2011 CBB Predictions & Gambling Preview: Michigan Wolverines (Big Ten)
Michigan basketball might be back…or at the very least more competitive than it has been in a while.
Michigan basketball might be back…or at the very least more competitive than it has been in a while.
Ohio State is the nation’s preseason 3rd ranked team and the main reason is that F Jared Sullinger, who led the Buckeyes in scoring and rebounding last season, decided to forgo the NBA draft and come back.
The Wisconsin Badgers are always good but seldom great. This seems like another one of those teams with Jordan Taylor leading the way.
In a normal year, the Nebraska Cornhuskers joining the Big Ten would easily be the biggest news in the conference. This year it has taken second fiddle to all the problems at Ohio State.
The Wisconsin Badgers took a big step last year, but now it is time to see if they can build on last year’s success. Wisconsin went 11-2 in 2010, and they narrowly missed winning the Rose Bowl.
No team has been in the news more than Ohio State in the past offseason, and in this case that isn’t a good thing at all. Rewind back to last December and the Ohio State Buckeyes were flying high with an 11-1 record.
Mark Dantonio has been an absolutely terrific hire for the Michigan State football program. Dantonio has done a whole in just a few years to turn around this proud program that fallen victim to constant mediocrity.
Change is in the air in Ann Arbor. Rich Rodriguez is out the door and Brady Hoke is now the main man at Michigan. The Wolverines are part of the new Legends Division in the Big Ten, and the Nebraska Cornhuskers are the big favorite to finish at the top.
Penn State dropped back to 7-6 last year as quarterback play was an issue all season long. The legendary Joe Paterno is now entering his 45th year at Penn State, and he has amassed an amazing 401-135-3 record.
The Iowa Hawkeyes were expected to contend for a Big Ten title in 2010, but they finished just 4-4 in the conference.
The Northwestern Wildcats were 7-3 last year when quarterback Dan Persa went down with a season-ending Achilles injury.
Ron Zook is now 28-45 in his six years at Illinois. It seemed the program was ready to take off when they went to the Rose Bowl in 2007, but the last few years have been quite disappointing.
Glen Mason was fired from Minnesota after the epic bowl collapse against Texas Tech at the end of 2006. Tim Brewster was expected to bring in a new era of success at Minnesota, but Brewster’s team became the consistent cellar dweller in the Big Ten.
The 2010 season didn’t go at all the way Danny Hope had envisioned it. Purdue dealt with more key injuries than any other team in the Big Ten.
The Indiana Hoosiers have battled to try to turn around their football program for quite a few years. Terry Hoeppner seemed to be the man who could do the job, but he tragically passed away in 2007 at the young age of 57.