DetNews opine: Is Michigan on road to Final Four?
Maybe a bit early for the headline, but still pleasing to read impressions of UM basketball beat writer Rod Beard for DetNews on UM hoops this season. Discusses 5 things learned about team at this juncture prior to opening B1G season.
LINK: Is Michigan on road to Final Four?
Six weeks into the season, Michigan has risen to from fifth to second in the national polls and looking like a squad that will challenge for the title in a stacked Big Ten — and certainly get past the first weekend when March rolls back around.
Quick listing of his "5 Things" for those not able or desirous of clicking; though each has an interesting synopsis in the article.
Burke's even better
No one-man show - Strong rotation
Fresh faces - Freshman play
Hitting the boards - Rebounding
Going for it - Beilein
Love the last paragraph. Hoping we are in for a special season also.
Beilein won't talk about the good start or the No. 2 ranking, but in his mind, he knows this is a special group and he probably won't have all of the pieces back next year — so he'll look to seize the opportunity now.
December 22nd, 2012 at 8:44 AM ^
December 22nd, 2012 at 9:10 AM ^
If you recall, M was down 7, in the 2nd half, to a very tough and determined Pitt team in "The Garden", and came roaring back in a heartbeat, taking control of the game. Thankfully, so far this season, M has been too good to fall far behind in a game. When M does face a double digit deficit this season; they have the talent and make up to respond, of this, I have no doubt. For me, regarding bouncing back from a deficit, it's a question of when, not if.
December 22nd, 2012 at 11:07 AM ^
I was concerned that we don't have a dominant inside presence like Zeller, but Beilien's strategies doesn't require one. We do need to improve our 3-pt defense though.
Very excited about the team - go blue
December 22nd, 2012 at 11:31 AM ^
December 22nd, 2012 at 1:02 PM ^
December 22nd, 2012 at 9:02 AM ^
Very exciting team to watch and they have even taken it up a notch with moving LeVert into the rotation.
I think, Beilein was experimenting early in the season, starting Vogrich, playing Akunne in the first half of games, in hopes of preserving Levert's RS. When it became apparent this team was a NC contender, Beilein went all in and burned LeVert's RS, and the team is much better overall with LeVert in the rotation.
I would love to watch practices; You have two top 25 teams going at it everyday in practice. Bo's teams always said "the games are easy, if you can make it through the practices, the games are fun". I've heard a couple members of M's Bball team say something similar regarding practices being tougher than the games. I can believe it. Max Bielfeldt and Mitch McGary would make a nice frontcourt on many teams, but can't start at M, and in Bielfeldt's case, can't hardly get minutes on this team. Future is bright; this team is not a one year wonder.
As an aside, EMU's coach called M the best shooting team he's ever seen.
December 22nd, 2012 at 9:03 AM ^
"DetNews opine: Is Michigan on road to Final Four?"
Yes. Yes they are.
December 22nd, 2012 at 9:20 AM ^
At this point in the season, about 40 teams "are on the road to the Final Four." How 'bout we play a conference game or two in Bloomington, EL, and Columbus first and then see what that road looks like.
December 22nd, 2012 at 9:39 AM ^
You don't need to do this, because this team is clearly capable of a run to the Final Four. It is beyond dispute. Whether they get there or not is a different question, but there should be no doubting this is one of the best and most complete teams in the nation. This team is absolutely loaded.
Michigan is on the short list with teams like Duke, IU, Ohio State, Florida, Syracuse, and a few others, as the most talented teams in the country. Our friends down the road in East Lansing might make a run at the Final Four, wouldn't surprise me, but they are clearly not as talented and skilled as this M team.
December 22nd, 2012 at 11:13 AM ^
I think you'd want to add Arizona and Kansas will probably be there at the end of the year. Missouri and Cinci, are maybes. If you go any deeper, then I think Minnesota comes into the conversation. Of course, a darkhorse has a decent chance to get in, but that would be 20 or so more teams.
December 22nd, 2012 at 10:36 AM ^
It would depend on who's answering the question, I suppose, but I don't think many writers with national profiles (e.g., SI's Luke Winn) would say there are 40 teams with Final Four potential.
Also, even a team with realistic F4 aspirations might be *expected* to lose on the road this year at OSU and IU. Very possibly MSU and Minnesota, too, depending on how well the other team happened to play that night.
Finally, it's not like Michigan has played all scrubs this year. There's at least some data suggesting that they're pretty good. Maybe not F4 good, but good enough to be in the conversation. We'll see.
One other thing while I'm here: It's probably fair to say that Michigan (given its youth) is farther away from its season ceiling than the average team. In particular, I think GRIII, McGary, and (especially) Levert have room to grow.
December 22nd, 2012 at 9:06 AM ^
Until then, I personally won't be mentioning any Final 4 appearances or repeat titles.
December 22nd, 2012 at 9:28 AM ^
The team hasn't really played anyone yet.
December 22nd, 2012 at 1:42 PM ^
nc state was picked by many to win the ACC. and i think most would think that pitt and kstate would make the ncaa tourny at the beginning of the year.
December 22nd, 2012 at 9:06 AM ^
Great team? Yes. This team is actually fun to watch. It is not the boring shoot-3s-and-hope-to-win kind of team. We can score up top, down low and all places in between.
I have not had this much fun since Jalen and the boys were on campus. Izzo and company are really strarting to get scared.
December 22nd, 2012 at 9:14 AM ^
December 22nd, 2012 at 9:20 AM ^
Their strength of schedule is 14th at the moment. They haven't played against an elite team yet, but it isn't like they have been feasting on a schedule full of cupcakes either. I think people underestimate how solid of a schedule they have played compared to a lot of schools by how easy they have made it look.
December 22nd, 2012 at 9:29 AM ^
December 22nd, 2012 at 9:48 AM ^
Remember when everyone got excited when our football team beat up on Purdue? Turns out that everyone else beat up on Purdue as well. Wait till the play teams like Ohio rather than Eastern Michigan. If they can sweep the B1G, I'll start talking about championships.
December 22nd, 2012 at 9:50 AM ^
December 22nd, 2012 at 10:01 AM ^
December 22nd, 2012 at 11:48 AM ^
They're 11-1
Their schedule stinks with Lehigh and Detroit the next best teams that they've played.
Although unraked (27th in AP & coaches), they're 5th in Ken Pom and 10th in Sagarin.
December 22nd, 2012 at 10:14 AM ^
Again SOS #14 out of 300 and something. Not exactly feasting on a schedule of cupcakes.
December 22nd, 2012 at 10:24 AM ^
December 22nd, 2012 at 10:49 AM ^
The real meat on that ranking all lies on the second half of the season. All of the teams we haven't played yet. So far, (in keeping with your food analogy) it has only been pigs in a blanket and stufffed mushrooms as we work or way to the T-bone and roast beef.
December 22nd, 2012 at 11:04 AM ^
I don't think you understand how non-conference SOS rankings work. That SOS (which the two places I've found have it at 19 and 21 so take that FWIW) is the ranking RIGHT NOW compared to other schools, not a projected one. While there are a few national contenders ahead of us (Duke, Florida, Louisville), the only Big Ten squad ranked ahead of us on that metric is Minnesota. So we've performed better than pretty much every Big Ten squad (except probably Indiana) against an at best equally strong schedule. I see no reason not to say we're final four contenders.
December 22nd, 2012 at 11:11 AM ^
December 22nd, 2012 at 11:24 AM ^
If we can't discuss things we don't definitely know, then what's the entire point of this board (outside the Cat pics and Kate Upton gifs)? I think some are really underselling Pitt and that's coloring their view of our non-conference. If you disagree with that assessment of Pitt (as it seems you do), then I can see why you'd think we haven't beaten anybody.
December 22nd, 2012 at 12:10 PM ^
December 22nd, 2012 at 6:04 PM ^
December 22nd, 2012 at 12:02 PM ^
They beat Bradley, traditionally tough mid-major school, on the road. Of course, you have your share of cupcakes but every teams have it. What matter is Michigan dominated in every game except Pittsburgh who is an underrated team.
December 22nd, 2012 at 9:16 AM ^
I don't know, you could argue that most teams are "on the road" to the Final Four. The real question is whether or not they will reach the end of the road.
December 22nd, 2012 at 9:21 AM ^
December 22nd, 2012 at 9:47 AM ^
While obvious, Big 10 play will really show what this team is made of as the team will be tested by consistent talent on the other side of the ball.
Here's hoping for growth instead of regression and that the team hits all cylinders just as the tournament starts.
One note in regards to Mitch McGary.
He's a Bill Lambier in the making.
I hope he starts to settle down, gets a better grasp of the college game, limits the fouls and blossoms as a force under the basket.
We have seen glimpses of that that already but if he can find a level of consistency then UM will have a nice inside combo of Morgan and McGary. The icing on the cake is if Horford can come back healthy and stay healthy. The injury Gods seem to have picked Horford as their whipping boy.
It's an exciting time to be a Michigan Bball fan.
Let's hope the team can shock the world.
December 22nd, 2012 at 10:07 AM ^
regular season or B1G tourney will be a final four team. Everyone knows that it is better to be HOT than to be good in the tourney. Look at Izzo, he is one of the luckiest coaches alive.
How many times has all 4 number 1 seeds made it to the final four? Only once that I can remember int he past 10 years. So its not how you start, its how you finish.
NCAA Tourney does NOT crown the "best" team, it crowns the "hottest" team. Finish strong boys.
December 22nd, 2012 at 10:08 AM ^
December 22nd, 2012 at 12:11 PM ^
December 22nd, 2012 at 9:49 AM ^
will michigan make the final 4?
does the pope wear a funny hat?
December 22nd, 2012 at 10:07 AM ^
Maybe this guy is the pope?
December 22nd, 2012 at 10:40 AM ^
"By playing all five freshmen in the rotation and pushing back some of his upperclassmen, Beilein is showing that he's going to try to get the most out of this group, which appears to have Final Four potential."
The stretch between the middle of January and the middle of February or so, when we will play Ohio State twice as well as our currently ranked conference compatriots at least once, will tell us much, but the sentence above is key to the whole thing, I believe. If this team continues to maximize its potential as they have and can continue to play an aggressive, opportunistic game (which would hopefully translate to making it through the middle of the conference schedule in good shape), a run to the Final Four would not be unrealistic to consider in that case, at least in my opinion.
December 22nd, 2012 at 10:50 AM ^
December 22nd, 2012 at 1:00 PM ^
December 22nd, 2012 at 10:56 AM ^
December 22nd, 2012 at 11:13 AM ^
I don't really see what having to play in Columbus or Bloomington have to do with whether this team has Final Four potential. The 1989 squad that won the national title lost 6 conference games (in admittedly what was probably the most stacked Big Ten ever, but still). The 1992 Final Four squad lost 7. If the question was, is this definitely, 100% a top 5 team, then the wait until Bloomington/Columbus/EL crowd would probably be correct, but you don't necessarily need to win in those places to make Final Four run.
Also Fun Fact, UM is 21-9 in its last 30 conference games, and that's with playing at least half of them without a talent advantage. This year's squad won't have that problem.
December 22nd, 2012 at 12:07 PM ^
December 22nd, 2012 at 12:21 PM ^
Ah the classic strawmen tactic. A favorite of message board posters everywhere. Take my argument (we've already shown we're a really talented team and even if we drop these showcase games that the "wait and see crowd" is waiting for, we still can make a F4 run). Distort it(Yeah brah FInal Four Tix punched brah) and then ridicule the distortion as if it was the original argument.
I don't know exactly how good we are yet. The Big Ten season 100%, unequivocally will tell us a heck of a lot more about where exactly we rank nationally. All I'm saying is that the non-conference season has put us in the tier where a final four is definitely possible if the chips fall right. Losing to a few tough teams in the Big Ten won't change that opinion so it seems irrelevant to this discussion.
December 22nd, 2012 at 12:34 PM ^
December 22nd, 2012 at 12:46 PM ^
December 22nd, 2012 at 3:22 PM ^
Can we stop getting ahead of ourselves?
December 22nd, 2012 at 4:24 PM ^
Only at Michigan would half of the fans get pissed off because a writer thinks we have a good chance to go to the final four. I wish our fanbase saw everything as a glass half full and not half empty all the time.