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UpAndUnder43

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Who is everyone picking?

6pm @ United Center
#1 Duke vs #2 Michigan State. Duke is -2

8:30pm @ United Center
#7 Kentucky vs #4 Kansas. Kansas is -4.5

I'll take Kansas and Duke. Hoping for good games but I think Kentucky gets beat pretty soundly.
 

I think Sparty beats Duke. The super sophomores take care of the super freshman, with a little help from a senior laden bench
 

I think Sparty beats Duke. The super sophomores take care of the super freshman, with a little help from a senior laden bench

Both should be great games. Really interested in the MSU/Duke game for obvious reasons. This could easily be a preview of the final 4 just put us in there instead of Kentucky :)
 

I think Sparty beats Duke. The super sophomores take care of the super freshman, with a little help from a senior laden bench

MSU starts 4 sophomores and a freshman. Nairn and Schilling are their only seniors in their rotation. Ben Carter is a senior too but only played 7 minutes last game.

It's primarily a matchup of freshman (Duke which starts 4) vs sophomores (MSU which starts 4) so while MSU has a slight edge in experience, I wouldn't say they have enough to definitively say they will win.
 

I'm inclined to take Michigan State over Duke because while MSU doesn't have quite the star studded roster that Duke does, they're still not lacking for talent or depth, and they have an advantage of experience. No one likes Duke, so I'd kind of like to see Michigan State beat them, but at the same time, I'd be pretty excited about our Big Ten championship hopes if it turns out the Spartans are wildly overrated and lose by 20.

Don't know a whole lot about Kansas or Kentucky, but I think Kentucky fans believe that their team is not amazing this year, that there isn't much one-and-done talent, meaning they'll return a lot and be beastly next year. And Kentucky was losing to Utah Valley at halftime, so in the end I'll say Michigan State over Duke, and Kansas over Kentucky.
 


Hard to pick between Duke and MSU but I am certainly pulling for Sparty here.
 

Hard to pick between Duke and MSU but I am certainly pulling for Sparty here.

Best thing for the U is for Sparty to have the best possible resume they can. When we beat them it will look even better and if we should lose to them it won't look as bad.
 

Jarren Jackson Jr. looks like he will be one of the top two rim protectors in the conference along with Lynch. So long.
 

Tum Tum coming off the bench as a senior. MSU swooping in out of nowhere at the last second and stealing him from the Gophers is the best thing that could have happened. Richard should use this in recruiting.
 



Looks like Duke will hold on. Grayson Allen is 7-11 from 3 for 35 points.
 

Best thing for the U is for Sparty to have the best possible resume they can. When we beat them it will look even better and if we should lose to them it won't look as bad.

It is funny that after following Schilling and Tum Tum when we recruited them I was sad to see them sign with MSU. Today Schilling got 6 minutes. Tum Tum got 11.
 







It is funny that after following Schilling and Tum Tum when we recruited them I was sad to see them sign with MSU. Today Schilling got 6 minutes. Tum Tum got 11.

I'm going with, Dahlman, Nairn and Schilling: all would have developed better and certainly played much more had they played for the Gophers. I don't even care if that's true; that needs to be the recruiting narrative to 4-star players. (But I do think it's true.)
 

I'm going with, Dahlman, Nairn and Schilling: all would have developed better and certainly played much more had they played for the Gophers. I don't even care if that's true; that needs to be the recruiting narrative to 4-star players. (But I do think it's true.)

I wouldn't lump Tum Tum and Schilling with Dahlman in any way, shape, or form. Tum Tum and Schilling have been/will be 4-year contributors (though not stars) for one of the top 5-6 programs in the country. Dahlman (by all acounts a great kid) basically was a 4-year bench-warmer/towel waver (think Gaston Diedhiou). Huge difference between the contributions Tum Tum and Schilling have made to MSU in comparison to Dahlman.
 

Duke scored 88 points playing a large part of the game without their best big. This is the most talented team K has ever had. 5 FIRST round draft picks. Gophers match up very well with MSU.
 

Duke scored 88 points playing a large part of the game without their best big. This is the most talented team K has ever had. 5 FIRST round draft picks. Gophers match up very well with MSU.

I think that might be true. On paper it is at least more talented than the Tyus, Okafor, Winslow team. Probably more talented than the Singler, Scheyer, Smith team too.
 

I wouldn't lump Tum Tum and Schilling with Dahlman in any way, shape, or form. Tum Tum and Schilling have been/will be 4-year contributors (though not stars) for one of the top 5-6 programs in the country. Dahlman (by all acounts a great kid) basically was a 4-year bench-warmer/towel waver (think Gaston Diedhiou). Huge difference between the contributions Tum Tum and Schilling have made to MSU in comparison to Dahlman.

I've never believed it had to be that way with Isaiah Dahlman. He was a 4-star talent. His 2-star brother starred for a mid-major program that competed in the NCAA tournament, and he was named an honorable mention All-American. Had Isaiah played for Minnesota or another program, he would have gotten way more floor time and developed his full potential.
 

Gophers match up very well with MSU.

That may be true up to the first 6 or 7 guys, but they’d wear us out if it turns into a game of attrition. They’ve got forwards only getting 5-10 minutes (Schilling, Carter, Tillman) who would be our first frontcourt guy off the bench.

I️ hate Duke. Knew it’d be a problem when Allen came back. And it’s not really fair they got Bagley this year. This new trend of last minute reclassification is bullsh&t.
 

That may be true up to the first 6 or 7 guys, but they’d wear us out if it turns into a game of attrition. They’ve got forwards only getting 5-10 minutes (Schilling, Carter, Tillman) who would be our first frontcourt guy off the bench.

I️ hate Duke. Knew it’d be a problem when Allen came back. And it’s not really fair they got Bagley this year. This new trend of last minute reclassification is bullsh&t.

I think it's stupid that a D1 coach is allowed to coach the U19 national team. That is stupidly unfair for recruiting purposes.
 

That may be true up to the first 6 or 7 guys, but they’d wear us out if it turns into a game of attrition. They’ve got forwards only getting 5-10 minutes (Schilling, Carter, Tillman) who would be our first frontcourt guy off the bench.

Agree with this wholeheartedly. I think the Gophers can beat Michigan State, but over the long grind of an 18-game B1G season, Sparty is in a class by themselves this season. We can compete with 'em with our top 6, but the guys they can bring off the bench. ... over that grind their studs won't have the same wear & tear. If anyone, Purdue is best equipped to give them a run for their money for the conference title.
 




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