Is this Beilein's best team ever?

Good post.  I was thinking along the same lines after the game and wondering exactly how deep into the tourny this team needs to go for  the season to exceeded expectations.  As of right now i see sweet 16 and a tough loss in that game but you just never know.  Obviously a defeat in either of the first two games would be a significant downer but in a "one and done" tourny fouls and a hot player can spell upset.

And just think that it's NEXT year is when the basketball calvary really arrives.  That team could be amazing.

but it's "Beilein."  I wouldn't say anything, but you misspell it like 6 times.  

I just hope that the loss of Stu and Novak next year doesnt resemble the loss of lee and merritt

Could be.  If Horford were healthy, I'd definitely say yes.  Lack of depth in the middle still worries me a little.  I feel better about our  PG depth, OTOH, with Douglass is stepping up there lately.

BTW, someone's got to find a better photo of Beilein for his wikipedia page.

Time will tell...

Vague, but true. Depends on what happens down the stretch and in the tournaments. But it is certainly possible.

I think at this point a Sweet 16 is very likely, and hopefully Timmy and Smotz can shoot just as hot as they were today, if they can, the sky is the limit

How great a team is, is defined on what they do in March.

....and a very timely post. Thanks, Gordie.

If they keep up this pace, considering that they  are 19-7 now, they could potentially finish the season just short of the B1G Tournament in the neighborhood of 23-8 (again, if they keep a 0.730 winning percentage). That's excellent really.

It's hard to tell what will happen in the B1G Tournament and in the NCAA Tournament, of course, but I don't see any reason why, if they play like they did today minus a foul here and there, they couldn't go far into the B1G tournament and perhaps make a run at the Sweet Sixteen barring unforeseen upset earlier. 

It was great to see Hardaway, Vogrich and Smot start to emerge  from slumps at precisely the right time - before the Ohio game. We will need at least a repeat of today's performance. 

Is this his best team ever? It could very well be  up there at least, and such a thought makes next year sound outright fantastic.

You say that a 4-seed isn't out of the question.  Honestly, if Selection Sunday were today, I think they'd get a 4-seed.  If they get hot and somehow win the Big Ten Tournament, I don't think a 2-seed is out of the question (at all).

(I'm leaving the h-stutter in to show my excitement.)

It's been 14 years since we were solidly in the dance at this stage.  Both of Beilein's prior M-appearances required some down-the-stretch must wins...@ Minny three years ago & vs MSU & Illinois in the B1G Tourney last year.

Win out and it's ours.

The fact that those West Virginia teams did see a sweet 16 and the elite 8, the jury is still out for this team as far as being the best, of course that is no slight at this team they are playing some tough ball lead by some courageous seniors in Zack Novack and Stu Douglas.

...and just imagine if the following ingredients had been in place all season long:

(1)  A non-struggling Hardaway

(2) A non-existent stretch by Smot

(3) An injured Horford

(4)  Darius Morris w/ junior eligibility

(5) Very little bench production.

I'm more and more amazed at what this team has accomplished with a true frosh PG and key players struggling offensively.     If Hardaway and Smot have indeed turned the corner, and Vogrich contributes with a few key 3's here and there (boy, he reminds me of Pelinka's contributions during the early 90's), this team could make a sweet 16 run.  

I love Burke's game.   He's got a little Allen Iverson in him with his ability to get into the lane and get his shot off, plus a great mid- and outside game (but thankfully not the "practice?" attitude of Iverson).   Maybe point #4 above isn't such a big deal.  I think our offense runs more fluidly with Burke at the point.  Morris was probably a better pure shot-creator, but Burke can put teammates in a good position to score. 

BTW, I really liked Vogrich and Hardaway on the court at the same time today.   I was initially worried about our team "D" with these two guys out simultaneously, but Vogrich scraps and hustles.   If you sit them in a 1-3-1, this combo can be effective defensively.  

This is not his "best team ever," at least yet.  I am guessing he is one Pittsnogle-type away, though.  Maybe next year.

Beilein's last 3 West Virginia had KenPom rankings of 30, 18, and 32, respectively. (Edit: last year's Michigan team was #25). This year's Michigan team is definitely in that team picture.

What's great is that this gives us a solid base of expectation moving forward. It's great to have a good feeling about the future of Michigan basketball. Beilein über alles.

Could be, but they have to finish...

However, NEXT YEAR's team will be his most talented IMO. If we can find a #2 ball handler, there is no reason why we shouldn't be a favorite to be in the Sweet 16 next year.

I like that you can actually see a lot of players contributing. It's not like we just have one star that carries us through all of the games. Today we had four players above ten points in Hardaway, Burke, Smotrycz, and Novak (they scored 15-14-13-12 respectively). I 've enjoyed Vogrich in both of his last two starts, and he scored 8 today. They seem to be playing well together, they just need to kick it up a notch in March.

double "s" as well in the surname, if we're correcting things.

As far as your question, here's my take: if Hardaway, Smot and Vogrich start hitting a decent percentage from behind the arc (some good signs of late, no?) and if Stu, Zach and Trey stay the course, this team could go a long way both in the B10 tourney and the NCAA tourney. It's been a fun season regardless. I loved that they're still competitive while their "star" has struggled a bit.  How great would it be for THJ to flick the switch?  I was sad to see Darius go, but Trey continues to impress. Kid is fearless. 

Well, there are several ways to measure "best".  In terms of the team's record, it's certainly the best any of his UM teams have performed.  19 wins is the most any of them ever had in the regular season.  This team is certainly likely to surpass that, having already matched it with 5 games remaining.

By another definition, I would like to see how far they make it in the tournament.  As mentioned by several their record should make the first few rounds much easier matchups than what we've seen before.  His last two tournament teams both ran into guys in the 2nd round who were a few months away from being the #1 overall pick in the NBA draft.  Guess we need to avoid Kentucky then.

As mentioned in earlier posts, I would be far more confident in their tourney outlook if there was depth.  If Brundidge had developed faster and Horford was healthy, it would make all the difference.  As it is the team is basically 7 deep, and that doesn't bode well for a tourney run - especially if they run into foul trouble.  You saw today how foul trouble kept Morgan off the court.  Fortunately Smotz showed up for the game, but even he finished with 4 fouls as did Hardaway.  McLimans has been pleasant at times, and Akunne was as well before his injury, but I think we can all agree we would only like to see Blake in the game during the tourney if the UM lead is 20 with 3 minutes to go.