January 27th, 2010 at 6:40 AM ^
Bubble? Tournament? There is absolutely no way this team is making the tournament, I don't know why people are continuing to hold on to that pipe dream. Forget about it, take off the maize tinted glasses and realize we have team that is not very good. After the non-conference debacle, they needed to go at least 12-6 in conference, that means they need to finish 9-1. Not going to happen.
Whatever positive karma you have left should be shifted to the hockey team. If they don't make the tournament this will be the worst sports year in a long, long time at UM.
January 27th, 2010 at 7:29 AM ^
Maybe the OP means the NIT Tourney?
January 27th, 2010 at 9:28 AM ^
that he means the Big Ten tourney
January 27th, 2010 at 8:10 AM ^
if they go 8-2 down the stretch, they are in the NCAA's. THE SUN WILL RISE TOMORROW, ITS OK.
January 27th, 2010 at 8:30 AM ^
Your right the sun did come up today, as expected. I'm not sure why you're yelling that. However, there is absolutely zero chance this particular team goes 8-2. I hope i'm wrong, but there is nothing to indicate this particular team can go on a run like that.
Unless someone one can come up with some obscure stat or metric that proves that the first 20 games is an aberration, I won't be going to Vegas to bet on UM in the first round of the NCAAs.
January 27th, 2010 at 7:41 AM ^
Call me crazy but I don't think last night necessarily hurt Michigan's chances. It was already a stretch to call us a team on the bubble, but I don't think losing by 1 to a #5 MSU team hurts chances. There is a huge opportunity missed though to make a huge leap closer.
I will agree though that Michigan may have struggled too much throughout the season to earn a bid. I don't blame the OP for having hope though.
January 27th, 2010 at 7:58 AM ^
we have a little shot to begin with anyway. At this point, unless we rip off a 7-8 game winning streak and get to the conference tourney finals, we're NIT bound (if that, God willing).
January 27th, 2010 at 8:37 AM ^
They're 9th in the conference in overall shooting percentage and dead freaking last in 3-pt percentage. If we could put a shot in the ocean from behind the arc we would have won last night, and at least 2 other games. We are what we are: a hard-playing team that has absolutely nobody other than Manny and Sims who can make shots with any sort of consistency.
January 27th, 2010 at 10:04 AM ^
And I concur. I really think 3-7 may be more likely. But I can see one more win in there and 4-6 being possible. 5-5 would be overachieving for this team, and still wouldn't get them jack. If they weren't going to make hay in the easy part of their schedule, they needed to pick off some during this hard stretch. Missing the NIT seems more likely than going 8-2 or something like that...(which would most likely require us to win 3 road games AND home games vs. Wisconsin and Illinois).
January 27th, 2010 at 9:44 AM ^
way Michigan can make the NCAA tourney is to win the Big Ten tourney. Unfortunately, I see a big let down for the rest of the regular season. You can only have your will broken so many times before there is nothing left to give. Northwestern at home was strike one, the Wisconsin giveaway was strike two, last night was a three and two count in the ninth with the bases loaded.
I truly appreciate their effort last night and I believe they gave everything they had. However, I do believe it was a last stand as far as the NCAA tourney. I think they will play five hundred ball the rest of the year.
Go Blue and get me a drink, a stiff drink.
January 27th, 2010 at 10:17 AM ^
This team needed to be 5-3 in the Big 10 at this point to be on track for the NCAA tourney. At 3-5, they need to finish 8-2 (and that's isn't going to happen).
They lost a "must win" game at home against N'Western. THey lost a "should win" game at home against MSU. Losing @Wisco, @Purdue, and even @IU were acceptable losses. But more importantly, they haven't won any conference games that they weren't supposed to (see the blown lead against Wisconsin).
So... they're dropping games they should/need to have won and are not making up for it with road victories. NIT.
January 27th, 2010 at 10:53 AM ^
Losing at IU was unacceptable. They had just recently lost their best player, Creek, and had lost to Loyola of Maryland without him. Michigan is a much better team and were up big early then IU decided to start competing. Throw in horrible performances by M's two best players and you get an L.
We had Wisconsin who also was playing without their best player, Leuer, and once again faltered down the stretch. You may consider it acceptable, but losing to a team who has recently lost it's best player is totally unacceptable to me.
If you honestly believe that the State game was a should win you need to put the kool aid away. This team has little talent, no leadership, doesn't always give max effort, and makes some of the dumbest plays I have ever seen for a college team. That being said, if State is the #5 team in the country then college Bball sucks.
January 27th, 2010 at 11:12 AM ^
"Acceptable" and "Unacceptable" in terms of the NCAA Tourny Committee. Not in terms of me swearing and bitching during the IU game because they should of won.