To answer your bolded question, here's a short list of names who didn't want to go to a BigTen school:Can Opener wrote: ↑Wed Sep 22, 2021 4:30 pm Many years ago a close friend worked in the Duke admissions office while she was an undergraduate there. Given the timing of March Madness coming right before admissions letters went out, Duke had the matriculation formula down to an exact science. They could calculate matriculation rate based on how far the basketball team went in the tournament. If the team won it all, they sent out fewer acceptance letters. If they got knocked out in the second round, they accepted more applicants. This stuff matters to 16 and 17 year old male athletes even more than the general applicant pool. Who wouldn't want to go to a Big 10 school that has a chance of winning a major natty while you're there?
Chris Gray
Michael Sowers
Jt Giles Harris
Will Bowen
Jack Kielty
Mikey Sisselberger
Owen McElroy
Jared Connors
Connor Shellenberger
Nakeie Montgomery
Jack Hannah
Danny Logan.
All first team All Americans last season. Not one of them chose to play for a Big Ten Team. Not one of them, despite DocB's protestations, chose to play for Michigan. Jack Hannah and Danny Logan chose to play for Denver. They must have missed DocB's memo on how awesome the Michigan brand is.
The choice isn't between "attend a BigTen School" or nothing. These kids have other choices. If all lax recruits cared about was "Branding"? Harvard, the most famous University in the world, would be on their 30th straight Championship. And Hopkins, a school that most of the country has never heard of, would have zero Championships.
But that's fascinating to hear about Duke, thank you....