#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.

MGoVillain

January 13th, 2013 at 1:03 AM ^

This is exactly why it does matter. Since the Fab Five this program has been through a shit storm. I've never seen a great Michigan basketball team in my life. Yes, it's not a B1G title, but it matters for all those that weathered the storm, and frankly we deserve that. This is the best Michigan team I've seen in my life...and dammit, seeing a #1 next to that name would make me damn proud. Don't down-play it, this is a big deal for a program recovering from decades of scar tissue. 

EDIT: I was alive for the Fab Five, just too young to appreciate it.

justingoblue

January 12th, 2013 at 11:56 PM ^

Plus, I know the conference championships don't matter in terms of the tournament (and maybe recruits don't care either) but I think it means a lot around these parts, among fans of the program.

The OP is probably right when he says it means more to programs that haven't had a lot going for it lately, but that's us right now. A conference title should be the focus of the regular season, and it'd be great to achieve that goal.

snarling wolverine

January 12th, 2013 at 11:54 PM ^

Agree with points #2-6, but not the first.  Getting a #1 seed significantly increases your chances of making the Final Four - it means that every team in your regional, on paper at least, is weaker than you are.  If you're seeded any lower, there's a good chance you'll have to go through one of the four best teams in the country to make the Final Four.

 

 

EZMIKEP

January 12th, 2013 at 11:55 PM ^

And some of it is rather convincing, but when you are a program that has been what we have been since the scandal and are finally digging your way back to being on an elite level exposure matters. Being number 1 puts you on the radar of everyone who watches basketball. 



Look at NDs football success in recruiting just from going undefeated and showing up in the BCS Championship game. Sure they recruit well but this is another step up and that exposure counts. 

 

mbrummer

January 13th, 2013 at 12:05 AM ^

For the Basketball blue bloods, Duke, UNC, Kentucky, UCLA is does not matter.

But for a team like Michigan, it does because it increases the profile and generates tv interest on ESPN etc.  It allows us to say to recruits to come here and you can be the best in country.  Something we haven't been able to close to be saying for 15 years, which is longer then most of the new recruits can remember.

Agree with the rest of your points.  I'm thinking 4 regular season losses.  @ IU, @ minny, @ MSU and some crap loss no one sees coming, that causes a melt down on the board due to refs, horrible shooting, or  red hot opponent shooting.  I may be thinking at Wisco where the refs think they are playing at Camp Randall.

CLord

January 13th, 2013 at 3:22 AM ^

I scrolled to see if someone would make this point and glad you did.  Most high school kids have no idea who Brian Ellerbe (thankfully) or Steve Fisher are.  Their only notion of UM ball is Beilin Ball.  If you're not a b ball blue blood (Duke/Ky/etc) then being #1 can cause a world of good on the recruiting trail.  None of the MIchigan talent in high school will remember the last time MSU was #1 in hoops, but if we can reach that by beating Ohio tomorrow, it will do wonders for the pipeline for years to come, especially locally.

Thus I negged the OP for having no idea what he's talking about.

bo_lives

January 13th, 2013 at 12:05 AM ^

nobody is saying basketball = football. Are you saying the only thing that matters in college bball is winning the national championship?

Being the #1 ranked team in the country looks good for the program, and puts us on the radar of budding superstars who will soon be entering the recruiting scene.

In any case, being number #1 means beating Ohio. And I fucking hate Ohio.

Don

January 13th, 2013 at 12:06 AM ^

but standing back a bit and looking at where our program has been for the past 20 years, it's a real milestone. We're truly nationally relevant in a way that we haven't been since the mid-'90s.

M-Wolverine

January 13th, 2013 at 12:09 AM ^

1. 5 of the last 6, 6 of 8, 10 of 14, 17 of 23 of the last national champs have been one seeds. It matters. Even if Duke finds a way to stub their toe with the easiest region every year.

2. A football midseason #1 doesn't matter either. It only matters at the end. But it's fun.

3. Uh, duh?

4 and 5. Mostly true. Final Four > Conference Championship. But a lot of people in ACC country think the conference tournament matters more than the regular season championship. They are stupid.

6. You don't have to be the best team, ever. You just have to be hot for 3 consecutive 2 game tournaments. It's rare that it goes like last year and the true best team wins.

Postscript- not sure how none of this really matters and you can take one game at a time. Either the next game doesn't matter that much, or it's all that matters; not both.

MichiganMan2424

January 13th, 2013 at 12:12 AM ^

Try to come off a little more condescending next time, and the maybe people will be more receptive.

M-Wolverine

January 13th, 2013 at 12:14 AM ^

And the somehow incomprehensible leap that it "makes your point." Rather than just meaning "the is a shitty, obvious, yet condescending post, even though it has errors."

allezbleu

January 13th, 2013 at 12:21 AM ^

For winning the national title this year it does not matter. Obviously.

But in terms of program prestige it does matter. Duke will be Duke whether they're ranked #1 or #2 or #13. Michigan after Fab Five years is trying to re-build that prestige. Being #1 helps. It helps with peoples' perception of the program, including those of recruits.

It's basically just cool to see #1 next to the block M.

But considering that I've yet to see anybody on mgoblog thinks that #1 in basketball matters as much as it does in football, you're basically trolling with false outrage and this is quite a dumb thread.

 

 

troublet1969

January 13th, 2013 at 12:28 AM ^

Your post should not have been hit so bad, in my opinion.  The one point that was made in decension that you cannot overlook is that this is OHIO week.  We don't want to hear anything resembling concession before the game.  Go Blue!

mGrowOld

January 13th, 2013 at 12:32 AM ^

Holy shit a completely Nihlistic post.   And if none of it matters why the Hell are you posting your epinions on a sports blog?  Cause I'm pretty sure that matters even less.

mm92.

January 13th, 2013 at 12:35 AM ^

You make very good and well thought out points and in a sense you are right. Especially when it does come to the blue bloods of college basketball. It doesn't matter to the Dukes and Kentucky's of the world and I guess my biggest argument would be that we are not those programs yet. I want to get to that point and I believe we are on the right track towards it. We were awful under Ellerbe, mediocre to bad under Amaker, and now we're finally evolving from over achieving teams to a good team with really good talent under Coach Belien. It's been quite a climb. Would #1 automatically mean we've arrived for good? Absolutely not. Would we stay #1 the rest of the season if we were to win? Very doubtful. But would being ranked the #1 team in college basketball after beating the hated bucks feel really good? Heck yes it would.

I like to think that I know some basketball and I agree with a lot of the points you make, but I want to be #1 really bad. And even though it sounds kinda corny, the best argument I can think of is the fact that it would just feel really good. Is anybody with me?