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B1G Party: Big Ten has a "B1G" Night

Welcome to the B1G Party, your weekly news briefing and links post, touching on everything going on in your favorite conference.

By Bryan Steedman
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

First off, if you've been living under a rock...here's a quick link to all of our NBA Draft coverage related to the Big Ten, nicely wrapped up in a convenient storystream for you guys.

Big Ten gets seven players selected in the 2014 NBA Draft.

  • 1st round 8th pick - Nik Stauskas (Sacramento)
  • 1st round 9th pick - Noah Vonleh (Charlotte)
  • 1st round 15th pick - Adreian Payne (Atlanta)
  • 1st round 19th pick - Gary Harris (Chicago, rights traded to Denver)
  • 1st round 21st pick - Mitch McGary (Oklahoma City)
  • 2nd round 40th pick - Glenn Robinson III (Milwaukee)
  • 2nd round 56th pick - Roy Devyn Marble (Orlando)

The Big Ten had five players drafted in the first round, the most the conference has produced since 1990 (when I was the ripe age of one). While there was likely some disappointment from guys like Noah Vonleh and Gary Harris, both of which slid a bit further down the board than anticipated, it was definitely a major accomplishment for the conference. It also shows the unpredictability of the conference as almost no one would have guessed that Nik Stuaskas would have been the top Big Ten pick prior to last season. There's a lot of potential across the board in the first round, with Mitch McGary being the only major reach here, and a number of these guys could make some serious noise in the near future.

Also of relevance:

Speaking of Stauskas, I'm legitimately curious as to what kind of player he will develop into for the Kings. His freshmen season was a bit limited to him being predominantly a shooter, but he made progress across the board this previous season. I'm split on if he'll be more of a sixth man that eats up 30 minutes a night as a three point specialist or if he could develop into something in the vein of Klay Thompson, who has been balancing out his resume as of late as he develops into a more balanced player.

Around the Big Ten, SB Nation Style

Since you're reading BT Powerhouse, you're probably aware that SB Nation has a roster of Big Ten sites that cover the entire conference. With the NBA Draft hitting last night, here's some much recommended reading across the network from both the B1G sites and SB Nation's group of NBA sites:

Welcome to the party Maryland!

Our gift to you? Reminding you that Tom Green once shot a commercial on your campus where students awkwardly acted like Pepsi One was beer. Also, how are you supposed to see out of these sun glasses?

Ohio State swings and misses

For the first time since 2006 the Buckeyes did not have a player drafted in the NBA Draft. I don't think many people are surprised about Craft not getting drafted, with the longtime Buckeye being a fringe late second rounder, but the lack of being drafted had to sting a bit more for LaQuinton Ross, who declared early. Ross was the only early entree from the Big Ten that did not get drafted. Other than the Buckeye duo, Spartan Keith Appling also did not get drafted, though he was in a position similar to Aaron Craft.

Also, Dan Dakich is a huge fan of Aaron Craft, most Big Ten fans know this. Playing up to his fandom of Craft and the trolling others directed at him over it, Dakich returned the favor with some troll bait that a number of unsuspecting people on Twitter took just a bit too serious.

Additional Reading

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