak of win/loss because Michigan's last game was a win. So maybe the loss the loss is going to bounce back here. Yeah. I mean that's kind of what you hope is that it's just that the win-loss win-loss thing kind of keeps up there. Let's play this game with a friend. Just a I'd love to do this on a. Maybe we do it in the summer podcast, but just like, you know, if you could pick Who is the be the most impactful player to the come back?
Who didn't like, you know, somebody who left earlier somebody who graduated? Who would you love to just bring back for the second, you know, one more year with that team and the initial person I thought of was just so moved for Illinois because like, if you added him to this team man, they would be they'd be salty. I know what. Yeah, everybody could add one player. Who was, you know, an MBA pick to their team from last year be awesome, but it's like, this is it.
Feels like that's what Illinois is missing to make. Just a insane Deep Run, but man, that they are firing on all cylinders and it's just maybe think like God. You just add him back to this team, just for March, they'd be unstoppable. But they look, they look really good. They do, I think in a lot of ways, they are the most balanced team in the Big Ten. You know, I think Purdue has more roster balance.
They have that great, you know, big men Duo, they have really experienced wings and they have IV in the backcourt, but they don't they don't play great defense as everybody knows in the Big Ten. Where's Illinois? I feel like they're solid on both sides of the Court. They can play, you know, physical down low. They can play up-tempo, really diverse team. Really balanced and you don't really know.
I mean Coke burn is obviously their best player and he's going to be the guy that is their bread and butter, but they have so many guys that can step up on a given night outside of him, which is, I think really encouraging for Brad Underwood and says, a lot about what he's accomplished there and champagne for a program that kind of see dead went. When he arrived. It's been remarkable to watch
them. And I mean, at this year, they've had three straight Seasons where they've been a truly nationally contending team. So I think that's encouraging for Illinois. Fans wouldn't if they won. The Big Ten Tournament wouldn't be crazy. Now. I know I mentioned they have the third best odds for Ken bomb, but they certainly have been playing a lot better than that
of late. It's a tough question because we don't know who's going to go pro and who's not but I think we all have some some feeling for it. But you know, I looked at this year and I was dead wrong like I thought that Did I had assumed who's leaving? Illinois was going to be a big factor? And so I thought they were going to be down. I thought Ohio state would also be really down based on just as tough to come back from a first round loss in the tournament like that.
And yeah, I was kind of they were succeed but I'm just curious. You know, what? We'll do top six and you know, the bottom six or, you know, bottom eight so to speak. Who who do you think of the top six right now? So, you know, top six seeds are, Illinois, Wisconsin. Oh, do Rutgers, Iowa, Ohio State, next season, which of those two teams? Do you two of those six? Do you think won't be in the top six next year? And of the remaining?
Who do you think? Who would you see would be able to replace them going in the next year? Oh, that's yeah, that's an interesting one. Ohio State. I think would probably be the safest pick not only because of the lowest in terms of the standing. They are sick. Yeah, but EG Liddell Has Lifted them. I think I know I mentioned this on on one of these podcast before but I can never keep track of the eligibility right
now because of the covid stuff. I've kind of just given up on it and I figure I'll recheck in and it always this morning about that is so funny. Is I do Know about the transfer rules to it. Like, I just assume I assume everybody has an extra year and everybody on transfer. Like I just assumed everyone is able to transfer and everybody is everything. Everybody has an extra year. So I'm 100% with you there. So just assume that.
Yeah, so I've given up on some try to keep up with that for the time being. I'll check back in when things calm down. But yeah, assuming Liddell is gone which I believe he is. It's also funny too because I wonder, I wonder if the incident was known it Liddell's like out of Eligibility. But just says like, hey, I'm coming. For one more year, if any, if he even checks this stuff, it's just like you could just keep saying it. Like you're like 12 years in.
Someone's like hey, we they we should maybe we should check a file on this guy. It's like I feel like we're at that point where somebody could just say like, I'm just going to go ahead and use my last year eligibility, even if they played six years and it's just like the NCAA doesn't even check this anymore. Anyway, good 100%. That's, that's how I feel like we are right now, open it, I'd say, Ohio, State and then Rutgers is also losing a couple
really experienced, guys. I know, Pikul has done a great job there. I mean, when we talk about Illinois's program being dead Rutgers was dead. They were deaf buried. The casket. Was there, everything and to be a force-feed. Getting the double by, in the Big Ten. Tournament is just an incredible comp accomplishment for that program, their highest seed ever in the Big Ten Tournament, which probably isn't surprising, but I could see them falling back
down. I mean, in some ways you could argue like are they even the fourth best team in the league this year? Probably not. It's but that's just how the standings worked out teams to replace them. But I could first off. Michigan state is probably one of the easier picks assuming Max Christy's back. He looks like he could be a Big Ten Player of the Year Contender, down the road, the other one to the thing with Michigan. That is odd is they have so many young players, so much talent.
You don't know what's going to happen with Hunter Dickinson. I think most people thought he would leave after this season, but You know, there is the ni L stuff, everybody likes to talk about. Who knows? Maybe he could be one of those guys where like Coke burn. Who says, yeah. I probably don't have a great NBA future. I'll just hang out in college for another year. If Dickinson somehow came back. I think Michigan would be a dangerous team as well.
But and then, of course, you know, you got some of the Iowa's always always solid and in Maryland with a new coach. I don't know what to expect out of them. Yeah, I would look. I mean, I think Peru will be losing a lot. You know, they're gonna lose some of their senior leadership against Jaden. I be I think I think Edie is not going to be as effective when you don't have as many weapons around and it's going to be pretty easy to, but that's just also why you are you hating?
And it's just kind of, you know, it's just, it was the cycle of, you know, you get really Elite and then you lose a lot. You're going to have some drop off. I agree with you on Rutgers. Will they coming Michael's? A great coach like his his in-game stuff is really good. Like Ii-i'm, I'd be more shocked if he stays there, three more
years. I'm surprised he hasn't isn't going to get swooped up somewhere else, and that, that needs to be looked at. But I would also say, Iowa me, Iowa again, the time we played them, you know, it's kind of the one spot, but they seem to definitely be, you know, kega Marie seems to definitely be booing them and keeping them up. And again, they're pretty close to that six line to the imaginary line, I put there. So I would look at those guys as teams to probably go down then yet.
To replace, you know, like you mentioned, you know, Michigan state is always in my mind, should be in the top five. So the fact they're not as kind of like that's abnormal. So I would assume more normal there and I think I think Matt Christie is right in that line of like he's just on the go the brink of like first round. So he's probably going to come back and, you know, judging off of izzo's ability to take guys like that and have them improve their games and Wafers ways for
the MBA. But also as a As a player, as part of a team, I think they'll be really good. And yeah, I'm with you on Michigan. I don't see. Indiana crack cracking that top six. I would say, you know, this is again, just if you have to pick one of the Wednesday teams to make a jump, you know, maybe it would be Penn State. They've been kind of funky and frisky this year. A lot of brass was look pretty good too. But that's how I kind of shake out.
Kind of who I could think to go up and who I think could go down in the Big Ten. I'll ask you this kind of getting out of here. Iran, Michigan. Are we is this helping Indiana? That Juwan Howard is going to coach and martelly is going back to the to the bench in a non coaching role. I don't think it I don't think it is as much as the, the joke Twitter I think.
But yeah, that is that is one of the storylines to and, you know, I tweeted this out on Sunday. I was like one of the Hidden disappointments of Wisconsin's lost in Nebraska was Wisconsin, if they had won that game would have been the ones t, meaning had Michigan beaten, Indiana. We would get the Michigan, Wisconsin rematch with Juwan Howard. And oh, man, would that have been juicy? But we I highly doubt. We will get that. Both teams would have to make it to the title.
Now to get that and I just I struggle to see Michigan doing that letting let alone. Both teams. Making it all the way there. Yeah. I know that would have been great Friday morning like that and nothing would have happened and it would have been so such a Non event. That, that would have been
fantastic know. I've, I've I've joked with a couple of friends to that like it would be obviously never going to happen, but it would be like funny if it the offseason Michigan's. Like we're going to go ahead and swap Howard martelly and then we'll move our tele2 head coach and then draw on. How is just going to recruit and like they're neither of them are going to do the other ones job and just want to swap them from head to a system.
That would be. I don't think we've ever seen that in sports and for for real reasons, but That that's that's funny. I will we should give some credit to Howard Eisley as well. One of Michigan's assistance. Allegedly. He's been their offensive coordinator here with Howard out. So I should mention that as well. But yeah, it'll be interesting, you know, Juwan Howard. I'm sure there will be a lot of media attention with him back. Yeah. Do you last question?
I have friends who've talked to me about this, but do you think that The committee already has the bracket for 68 teams done before the Big Ten title game is over a hundred percent. I completely believe that. Frankly. I think they probably have it basically penciled in now and they just move teams up and down which I, I don't know. I could rant about this for a long time. I feel the same way about college football, the college football playoff seeding where I feel like what they have done.
Is they should look at it from a holistic perspective with all the results and evaluate everything build from the bottom up. Instead. They make like one game, you know, will drop you a seed line will bump you up a spot, whatever. And I think what it does is it makes the significance of the late games, even more important because you're literally like, yeah, you move up or move down solely based on one result where I don't know if there's there are other games during the
season that necessarily do that. So I don't think that's a good approach, but I do think it is what they do. And I understand the Practical reasons. Why, which is, you know, they don't have time to do it before the selection show. But yeah, 100%. I believe they do that and I agree with you on that. Like I've often said, especially for college football, like you have these games where it's, like, you know, we be the top 25 teams like, yeah, they're garbage.
Like they were, they were not at they were not a good team at the end of the year, like again, I know. You can't do this because somebody would end up ranking
them. But I've always said, look in a perfect world, the top 25 rankings shouldn't come out until week 5, like it just shouldn't come out because it becomes this kind of self-fulfilling prophecy where like, you know, Clemson, it's just a matter of like, as long as they can lose, the first two, or three weeks or your Georgia Auburn. It's like as long as they lose early and then they don't drop too far. They can, you know, claw their way back up.
But if you're a team like now, Indiana or like, you know, Ball State or something, it's like you're just Never going to get to the top for because you have too far to go.
Yeah, well and one of the things to not to get off on a extensive voucher while tangent, but I will is like if you pay close attention, not only everybody just looks at the top four top 5 times 6 or so, but if you look when you get towards the end of the year, they will start artificially boosting certain teams into the top 25 so that they can say a team has more ranked wins solely because of This arbitrary boost like for example, not to rip on Minnesota, but Minnesota was
ranked in the top 25 for a bunch of last year in college football, and that team should not have been ranked where they were and it was one of those things like, but then, they could boost, you know, Ohio State who had beaten Minnesota, some of these other teams. And like, I just think that is such a horrible strategy. Let alone, the fact that strength of schedule like barely matters in college football. It's a shame across across the board. But I do think the committee has some of it.
The one nice thing is that at the end of the day, everybody gets an opportunity, you get your conference tournament. You can play your way in so many teams. Make it it's like I know as the Indiana Michigan fans won't like to hear this, but it's not that hard to make the tournament, you know, you gotta live with 2/3 of your games or so, and you're probably going to get in a major conference. So no big deal out of it. Yeah, I completely agree.
And I think that's why not to go to Indiana specific on you. But I mean that's why Indiana fans are so frustrated right now. Mrs. Six years and going on what 7, it's like, no tournament. It's like it's not that hard like especially with a program with the history and the recruiting capabilities, and the financial advantages that Indiana has to me. It's honestly, just like it's unacceptable. Like it's just it is not, you're not asking the world to just make the tournament.
I mean, that's like, it's not hard. And that's, that's what's funny here to is. Like, let's say there's, you know, let's say the game ends really close with Indiana, Michigan and like, you know, somebody misses a shot or somebody makes a bonehead play. So you could say like, oh well, that cost them the tournament. It's like, but no, if you're Indiana, you can go back and you
can look at an entire season. And there are, you know, when that double overtime game against Syracuse, don't drop the 20-point lead against Wisconsin. Don't lose on the Depends State, don't drop a lead against Iowa, you know, don't lose the home game to Wisconsin. Don't lose the home game to Ohio State in overtime. Don't lose the Rutgers at home, you know, close out that Purdue game. It's like any, any one of those ten things. I just mentioned, you do any of those and you're in.
And so, it's like, it's I am with you. Like I've never felt bad for any of the teams on the bubble. Even when it's Indiana. It's like you've had multiple times to get in in a Odd way, it's like again. This is back to the college football rankings thing.
Like, I think this this always benefits a team like Indiana, like once you've been on the right side of the bubble and you've been in the Single Seed line, it's like you almost have to try your ass off to not make the tournament that's like what Indiana has been doing but like it's so much different watching the seating of Rutgers a team, that's really played. Well at the end of the year, and I understand, there's nothing
ratings understand. There's there's, you know, strength of schedule and quad 12 wins. I got has actual Matrix that goes into this but it's like I also think there is just a like, one shirt in, it's hard to get out and once you're out, it's hard to get in. 100%. I mean like you said about Rutgers if you had gone back and pulled Rutgers fans, you know late December early January like oh you guys think you're going to make the tournament.
They might have been like, you know, we'll see if things the right way and you know what? They reeled off, some good solid wins, and now they're right there. They win one game. They're going to be in but like college football, Notre Dame last year. They lose 111 game or two games. Whatever. Over and they get down there and it's like, oh sorry, you're out. Nice. Try again.
It's it's just a it's such a hard cutoff versus like you said, where it's like, you even play good for a month or two in college basketball and you're probably going to make the cup. Yeah. I will ask island island on this, not going to ask you. Who do you think is going to win? And then we kind of talked about that and I but who what do you think is the best story? Like, what do you think is the best?
Tori coming out of Indianapolis. If this team were able to win again like in in a logical sense? I get. Yes. If Minnesota rattled off 51 wins and like that would be an amazing story. But of the teams that you know, if I ask you who do you think's going to win in your mind, you know, list those three or four or five, two of the other teams. You think that logically could win? What do you think, would be the best Story coming out of this
Big Ten Tournament? Well, I will say I probably hinted at this before, but I do think Purdue has the best shot to win. Namely because I think they caught a break in some ways with Wisconsin losing to Nebraska where I think I know they lost the Wisconsin, the two times they play them but Wisconsin does not seem like the team. They were necessarily a week or two ago.
They're probably going to produce probably going to have a pretty manageable game on Friday, which gets you to you got to win two games to win it. So Purdue I think has the best route as far as the storyline. Fine, I think rockers making some noise get into the maybe even just the title game. I think would be such an awesome story, where you had this
program that again. I don't even know if Dad is the right word to describe what they were with Eddie Jordan before pikul took over and if they make a run, I think that would be fantastic. And you know, you casually mention this earlier, but I thought this for a couple of years that I'm shocked, you know, pie cool is very much.
Northeastern guy, I can't imagine him going outside that region, but if any of the, if any program in that area, I know UConn's got a good coach right now, but he seems like he's more than capable of really elevating the program. Yeah. I mean, I'm not trying to make Rutgers feel bad but it does just it seems like it. Yeah Tim wood snapping maybe having I would say maybe Syracuse behind but what Bay Times got one another 25 years
left. Yeah, just seems like he just he keeps humming along and maybe a Eight more kids coming to play for his team. Yeah. Well, hey Thomas, it's been awesome. This season. I appreciate you coming on.
And yeah, let's maybe try and do like a, you know, Season recap or definitely a season preview as we look into the fall because depending on how I you does we may not have the interest in just doing a ton of ton of recap 5 gas at this point, but you know, if a I would say of a big 10 team, Make some noise in the tournament gets to a final form a win. Title will have to have you back on and kind of recap slate that because it only happens once every 25 years.
It seems so weird. Again, follow them on a Big Ten Powerhouse at BT powerhouse on Twitter and Thomas. It's been awesome and everybody else. Thanks for listening. We will we'll Circle back at the end of the Big Ten tournament and see what Indiana's fate is. And if we're playing in the NCAA tournament, or if we have to go on the dark, dirty web, looking at nit. Seed lines again. So dirty. So so wrong, but we will see. But for anybody out there.
Thank you guys, for listening and this is Scott for Crimson cast signing off.