M-Borg vs. THE Flavortown U Thread, Orig. by Buckeye Paul, absconded w/by talent.

[iam416]

On the hoops front, Deshaun Thomas had a nice game yesterday as OSU cruised past Washington in a neutral court matchup.

Also, Coach Matta kicked off his 2014 class with Keita Bates-Diop, a top 20/30 national player from Chicago. More of the same for the Flagship.

[WM Wolverine]

Did you have to hire Diop's entire extended family to land him?

Jae'Sean Tate supposedly was a OSU-M battle I was expecting to lose, is this a trade?

[iam416]

I'm sure he cost less than M's 2012 class.

I think OSU is still going after Tate. They have 4 spots for 2014. Tyus Jones is the kid they're really in on that would be the coup. But I'm not sure if they can pull him from Calipari.

[iam416]

Anyway, Diop is a nice get. With Ohio not producing a true superstar recruit in 2012-15, it's tough, especially with IU limiting Matta's ability to cherry pick in that state.

So, it's nice to see OSU continue it's success in Chicago. Mickey Mitchell should be in for 2015. But man, they need a PG something fierce in the 2014 class.

[WM Wolverine]

Didn't realize you had so many scholarships, you'll have room for Tate unless you land a better talent at his position...

M's top targets for '14 are probably Booker, Bluiett, Tate & Kevon Looney. They'd like Cliff Alexander but he should land in Izzo's lap. Looney sounds like he'll end up elsewhere, which probably opens up a scholarship for PF Ricky Doyle.

[iam416]

Damn, Izzo will clean up in Chicago with Parker and Alexander.

[WM Wolverine]

I was hoping MSU would stay down but they are in on some excellent talent for '13/'14, believe they are short on scholarships for '13 without departures. I thought Sparty's talent was trending down but Parker and Alexander together would add a ton with just two scholarships.

[iam416]

Yeah. Like it or not, Izzo has built a really strong program that isn't going anywhere. They aren't on the truly elite level, so they'll have a few downs, but they're in the next cut.

[WM Wolverine]

It was more wishful thinking.

[iam416]

I know. You're reasonable and rational.

With Crean getting IU back, Izzo still going strong, Matta going strong and Beilein looking to make a permanent move into deep end of the recruiting pool, the B10 is going to be very good for awhile. I also think Groce has a ton of potential to make Illinois a real player, too. And I haven't even mentioned Wisky -- a team that is always painfully solid. Oh, and Painter is a really good coach, IMO. Really good.

I look at the hoops coaches in this conference as compared to the football coaches and think, yeah, that pretty much explains it.

[WM Wolverine]

That program in College Park is pretty good too, plays in a terrific venue, was left in good shape and has terrific talent nearby.

B10 basketball should start raking in money like NC, Duke.

[iam416]

Yep. They have enough to seriously contend for the ACC this season, IMO.

And the thing is, the B10 is going to become the "it" conference. It used to be the Big East, IMO. The ACC has two "it" schools, but the conference is a bit thin. Every week, there will be a huge B10 game in a great atmosphere. And that's going to happen for YEARS. And the kids growing up today will grow up with B10 hoops (and, of course, UK, UNC, Duke, Kansas--the old standbys).

As good as the conference is this year, I think it is still on an upward trajectory.

[WM Wolverine]

Talent in the region has helped tremendously but like you said, coaches deserve a lot of that credit too. Ohio, Indiana, Illini & Michigan are very good basketball states.

[hack]

It is. Best basketball conference. There will be 1, 2 or maybe even 3 games a week this year in which there will be multiple future NBAers on both teams and no easy buckets.

I'm not convinced of Izzo's staying power. I think if he does he remains elite, though he's never had to share the state. The rise of Crean and Beilein are a zero-sum factor. But Izzo flirts with the NBA every few years. At some point, the potential is there for him to jump.

Agreed on Groce. Good coach at a program with good potential.

[iam416]

Talent in the region has helped tremendously but like you said, coaches deserve a lot of that credit too

Chicago and Indiana are always going to produce studs. Most of them are staying in-conference these days with Calipari the only real threat to pry one loose.

I'm not convinced of Izzo's staying power

He's not going to the NBA, IMO. I rate that extremely unlikely. And he record of success speaks for itself. He is, IMO, a great coach. Recently, he's not brought in quite the level of talent he'd like. But that's changing. He'll have a nice mix of superstar frosh and solid program players going forward.