#1 in basketball does not matter

Submitted by singler makes … on

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.

ILMichFan70

January 13th, 2013 at 12:55 AM ^

You always want to be the best and be ranked #1. Yes being ranked #1 at the end is the most important thing and we still have a long way to go before we hit that but when considering the last time that we were ranked #1 during the regular season was the 1992-1993 season, this is a big deal for the program. It really shows the great progression of the program under Beilein and I feel it gives a glimpse to our future.

Go Blue!!!

sheepdog

January 13th, 2013 at 12:59 AM ^

If you are not trying to be the best team in the country, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PLAYING FOR? Yeah it doesn't matter AS MUCH in the middle of the season, but I want to be the best, always. Period.

Don't tell me it doesn't matter.

clarkiefromcanada

January 13th, 2013 at 1:05 AM ^

OP, I appreciate your condescension and congratulations on going to graduate school at Duke. I hear it's a decent school. 

Clearly, however, this experiencel has not afforded you the capacity for analysis. Is it not important for Dave Brandon's all important "brand" to lead the nation? Does this not impact recruiting and long term success?

Jeebus, stop drunk and/or arrogant posting brah...and leave Coach K alone.

j.o.s.e maizenblue

January 13th, 2013 at 1:21 AM ^

 

Did you forget that when UNC & DUKE won there recent titles (2009/2010) both programs were arguably the #1 ranked team going into the tournament?

Did you forget that in 2011 DUKE won the conference championship before winning the title?

If you lived in the triangle long enough you should also know that being called the #1 ranked school is kind of a big deal... helps in recruiting and more importantly it helps the rivalry.

UNC/Duke are great academic institutions and are always contending for a national championship in basketball, but an honest assement (unbiased) is that UNC fans tend to be  more knowledgable about there program than Duke fans. Your post is the perfect example why.

 

j.o.s.e maizenblue

January 13th, 2013 at 1:11 AM ^

what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul....

maizeonblueaction

January 13th, 2013 at 1:12 AM ^

for me, there isn't an in-between. Either we win tomorrow, and probably automatically become the number 1 team, or we lose, drop a few spots, and have a hard time climbing back up, while Ohio will climb some. So, really, there's no reason winning wouldn't be good.

cp4three2

January 13th, 2013 at 1:38 AM ^

In 1989 the state of Michigan became the center of the basketball universe. Michigan won the national title in March and the Pistons won the NBA title in June. A couple years later a phenomenon came to Ann Arbor that affected a generation both in terms of their attachment to baskebtall and culturally. White suburban kids who loved Michigan were being shaped by a group of college students from the city (Chicago and Detroit mostly). We didn't know or think anything of it, we loved basketball the way they did. Those kids saw that group become the number 1 team in the country. 

 

Ten years later, when that generation who watched the Fab 5 was college age those freshmen became indicted in a scandal that was called one of the worst in history. For a couple year we couldn't even go to the tournament. It hurt when those banners came down. To make matters worse, we became so paranoid about cheating that instead of being Michigan we tried ot become Duke.  But, every year, in the back of our heads, we thought; we remembered, that it only took one class to get Michigan Basketball where it belonged. Every year we waited, knowing it could happen, that it should happen. 

 

Beilien, first with Manny and then with Novak, showed us that we could be respectable. We could compete agaist the best, but it didn't feel like it should. We were still the underdog upsetting someone better, a team being dragged down by its past rather than one that reveled in it.  This team is something that people born in the mid-80s have been waiting for. Being number 1 in the country means something. Beating our major rival on the road to do it is even more meaningful.

 

It's been too long.

 

Beat Ohio.

 

 

WolvinLA2

January 13th, 2013 at 2:03 AM ^

Your OP sounded more braggy than anything else, which hurts your credibility. I didn't read all of these comments, so sorry if this has been said:

Horse Shit. Take your dookie ass and go, it matters to me. Especially the Big Ten titles. We get banners for those, and they look nice.

jaggs

January 13th, 2013 at 2:29 AM ^

making a final 4 and winning the national championship matter when you have a child with leukemia? Fuck no. It's all relative my friend, and being #1 matters for a lot of people, and some people don't give a shit. It's a positive thing for the university and many people gain happiness from this, so yeah, it does matter.

MightyMatt13

January 13th, 2013 at 2:35 AM ^

CI have to agree with everything he says actually...because as a Michigan fan, i have a great deal of respect for Duke...in summation:
1 - 1 seeds have no higher chance of winning than other seeds. Hell, I like the number 7, so hopefully that's our seed.
2 - The middle of the season is as irrelevant as the start! I don't even watch!
3 - No team has ever gone undefeated and it's actually impossible to, and we will lose on the road so it's best to not even care.
4 - B1G championship? Psh! Irrelevant, they dont even give banners for those, and in this part of the country noone even cares about conference play/record.
5 - Conference tournaments are irrelevant! We already played those teams anyways, and the team doesn't even get a trophy or the experience of cutting down the net.
6 - Heck we could be the worst in the country at this point! As long as we eek in the tourney, all that matters is March.

To summarize that summation, I thought Laettner was an overrated p*ssy.

Louie C

January 13th, 2013 at 2:55 AM ^

Earning the #1 spot is huge not in the grand scheme of the season, but in what it means to this Michigan fan. It is a big middle finger to those that thought that Michigan basketball could not rise above the ashes. It's a Nelson Muntz-esque "Ha-Ha!" to the folks in E.L. that not only suffer from severe short term memory in regards to Michigan's success as a basketball program, but also reaped the benefits from it's downfall, and is  now ironically enough, being force fed it's share fare of humble pie.

Also, how poetic would it be to go down into the heart of Michigan's biggest rival, where they haven't won in a decade and win to ascend the the #1 spot? That would be friggin awesome.

E. Gordon Gee

January 13th, 2013 at 6:49 AM ^

So if not having a number one seed doesn't matter (point #1) would you rather be #6 come tourny time and have a harder path to the final four? I'm sure Mizzou and Duke would have loved a number one seed and not have to play Norfolk State and Lehigh last year.... 

 

Willis Ward

January 13th, 2013 at 7:30 AM ^

M grad and Duke grad* here too.  For a program like Duke being number 1 in the middle of the season means nothing.  For a program like Michigan, it means a ton.  Just like it meant a ton for ND to be #1 in football for a few weeks.  Yes, a national title would have meant more, but being #1 meant something to them.  Your points make sense for a team like Duke that has had the kind of success they have had over the last two decades, but it doesn't apply to Michigan.  All of our expectations have been raised and we all want a National Title this year...but lets not get carried away.  A #1 ranking in January is hella meaningful to this program.  Lets go get it!

The 4 biggest games Michigan will (could) play this year are as follows: Tourney game to get into the final four, the final four, the title game, and today at OSU.  Only one of those games is promised.

 

* I HATE Duke hoops

UMgradMSUdad

January 13th, 2013 at 7:39 AM ^

Being #1 is relevant, especailly to all those people who bought those giant #1 foam fingers.  They can finally pull them out from the back of the closet and wear them again.

Willis Ward

January 13th, 2013 at 7:39 AM ^

Wait a minute.  I just noticed your handle.  Are you a Duke fan?  That would explain your post that much more.

To each their own...and I truly mean that.  I don't want to judge you, but I will never understand how someone can go to undergrad at a school with a legit athletic department, and then go to grad school somewhere else and become a true fan of that athletic department.  I mean, I get it if you went to a small liberal arts school and then landed at Duke...knock yourself out and become a Duke fan.  But I went to grad school at Duke with UVA and Texas grads that became Duke hoops fans.  I just don't get it.

Ernis

January 13th, 2013 at 7:58 AM ^

If your point is that being #1 mid season is an imperfect predictor for the absolute final result of the season, then... yup. This is no grand revelation.

If your point is that we, as M fans, should only care about the absolute final result of the season and discount all else, then "Cool story, bro."

They play the games for a reason. You don't wait until the final minute of a game to tune in, and you don't wait until the National Championship game to start paying attention, correct? I'll assume so. So, why tune in? Why care? Answer: it's more fun when it matters. Have fun.

Darth Wolverine

January 13th, 2013 at 7:59 AM ^

I see what the OP is saying, but it is a big deal. It helps recruiting to some degree and gol dang it...well it would be simply for awesome bragging rights.

GRBluefan

January 13th, 2013 at 8:18 AM ^

Like to see the #1 next to the Block M, so it matters to me. If you're telling me that being #1 in January doesn't automatically equal a national title, thank you for imparting that pearl. My follow up question relates to the stock market. I own shares of a company that is up 27% YTD. I always assumed that guaranteed me at least a 27% return at the end of the year. Can you help me out with any holes in this logic ? Thanks in advance...I'll hang up and listen.

Blue Ninja

January 13th, 2013 at 8:27 AM ^

It matters as a fan to be able to say, Michigan and #1 in the same sentence. Why? When is the last time you could say that phrase in basketball of football? Its been far too long. Living in Ohio I'm tired of the in-state in-breds being able to use the program I happen to love as fodder to made fun of. These fair weather fans in Ohio don't even care about their basketball team right now, but if they beat Michigan they sure will.

It's a great thing as a fan to be able to hold our head high and say our team is #1. As for the team itself it's important right now, as long as they are on their unbeaten streak it continues to build confidence and makes them believe that they truly are unbeatable.

Lastly as someone else pointed out, being a #1 seed greatly inhances their likliehood of winning the National Championship. That's good enough for me to want to be #1. Getting tired of seeing these threads/posts wherein said Michigan fan is trying to ease the pain of losing today. I believe we won't lose!!!

blueblueblue

January 13th, 2013 at 8:39 AM ^

So, a Michigan grad and 4 years at Duke. I am guessing, then, that you are getting your PhD from Duke. Know that you are going to have a lot of difficulties in your career if you display this level of pomposity and lack of self-awareness to your peers in that arena. 

BJNavarre

January 13th, 2013 at 8:50 AM ^

From a marketing prospective, being #1 in the polls means a lot. More exposure on TV and the internets (not that Michigan has been lacking exposure this season). Dave Brandon is excited.

LSAClassOf2000

January 13th, 2013 at 9:24 AM ^

"A michigan #1 midseason rankings really does not matter. Seriously. This is not college football where only the 1 gets to play the 2."

At least for the AP Poll, the last time we were #1 at any point in this poll, if I am reading their data right, was the 1992-1993 season. So, for those who have almost literally been waiting about 20 years to see #1 next to "Michigan" in a major poll (could not find organized Coaches' data admittedly), this is a considerable psychological boost and a significant benchmark in the program's progress. I don't think you can say that it doesn't matter, at least not to the fanbase, especially after spending some of the intervening years, as we did, not even sniffing these rankings.

If you're talking from the perspective of there being plenty of basketball left, combined probabilities of independent events (i.e., wins) and the like, then ranking doesn't matter quite so much, but even then, our projected chances of being a #1 seed as of right now would not be insigificant (about 15%, in some projections, which is nice to think about with a considerable chunk of the conference schedule left) right now based on a few models.