Big Ten Basketball: 2018-19 non-conference grades for each team
By Ryan Kay
Big Ten Basketball overall had some ups and down in the non-conference of the 2018-19 season. How should each team be graded?
A set of criteria and analysis was used to grade each individual team for Big Ten Basketball strictly on their non-conference games this season with a brief summary on why each team received their grade. Each team’s non-conference games and results are shown as well.
Teams are listed in Alphabetical order
Illinois Fighting Illini
Overall Non-Conference Record: 4-7
True Road Games Record: 0-1
Neutral Court Games Record: 0-4
Record versus Power 5 opponents: 0-3
Most Impressive wins: UNLV and at East Tennessee State
Least Impressive Losses (Based on margin of defeat and other factors): Home loss to Georgetown and Florida Atlantic
Overall Grade: D+
For those critiquing this grade of a D+ for Illinois, then you have not been paying attention to Illini non-conference basketball. Before Illinois unexpected home loss to Florida Atlantic, not a horrible team but definitely not considered good one either, you can make a strong argument that Illinois had the toughest non-conference schedule out of any Big Ten team.
In the Maui Invitational, they lost to a top 5 team in Gonzaga by only 6 points. With the exception of Iowa State and to some extent Missouri, the Fighting Illini were competitive in single-digit losses to Georgetown, Xavier, and a two-point road loss in the Big Ten ACC Challenge to Notre Dame. If you watched Illinois play against Gonzaga and Notre Dame this year, you know that the Fighting Illini have potential. It will be interesting to see how they compete in January in Big Ten play.
Indiana Hoosiers
Overall Non-Conference Record: 9-2
True Road Games Record: 0-2
Neutral Court Games Record: 0-1
Record versus Power 5 opponents: 1-2
Most Impressive wins: Marquette and Louisville
Least Impressive Losses (Based on margin of defeat and other factors): Duke and Arkansas
Overall Grade: B-
Losing at Arkansas is one thing but the Razorbacks are not a good team this season. Losing to Duke is understandable, getting blown out 90-69 on national television is another. However, the Hoosiers did beat Louisville at home, beat Butler technically on a neutral court, and beat Marquette by 23 points.
They would have received at least a B if they were not 0-2 in true road games. Give Indiana credit unlike previous seasons, they were not upset by any mid-major team and they not only beat lesser opponents, but they also did, for the most part, beat them by double digits if not by 20 or even 30 points some games this season.