March 21st, 2021 at 12:31 AM ^
It was beautiful man
March 21st, 2021 at 12:33 AM ^
This is great for Michigan. The other side of the bracket might be a little easier if we get by LSU and (likely) FSU.
Alabama looks like a good team but Texas has size that can check Hunter so I'd prefer to avoid them.
March 21st, 2021 at 12:35 AM ^
It’s really nice for Alabama, who has a 10,11, and 14 on their side now, so they’ll get to the Elite 8 only playing double-digit seeds (assuming they make it that far.)
March 21st, 2021 at 12:47 AM ^
Even though I kinda hate Turgeon now, I'll be rooting for them. Would be nice if Maryland looks like the toughest team on the other half of the bracket, although UCLA has looked pretty good.
I didn't catch UCLA in action last night, but I was not overly impressed with them against State. They were very disjointed on offense and seemed very suspect defensively. Maybe I caught them on a bad night.
March 21st, 2021 at 12:33 AM ^
Some U-M fans may remember VCU obliterating Akron by about 40 points at The Palace back in the 2013 NCAA. That game followed a Michigan game, Michigan then played VCU in the next round.
That VCU/Akron game was the last time Shaka Smart has won a single NCAA game. 8 years. Yeesh.
March 21st, 2021 at 12:45 AM ^
They were the trendy pick over us. People thought Smart had the coaching edge over John Beilein.
It turns out that without his gimmick press, he’s Tommy Amaker.
Anybody who thought that VCU team would beat Michigan showed their ass how little they knew about basketball. Great guards not only carve up any press the guards and coach want the other team to press. Total domination in that game by Michigan guards
This is a little revisionistic. Yes, purebred Michigan fans expected UM to handle 40 minutes of hell pretty well because we knew Trey Burke, and John Beilein. But most of the nation expected VCU to give UM a lot of trouble. The merciless swirly JB's team delivered was not expected by anyone...
March 21st, 2021 at 11:20 AM ^
My point still stands on “Most of the nation” I was more worried about the Jack Rabbits in round 1. I’m not a gambler but I made my buddies a ton of money off that VCU game. It was a blown out waiting to happen and it did. The “Havoc” press was a gimmick. Shaka can’t even run it anymore
I remember Charles Barkley before the game saying it was a bad matchup for VCU a couple of times. He was right.
Which rarely happens with Chuck.
March 21st, 2021 at 11:55 AM ^
So satisfying. Everyone thought that HAVOC(tm) would destroy weak Michigan. Beilein, Burke, and THJ quickly proved otherwise
That VCU/Akron game was the last time Shaka Smart has won a single NCAA game. 8 years.
That is Shak-ing. Seriously though that was one ugly game. The last 3 mins Was 2 teams doing their best not to win.
Shaka Smart is the PJ Fleck of college basketball.
Not even close. PJ won the B1G West and 2 bowl games. In 6 years at Texas, Shaka has not won a single NCAA Tournament game and has missed the tournament twice. He also has a lot more resources and recruiting power than PJ would ever have.
I would venture to say Shaka may be the most over rated coach in the country.
He has been able to recruit plenty of elite talent. He is at/near the top of my list of coaches who confirm my belief that coaching is a huge difference-maker.
Where is Harbaugh on that list
Hooray for double posts.
It should be a fun day of games. May the B1G teams all win.
He has been able to recruit plenty of elite talent. He is at/near the top of my list of coaches who confirm my belief that coaching is a huge difference-maker.
March 21st, 2021 at 12:33 AM ^
Abilene Christian defense was bonkers and all over the place but goodness, Texas had no answer and turned the ball over, I'm pretty sure, a quarter of the time. All they had to do was score mid-50s to win and they couldn't muster that. Bad bad bad.
March 21st, 2021 at 12:50 AM ^
I hadn't realized they turn over other teams more than any other team. Pretty funny to see a Shaka Smart team lose to a team like that with a lot of TOs. There was one though with like 3 minutes left where a Texas player just dribbled it off his foot and out of bounds lol.
March 21st, 2021 at 12:34 AM ^
Michigan can do this. FSU struggled a bit today. Alabama didn’t look good at all until the last 3 minutes and Texas is out. I actually thought LSU and Colorado looked the best today, besides us of course. Go Blue!
March 21st, 2021 at 12:39 AM ^
Michigan has a really good draw. If only Livers hadn't gotten hurt, it would be a cakewalk for Michigan. Even without him, Michigan is still a good team. They dismantled Texas Southern despite Michigan sleepwalking in the 2nd half.
They have a bad draw. None of these crap teams can beat Alabama now.
You may wish to stayed tuned. These upper-class laden teams who can control the tempo, shoot well and not turn it over can give the physically gifted Alabamas of the college world fits.
You may wish to stayed tuned. These upper-class laden teams who can control the tempo, shoot well and not turn it over can give the physically gifted Alabamas of the college world fits.
March 21st, 2021 at 11:57 AM ^
If we still had Livers...man, I'd be fighting the urge to be dreaming of the Final Four already
March 21st, 2021 at 12:37 AM ^
ACU shot 29% from the field and 16% from 3 and beat a 3 seed; mostly by turning over Texas more than 20 times. Greg Brown played 6 minutes.
Despite a Big 12 Tournament win, Shaka should be fired
March 21st, 2021 at 12:46 AM ^
18 baskets and 22 turnovers for Texas. Not so good.
March 21st, 2021 at 12:50 AM ^
Not to mention this is a rerun of what he did with Mo Bamba
Two 5 star lottery big men, zero tournament wins. Pathetic
I wouldn’t be surprised if the athletic department told him to find his own way home and don’t worry about being at his office on Monday.
Yup. At best, he survives for one last season. But when they open the Moody Center, I expect there will be a new coach in Texas.
Greg Brown should of picked Juwan and Michigan would of been way better for his development and use
OMG! That stat line is disgusting! I've wondered, for a few years now, why Shaka still has that job. I mean, it's not like Texas has ever showed any promise under him. Certainly they've never come close to the promise of 2013 VCU, which is why he got the UT job anyway. Not even with the recruiting power he has at Texas.
We're about to see what the UT system thinks about basketball. After the money they spent (uhh, threw away) on football last Fall, will they spend a pittance on basketball?
March 21st, 2021 at 12:43 AM ^
Maybe it was inept players, but I'm leaning more towards Shaka being unable to coach. I've never seen a team so lost. They honestly probably could've won the game by just coming down the floor and taking contested pull-up threes and hoping for offensive rebounds and putbacks. That would've been more effective than whatever their offense was trying to do. They were lucky to even get a shot attempt when they had the ball. That number of turnovers in an extremely slow-paced game is almost unfathomable.
23 turnovers.
In a tournament game that you were favored to win by a boatload.
Inexcusable.
And it wasn't even like they were turning it over on drives or bad post feeds. They were turning it over just simply trying to swing the ball around the arc. They couldn't hold onto it long enough to even make a post feed to one of their several 6'10"+ guys. And Greg Brown was nowhere to be found after hitting an early three. They gave him SIX mins?!?
March 21st, 2021 at 12:46 AM ^
Exciting game. Has Texas EVER met expectations in March? What a terribly overrated program.
March 21st, 2021 at 12:51 AM ^
And Rick Barnes used to be the one disappointing there. Now he's at Tennessee and they got blown out by a 12 seed.
Well, Barnes is also disappointing at Tennessee. They were preseason #5.
March 21st, 2021 at 12:53 AM ^
They had Kevin Durant one year and lost in the round of 32 by 20
So no, they really have never been good
Yes but also add they had Rick Barnes as their coach who is awful. Barnes has now lost to every seed 1-12
So he's coached for the cycle? LOL!!
March 21st, 2021 at 12:47 AM ^
I love this. I FULLY embrace the Madness. Let it continue -- except, of course, against Michigan!
I still shake my head and chuckle at the people who get SO bent out of shape about their (mostly free) now-busted brackets that they took 15 minutes maximum to fill out.
Speaking of those, though, this tourney has the potential to leave the most busted brackets in its wake, I would think. Sure, we aren't getting a 16 over a 1 this year, but it seems like we're getting just about everything else!
EDIT: (Narrator) The Madness did, in fact, continue.
I’m glad I didn’t find a bracket tourney to enter. I’d be lucky to have half of my final four remaining.
Speaking of "busted brackets", consider Virginia and one of the media's favorite coaches, Tony Bennett. In 2018, Bennett's Virginia team became the first one seed to lose to a 16 seed. In 2019, Virginia's the NCAA champion. In 2021, 4-seed Virginia once again is out of the tournament in the opening round after losing to 13-seed Ohio University.
We, as a 4, got bumped by Ohio in 2012. Then we made the run in 2013. Burke with the deep Kansas 3. McGary carving Cuse zone. This type of stuff happens all the time in the tournament. It is funny to think TB and Virginia went worst, best, slightly above worst in three straight go-arounds.
March 21st, 2021 at 12:50 AM ^
Stats from that game are wild. Abilene Christian got 27 more shots up than Texas did. When you manage that it doesn't matter that you shoot under 30%.
March 21st, 2021 at 10:49 AM ^
Unless you are UConn