College Basketball Weekly er… Every so often!: MID-SEASON SPECIAL

Hello! And welcome back to college basketball weekly. I know it has been a super long time since I have made one of these. But I felt like it was a good time to get back to the grind, considering the season is almost over in a few weeks. So I think it is a good time to highlight some of our teams. Some have done really well, while others have had some trouble. So let’s get into it, and look at 3 key teams.

Northwestern:

Is Northwestern good this year? Maybe? As we have hit the halfway point of the season Northwestern looks like a March Madness team. They are 15-5 with a 6-3 record in the Big Ten which looks pretty good. With wins and against Illinois and Wisconsin who will also be tourney teams.

But what concerns me about the Wildcats is the three losses that they have in Big Ten play. All three of them are against Tourney teams that could have deep runs when march hits. So I am still a little skeptical about whether Northwestern is the real deal right now. (Their game against Iowa will in my opinion show a lot about this team.)

But for now, if Northwestern keeps winning they will end up with a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament and also a seat at the table in the Madness of March.

My predictions for their upcoming games are-

Northwestern @ Iowa 78-74 W

Michigan vs. Northwestern 81-74 L

Northwestern @ Wisconsin 65-62 W

Loyola-Chicago:

Oh what has happened to Loyola. From a Missouri Valley Conference  Championship and a trip to the tournament last season. To last place in their new conference (The A10) and they look like nothing from last year. 

So what has happened? Why have they fallen off so hard? And how will this season end? Now, I think one of the biggest reasons for this fall is the changing of the conference and the fact that the A10 is a lot better than the Missouri Valley. So it will probably take a few years for Loyola to adjust.

Right now though with them being at 1-7 in conference the chance of Loyola going dancing in March will really rely on how they play the A10 Conference Tourney. But for now it will be interesting to see how Loyola does in the future and whether this change was the best course of action.

My predictions for their upcoming games are-

Loyola @ Dayton 67-74 L

George Mason vs. Loyola 75-79 W

Illinois:

How do I even start talking about how Illinois has performed so far this season, because it has either been really good or bad. The good: Illinois beating #2 Texas at Madison Square Garden. The bad: Illinois getting blown out by Missouri, Northwestern, and Penn State. 

So what does the future hold for the Illini? I am not 100% sure. This team on paper should be one of the best teams in Illinois history, in reality it has been bogged down by sloppy play and no teamwork. But on a good note, this has been really improved in their past couple of games which has led to a sweep of Wisconsin and beating Michigan State.

This team has a lot of time to straighten things out before both tournaments begin, but I want to wait and see how they do against Iowa before I will make a full decision on what this Illinois team will be.

My predictions for their upcoming games are-

Nebraska vs. Illinois 64-78 W

Illinois @ Iowa 71-66 W

Minnesota vs. Illinois 58-81 W

Power rankings:

1. Northwestern
2. Illinois
3. DePaul
4. Notre Dame
5. UIC
6. Loyola
7. Chicago State