But this is the home to turn to.  Thanks, Brian.  Felt surprisingly good this morning, but even better to know I'm not alone.  This is going down as one of the great championship games in NCAA history, according to commentators with no allegiance to either team.  And for those of us who love this team, we can only love them more.  These are little (or not so little) kids out there.  Some under-recruited, some walk-ons, some privileged with NBA genes, but not a diva in the bunch.  Cheering and supporting each other, passionate and driven and not afraid to work or dare.  And a coaching staff to respect and admire.  This Michigan place is a damn lucky U. 

Okay, I'll shut up now. 

i usually go to the bathroom, walk around a bit, get a drink eat something. anything to get away from the usual blather. last night, i mistakenly watched the half time, thinking after that Louisville run, things are gonna go badly. then the announcer came in and said "coach belien has given us access to the locker room, lets hear what he says." and they show the locker room and the players are there, sitting and listening and Belien is saying "we are playing great, you guys are doing great, etc." i was really proud of this guy and this team and at that moment didn't really care what the result was going to be.

in the other locker room, a guy that cheated on his wife and was an accomplice to extortion and abortion and was flailing around like a giant toddler on the sidelines was preparing to be lauded for going in the hall of fame.

belien is a true michigan man, however you spell his name

Not even mad anymore.  Not even certain Sparty/Ohio fans (you know, *those* ones) will get me down.  In fact, I think it's pretty awesome that they watched our games this weekend instead of the Final Four games their teams were playing in.

“I only wish I could have clapped hard enough to make any one of the players seem less miserable.”

ALL OF THE FEELS.

Agreed.  Well said.  The ride was the best part, and for me, sharing it with my 12 y/o son was amazing!

Still, not sure how you wrote so well after drinking until 5am.

Yeah I'm disappointed, but not so much for me or my family or any of us fans.  I'm disappointed for our players, our team, our program.  They gave it everything, and did Michigan proud.  I never expected us to get to this game, so it was all gravy anyway.  I feel totally blessed to have this program, so to all involved: THANK YOU!!!

That was the most fun I've had watching a Michigan team since 2006.  And prior to that it was 1997.  And prior to that...1989.

These things are rare.  I choose to cherish it, even though I may have complained a little along the way.  In the end, I'm glad John Beilein was the man who led this team to where it is today.

Hail!

Perhaps I'm a bit older.. been a fan longer than some, and a bit younger, less mature than others. Perhaps it's my make-up. If Michigan had lost by 25 I would have felt fine with the game. We would have been outclassed. But in losing by 6 measly points when there were so many places that it would've/could've been turned it hurts too much. Perhaps I'll remember this run fondly at some point, it's hard for me to know. My first experience was the run in 89 as a Freshman at Michigan.  But before that were all the games with Joubert and friends in the mid-80's with the great TV coverage that we actually had back then. Then the runs in 92 and 93 which were fun at the time, but then devolved into pain. So much pain I would bring up the question to my friends. "Knowing that the win in 1989 directly led to the hiring of Steve Fisher, which at least indirectly led to the scandal, would you give up 1989?" Seriously, only now after seeing the program come back can I say, "Nah, 1989 was worth it.... Mostly."

I guess what I'm trying to say is that last night hurts way to much to me. Don't mistake my thought, I'm not saying that the team let me down, far from it. Their dedication and energy and joie de vivre is amazing. What hurts is what could have been. I mourn for them and feel badly for them. I feel for Nik and his emotion. I feel for the looks of agony on Trey's face as he got pummled over and over again. I feel for Levert stepping out of bounds having been pushed by Trey as a Louisville player landed on his back.

I was sharing this with my 10 year old. It's been 20 years since Michigan "appeared" in a final 4 and 24 since they appeared in one that still counts. I honestly feel that's probably not to far off. (Maybe it's the cynic in me) So I won't get ot share this one with my 11 year old or 12 year old son.. I might get to share it with a 30 year old, while I'm 60 something. It won't be even close. So I mourn for myself as well. Selfishly I'm sure, but there it is.

Finally I mourn just a bit for the gong show that is the NCAA. They could and should be so much more, but they aren't. So I mourn for my own stupidity in being drawn in.  I wish I could have kept a distance, I wish I could have just thought logically and realized that there will be that team that makes the adjustment and beats/pounds/hacks and grabs the Woverines who are a finese team in a group of WWE Wrestlers that Jim Nantz, et al, call tough ball players. Congrats to  Louisville, they were that team.

I don't know if this means anything, but if nothing else it's 5 minutes of free therapy.

Thanks Brian.

This isn't on the refs -- yes, there were a lot of bad calls, but they really did go both ways -- and in the end, Michigan took more free throws than Louisville, despite the huge discrepancy in the first half.  It sort of looked to me like the refs went in at halftime and said "hey, we let too much stuff go; we'd better tighten it up in the second half."  Michigan got some bad breaks, but they were really done in by the inability to get defensive rebounds.  A lot of the credit goes to Louisville, with maybe a little blame to McGary for picking up cheap fouls; his third comes to mind immediately, where he swatted at a guy and got his arm on the follow-through -- after already having altered the shot to the point it had no chance.  If he learns to defend with his arms straight up, he'll be (even more of) a beast.

I wish I had known to go to the team hotel -- heck, I only got two hours of sleep before my flight anyway.  Next time...

Even at the end of the game, I wasn't angry, or even particularly upset. It felt like '92, except that we didn't have a 12-point lead on Duke on the first half. :-) but I understood, intellectually, that the better team had probably won the game.  I also understood that if the team sticks together -- even if most of the team sticks together -- they can be back.

I also want to tip my hat to Coach Beilein for his admission that he didn't know Michigan still had a foul to give at the 0:50 mark, which completely explains the otherwise perplexing sequence right after that.  I don't know how he made that mistake -- the foul indicators on the scoreboard were correct, and I assume he has someone responsible for tracking that on the bench anyway -- but it takes a big man to step up and admit to the world when he made a mistake.  A lot of coaches would have mumbled something about their team not understanding the instructions, or said that they were trying to foul but couldn't get the call.  Coach Beilein took responsibility, and I salute that.

One last thing -- to any of you who did not make it to Atlanta.. the next time Michigan is in the Final Four, whenever that may be -- if you have the means, it's totally worth it to go, win or lose.  The atmosphere in the Georgia Dome was absolutely electric.

Go Blue!

My son ran into my room at 5:30 and demanded to know who won.  When I told him Louisville, he said "sorry dad".  I told him, I'm not.  It was a great game between 2 great teams and it was a fun season to watch.

Like most, I woke up a bit sad but thankful for this team and season.  The great thing about coach Beilein is that he finds these kids that are so easy to cheer for.  Trey is a great kid.  As are Mitch, SPIKE!!, THJ, GRIII and the rest.  Awesome representives of a great university.  We're lucky to have them.

Thank you too, to the people on this site.  Brian, Ace and the commenters.  It was a GREAT ride.  

If it had actually been posted at 5 am.

But it helps illustrate for me better than everything the dichotomy of fan reactions today. I think it comes down to, generally, though certainly not universally, how long you've been a basketball fan, or how much of one you are. I don't question anyone's fandom of this team. Old or new, I think we all love them and what they did.  I think it's more the perspective. 

If you've only lived through the black years of the last 15, give or take, this is as good as it gets, and there are no complaints. It's glorious, and it will be like this every year. As Brian said...he once had that view. And I say if that's you, embrace it. It'll be a feeling you never get back.  Because once you get there it becomes the expectation. You want it every year, and anything less, while certainly not failure, can be disappointing. You succeed enough, and you become Michigan football. Where there's almost always something to complain about.  The true joy goes away.

Or you're a fan like Brian, which means not really.  I mean, you love all things Michigan, but basketball just isn't your thing. And that's no knock. One man can't really be all things to all sports. MGoSoftball doesn't have to be equally crazy about Lacrosse. He's a hockey guy, so anything he gets outside of hockey and football is gravy. It's three fun weeks we don't normally get while we are waiting for football to come back.  Contrast an end of season hockey post with this one.  No, not this year, because they are different animals. But take a look at the last time we were in the Frozen Four Final and compare to this. There's a lot more pain.

But if you've been around awhile, you expect this is where the program should be.  And you respect the hell out of Beilein and the players for getting there. But you know these chances don't come often, and coming through on those opportunities happens even less. So to let it slip through your fingers is...rough.

Because Brian says the worst thing about it is that it's over, but points out that it was going to happen either way.  Except, that's not entirely true.  If you win THAT game, it's never over....it lives forever. 

Reading this article, and its replies, has made me begin to think I'm a bit selfish.

After the game had ended, I like just about everyone around these parts, was disappointed.

Why?

Because I didn't get to celebrate? Because I didn't get to gloat at work today? Because I didn't get to watch these kids celebrate?

Looking back, this entire season has been nothing short of perfect. Not perfect in terms of record, but the team, the individuals, the games, have been more than any one of us could ask for.

The sadness has been replaced with pride, and the best kind of memories have filled the voids.

This is a loss I do not want to forget. I wish we could go back in time and watch this tournament run again, knowing the outcome, simply because it was so fun.

Win or loose last night, the kids would begin to continue their lives, playing for a contract, or playing for The Team, or being accountants or whatever. That is what is sad. That no matter what, last night was it.  I should be proud of , and happy for them for giving me so much excitement, so much joy over the last few months. Happy for them they accomplished so much. 

Only sad that it ended, not the way it happened.

I love you all and the fact that this place exists.

In an earlier version of "world-spanning naivete", I opted out of an '89 Rose Bowl trip (sophomore year) with no comprehension that it might be a rare, or final, opportunity to see Bo depart Pasadena a victor valiant, rather than robbed. 

These are rare things, and I'm always thankful I was in Ann Arbor for that  '89 Rose Bowl / NCAA championship combo, cementing a few friendships along the way. 

Basketball Sucks

No really, this was an amazing ride. Thanks for letting me cheer in April. 

Cheers (holding up subs)