Like we do every year, us Geeks took to an email exchange to get our season previews in order. What you see below is that exchange, followed by our predicted order of finish.

At this point, any discussion of Minnesota’s 86-70 loss to mid-major Dayton is academic. Generally, this is the sort of non-conference loss that really comes back to bite an at-large hopeful. Theoretically, I’d talk about how the Flyers appear to be an also-ran in the Atlantic 10, but could end up knocking on the Selection Committee’s door in a few months, vying for consideration among the 68 teams. Hypothetically, I’d point out that, although it should count as just another game, it’s going to be hard for said Committee to give only that amount of weight to the fact that Dayton simply blew the doors off when the two teams matched up in November.

It may be Black Friday and football may be on, but there’s still Big Ten hoops to review. The conference has started to show some cracks, with two Big Ten teams losing games they probably shouldn’t have and another couple struggling with lesser opponents. Let’s get right into it.

If you ask most national observers about John Beilein’s coaching style, you’ll hear phrases like “live and die by the three” or “offensive-minded.” In Maui, Michigan used none of the above to get an impressive win over Memphis. The Wolverines took their threes, sure, but they weren’t particularly good from there. Instead, they dominated the Tigers in the paint, making those national observers’ collective heads explode.

Now, it’s time to unveil the projected champs of the Big Ten. Look at us, out here on this limb, picking the Buckeyes.

Our penultimate preview is for the Wisconsin Badgers, a team that’s been a lot more dominant over the Big Ten of late than most people realize.

Next up on our Big Ten season previews are the Boilermakers, who lost stars E’Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson but return the other popular Baby Boiler, Robbie Hummel. What’s a reasonable range of expectations for Matt Painter’s team? We have them finishing in third place.

We’ve heard it all offseason. With the departures of the likes of Jon Leuer, Talor Battle, Kalin Lucas, Darius Morris, Demetri McCamey, E’Twaun Moore, JaJuan Johnson, and Ohio State’s recently-departed class, most concluded that the Big Ten would be down this season. And there’s no reason to disagree with that.

Wednesday and Thursday brought some predictable results for our  heroes–the Big Ten went 9-0 against inferior teams–but there were some surprising margins. As you know, we Geeks put a lot of stock in margins, so let’s touch on the most interesting ones.

It’s time now to turn to the teams that figure to be in the thick of the conference title hunt. First up is a team that exhibited a split personality last season: Michigan.

Last night, Ohio State handled a very good Florida team–a squad that at least one astute observer has picked to win the National Championship–with relative ease. After a slow start, the Buckeyes led by as many as 16 points before finally winning by seven. Thad Matta’s team displayed the same strengths as a season ago–namely a high effective field goal percentage and a low turnover rate–but they also showed a new wrinkle: getting to the foul line. It’s extremely early, but Ohio State now has a free throw rate of 72 FTA per 100 FGA. For some perspective, the Buckeyes only eclipsed that number twice all of last season–and both times were against the hacktastic Hoosiers. Perhaps this increase in trips to the foul line shouldn’t be surprising given the players that are being replaced:

We continue to work our way up our projected standings, and today we’ve reached our pick for fifth place: the Illinois Fighting Illini. Bruce Weber’s squad may be the biggest wild card in this season’s Big Ten, as it is supremely talented but woefully inexperienced.  What’s a reasonable range of expectations for a team like this? Let’s find out.

Next up on our previews are the mighty Spartans, who endured a pretty substandard season last year (where “substandard” = still dancing. Must be nice.).

In Big Ten play, Minnesota was better than Michigan State last season.  Seriously.  And the season started out so well.  Through 20 games, the Gophers had 16 wins, including victories over UNC, West Virginia, Michigan, and Purdue.  But in January, Minnesota lost Al Nolen and Devoe Joseph, and the backcourt play crumbled.  It’s a remarkable feat to finish dead last in the Big Ten in three-point percentage even while carrying Blake Hoffarber on the roster.  With defenses focusing on guarding The Hoff, and no other outside threats to speak of, Minnesota finished the year on a 1-10 skid.

In case you didn’t hear, Michigan State played North Carolina on a boat on Friday. Despite that fact, the Spartans couldn’t throw it in the ocean. It doesn’t matter if you thoroughly dominate UNC on the boards if there’s a lid on the basket. Tom Izzo’s team shot just 38 percent inside the arc and a rock-bottom 10 percent beyond it. Maybe there’s a reason you only play to 15 in streetball.