Give Me Your Handrew: February 2015

Friday, February 27, 2015

Listen to Hair Band Friday - 2/27/15

Updated Big Ten Tournament Seeding Predictions and NCAA Tournament Resumes

Just when you think you've figured a team out, they go and lose to Minnesota at home. At least that's what Michigan State did last night, perhaps looking ahead to Sunday's matchup in Madison with the Badgers. The loss drops Sparty from a projected 3-seed in the Big Ten Tournament to a projected 6-seed. With the win, the Gophers have assured themselves of a winning overall record, which means they will qualify for the NIT.

Meanwhile, Ohio State demolished Nebraska and Purdue held off Rutgers at home. With the loss, Rutgers has assured that it can be seeded no better than #13 in the Big Ten Tournament. The Boilers have benefitted from a relatively easy conference schedule. With 14 teams in the league now, each team plays 5 teams twice and 8 teams once. Purdue has played 9 of their 15 conference games thus far (and will play 10 of their 18 total conference games) against the bottom half of the Big Ten. (By contrast, IU will only play 8 games against the bottom half of the Big Ten.) Overall, Purdue is 8-6 vs. RPI Top 100 teams and 11-3 vs. RPI 101+ teams. Purdue's RPI is a middling 58 right now. Against teams with a better RPI, Purdue is a respectable 6-3, but against teams with a worse RPI, Purdue is 13-6. These are all reasons why they are still on the NCAA Tournament bubble despite being tied for second place in the Big Ten right now. Also, I should mention, fuck Purdue.

On the slate this weekend:

Saturday

-Michigan at Maryland (12:00 p.m. EST, ESPN)

-Iowa at Penn State (6:00 p.m. EST, ESPNU)

-Northwestern at Illinois (7:00 p.m. EST, BTN)

Sunday

-Michigan State at Wisconsin (4:00 p.m. EST, CBS)

-Purdue at Ohio State (7:30 p.m. EST, BTN)

Current Standings

Here are the current standings, with the conference record, each team's remaining games, and my predictions. I will try to update these after every day or every couple days of games.

1. Wisconsin (13-2): MSU (W), at Minnesota (W), at OSU (L)

2 (tie). Maryland (11-4): Michigan (W), at Rutgers (W), at Nebraska (W)

2 (tie). Purdue (11-4): at OSU (L), at MSU (L), Illinois (W)

4. Michigan State (10-5): at Wisconsin (L), Purdue (W), at IU (L)

5 (tie). Iowa (9-6): at PSU (W), at IU (L), Northwestern (W)

5 (tie). Ohio State (9-6): Purdue (W), at PSU (W), Wisconsin (W)

7. Indiana (9-7): Iowa (W), MSU (W)

8. Illinois (7-8): Northwestern (W), Nebraska (W), at Purdue (L)

9. Michigan (7-8): at Maryland (L), at Northwestern (W), Rutgers (W)

10. Minnesota (6-10): Wisconsin (L), PSU (W)

11. Northwestern (5-10): at Illinois (L), Michigan (L), at Iowa (L)

12. Nebraska (5-11): at Illinois (L), Maryland (L)

13. Penn State (3-12): Iowa (L), OSU (L), at Minnesota (L)

14. Rutgers (2-14): Maryland (L), at Michigan (L)

Projected Big Ten Tournament Seeding

Given my predictions and Big Ten tiebreaking rules, here is how the Big Ten Tournament seeds should fall into place:

1. Wisconsin (15-3)

2. Maryland (14-4)

3. Ohio State (12-6) (would have tiebreaker over Purdue based on better record vs. Wisconsin)

4. Purdue (12-6)

5. Indiana (11-7) (2-1) (IU would have tiebreaker over MSU based on better record vs. Maryland)

6. Michigan State (11-7)

7. Iowa (11-7) (would lose three-way tie with IU and MSU based on 0-2 record vs. other two schools, while IU and MSU have 2-1 vs. other two schools)

8. Illinois (9-9) (would have tiebreaker over Michigan based on better record vs. Maryland)

9. Michigan (9-9)

10. Minnesota (7-11)

11. Nebraska (5-13) (has tiebreaker over Northwestern based on 1-0 record vs. Northwestern)

12. Northwestern (5-13)

13. Penn State (3-15)

14. Rutgers (2-16)

Big Ten Tournament Schecule

Here are the dates/times/TV schedule for the Big Ten Tournament (and a link to the bracket), which will be in Chicago. All times are Central.

Wednesday March 11 – First Round

(12) vs. (13) (3:30 p.m. ESPN2)

(11) vs. (14) (6 p.m. BTN)

Thursday March 12 – Second Round

(8) vs. (9) (11 a.m., BTN)

(5) vs. (12)/(13) (1:30 p.m., BTN)

(7) vs. (10) (5:30 p.m., ESPN2)

(6) vs. (11)/(14) (8 p.m., ESPN2)

Friday March 13 – Quarterfinals

(1) vs. (8)/(9) (11 a.m., ESPN)

(4) vs. (5)/(12)/(13) (1:30 p.m., ESPN)

(2) vs. (7)/(10) (5:30 p.m., BTN)

(3) vs. (6)/(11)/(14) (8 p.m., BTN)

Saturday March 14 – Semifinals

(1)/(8)/(9) vs. (4)/(5)/(12)/(13) (12 p.m., CBS)

(2)/(7)/(10) vs. (3)/(6)/(11)/(14) (2:30 p.m., CBS)

Sunday March 15 – Finals

(1)/(4)/(5)/(8)/(9)/(12)/(13) vs. (2)/(3)/(6)/(7)/(10)/(11)/(14) (2:30 p.m., CBS)

NCAA Tournament Resumes for All 14 Big Ten Teams

Here is each Big Ten team's updated NCAA Tournament resume. From top to bottom, I will list each team's RPI (based on ESPN's daily RPI), "good" wins (wins against RPI Top 50 teams or, if none, the team's best win), "bad" losses (losses against teams with an RPI of 101+ or, if none, the team's worst loss). An * means the game was played on a neutral court, and for the "good" wins and "bad" losses, the team's current RPI is identified. Also, I have categorized the teams by "In," "Bubble," or "Out," which is my best guess, based on what I know right now, as to whether each team is a lock for the NCAA Tournament, is on the bubble, or is out.

1. Wisconsin

RPI: 6

Overall record: 25-3

Good wins: 5 (Oklahoma* (16), Georgetown* (23), Indiana (35), Boise State (44), Buffalo (45))

Bad losses: 1 (at Rutgers (149))

2. Maryland

RPI: 9

Overall record: 23-5

Good wins: 6 (Wisconsin (6), Iowa State* (12), at Oklahoma State (29), Michigan State (32), at Michigan State (32), Indiana (35))

Bad losses: None (at Illinois (61))

3. Michigan State

RPI: 32

Overall record: 19-9

Good wins: 2 (Indiana (35), Ohio State (39))

Bad losses: 2 (at Nebraska (123), Texas Southern (159))

4. Indiana

RPI: 35

Overall record: 19-10

Good wins: 5 (Maryland (9), SMU (17), Butler* (25), Pittsburgh (37), Ohio State (39))

Bad losses: 1 (at Northwestern (110))

5. Ohio State

RPI: 39

Overall record: 20-8

Good wins: 2 (Maryland (9), Indiana (35))

Bad losses: None (at Michigan (80))

Bubble

6. Iowa

RPI: 53

Overall record: 18-10

Good wins: 4 (Maryland (9), at North Carolina (15), at Ohio State (39), Ohio State (39))

Bad losses: 1 (at Northwestern (110))

7. Purdue

RPI: 58

Overall record: 19-9

Good wins: 4 (Indiana (35), at Indiana (35), NC State (36), Ohio State (39))

Bad losses: 3 (at Vanderbilt (108), Gardner-Webb (160), North Florida (166))

8. Illinois

RPI: 61

Overall record: 17-11

Good wins: 3 (Maryland (9), Baylor* (10), at Michigan State (32))

Bad losses: 1 (at Nebraska (123))

Out

9. Minnesota

RPI: 79

Overall record: 16-12

Good wins: 1 (Georgia* (28), Michigan State (32))

Bad losses: 3 (Northwestern (110), at Penn State (111), at Nebraska (123))

10. Michigan

RPI: 80

Overall record: 13-13

Good wins: 2 (Ohio State (39), Oregon* (42))

Bad losses: 2 (Eastern Michigan (157), NJIT (173))

11. Northwestern

RPI: 110

Overall record: 14-14

Good wins: 1 (Indiana (35))

Bad losses: 2 (Georgia Tech (113), at Nebraska (123))

12. Penn State

RPI: 111

Overall record: 15-13

Good wins: None (Minnesota (79))

Bad losses: 3 (at Northwestern (110), at Rutgers (149), Charlotte* (203))

13. Nebraska

RPI: 123

Overall record: 13-15

Good wins: 1 (Michigan State (32))

Bad losses: 4 (at Penn State (111), Creighton (119), Incarnate Word (144), at Hawaii (165))

14. Rutgers

RPI: 149

Overall record: 10-19

Good wins: 1 (Wisconsin (6))

Bad losses: 5 (Northwestern (110), at Penn State (111), at Nebraska (123), St. Francis (PA) (192), St. Peter's (254))

Thursday, February 26, 2015

New Book: The Producer: John Hammond and The Soul of American Music by Dunstan Prial

A few weeks ago, I finished reading Bowie: A Biography by Marc Spitz. It was a very interesting read, since David Bowie has had a very interesting life, from folky hippy to glam superstar in the Ziggy Stardust era to megastar in the Thin White Duke era and early to mid '80s to being married to Iman, not to mention his admitted (although sometimes disputed) forays into bisexualism, his heroin addiction in the '70s, his friendships with the likes of Iggy Pop and Lou Reed, and his permanently dilated pupil in one eye (that often leads people to the incorrect conclusion that he has two different colored eyes). All in all, it is a book that anyone interested in Bowie should read. Best of all, there was a mention of the Flight of Conchords' sketches and song about Bowie. For your pleasure, here are clips of the sketch and the song that followed, "Bowie's in Space." Am I freaking you out?

I have since started reading The Producer: John Hammond and The Soul of American Music by Dunstan Prial, which is a biography of John Hammond. If you don't know who John Hammond is, he was one of the most important fixtures in popular music in the 20th Century, from jazz through the '80s. He was a producer and a talent scout, discovering or giving big breaks to the likes of Billie Holliday, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, among many others. So far, it is a good read.

Books read in 2015:
-Bowie: A Biography by Marc Spitz

Updated Big Ten Tournament Seeding Predictions and NCAA Tournament Resumes

What's the fucking point, anymore? The worst thing a team can do is give you hope. At the beginning of the year, if you would have told me IU would be 19-10 at this point in the season and 9-7 in Big Ten play, I would have been okay with that, given the relative youth of the team and complete lack of size. But the Hoosiers did something wrong: they started winning. After a loss to Louisville in New York December 9, IU won 8 of 10, including wins over Butler, Ohio State, and Maryland, to get to 15-4 overall and 5-1 in the Big Ten. Then, as they often do, Hoosier fans' expectations started to get inflated. Those expectations have come crashing back to reality over the last ten games, where the Hoosiers have gone 4-6. Last night, the Hoosiers managed to go a full ten minutes without scoring in the second half, at one point missing an uncharacteristic ten 3-pointers in a row, en route to a 72-65 loss to Northwestern in Evanston. The Hoosiers were also abysmal at the foul line, going 7-16 on the night. Predictably, social media immediately put all of the blame on Tom Crean, you know, because he was the one missing free throws and wide open shots. It was Northwestern's fourth win in a row, marking the first time since 1967 that the Wildcats have won four in a row in Big Ten play. Fucking A. With remaining home games against Iowa and Michigan State, the Hoosiers better get their shit together.

In the other game, Iowa beat Illinois, 68-60. Whoopteedoo.

In non-Big Ten news, Florida State freshman Xavier Rathan-Mayes scored 30 points in the final 4:38 of the Seminoles' 81-77 loss to Miami. That's insane.

On the slate tonight:

-Minnesota at Michigan State (7:00 p.m. EST, BTN)

-Nebraska at Ohio State (7:00 p.m. EST, ESPN)

-Rutgers at Purdue (9:00 p.m. EST, ESPNU)

Current Standings

Here are the current standings, with the conference record, each team's remaining games, and my predictions. I will try to update these after every day or every couple days of games.

1. Wisconsin (13-2): MSU (W), at Minnesota (W), at OSU (L)

2. Maryland (11-4): Michigan (W), at Rutgers (W), at Nebraska (W)

3 (tie). Purdue (10-4): Rutgers (W), at OSU (L), at MSU (L), Illinois (W)

3 (tie). Michigan State (10-4): Minnesota (W), at Wisconsin (L), Purdue (W), at IU (L)

5. Iowa (9-6): at PSU (W), at IU (L), Northwestern (W)

6. Ohio State (8-6): Nebraska (W), Purdue (W), at PSU (W), Wisconsin (W)

7. Indiana (9-7): Iowa (W), MSU (W)

8. Illinois (7-8): Northwestern (W), Nebraska (W), at Purdue (L)

9. Michigan (7-8): at Maryland (L), at Northwestern (W), Rutgers (W)

10 (tie). Nebraska (5-10): at OSU (L), at Illinois (L), Maryland (L)

10 (tie). Minnesota (5-10): at MSU (L), Wisconsin (L), PSU (W)

10 (tie). Northwestern (5-10): at Illinois (L), Michigan (L), at Iowa (L)

13. Penn State (3-12): Iowa (L), OSU (L), at Minnesota (L)

14. Rutgers (2-13): at Purdue (L), Maryland (L), at Michigan (L)

Projected Big Ten Tournament Seeding

Given my predictions and Big Ten tiebreaking rules, here is how the Big Ten Tournament seeds should fall into place:

1. Wisconsin (15-3)

2. Maryland (14-4)

3. Michigan State (12-6) (MSU would have tiebreaker over Purdue and OSU, based 2-0 vs. other schools, while Purdue and OSU both would have 1-2 records vs. other two schools)

4. Ohio State (12-6) (has tiebreaker over Purdue based on better record vs. Maryland or, if OSU beats Wisconsin, better record vs. Wisconsin)

5. Purdue (12-6)

6. Indiana (11-7) (IU would have tiebreaker over Iowa based on 1-0 record vs. Iowa)

7. Iowa (11-7)

8. Illinois (9-9) (would have tiebreaker over Michigan based on better record vs. Maryland)

9. Michigan (9-9)

10. Minnesota (6-12)

11. Nebraska (5-13) (has tiebreaker over Northwestern based on 1-0 record vs. Northwestern)

12. Northwestern (5-13)

13. Penn State (3-15)

14. Rutgers (2-16)

Big Ten Tournament Schecule

Here are the dates/times/TV schedule for the Big Ten Tournament (and a link to the bracket), which will be in Chicago. All times are Central.

Wednesday March 11 – First Round

(12) vs. (13) (3:30 p.m. ESPN2)

(11) vs. (14) (6 p.m. BTN)

Thursday March 12 – Second Round

(8) vs. (9) (11 a.m., BTN)

(5) vs. (12)/(13) (1:30 p.m., BTN)

(7) vs. (10) (5:30 p.m., ESPN2)

(6) vs. (11)/(14) (8 p.m., ESPN2)

Friday March 13 – Quarterfinals

(1) vs. (8)/(9) (11 a.m., ESPN)

(4) vs. (5)/(12)/(13) (1:30 p.m., ESPN)

(2) vs. (7)/(10) (5:30 p.m., BTN)

(3) vs. (6)/(11)/(14) (8 p.m., BTN)

Saturday March 14 – Semifinals

(1)/(8)/(9) vs. (4)/(5)/(12)/(13) (12 p.m., CBS)

(2)/(7)/(10) vs. (3)/(6)/(11)/(14) (2:30 p.m., CBS)

Sunday March 15 – Finals

(1)/(4)/(5)/(8)/(9)/(12)/(13) vs. (2)/(3)/(6)/(7)/(10)/(11)/(14) (2:30 p.m., CBS)

NCAA Tournament Resumes for All 14 Big Ten Teams

1. Wisconsin

RPI: 6

Overall record: 25-3

Good wins: 5 (Oklahoma* (15), Georgetown* (23), Indiana (36), Boise State (45), Buffalo (45))

Bad losses: 1 (at Rutgers (150))

2. Maryland

RPI: 9

Overall record: 23-5

Good wins: 6 (Wisconsin (6), Iowa State* (12), Michigan State (27), at Michigan State (27), at Oklahoma State (30), Indiana (36))

Bad losses: None (at Illinois (59))

3. Michigan State

RPI: 27

Overall record: 19-8

Good wins: 2 (Indiana (36), Ohio State (43))

Bad losses: 2 (at Nebraska (124), Texas Southern (156))

4. Indiana

RPI: 36

Overall record: 19-10

Good wins: 5 (Maryland (9), SMU (20), Butler* (25), Pittsburgh (38), Ohio State (43))

Bad losses: 1 (at Northwestern (107))

5. Ohio State

RPI: 43

Overall record: 19-8

Good wins: 2 (Maryland (9), Indiana (36))

Bad losses: None (at Michigan (79))

Bubble

6. Iowa

RPI: 51

Overall record: 18-10

Good wins: 4 (Maryland (9), at North Carolina (16), at Ohio State (43), Ohio State (43))

Bad losses: 1 (at Northwestern (107))

7. Purdue

RPI: 58

Overall record: 18-9

Good wins: 4 (NC State (35), Indiana (36), at Indiana (36), Ohio State (43))

Bad losses: 3 (at Vanderbilt (115), North Florida (171), Gardner-Webb (175))

8. Illinois

RPI: 59

Overall record: 17-11

Good wins: 3 (Maryland (9), Baylor* (11), at Michigan State (27))

Bad losses: 1 (at Nebraska (124))

Out

9. Michigan

RPI: 79

Overall record: 13-13

Good wins: 2 (Oregon* (40), Ohio State (43))

Bad losses: 2 (Eastern Michigan (159), NJIT (174))

10. Minnesota

RPI: 95

Overall record: 15-12

Good wins: 1 (Georgia* (29))

Bad losses: 3 (at Penn State (106), Northwestern (107), at Nebraska (124))

11. Penn State

RPI: 106

Overall record: 15-13

Good wins: None (George Washington (81))

Bad losses: 3 (at Northwestern (107), at Rutgers (150), Charlotte* (199))

12. Northwestern

RPI: 107

Overall record: 14-14

Good wins: 1 (Indiana (36))

Bad losses: 2 (Georgia Tech (109), at Nebraska (124))

13. Nebraska

RPI: 124

Overall record: 13-14

Good wins: 1 (Michigan State (27))

Bad losses: 4 (at Penn State (106), Creighton (120), Incarnate Word (145), at Hawaii (164))

14. Rutgers

RPI: 150

Overall record: 10-18

Good wins: 1 (Wisconsin (6))

Bad losses: 5 (at Penn State (106), Northwestern (107), at Nebraska (124), St. Francis (PA) (203), St. Peter's (252))

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Retro Video of the Week: "Kyrie" by Mr. Mister

Why this video today? Because why not?

Updated Big Ten Tournament Seeding Predictions and NCAA Tournament Resumes

Last night, Maryland handed Wisconsin its third loss of the season, ending the Badgers' 10-game winning streak. This technically means that the Badgers could still fail to win the regular season Big Ten title, if they lose out and Maryland, Purdue, and/or Michigan State end win out. They could also lose the 1-seed in the Big Ten in the unlikely event that they lose their remaining games, or if they lose 2 of their remaining 3 games and Maryland and/or Michigan State wins out.

Tonight, IU looks for its 20th win of the season and looks to end Northwestern's three-game winning streak in Evanston. Also, Illinois and Iowa battle in Iowa City for what would be a big win for either school and, on the flip side, a tough loss for either school with respect to the NCAA Tournament bubble.

On the slate tonight:

-Indiana at Northwestern (7:00 p.m. EST, BTN)

-Illinois at Iowa (9:00 p.m. EST, BTN)

Current Standings

Here are the current standings, with the conference record, each team's remaining games, and my predictions. I will try to update these after every day or every couple days of games.

1. Wisconsin (13-2): MSU (W), at Minnesota (W), at OSU (L)

2. Maryland (11-4): Michigan (W), at Rutgers (W), at Nebraska (W)

3 (tie). Purdue (10-4): Rutgers (W), at OSU (L), at MSU (L), Illinois (W)

3 (tie). Michigan State (10-4): Minnesota (W), at Wisconsin (L), Purdue (W), at IU (L)

5. Indiana (9-6): at Northwestern (W), Iowa (W), MSU (W)

6 (tie). Ohio State (8-6): Nebraska (W), Purdue (W), at PSU (W), Wisconsin (W)

6 (tie). Iowa (8-6): Illinois (W), at PSU (W), at IU (L), Northwestern (W)

8. Illinois (7-7): at Iowa (L), Northwestern (W), Nebraska (W), at Purdue (L)

9. Michigan (7-8): at Maryland (L), at Northwestern (W), Rutgers (W)

10 (tie). Nebraska (5-10): at OSU (L), at Illinois (L), Maryland (L)

10 (tie). Minnesota (5-10): at MSU (L), Wisconsin (L), PSU (W)

12. Northwestern (4-10): IU (L), at Illinois (L), Michigan (L), at Iowa (L)

13. Penn State (3-12): Iowa (L), OSU (L), at Minnesota (L)

14. Rutgers (2-13): at Purdue (L), Maryland (L), at Michigan (L)

Projected Big Ten Tournament Seeding

Given my predictions and Big Ten tiebreaking rules, here is how the Big Ten Tournament seeds should fall into place:

1. Wisconsin (15-3)

2. Maryland (14-4)

3. Michigan State (12-6) (MSU would have tiebreaker over Purdue, OSU, and IU based 3-1 vs. other schools, while Purdue would have 3-2 record, OSU would have 2-3 record, and IU would have 2-4 record vs. other three schools)

4. Purdue (12-6)

5. Ohio State (12-6)

6. Indiana (12-6)

7. Iowa (11-7)

8. Illinois (9-9) (would have tiebreaker over Michigan based on better record vs. Maryland)

9. Michigan (9-9)

10. Minnesota (6-12)

11. Nebraska (5-13)

12. Northwestern (4-14)

13. Penn State (3-15)

14. Rutgers (2-16)

Big Ten Tournament Schecule

Here are the dates/times/TV schedule for the Big Ten Tournament (and a link to the bracket), which will be in Chicago. All times are Central.

Wednesday March 11 – First Round

(12) vs. (13) (3:30 p.m. ESPN2)

(11) vs. (14) (6 p.m. BTN)

Thursday March 12 – Second Round

(8) vs. (9) (11 a.m., BTN)

(5) vs. (12)/(13) (1:30 p.m., BTN)

(7) vs. (10) (5:30 p.m., ESPN2)

(6) vs. (11)/(14) (8 p.m., ESPN2)

Friday March 13 – Quarterfinals

(1) vs. (8)/(9) (11 a.m., ESPN)

(4) vs. (5)/(12)/(13) (1:30 p.m., ESPN)

(2) vs. (7)/(10) (5:30 p.m., BTN)

(3) vs. (6)/(11)/(14) (8 p.m., BTN)

Saturday March 14 – Semifinals

(1)/(8)/(9) vs. (4)/(5)/(12)/(13) (12 p.m., CBS)

(2)/(7)/(10) vs. (3)/(6)/(11)/(14) (2:30 p.m., CBS)

Sunday March 15 – Finals

(1)/(4)/(5)/(8)/(9)/(12)/(13) vs. (2)/(3)/(6)/(7)/(10)/(11)/(14) (2:30 p.m., CBS)

NCAA Tournament Resumes for All 14 Big Ten Teams

1. Wisconsin

RPI: 6

Overall record: 25-3

Good wins: 5 (Oklahoma* (15), Georgetown* (23), Indiana (30), Buffalo (43), Boise State (45))

Bad losses: 1 (at Rutgers (150))

2. Maryland

RPI: 9

Overall record: 23-5

Good wins: 6 (Wisconsin (6), Iowa State* (10), Michigan State (27), at Michigan State (27), at Oklahoma State (29), Indiana (30))

Bad losses: None (at Illinois (56))

3. Michigan State

RPI: 27

Overall record: 19-8

Good wins: 2 (Indiana (30), Ohio State (42))

Bad losses: 2 (at Nebraska (124), Texas Southern (156))

4. Indiana

RPI: 30

Overall record: 19-9

Good wins: 5 (Maryland (9), SMU (19), Butler* (24), Pittsburgh (39), Ohio State (42))

Bad losses: None (Eastern Washington (74))

5. Ohio State

RPI: 42

Overall record: 19-8

Good wins: 2 (Maryland (9), Indiana (30))

Bad losses: None (at Michigan (80))

Bubble

6. Illinois

RPI: 56

Overall record: 17-10

Good wins: 3 (Maryland (9), Baylor* (13), at Michigan State (27))

Bad losses: 1 (at Nebraska (124))

7. Iowa

RPI: 57

Overall record: 17-10

Good wins: 4 (Maryland (9), at North Carolina (17), at Ohio State (42), Ohio State (42))

Bad losses: 1 (at Northwestern (119))

8. Purdue

RPI: 59

Overall record: 18-9

Good wins: 4 (Indiana (30), at Indiana (30), NC State (38), Ohio State (42))

Bad losses: 3 (at Vanderbilt (114), Gardner-Webb (170), North Florida (193))

Out

9. Michigan

RPI: 80

Overall record: 13-13

Good wins: 2 (Ohio State (42), Oregon* (47))

Bad losses: 2 (Eastern Michigan (160), NJIT (172))

10. Minnesota

RPI: 99

Overall record: 15-12

Good wins: 1 (Georgia* (37))

Bad losses: 3 (at Penn State (107), Northwestern (119), at Nebraska (124))

11. Penn State

RPI: 107

Overall record: 15-13

Good wins: None (George Washington (93))

Bad losses: 3 (at Northwestern (119), at Rutgers (150), Charlotte* (197))

12. Northwestern

RPI: 119

Overall record: 13-14

Good wins: None (Iowa (57))

Bad losses: 2 (Georgia Tech (110), at Nebraska (124))

13. Nebraska

RPI: 124

Overall record: 13-14

Good wins: 1 (Michigan State (28))

Bad losses: 4 (at Penn State (107), Creighton (116), Incarnate Word (145), at Hawaii (164))

14. Rutgers

RPI: 150

Overall record: 10-18

Good wins: 1 (Wisconsin (6))

Bad losses: 5 (at Penn State (107), Northwestern (119), at Nebraska (124), St. Francis (PA) (202), St. Peter's (250))

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Tuesday Top Ten: Gums

10. Clorets

9. Spirit

8. Dentyne Ice Peppermint

7. Winterfresh

6. Bubble Yum

5. Bubble Tape

4. Big Red

3. Juicy Fruit

2. Hubba Bubba Dr. Pepper

1. Big League Chew

Monday, February 23, 2015

Updated Big Ten Tournament Seeding Predictions and NCAA Tournament Resumes

Guys, we're less than three weeks from Selection Sunday and only one week away from the beginning of Championship Week. Shit's about to get exciting. By "shit," I mean college basketball.

Twas another important weekend in the Big Ten. On Saturday, Wisconsin held off Minnesota at home, while Northwestern held Penn State to 29 points for the Wildcats' first three-game winning streak in conference play since 2012.

On Sunday, my beloved Hoosiers rebounded from that embarrassing home loss to Purdue by destroying Rutgers at the RAC. Meanwhile, Michigan upset Ohio State, beating a ranked team for the first time this year and ending the Wolverines' five-game skid. Iowa crushed Nebraska in Lincoln, and Michigan State beat Illinois in Champaign, a win the Illini desperately needed for their NCAA Tournament resume. The loss drops Illinois out of the RPI Top 50.

Tomorrow night, Wisconsin goes to College Park to take on Maryland, in what is, for all intents and purposes, the game that will decide the Big Ten regular season championship. A win by Wisconsin means the Badgers will clinch at least a tie of the Big Ten title, and would eliminate Maryland from having any chance at the regular season title. A win by the Terps would give them an outside shot at the regular season title, but they would need some help, as they would still be two games down in the loss column. Nonetheless, if Maryland wins, it will put itself in the driver's seat for the 2-seed in the Big Ten Tournament.

On the slate next (Tuesday):

-Maryland at Wisconsin (7:00 p.m. EST, ESPN)

Current Standings

Here are the current standings, with the conference record, each team's remaining games, and my predictions. I will try to update these after every day or every couple days of games.

1. Wisconsin (13-1): Minnesota (W), at Maryland (L), MSU (W), at Minnesota (W), at OSU (L)

2 (tie). Maryland (10-4): Wisconsin (W), Michigan (W), at Rutgers (W), at Nebraska (W)

2 (tie). Purdue (10-4): Rutgers (W), at OSU (L), at MSU (L), Illinois (W)

2( tie). Michigan State (10-4): Minnesota (W), at Wisconsin (L), Purdue (W), at IU (L)