In Part 1 we looked at teams that made the NCAAs. In Part 2 we examined clubs that were .500 or better. In our last segment we take a look at the truly unfortunate cases that were DOA to the hospital. These causes can range from a stunning upset, disappointing play, bad match ups, and questionable coaching, and maybe more.
Illinois – 15-19 (5-13), COD: Unknown Genetic Deformity
You know sometimes two perfectly healthy people have either a miscarriage, or stillborn, or their newborn has a deformity or even passes away from something like SIDS? It is tragic, yet the underlying reasons are still not known. That was Illinois this year. A ton of talent with Kendrick Nunn and Malcolm Hill had me predicting the NCAAs for Illinois. I loved those players enough to overlook the Tracy Abrams injury. Yet despite two players all 13 other Big Ten teams would gladly take, UI was a non-factor. They never won back-to-back league games until the conf. tournament and dropped games to teams like Nebraska, Penn State, and was swept by Ohio State. Is Groce over his head? Is Abrams that critical for Illinois? Are the other pieces that bad? Do Nunn and Hill not mix as well as we hoped? There are a million questions and hardly any answers. That is a scary proposition for Illinois fans. Season Grade: F
Minnesota – 8-23 (2-16), COD: Doogie Howser
This was always going to be a long year for Minnesota but I think having an extremely young coach may have made matters that much worse. I am still fine with what UM is doing with Pitino. After all it was a calculated risk. Taking someone that young and taking lumps for a few years while he learns the gig could pay off down the line with the next Coach K-ish type run at your program. Still, between a player sex tape, benching kids, and overall lack of cohesiveness it is clear that this was a fractured locker room. Having an extremely young team led by an extremely young coach puts a fracturing in play and that is what happened in Minneapolis this year. Hats off to Joey King for being a class act through his entire career and enduring a long senior campaign and hopefully his example will pay off as this core matures. Season Grade: F
Nebraska – 16-18 (6-12), COD: Hoarding
From my preview, “I don’t like this team. I love the pieces, don’t get me wrong. I think anyone in the league would love to have Shields, White or those two stud freshman. The problem is there are too many overlapping pieces. How many times did I say someone was an undersized forward and needed to have a good jump shot to stretch the defense? Shields, Morrow and Borchardt are all tweeners. Not big enough for a 4 but not fast enough or reliable shooters to be 3s. McVeigh is facing the same thing as a 3 versus a 2. It is a conundrum.”
I continued…”I think they will be 9-4 [editor’s note, they were 8-5] coming into league play. Even sniffing .500 seems like a miracle right now for this club. I expect another 5 to 7 win campaign resulting in about a 15-win year.” So yeah, I was pretty dialed in and it all traces back to the team coach Miles put together. He hoarded the best available recruit he could get. It makes sense long term since he is trying to develop a core of guys but it cost NU in the short term as this year’s team didn’t really fit together. Still, since they lived up to my expectations I can’t give them a failing grade. Season Grade: C
Rutgers – 7-25 (1-17), COD: Atomic Bomb
Rutgers was in for a long season this year as they had the least talented team in the league. A wave of injuries crippled the team and ended any hope of being competitive. They lost by 50 to Purdue, 39 to Northwestern, 34 to Nebraska, and 22 to Minnesota. Do these sound like scores of a healthy team? Obviously we know who the school blamed when they fired Eddie Jordan and yes, maybe he could have coached the team better but there is no way to know because there was no team! It is like saying the fire department could have responded better in Hiroshima if all their equipment hadn’t been destroyed. It is a moot point. Season Grade: Please see me
Big Ten and Counting 