Last night or UTL?

Speaking of questions, would you rather...

a) Have won a share of the Big Ten Title?

OR

b) Make it to the Final Four, but not necessarily win the whole dance?

 

I'd go with b, since we just won a BTT last year.  (This kind of Q/A "justifies" in my mind that losing a BTT at the last second was worth it if it means the timestream leads us to a Final Four apperance.)

Both games were amazing, and both games I was marking out. But last night was by far the best comeback I've seen in my life. They were down 5 with 10 seconds left. Crazy, this is magical.

Last night.

Bigger stage. More pressure. Single elimination format. Achieved something that the school has not done in 20 years.

Both are awesome in their own right, but if I absolutely had to choose, I pick last night because we had subs, it was crazy.

Kansas game was a bigger win, but UTL was better? Maybe?

For a Kansas fan this game's misery will be comprable to a Penn State fan's misery after Henne to Manningham.

I think UTL was more impressive within the context. We just came out of 3 terrible years, we didn't really know if it was going to be any better. Totally depressing game for the first three quarters. Then the improbable comeback of comebacks began. Then the turrible defense meltdown. Then cloaking devices were deployed. Then, the miracle. I did not expect it in any way shape or form.

The Kansas game we expected the team to come out and perform. To win. We've known all season that this team is legit, that if they play to their potential they are as good as anyone in the country. The Shot was what Trey Burke is all about. 

I think the difference was in the hope that we could win. In UTL there was almost no point after the first quarter where I thought "Holy shit, we could win this thing." When the defence collapsed it was all over. And then Hoke shat gold. And a funny thing has happened since. I now have the belief that we can win almost any game, in any sport. The deficit doesn't matter.   I think this is one of the biggest differences between the RR era and Hoke's era. There's a belief, a hope that whatever the hurdle, whatever the challenge, we can come back and win. UTL was the beginning of that feeling. That's what makes it special to me.

 

 

P.S. I think we should call it the Puppy Party. 25 points?! That kid is freaking awesome.

because I was there.  Can't beat the experience of being there with the crowd.  However, last night's game was epic.  Shots weren't dropping, they'd get a bit of a run and then Kansas would counter.  I was not feeling good and then the improbable started happening.

Also, the end of last year's football game vs. Northwestern was pretty amazing.  It's on the list, too.  So many people left around us, the wife and I seemed like we were the only people in our section that stuck around for the improbable finish of that game.

It has to be called Karma.  From the Elijah Johnson thing to seemingly every 50/50 ball bouncing straight to a Jayhawk to the miracle finish--I am not a religious man but there were forces at work that man does not comprehend.

UTL was more exciting and Kansas was more important.

UTL was a perfect night...I was at the Big House with my son who had graduated from Michigan the previous spring.  It was a historic night, as it was the first night game at Michigan Stadium and  weather-wise, it was absolutely perfect.  It wasn't only  that we won, it was the roller coaster ride over the last 70 or 80 seconds.  

When the celebration started, it just went on and on....seemed like 45 minutes or so.  Very few people left the stadium. Sleep? Ha....not that night.  I have seen maybe 150 games at the big house, and many were more important, but that game was just different.

Last night will go down as a classic, and no one can doubt its importance, but for me, it will always be Denard throwing that pass.  I don't ever expect to top that memory....ever.  I will take it to my grave.

UTL because the comeback was more drawn out, so the anticipation had longer to build and the excitement creeped up. Also, had Trey's shot been for the win, then it may get the nod. Also also, as others said, being at the UTL game pushes it over the top.

Was obviously very important. But I'd argue UTL was just as important. It was a very impactful night for recruiting, even though only one commitment spawned directly from it. It was the difference between the Sugar Bowl and the Outback/Cap1 with 10-2 vs 9-3. And it must've given the team some swagger and the idea that the program was really headed in the right direction, which is crucial under a new coach

We go on to win the title, last night. Under the lights second most exciting, but I'd still take the Rose Bowl against Washington St as my other favorite game along with last night.

Last night. But only because I was actually at that one and unfortunately not at the UTL. Still gettin chills when I see that replay of the Burke shot.

Great question! For me, selfishly, it was UTL because I was there. Last night was amazing but Michigan was there before (twice) in the Fab Five era when I was in school there. UTL was unlike anything I've experienced.

Option C: 2004 Michigan State

But really, it's all just a first-among-equals thing.

They're like my niece and nephew, I can't choose. One is football and one is basketball and for me, each comeback is my favorite for their respective sport (or gender if you will). Go Blue!

The thing is that if you lose the football game it is a loss and then you move on to the next week's game. The 2011 football team was never going to win a national championship anyway so there were no bigger implications other than just that one loss if we lose to ND. In the tourney, you get the loss but it is not just a loss. It is win or go home. Football occasionally has games that are effectively elimination games for the national championship but that wasn't really in play at UTL. The magnitude of continuing your season, or not, makes this the greater game.

They're like 1a and 1b really. Both are monumental wins for Hoke and Beilein. I think last night has a good argument because it was a win or go home game. But, win or lose last night, everyone knew Beilein had built up a solid program. Beilein would still recruit well.

No one knew what we'd get out of Hoke at first. UTL solidified Hoke's foundation for the program, bolstered recruiting (if I recall, Dymonte committed right after the game), and gave us momentum for the rest of the season, culminating in beating OSU and a Sugar Bowl win, which in turn further churns the recruiting engine and the program's momentum. We don't win that game against Notre Dame, and we are arguably a few steps behind where we're at now, especially in recruiting.

Last night's game was way bigger.  UTL was great, but I felt like we were way more lucky than good at UTL. I didn't have that same feeling about last night's game.

Michigan's Comeback Kids. Undersized overachievers who brought the school back to glory in hoop and football over a two-year span. To win their biggest game in 19 years in such a fashion just. . . defies gravity.

Can't really choose.  Both are definitely on my shortlist of best Michigan games ever.

Bu this game. Going to the Elite 8 is a huge success not screen by M in like 20 years. Also, ND wasn't great during the UTL year which we won. Kansas was a 1 seed and so this win was more unlikely.

I hate how people keep saying Burke heaved that shot or it was a "hail mary". He got his shot., a shot that he takes many times in a game and frequently makes. That was all talent. 

Under the Lights.  Nothing will top the experience of the improbable Jeremy Gallon catch followed up by the catch by Tree.  Then having the 100,000 fans stay in the stadium for an hour after the game. 

This was a crazy game but not on the same magnitude.  Glad i went though.

 

Both were about even in terms of improbable come backs and craziness in general. However, I was at UTL so it was crazier for me.

I loved UTL, and I probably went a bit crazier for that because I prefer football, but there's just no comparison implication-wise.  The stakes were waaaaaay higher for this game, and the comeback was even more unlikely than the comeback in UTL was, as hard as that might be to believe.  Last night may well be the single greatest game of basketball I've ever seen.

UTL was Ginger; last night was Mary Anne.

Last night was a much bigger win for Michigan, but UTL will always be better for me. For one thing, basketball is behind football and hockey for me. Also, I spent most of my life around South Bend and hate ND more than any other school. But there is no reason to choose. They were both amazing games.

While I was on the field for UTL, which is my pick for THE best game ever at Michigan Stadium, what Trey and Co. did last night was also incredible.

UTL -- Denard drove his team 90 yards in exactly 28 seconds (remember 2 seconds remained on the board requiring Michigan to kickoff).

Karma -- Trey and Co. had about 8 seconds to go approximetely 50 feet to where Burke launched the 3-pointer to send the game into OT.

I'm saying UTL was more impressive...barely.

I'm with those who say, how do you choose? You can't really choose between your children. They were both great games, and I enjoyed both of them immensely.

But I will say this:  the basketball team still has a chance at winning it all. Even though (theoretically) the football team could have won it all, it really still wasn't there yet, in terms of both defense and offense. For this reason, I'm also with those who if forced to choose, would go with basketball.

The analogy for me in football would be winning against Ohio, or in the Big 10 Championship game, or in the opening game of the upcoming National Championship bracket, knowing that a win would put you in the National Championship game. UTL was close to the beginning of the year, and it was not against one of the top teams in the country. Yes, I watch more football, but this game was seen by more, and has greater national implications.

UTL was pretty awesome.  And for those saying we weren't going to win the national title, we went 11-2.  We had a pretty damn good season, even if we weren't as good as our record.   If we get that TD called against Iowa, maybe we go 11-1 in the regular season and then who knows what happens?

It's hard to say that a comeback from 10 down with 2 minutes left in an NCAA tournament game can be topped, but anytime you salvage an undefeated football season with a last second victory over Notre Dame it's a big big big deal.