B1G Tourney: Rest your starters?

No.  Your goal should alway be to hang banners.  Hanging banners is cool.  Play to win.

The conference tournament is typically were you build momentum going into the ncaa tournament, good or bad. Michigan went in with horrible momentum last year and see how that turned out. The year before last UConn was a low seed in the Big East tournament and went on a run that ended up winning the Big East tournament and the national championship.

You play to win the game

While I do stringy disagree, I don't think that your idea is as far fetched as many in this thread appear to. Our team does look tired and does seem to have hit a wall. Taking a few minutes from trey, THJ and even McGary makes some sense. Even Morgan could use some reduced minutes to allow his injured leg to heal.

But, guys like Staus and GR3 need more minutes to regain confidence and get hot again going into the tourney. Similarly, the starters need some serious practice as a unit.

My hope is that the starters play, but that Beilein pulls them a bit sooner or rotates them out a bit more if we look like we have a decent lead.

You need to play 2 games in three days in the Dance so its good prep. We are in a good position though. Must win PSU and Wisconsin for vengeance and to prove our supremacy. IU game is a win-win. If we lose, it's not an upset, our seed won't be affected and we get an extra day to rest. If we win, it's a minor upset, we move up the S curve, and get a momentum boost that we can turn into a conference championship or a deep NCAA run

NO.. Next question

You really don't think this is far fetched??

OK.  Aside from the silliness of giving up any chance of a B1G tourney title, don't you think that this would be death for UM on the recruiting trail?  How does Bielien defend giving up in a conference tournament to recruits and their parents and their coaches??  Maybe Tom Crean, Tom Izzo, Thad Matta, etc. will just let it go and not hammer us with it, constantly, repeatedly, and justifiably.  Nah.....

go for broke and just forfeit.
/silly

Why even show up?  Maybe we should go "all-in" and just forfiet to take this to it's logical conclusion.

Sometimes I wonder if people posting actually watch sports or just hear about them from friends.

Edit:  Beaten to the snark by mere seconds.......

One word: UCONN. They mowed through the big east tourney playing all of their games with all if their starters. Then they won the NCAA tourney. Also I can't tell you how many times I've seen teams rest their starters for the playoffs and lose the first round. You need your players in the flow of the game. Don't give them extra time to forget about what it's like to play at full speed. Hey if we're winning by 25+ with 10 minutes to go, pull your starters. But don't pull them from the whole tourney. Win the tourney, win the NCAA title. QUEME LOS BARCOS

This isn't the 82 game season NBA. Name one NCAA Championship team that rested its startes during a conference. On second thought...brilliant idea idea...call Belein...I'm sure he wil thank you with tickets to the BIG tourney to watch our bench get waxed by Penn State.

if you're in it you go hard. And I have not doubt that while Beilein might not be crushed if they bowed out early, hell--you gotta beat PSU!

No.

I am 100% with those who have said, "play to win." I also believe that winning a bunch in the Big 10 Tournament will improve seeding, and improve confidence.

I wish they had won the Big 10 regular season championship. However, if losing to Indiana helps the lightbulb to go on for several players, and they win the Big 10 Tourney and get at least the Final Four, it was worth it. I want the players to absorb the following:

• Burke to play under control, and not try to do it all;
• The bigs need to rebound better;
• The bigs need to box out better;
• McGary needs to avoid stupid fouls;
• Hardaway needs to avoid taking threes when he isn't really open;
• They all need to make free throws.

If they learned these things, from both the Indiana loss and the season as a whole, and if they do these things in the next 10 games, well, it is worth it.

"You Play To Win The Game"

 

That is all

1.  Win a regular season conference title.

2.  Win  your league's tournament.

3.  Make a deep run in the NCAA tournament.

 

Why would you ever want to give one of those up?

Beating Wisconsin, Indiana and likely either MSU or OSU not only guarantees a #2 seed, but also opens up the door to a #1 seed.  Notice how Michigan didn't really suffer in the polls, actually rising in the AP after the Indiana game?  People know we have top seed talent, and running through that gauntlet would justify a #1 seed.

Just beating Wisconsin and playing another tough game with Indiana probably gives us a great shot at landing a #2 seed.

On top of all that, this team needs real game experience to work on their D and rebounding.  You can't replicate game experience in practice.

Simply because this team needs to get in sync, particularly on the defensive end.  UM's rotations on D have seemed off.  I don't think you fix that by not playing.

5 of the last seven NCAA winners won their conference tourney as well

Wow this thread still hasn't been deleted?

Simply amazes me.

Conference tournies are a waste of time.  4 games in 4 days for some teams is too much.  The regular season is a grind.  I wouldn't be upset to win thursday and friday then lose on Saturday.  The only concern is staying fresh for the following week, that is more important.

No, you don't rest the starters. Winning a tournament is a great accomplishment and you have at least 3 and potentially up to 6 days up until the NCAAs (assuming we beat PSU).

 

You do play different rotations and go deeper into the bench because that is a means to the ends of winning the B1G tourney. When you are potentially playing 4 in 4 days and because after PSU we will be playing teams that did not have to play on Thursday we need to keep people fresh. If Burke plays 80 minutes against PSU and WI we are not going to beat Indiana, needs to be more like 60. Ideally, we kill PSU and win by 25 while resting guys, though that looks unlikely at this point. I think you'll see more of Albrecht bringing the ball up court even when Burke is in the game and both he and LeVert will get a fair number of extra minutes that will be spread around to various guys and lineups. I also think you'll see more 2 bigs sets, preferably with Morgan and McGary. Trying to get one guy to screen high and/or maybe even get McGary free for a 12 foot jumper here and there. Also to help on the boards. No drastic changes but enough to try to keep them fresh.

 

Lots of people mentioning UConn 2011. That's a legit example of a team that went on a big run and had to play through the whole tourney for 5 straight days and then won the NCAAs too. But the fact that everyone is using that same example also points out how much that team is the rare exception that proves the rule rather than the norm.

I think they are at worst a three seed with no wins in the Big Ten Tournament. If they win the thing, M will definitely be a two seed and perhaps a one.

Actually I don't bench my starters against PSU, but I sure as heck try to give Hardaway and Burke a lot more time on the bench than they've had as late.  I remember last year's OSU game in the B1G tourney.  Burke had literally carried Michigan past, I think, Minnesota, but he had nothing left for the OSU game. 

I agree with the comments that this team played tired at the end of the season.  The B10 was a grind and likely wore them out.  4 games in 4 days won't improve matters.

Of course, if M hadn't lost to IU, Wisky and PSU -- all games they should have won, they'd already have a #1 seed locked up (and an outright title).  

I think they should go all out on the PSU game and take it EZ afterward.   How many Big East champs have grinded out a Big East title only to lose their first NC2A game? 

I say just win them all.