Grantland: Michigan touted in CBB Weekend Preview

I wonder how much of the "pace" is dictated by the fact that Michigan has so few turnovers and also creates few turnovers.  Most of the possessions on either end of the court end up the product of an actual play and not a broken one. 

I wonder how many more plays per game you'd need to move from the #324 rank into something more mediocre.....

I thought (in response to moving up in the "tempo rankings") that Brian stated earlier in the week that it wouldn't really take that much to move from the very low ranking we are at into a middle/average tier; what that figure would be I forget, maybe something along the lines of 4 to 5 possessions more per game (?).

I think people across America are really starting to jump on this Michigan bandwagon, if you will.  I think they'r realizing that this team has all the pieces necessary, save for an elite shot-blocker or dominant big man down low (Plumlee or Zeller types), to make a run through March and compete with the usual cream-of-the-crop.  Jordan Morgan is a fine player and the above in now way is a poor reflection on him; he is not elite but is a very good big man especially for this overall athletic Michigan team.

...admits that he's a pacist.

I was intrigued with his statement about the pace actually. I hadn't thought about it really. 

Pace will be important tomorrow certainly, but as frenetic as Arkansas plays by all accounts, execution may still win the day against a team like the Razorbacks  that is one of the worst in overall FG%, defensive rebounding and allowed free throws. A "slowdown" team that plays a technically sound game still stands a great chance of beating Arkansas, I would think. As for our own pace at least when it comes to scoring, as of the moment, we're actually averaging ten points more per game than last year, but it seems like we're also shooting far more accurately overall and seem to be much better at rebounding.  

Michigan ranks 25th in Div I in points per game.

showed them some love in his Grantland column this week, more specifically being a fan of watching coach Beilein's teams play over the years. He says:

...as much as I've enjoyed watching him coach at West Virginia and Michigan over the years, his current Wolverine team is by far my favorite Beilein squad ever. Even though they have a ton of young stars who have been coddled their entire lives, they already seem to have put their egos aside and developed better chemistry than some teams loaded with upperclassmen. What's most impressive is that hardly any of Michigan's players are one-dimensional, which is becoming a rarity in college basketball.

I hate to admit it, but he is a pretty entertaining read. IIRC, he come out on the record after the whole tattoo kerfluffle saysing that he saw the players drving around in their Chargers and it seemed fishy even to him. Not bad for a Buckeye

/drinks ipecac

Need another paper bag... Title contender??!!@#!@#???? The Amaker 10 game conference losing streak seems like yesterday and probably made me allergic to mbb for a good 5 years...

This paradox of great athletes with slow tempo or fewer trips with high production is very similar to the powerful Indiana teams inthe 70s and 80s.

Hopefully Beilein gets ample credit and UM can recruit more top talent with the offer of "unsexy winning" basketball.

Michigan has controlled the tempo and been relatively smart in shot decision. I don't look into those tempo ratings, so many things factor into that.

that sets you apart.

Michigan is 8-0 at this pace.  Whatever pace got them to undefeated is what i'm for.