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Friday Powerlinks: Coaches Poll Released

The first preseason poll was released yesterday and the Big Ten is heavily featured.

By Bryan Steedman
USA TODAY Sports

The first preseason poll was released yesterday when the USA Today Coaches Poll was officially posted. There's always some animosity towards preseason polls from avid fans, especially compared to more casual fans that put more weight in these polls. Unlike college football (where the preseason polls can impact the entire season), the preseason polls in college basketball hold considerably less value thanks to the nature of the postseason and the 68 team NCAA Tournament that eventually makes all rankings irrelevant. Nonetheless, the polls are always a major topic up for debate and are utilized heavily in storylines and midseason discussion.

The seasons first Coaches Poll features 25 teams from 11 different conferences, with the Big Ten and ACC leading the way with five different teams ranked. The poll also includes teams from the American Athletic Conference (3), Pac-12 (3), Big 12 (2), SEC (2), Big East (1), Mountain West (1), Atlantic 10 (1), Missouri Valley (1) and West Coast Conference (1).

The five Big Ten teams listed in the poll include:

  • #2 Michigan State
  • #9 Michigan
  • #10 Ohio State
  • #21 Wisconsin
  • #24 Indiana

Iowa, a team commonly seen as the next team ready to break out in the Big Ten, came in 29th, just 17 points from the 25th spot. The only other Big Ten team to receive any votes was Illinois, with a total of two points. A number of people see Iowa as a better team than Indiana right now, though it seems the name value and recent success of the Hoosiers helped them sneak into the poll over the Hawkeyes. For more information on the Coaches Poll you can check out a variety of posts from several other SBN sites:

SB Nation continues their top 100 player rankings

College basketball's top 100 players for 2013-14: No. 60-41
College basketball's top 100 players for 2013-14: No. 40-21

SB Nation continued their top 100 player rankings, posting spots 21 through 60. The updated list includes six additional Big Ten players:

Report: Minnesota forward Joey King eligible to play immediately

Joey King's waiver was granted and the Drake transfer will be eligible to play for Minnesota this season. King averaged 6.9 points and 2.9 rebounds per game for Drake and was featured on MVC's All-Freshman Team. At 6'9 King will bring some size to the Gophers and help them add some depth to their inside game. The news of King's eligibility has to please coach Richard Pitino, who saw transfer Rakeem Buckles have his waiver denied.

Penn State Media Day

Penn State may have been one of the Big Ten's bottom feeders last season but they were always out there giving it their all under coach Pat Chambers. Now heading into the 2013-14 season the Nittany Lions will see the return of star guard Tim Frazier. With a healthy Frazier returning and the rise of D.J. Newbill, Penn State will look to take advantage of one of the best duos in the conference as they try to claw their way up the Big Ten ladder. The Nittany Lions held their media day this week as they prepare for the upcoming season.

For transcripts/quotes from Pat Chambers and several players, you can click the links below:


More Penn State Links:

Thoughts On The Orange & Blue Scrimmage

Illinois recently held their Orange & Blue scrimmage. The Champaign Room spent some time analyzing the scrimmage and offered a medley of thoughts on the scrimmage. If you rather watch some of the scrimmage instead, highlights are below:

Also, Illinois posted their men's basketball poster. You can view/download it here.

More Links:

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