#1 in basketball does not matter
Hey folks,
Michigan grad. Current Duke student. I hope we win tomorrow, and get #1. That said, after being at a basketball school for 4 years I would like to share some wisdom. To those of you who know basketball, none of this will matter. But to those of you who are michigan football fans (like myself) and recently discovered (or rediscovered) michigan basketball, a few pieces of advice.
1) A michigan #1 seed does not matter. Sure, it may be a slightly easier path to the final four, but in reality, not much.
2) A michigan #1 midseason rankings really does not matter. Seriously. This is not college football where only the 1 gets to play the 2. It is also not college football in that whoever loses that game gets screamed about by pundits and the public for being so bad. Be in the top 68, or the top 8 to get a decent arbitrary seed, and we are fine.
3) We will lose a conference road game. Or two. It happens to every school. Even if it would ultimately affect our seed, it really wouldn't matter. Again, this isn't football. You can lose and be very successful, and most champions do.
4) Those that say a conference championship matter haven't won it all recently.
5) Those that say a conference tournament championship matter, haven't won recently. Although sadly based on TV, we may hold this over the former.
6) It doesn't matter if Michigan is the best team in the nation right now (which they may or may not be). All that matters is March.
In conclusion, Go Blue, but honestly, lets take this one game at a time.
EDIT: the is a shitty, obvious, yet condescending post, even though it has errors. However to those of you who need more reason to neg this thread, I'd like to share my personal recollection of coahc K's bagel order, as I stood behind him on one early moring:
-he ordered a dozen.
- 4 poppy seed, 4 seasame, and 4 cinamon raisin. most boring bagels you can order.
- the server had to tell him he got a baker's dozen.
- he apparantly goes there often.
January 13th, 2013 at 9:27 AM ^
January 13th, 2013 at 9:44 AM ^
January 13th, 2013 at 9:48 AM ^
January 13th, 2013 at 10:28 AM ^
ITT: a fairweather fan 'rediscovers' his alma mater's team and proves his loyalty by trashing their accomplishments. His experience with a superior basketball school has given him perspective beyond our ken.
Why not stick to your new team's board? I'm sure they'll love your user name.
January 13th, 2013 at 10:36 AM ^
I'm not going to quibble with the original post, as that's already been done quite effectively. Bottom line is that, to a program like Michigan's, #1 does matter.
What I'm more upset about is your condescension toward what are, actually, non-boring bagels. A dozen plain or egg bagels would be a much more boring bagel order.
January 13th, 2013 at 10:42 AM ^
sets up for big dramatic fun. WhyouwannaB a killjoy?
January 13th, 2013 at 11:07 AM ^
January 13th, 2013 at 11:40 AM ^
Winning your conference does matter. I don't get you younger crowd. I want to beat the rest of the Big Ten every time in every sport. To hell with the rest of the country until championship time rolls around.
-Ernie
January 13th, 2013 at 11:42 AM ^
January 13th, 2013 at 11:54 AM ^
You won't find anyone on this board who would feel that a #1 ranking in basketball is as important as a #1 ranking in football. We all have made that conclusion ourselves independent of your condescending post.
However, what you may not realize are benefits of being ranked #1. Duke is a basketball school, but, why? Because they consistently find themselves at the top of polls! Of course, that isn't the only reason, but if Michigan wants to build a program that will complete on a national level for years to come it starts with sitting consistenly atop the polls. That's how achievement is rewarded. The exposure, public opinion, and opinion of undecided recruits are impacted by that #1 ranking.
In short, being ranked #1 in basketball does absolutely nothing bad for Michigan. Only good.
January 13th, 2013 at 12:04 PM ^
January 13th, 2013 at 12:09 PM ^
You are wrong. In its current state, for a program like Duke, you are correct. They have the national spotlight whether they are #1 or #15(Michigan fans can understand, because this is how our football team is). They will still get great recruits and will still have a lot of the spotlight which is due to their great history in bball and, and even more importantly, the fact that they have been very good in recent history.
However, for a program that has been struggling for about 10-15 years, the #1 seed and rank does matter. In a way it shows a progession and is a kind of symbolism of a triumph of getting out of that 10-15 year slump. It also gets more of the national spotlight on them, this in turn can help in recruiting and other aspects of the basketball atmosphere (more people going to games and being more into it, which turns to a better home court advantage.)