Unverified Voracity Challenges You To A Duel Comment Count

Brian

Blood battle part deux. Beat Michigan State. Give blood.

And then they went "aaah." UMHoops shows how back screens blew up the Indiana defense:

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And there was much jumping up and down and yelling. Look at those wing defenders not sagging off the corner threes.

A key point UM Hoops doesn't quite get to: a major reason these things work is the position of the ballhandler and the frequency with which Michigan runs ball screens. On each play (there's a third one on which Novak gets the layup attempt) the post defender is sticking close to his man because he is expecting Michigan will ball screen and he will have to hedge hard upcourt when that happens. On two of these Smotrycz is the five and there is some justification for checking him out to 18 feet*, but on that first one you've got the opposing center guarding Jordan Morgan basically at the three-point line.

*[Not much of one, though. The threat is a long two, ie: not a threat.]

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This is not Nam. There are rules. Immaculate image via Doc Sat. Additional Big Lebowski reference available at A Beautiful Day For Football.

Tempest in the Urban-pot. This is not a very good bolded sentence or two. It was one thing for Bret Bielema to complain about Urban Meyer's "illegal" recruiting tactics. Bielema tends to say things without considering how they'll make him sound, and do things without considering how many dead Hoosiers will be on his hands. But they appear to  be pursuing this business by complaining to teacher:

“I can tell you this,” says Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema. “We at the Big Ten don’t want to be like the SEC—in any way, shape or form.”

Just so we’re clear: Bielema wasn’t talking about winning national championships. He was talking about Meyer’s recruiting tactics—and how after a little more than two months on the job, Meyer already is getting under the skin of his colleagues.

Just how much, you ask? Bielema, whose teams have won more games than any other Big Ten team in his six seasons in Madison, says Badgers athletic director Barry Alvarez will speak Friday with Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany about Meyer’s recruiting methods during the league’s athletic director meetings in Chicago.

That is a cheesed off coach. All of this is because of one decommit. I wonder what Bill O'Brien thinks about the four Penn State suffered?

“I’m looking forward to getting back [to the hotel] and working on third downs in the red zone."

Oh. Bill O'Brien is wondering when the draft is.

Meanwhile, Michigan State is firing up a recruiting "rivalry" based on their solitary decommit of a guy who never would have committed in the first place if Ohio State had a long-term coach. The long term impact of this: zero. Ohio State will stop talking to Wisconsin and Michigan State commits because no one who secretly wants to play at OSU will commit to them. I'll believe the "illegal" bit when I see it.

Meyer's response:

"You're pissed because we went after a committed guy? Guess what, we got 9 guys who better go do it again. Do it a little harder next time."

LET'S GET READY TO RUMBBBBBBLE.

Green knee update. There's nothing seriously wrong with Draymond Green's knee but it sounds like his availability for Sunday is far from certain. Green's mom:

Babers said her son is off the crutches he used Tuesday night and has a chance to play.

"It's a possibility," she said. "He's able to put some pressure on it. But it's just that he has some swelling. It's all about how fast his body heals."

Meanwhile, Izzo said on Wednesday that Green "could return to practice within the next few days." Green himself tweeted out a picture of his leg in a futuristic fast-healing encasement.

I'm sure that if the doctors don't outright disqualify him he'll be on the floor. How likely that is, and how effective he'll be will be uncertain until tipoff and possibly a while after. It seems hard to believe he'd be full go six days after being unable to put any weight on it.

With freshman Brandon Dawson coming on I'm not sure how much it matters except when it comes to three-point shooting. I mean, it obviously matters. But don't get your hopes too extended. Green has not played well against Zack Novak to date so it's uncertain how big of a blow that is.

Brock Mealer standing some more. This is relevant to my interests, and apparently Jessica Rabbit's.

Novak prepares for the chantings. The AP has picked up on the Everyone Hates Zack meme:

Zack Novak has a pretty good idea what kind of reception he'll face when he takes the court Sunday at Michigan State.

"Awful," the Michigan senior said with a slight smile. "Yeah, I'm not very liked." …

It's easy to understand how Novak became the Michigan player opposing fans love to hate. His enthusiasm is on display every game, whether he's chasing after a loose ball or trying to fire up his teammates in a huddle. He's the type of player fans can't stand losing to.

Also he occasionally hits people in the head, hard. Surprisingly, he singles out Indiana as the worst place for taunting. I would have bet many dollars on MSU.

Two: two dumped recruits ah ah ah. Three star defensive lineman Darius Philon got dumped on Signing Day by the Sabanator and ended up signing with Arkansas. Clearly, the SEC's new cap on signees is one that has some impact. Now two guys currently on Alabama's team get to keep their scholarships and the two guys cast off are less likely to meet the same fate. Stars apparently don't care about this, unfortunately, but at least the worst excesses of oversigning have been tamed. Good job, internet?

Etc.: Daily on MSU matchup. Wojo on same. Mike Martin on the Huge show; TTB collects what people are saying about his draft prospects. Rittenberg puts out an all-name team for Big Ten recruiting. Late Iowa flier Daumantas Venckus-Cucchiara is a strong challenger for Hugs Etienne's name of the year title. AA.com on the linebacker haul.

Comments

dahblue

February 3rd, 2012 at 11:13 AM ^

ESPN seems to think there's more to the "illegal" allegations that sour grapes:

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Think a lot of people missing the point on Bielema-Urban. Don't think accusations are about poaching recruits. There's something more to it

 

The poaching stuff might indeed be saltiness (in the past, has a coach ever pulled 80% of his commits from guys committed to other schools), but I'll be curious to see what the "illegal" allegations really are.

 

[Edit - sorry for the messed up Twitter formatting]

BucksfanXC

February 3rd, 2012 at 11:12 AM ^

This is why I like this site. It's biased, but fair minded. Bret is heavily implying a lot in lately, but has yet to actually say or accuse anyone of anything. It might be because he has no clue what Meyer is doing, it might be because he has never seen some of Meyer's tactics and thinks they are therefore illegal, and it might also be because they are illegal. But I haven't heard him say anything specific so I think it's all just sour grapes. Dantonio is the same. He won't get his Tressel tree treatment anymore, and he's not happy about it. I have loved Hoke's responses to it so far as well. By the way, Meyer will be in the same room as these guys later today. Could be interesting (probably won't be).

Leroy Hoard

February 3rd, 2012 at 11:14 AM ^

I'm surprised there hasn't been much said on Ohio's oversigning antics...THAT is something we don't need imported from the SEC.  Hard to see how they aren't doing it, and it will get worse if/when they pull Diggs.

elaydin

February 3rd, 2012 at 12:15 PM ^

Big Ten doesn't really care about the 25.  They'll allow up to 3 over the number of scholarships you have available.

Depends on who you believe, they're somewhere between 81 (which is what the coaches are saying) and 84 (which is what many fans are saying).  Jamaal Berry was just released, so that might put them at 83.  Seems like the coaches know of 1 or 2 more.

Leroy Hoard

February 3rd, 2012 at 11:24 AM ^

I'm surprised I got downvoted for pointing out the Ohio oversigning...I'm not trolling, just stating a fact.  Much discussion during the Liveblog and a fair consensus that it looked pretty bad no matter what Urban claimed.  In fact, so it seems less of just sour grapes, here is the tweet on signing day from the guy who runs Eleven Warriors:

 

Ramzy Nasrallah
College football has many complexities. Integer math isn't one of them. OSU has 82 spots. Right now I see 84 players with 1-2 more possible.
 
1 Feb via web
 
 

BucksfanXC

February 3rd, 2012 at 11:29 AM ^

We are concerned about it too as fans of the team. I trust him when he says they will keep it under the limit. I also trust he isn't doing it by forcing kids out. Well, I take that back. He's forcing Jamaal Berry out, but because Berry has broken the law and team rules recently. There are some other players we all know are going to transfer that are probably waiting to decide where they are going before they announce that they are leaving.

Leroy Hoard

February 3rd, 2012 at 12:23 PM ^

I get why you trust him through you Scarlet and Gray glasses...I'm sure I would too if I was an OSU fan.  However, I'm sure Saban would say similar things ("really, they were already hurt that's why they are on a medical scholarship"...or "he didn't get forced to transfer because he was fourth string, he wanted to...") and the only way to be clean is to have the spots BEFORE you sign the LOIs for new recruits.

bronxblue

February 3rd, 2012 at 12:43 PM ^

UM fans do the rationalizing as much as anyone, and I get where it comes from, but banking on kids leaving (unless they have explicitly said they are going) leaves OSU at the mecy of kids keeping their word/intentions.  If there is one thing we've all learned from recruiting, though, is that one's word means very little.  So as of right now, OSU is running dangerously close to oversigning this class, and if a couple of kids suddenly find themselves with medical hardships or a ticket to Youngstown State, questions will be asked.

And for all those questions, OSU may be able to respond "You guys just hate to lose to OSU, so you are creating moral high-ground that doesn't exist to make yourselves feel better" which is a fair argument.  But as of right now, Meyer is not winning over the coaches or fans of the other B1G teams with his recruiting style.

BucksfanXC

February 3rd, 2012 at 12:51 PM ^

Well, a kid comes and says he's gonna transfer, privately to the coaches. The coaches say ok, we won't have a schollie for you next year then. And then they don't go public with it until the kid figures out where he's transferring. And maybe he doesn't figure out where he's transferring until after signing day when teams know they have spots/needs/etc.

But I do agree, it should happen, for the school's PR purposes more than anything, before NSD.

Logan

February 3rd, 2012 at 1:20 PM ^

does osu have a enough redshirt seniors who may not receive their 5th years to make up for urban's perceived oversigning? not saying its the best thing to do, but especially during a transition, i have a lot less problem with that then forcing a kid out for medical or non-football "problems". If we had gone to 28 signees this year, one of our redshirts may not have gotten a 5th yeat but at least he had 4 years on scholarship to graduate and probably knows, based on playing time, that he may not get a 5th year.

BucksfanXC

February 3rd, 2012 at 2:03 PM ^

I'm not sure, I'll look into that count. But currently I think the plan is Berry is gone, which has been assumed for awhile, and Adam Griffin (Archie's son) will convert to a walk-on, his dad can afford to pay for tutition, especially discounted. Tressel had a habit of giving walk-on's schollies after a few years to reward their dedication and hard work. Meyer may have other idea's for those schollies now.

GoWings2008

February 3rd, 2012 at 2:59 PM ^

"and Adam Griffin (Archie's son) will convert to a walk-on, his dad can afford to pay for tutition"

I've heard this from a number of sources, too.  Makes sense, and you'd think the kid of a two time Heisman trophy winner would REALLY want to go to his dad's alma mater, even if he does have to pay for that Philosophy 101 class himself....errr...have dad do it for him.

wol-va-rine

February 3rd, 2012 at 11:39 AM ^

I believe the B1G allows "however many schollies are available +3" to account for attrition, if OSU is at 84 right now I bet they're holding that last spot for Diggs which would make it 85, then Urban will trim the fat "SEC style" to get down to the allotted 82 (taking into account the NCAA penalty) before the season starts, there's got to be a gaggle of nervous OSU players (non starters of course) right now... 

J. Lichty

February 3rd, 2012 at 12:17 PM ^

Big Ten allows max of 25 enrollees per year regardless of how many available scholarships.  Teams can sign up to an additional 3 as early enrollees if there would have been room for them (under the 25 limit) in the previous class and obviously if there is room for them under the hard NCAA 85 scholarship cap.

In short, to sign the three would have had to sign no more than 22 the previous year, and have 3 scholarships available at time the kids enroll.

elaydin

February 3rd, 2012 at 12:26 PM ^

Where does this "3 as early enrollees" come from.  I've never seen that documented.

In fact, the article below has quotes from the associate commish saying the  "3 over" applies to the 85, not the 25.  I don't think the Big Ten has a 25 limit at all (though I think the NCAA has a 28 limit).

 

http://oversigning.com/testing/index.php/2011/01/25/oversigning-and-the-big-10-conference/

bronxblue

February 3rd, 2012 at 12:49 PM ^

That makes more sense - you can technically sign up to 88 students, but then you have to document how you knocked the roster down to 85.  And it sounds like it rarely happens.

I will say, the comment section at that site is terrifying - just a bunch of SEC apologists who concoct rather passionate rationalizations for why 2-3 kids each year "fail" to meet the expectations of their programs in the SEC while programs in the Big 10 find a way to be reasonably competitive with most of their recruiting classes in place over 4 years.

Urban Warfare

February 3rd, 2012 at 12:54 PM ^

against either the prior year's class, or the class in which they were originally scheduled.  In other words, Dunn can be counted against 2011's 25 scholarships limit.  

As for Ohio State's 82 total scholarships limit, I don't know what the status of that is; the Dispatch said there was room for everyone offered, but the Plain Dealer is saying otherwise.  I'll wait and see what happens. 

Erik_in_Dayton

February 3rd, 2012 at 11:48 AM ^

My (admittedly vague) memory about Meyer at Florida was that he pretty obviously contacted recruits during dead periods.  I remember noticing multiple quotes from players saying something like "I talked to coach yesterday" when yesterday was in the middle of a dead period. 

JeepinBen

February 3rd, 2012 at 11:58 AM ^

The issues are mentioned above by the Ramzy tweet and BucksfanXC.

Bielema was on record as not liking "recruiting practices in other conferences" previously, so that's my guess. If he's right, wrong or whatever, Bielema can't really talk to gentleman's anythings after dropping 83 on Indiana. The scholarship number thing is interesting however, because Meyer didn't really oversign at Florida, and there's some thought that he wanted out of the SEC because of oversigning.

J. Lichty

February 3rd, 2012 at 12:13 PM ^

and not with grad students of the opposite sex or because he was losing all of this coaches and had inferior talent coming back - or because Craig James allegedly killed five hookers while at SMU and there was likely to be a great opportunity to have Chris Speilman on your junk for a year while yet more dream jobs opened up.  Or it could be because he had a problem with Saban and Miles oversigning.  Either way.

evenyoubrutus

February 3rd, 2012 at 12:01 PM ^

Wow if Delaney actually listens to Alvarez and Bielema whining because of his decommit and does something, can we get any reparations for all the decommits we've had in the last four years?  That is like when you're playing euchre and you've been under the assumption that you're playing sans Farmers (because it's stupid) and halfway through the game somebody whines about wanting to play with farmers... might be a stretch

J. Lichty

February 3rd, 2012 at 12:09 PM ^

Kids poached were already interested in Ohio.  It was inevitibility that there would be a return home for many of the poachees for whatever not-Fickell was hired.   Add in the fact of the rapey mccoverup in Happy Valley and the exposure of the Scanner Head Splode in South Bend and you had some kids ripe for the picking that would probably not have happended in another year.  That and Meyer has a recent track record of two national championships.

My only gripe was that the NCAA allowed a team that committed major eligibility violations was allowed to have a recruiting staff and one that was worried about actual football while the competition had to worry about both.  The snickering by the Ohio faithful as they took their "punishment" of having two coaching staffs out recruiting and a major recruiting rival imploding was a little tough to handle.

 

Stuck in Ohio 2

February 3rd, 2012 at 12:16 PM ^

was the best piece of this article. Him walking to midfield to touch the banner before  the home opener against UConn is still one of my favorite moments at the Big House. Keep working hard, Brock.

M-Wolverine

February 3rd, 2012 at 12:43 PM ^

I have no idea what that "Meyer" tweet means.

Also on translating...YAY Brock, but what does Jessica Rabbit have to do with it? Am I missing something in the grainy audio?

CalifExile

February 3rd, 2012 at 1:38 PM ^

That's how I took this:

"You're pissed because we went after a committed guy? Guess what, we got 9 guys who better go do it again. Do it a little harder next time."