All the bubble talk vs. the importance of this 1 game
There's been a lot of bubble talk lately, and understandably so. But isn't a .500 or better record in-conference pretty much a necessity for making the field?
I know teams have got in before with sub .500 conference totals, but it doesn't seem like it happens all that much.
There's this kind of "you are about to have your hopes dashed" feeling running around in my gut this week. I worry that a loss to Sparty could spell doom regardless of what any other bubble teams may do. I just really think it ALL comes down to Saturday and that the Big Ten Tourney could be rendered meaningless.
Is anyone aware of our odds of even having a chance to get in with an 8-10 regular season conference mark?
This game is definitely more important. I say if we win this game we're in no matter what, but if we lose to msu and win the first 2 rounds of the BTT we'll be on the bubble.
if we beat MSU and then lose the Friday opener, or if we lose to MSU, and then win on Thurs and Friday of the B1GT but lose on Sat.
It never hurts to root/fight for every inch.
I'm not so sure we'd be in the dance today if you were to freeze everyone's records, play the league championships in secret, and then just announce the winners. Inevitably, there would be a couple of teams that aren't in consideration for an at-large that push a sure at-large out of the auto-bid, and thus move everyone down. Knowing this is going to happen, being in the projected "Last Four In" is not at all safe.
Let's just win the next two (or more) and make Selection Sunday a lot less nerve-wracking.
Win and in, baby. Win and in.
Don't worry about losing cause it ain't gonna happen. Young Hardaway is going to go Glen Rice on those fools.
I live in Baltimore and my guide says CBS is showing Oregon vs Arizona on Saturday at 2pm. That wouldn't be more "regional" than the Mich/MSU game. Anyone have any idea if this is real and if I could find the game on another channel if so?
Since neither game is really in your region, they put on what they view as the more national game. As far as finding it somewhere else I have no idea but I'm sure a link will be posted on here to view online
Odd. DC here and they're showing the Mich/MSU game.
CBS has a veryyy weird regional map for this game. There was so much uproar on Twitter from Michigan folks that a guy from CBS tweeted that you can watch the live stream on the CBS Sports website in zones that aren't getting Mich/MSU.
I'm sure this will be put out closer to game time, but here's the link to the feed:
http://www.cbssports.com/video/player/cbk-live?ttag=cbklive10_on_all_fb_na_txt_0001
I was hoping it was a typo. Thanks for the info...
That's stupid. Those are 2 PAC-10 teams thousands of miles away from Baltimore. In fact, Oregon isn't even good this year.
I am in the DC region so if the Michigan - MSU game is also pre-empted here for a meaningless PAC 10 showdown I will not be pleased.
Edit: TV Guide says DC will be showing Mich MSU at 2 PM tomorrow. Good to hear :)
I like how the coverage for M-MSU is in blue. I think we can count that as a good omen right there. Also, I got an A on my lab report today.
I have to work Saturday so won't be able to watch the game. Just hoping for a win.
If I had a choice between seeing Michigan beat MSU Saturday and not make the NCAA or lose to them and make it, I would rather see them beat MSU. Michigan is on its way to becoming the best team in the state again. It will probably take a couple of more years if they lose.
If they win, though, it could set a lot of things into motion that could help Michigan take a quantum leap in getting back to where they have been all except fifteen or so of the last forty years: on top of the state. This would help immensely and immediately in recruiting. It could also hasten MSU's downward spiral. And it could make Izzo go FTS on MSU and take the Pistons' job if MSU alum Tom Gores offers it to him.
Saturday's game is the biggest game Michigan has played since the 1990's: tournament or no tournament.
I actually agree with this. I looked at the MSU roster the other day and was surprised to see that virtually every player they have comes from Michigan or Ohio. Winning more recruiting battles with MSU would be a huge deal for the U-M program.
In some ways I agree with you, as in that never-going-to-happen scenario it will set us up for some more future success. But considering you have repeatily stated that you would rather see this team play in the NIT then the NCAA tournament, I don't think you value the NCAA tournament as much as you should. Once you are in, anything can happen, no matter how big/small of a Cinderella you are.
While I think this game is certainly huge, I don't think it's the only factor. Lose this game but perform well in the Big Ten tourney and we could still make it. (I seriously believe that if someone else can knock off Purdue, UM could win the B10 tourney). But if we win, and then follow it up with a bad loss in our first B10 tourney game, I'm not positive we're a lock.
Great question, but a .500 conference record is absolutely not necessary. Georgia Tech got a 10-seed last year with a 7-9 record in the ACC. With 3 more spots this year, I would think a 12-seed can be given to a 7-9 BigTen team.
That one team bucked the odds last year and snuck in the field does not make it "absolutely not necessary" to post a winning conference record, any more than Mike Hart's existence means that every 3-star tailback recruit will rush for 5,000 yards.
Congratulations, you're the first person on this thread to put words in my mouth. However, many people on other threads have been faster.
I forgot about that one. Also, we would be 8-10.
Let's just beat Sparty and not have to worry about. Man, I hate those guys.