Who is your Favorite BigTen (basketball) Player from the opponents?
As a result of Michigan's resurgence in hoops, I find myself watching a whole lot more college basketball and paying attention to all the Big Ten games. Watching the OSU-Northwestern game last night got me thinking about which players I like to watch play (and which ones bug me for no apparent reason). Here is my list (not necessarily the best player on each team):
Illinois:
Favorite - Chester Frazier: the obligatory "wasn't he around 6 years ago?" veteran
Indiana:
Favorite - The managers that were pulled onto the roster...j/k
Kyle Taber: Stuck around as the only senior on the team (Those who stay?), and gets the CJ Lee/Nick Sheridan award for "he used to be walk-on!"
Iowa:
Favorite - Jake Kelly: guys from Indiana just look like they belong on a college basketball court (whoo Novak and Douglass!)
MSU:
Favorite - Kalin Lucas: he is going to be phenomenal
Least Favorite - Goran Sutan: I don't like big lurches apparently
*Special mention for Paul Davis who always annoyed me (probably because he killed us on several occasions)
Minnesota:
Favorite - Ralph Sampson III: he plays tough, and is a post presence (almost cost us!)
Northwestern:
Favorite - Kevin Coble: He just finds ways of being all over the floor
Least Favorite - John Shurna: Looks like he should be delivering my pizza, not playing basketball
OSU:
Favorite - Evan Turner: obviously great, has control when he takes it to the lane
Least Favorite - BJ Mullens: another Lurch that annoys me
PSU:
Favorite - Talor Battle: that last second shot vs. Illinois won me
Purdue:
Favorite - E'Twaun Moore: I like his play just a bit more than Hummel
Wisconsin:
Favorite - Marcus Landry: Mr. Goggles
Who do you like? Who bugs you for no discernible reason?
EDIT: forgot about Minnesota, whoops! fixed.
I like that Koble guy as well. GRITTY.
half the starting line up of wisconsin bothers the shit out of me
I'm from Wisconsin and love Wisconsin Basketball. (Let it be known however that I am a Michigan Football fan first!). I am interested in hearing why Wisconsin's lineup bothers you? I am a huge Joe Krabbenhoft fan but can understand if you don't like him...he is the player everyone hates on the other team but secretly wishes he was on their team.
Anyways, I would like to hear your thoughts.
I would like to know how you can love Wisconsin basketball AND Michigan football... impossible.
Born and raised in Wisconsin, Dad played football at Michigan and have season tickets to the Big House. Grew up playing Wisconsin style basketball and like the way they play. My loyalty is as followed:
Football:
1. Michigan
2.
3.
4.
5. Wisconsin
Basketball:
1. Wisconsin
2. Michigan
Basically I like Michigan football first and Wisconsin sports second including the Packers.
Those are decent reasons. Bo Ryan looks like a Dr. Seuss villain. I am sorry.
Bo Ryan actually bears an uncanny resemblance to Bucky the Badger
I point this out to anyone that will listen on every possible occasion.
I always think a skinny Skeletor when I see him.
I think Tubby Smith also has definite gopher-like qualities.
Agreed.
She likes his nickname and how it goes with his look, and that his real name is Orlando. Then there's our familial fondness for Ralph III going back to our Virginia roots, and if he was good enough for The Ralph, how much can you hate him?
Plus, excellent timing calling timeouts.
so what exactly is Wisconsin style of basketball?
big goofy white dudes
...who set lots of illegal screens that somehow aren't fouls.
I will admit my boy Krabbenhoft gets away with a lot. Nothing was better though then when he flat knocked out Purdue's little point guard earlier this year. Dude had to leave the game and wasn't seeing straight the rest of the way.
It started with Dick Bennett (Son Tony now coaches at Washington State). Wisconsin teams notoriously play great defense, move the ball around a lot, and take shots deep into the shot clock. And yes it does consist of a bunch of big goofy white dudes who are under sized or a step too slow but have great fundamentals and that is why I have always loved watching them.
My reasons are all stated above. Krabbenhoft... I just want to slap him when I look at him. I like Landry's style but those glasses are a little ridiculous (though I'd probably think they were sweet if he was a Michigan player, but I just think like that). Trevon Hughes is a badass. Bohannon is a gumpy mofo. I don't really remember anyone else's name but yeah. Bo Ryan is a villainous character. Not that it's related but I always think that Wisconsin seems to play subtly dirty, but not enough to claim that.
Krabbenhoft makes my slapping hand twitch. He's faintly dirty and so self-satisfied about it. Landry's glasses and his baby-momma make me think the worst of him. Then all the gumpy white guys with their slooooooooow style of play, and Bo Ryan who encourages all of them and DOES look exactly like a Dr. Seuss villain.
I don't hate Wisconsin at all, but I hate a lot of the Wisconsin guys, oddly enough.
Landry's Baby Mama? He is married to a former Marquette Basketball player who he met at church...hardly worth calling a baby momma. His glasses do suck though.
"Then all the gumpy white guys with their slooooooooow style of play,"
Exactly, they are gumpy white guys how else are they suppose to play?
And Krabbenhoft is a little dirty, but he is that guy everyone hates but wishes was on their team.
.....the Steve Yoder Era. Bring those times back, please.
"Favorite" and "OSU" is entering oxymoron territory for me.
Unless we are talking about "favorite OSU losses" or "favorite OSU choke-jobs."
I wish we could soon talk about "favorite OSU probations."
How's that Yahoo group going? Excellently, I presume.
with a C
oops
duly noted
Because it would be a great story if he were successful, and he seems to be pretty humble for having carried his Dad's name through life so far.
I'll bet he wishes he had that extra five inches of height that his Dad had.
Forgot about Minny, thanks!
Ohio State has one guy I like: Mark Titus-Andrews clubtrillion.blogspot.com
Damn, you beat me to it.
Big Ten players I like (other than everybody on the michigan squad):
Durrell Summers
Stanley Pringle
Ja'Juan Johnson
Demetri McCamey
Big Ten players I dislike:
BJ Mullen
Jon Diebler
Alex Legion
Mike Tisdale
Goran Suton
Other NCAA players of interest:
AJ Abrams
Jeff Teague
Josh Heytvelt and Jeremy Pagro of Gonzaga
Stephen Curry because he is unreal
Tyreke Evans
Levance Fields and Sam Young
Jerel McNeal
Scottie Reynolds
Sherron Collins
AJ Price
Jonny Flynn
Agree with your likes and dislikes, though I'd probably add Battle to the like list too.
Oh, and I forgot to mention I hate Dallas Lauderdale. Only guy that can basically wrestle you to the ground and not get a foul.
other than Chris Kramer... hmmm?
I went to High School with Paul Davis, I was a year older than him....I guess I still am. He and Walker Russell played together, which was pretty fun to watch. But, I can see why you would say you don't like the lurch types, I kind of felt the same way.
Kalin Lucas and Tailor Battle. How good would we be with a monster PG like that? Hopefully Darius Morris can fill that role for us in the future.
Kalin Lucas was the best player I think we saw all year, including anyone on Duke or UCONN. Ralph Sampson III was probably the guy I wished we had on our team the most. I respect the Penn State and Northwestern guys a lot for what they accomplished this year.
Purdue's entire program (players, coaches and fans) I respect the least and I fully expect them to fail spectacularly in the NCAA Tournament. On the other hand I think MSU will do really well.
Dude won the slam dunk contest and made the finals in the 3 point contest his senior year of HS.
Least favorite- Trevon Hughes. The mohawk fad is over, yo.
Wisconsin's always a few years behind the times.
Yak - this is the first comment on this thread I disagree with strongly enough to respond.
The mohawk is a do that will never go out of style.
The guy I liked watching play the most, due to sheer awesomeness is probably Evan Turner.
Watch it Chi, these guys will start to question whether someone that can like anything about Ohio is really a Michigan fan(Man?).
Totally agree though, dude pisses excellence.
Duany Duany
That is all.
Verdell Jones, used to watch him at the ABCD camp and he looked like he was about 10 years old.
Speaking as a member of the Jewish faith, I think my least favorite Big 10 player is Joe Krabbenhoft because (while I'm sure he's a very nice person) he looks like some sort of Aryan super-soldier which scares me.
He graduated last year but Michael Flowers is still one of my all-time favorite college basketball players. That gentleman could defend the baloncesto whilst dancing the Charleston.
Evan Turner is really, really good. I hate him because of it. Outside of the Big Ten, huge fan of Tajaun Porter at Oregon, went to my HS, 5'6 guy who can shoot the lights out.
I hate:
Krabbenhoft
Hummel
Kramer
Mullens
Wants the season to get over so he can finish wrenchin on his 81 Camaro. Once the carb is rebuilt there is no doubt he can smoke Adam Morrison at Norwalk.
How can anyone not have Tisdale as number 1. He makes me feel like if I was 7 feet I could play basketball anywhere. He is the most unathletic looking bball player I have ever seen. So goofy, haha.
Besides coming out on the court trying to pump up the crowd after his nosebleed, who says stuff like this:
"Some people call me 'the masked man,'"
"Some other people say it makes me look even more hard on the court. Just when I'm guarding them, I'm all over them -- I have a mask on and stuff. "
"We don't retaliate we just get Ws"
My favorite non-michigan hoops players in the Big 10:
The entire roster of the Indiana Hoosiers.