SeanMayTriedToEatMe said:
Actually I don't think they will use divisions in basketball. They don't currently. Only reason would be to make the scheduling and traveling easier. But even in football, that is a bad split for the East teams.
I told Zack that I would avoid talking about Michigan but I'll make an exception here since there's a decent discussion going about the conference as a whole.
The divisions look unbalanced in football and they are. The East is clearly stronger than the West because Michigan and Ohio S are in the same division.
But not a whole lot changes for the top programs.
For instance, the past two seasons: Michigan has played Ohio S (crossover since rivalry), East Landfill, and Nebraska. In the new division, Nebraska is being replaced with Penn State (which will take time to recover.)
Similarly, East Landfill's schedule really doesn't change much. 2 seasons ago Sparty played Michigan, Ohio S (with Fickell as interim HC), Nebraska, and Wisky (x2). Notre Dame was one of the OOC opponents. That's a pretty rough schedule.
But Nebraska + Wisconsin are the big winner here IF neither has to play against Michigan or Ohio S (or Penn State eventually) as a rotating protected cross over. I would have to think that Nebraska and Wisconsin will play against 1 of Michigan/OhioS/PennS every year. Otherwise, the West is too easy and the winner of the Nebraska/Wisconsin game has a cakewalk to the B1G Championship Game.
---
Supposedly there won't be divisions in basketball. I haven't seen this be confirmed or negated. But if there are divisions, I hope it's a North/South deal.
And SMTTEM, I would highlight Illinois as a school that has a strong future in basketball simply because of the amount of talent that is produced in the state. John Groce has demonstrated that he is a good coach. Once he adds some better talent to the program, Illinois will be a very good program.
Maryland could be another a good program if Turgeon and his staff recruits well.