I don't want to play VCU at
If we did get matched up with
If we did get matched up with VCU, I would hope we see Spike and Trey on the floor together. If we can get the ball past the first 2 guys on their press, it's a layup line
If I tell you it's Easter, you better start looking for eggs.
Some folks call it a sling blade, I call it a kaiser blade.
"...it's a layup line"
Considering the alarmingly large number of bunny layups we've missed this season, that's not necessarily a comforting thought.
i actually realy like it when
i actually realy like it when trey and spike are on the floor together. i think spike is great to have as hybrid pg-shooting guard. while trey is clearly superior, spike is entirely looking to distribute when he has the ball and is a solid shooter (nailed a clutch 3 in the corner). plus, it takes the pressure off burke from bringing the ball up the floor so much. i wish we could experiment more with that lineup, but it is a bit late to tinker with things i guess...
At first I hated the idea of
At first I hated the idea of Spike and Trey on the floor at the same time, because I figured if we were gonna trot out Spike, at least use his minutes to give Trey a rest.
However, the system does run more smoothly, I think, because Trey gets more open looks when Spike drives. I think the only downside is that Trey gets no rest on the offensive end when he doesn't have the ball in his hands. Usually he can catch his breath a little bit if he's running the point, but with Spike running it, he's cutting and back screening and running all over the place. I wonder what that does, if anything, to his stamina late in the game.
Hail.
I'm tired of hearing how good
I'm tired of hearing how good VCU is. They have seven losses whlle playing in a mediocre conference. They had a miracle run two years but that alone doesn't make them the Boise State of basketball.
Miami
is good. They might average 2.7 offensive rebounds per trip against us. I like the rest of the bracket, but Miami is not a pushover by any stretch of the imagination.
Jerry Palm's Bracket....
Jerry Palm has us as the #2 and playing Vermont in Auburn Hills and then the winner of Temple / Notre Dame. Getting through that, we would then face whoever survived Oklahoma State / Boise State and Arizona / Montana over in Salt Lake City.
Looking at Lunardi's bracket, I have to say that I prefer Jerry's road if it meant potentially avoiding VCU.
"Funny isn't it, how naughty dentists always make that one fatal mistake."
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Jerry Palm's bracket
Wow...I love that one. There's not a single team in that one that I don't think Michigan could beat. Gonzaga as the one doesn't scare me and Arizona doesn't seem like too bad of a potential sweet 16 matchup. Too bad that bracket most likely won't work out.
Wow if true the Gonzaga
Wow if true the Gonzaga bracket went from "worst to first" on the tough-o-meter. Anybody thinking we'd walk through that gauntlet of fire is crazy (no offense OP) and I honestly cannot think of a more terrrible match-up for us than Miami right now. If you havent seen them picture MSU with more size and a few actual shooters. They are beasts.
Yea I want no part of Miami
Yea I want no part of Miami (full disclosure, I went there for undergrad). Several scorers, big time athletes, and size that they can bully with (Reggie Johnson is Chris Bryant sized (or maybe Wormley - someone tall and large) but has a soft touch and can finish). Plus, perhaps the biggest disadvantage for Michigan is Miami's age - they're chalk full of veterans.
I don't know
Maybe I'm wrong, but I think Miami is the best option out of the #2 seeds Lunardi has here. I wouldn't want to face OSU for obvious reasons (Craft), Kansas has the #5 Kenpom rated defense and has Withey, G'town has the #3 Kenpom rated defense and has 6'8" Big East player of the year Otto Porter. Every time UM faces a top 10 defense (OSU, MSU, Wisco), the offense barely looks better than their horrendous defense. While Miami still has a solid defense (#18 in Kenpom's D ratings), that's basically on par with Indiana (ranked #13) and we didn't struggle to score much against them either time. I'm terrified of UM facing any team with an elite D.
But let's face it, UM is going to get an extremely tough matchup in a hypothetical chalk sweet 16 opponent regardless.
if that's the draw, we're going to the Final Four.
Just a suggestion: don't bet either your literal or figurative house on that proposition.
Doubt
I don't see us making it past the sweet 16
well, first off, we won't be
well, first off, we won't be playing games in the big ten, and we are undefeated against non-big ten teams. secondly, we are a pretty damn good neutral court team, going undefeated in our preseason tourneys. thirdly, i can pray that non-big ten refs actually follow the rulebook and are at least a tiny bit more consistent. so i think if we get the right draw, we could make a great run.
If that turned out to be
If that turned out to be MSU's bracket, they would have a cake walk to the elite eight (at least for a 3 seed).
Struggling to see what you
Struggling to see what you have seen in the last part of the season that leads you to believe we would be a lock to make the final four in any bracket...
Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.
- Vince Lombardi
I don't think our matchups are going to differ greatly
with different brackets. Here's scouting report for every round
First Round: Would only lose if random no-name team gets on fire.
Second Round: Will have to handle pressure that solid mid major team brings, or contain size of raw big men that underperforming major conference team brings
Sweet 16: Will have to shoot lights out and use all of our energy and more to defend against elite size that every legitimate contender has (except for us, because we don't run a 2 big system).
Elite 8: Same as last
Final 4: Same as last
Champ: Same as last
I do it for my love of the Streets
Would love to be in that
Would love to be in that region in general. Other than the travel, the opponents are not quite as daunting as the stretch we have had over the last month or so. I think seeing some new jerseys on the opposing side could be refreshing and a slight confidence boosts to the team.
Question. What do you think has to happen in the BTT to remain a 3 seed or in that region? How high can we climb?
"We need to realize what we need to do every time we come out to play," It can't just be some half-assed work ethic. It needs to be fuckin' full out every play, every down, every game." -Dave Molk
I read this morning, I think
I read this morning, I think on SI.com, that Michigan could get a #1 seed if they win the BTT.
It might be a stretch, but if Michigan does win the BTT it could potentially be against some impressive teams with high NCAA seedings: #4/#5 Wisky, #1 Indiana, #2 OSU.
Beer me 5:30
I am just happy we are still a 3 seed.
I am just happy we are still a 3 seed.
I'm curious as to what you've
I'm curious as to what you've seen in the last month that convinces you we're a lock for the Final Four in any bracket. If you can't play defense and can't rebound well, you're not going to beat ANYONE in the tournament, whether its Duke or Northwestern Central Montana A&M.
Brady Hoke: Kicking Ass And Signing Names On The Recruiting Trail
They played excellent defense....
yesterday. They just gave Indiana 4 or 5 chances every possession.
All right Lemmings. Bring the heat.
Then I'd argue that's not
Then I'd argue that's not good defense.
But I think I know what you mean. We did play pretty decent defense, right up until the ball was in the air. Then we ran away from it as if we were scared of rebounding.
HAIL.
Aside from the meltdow at the
Aside from the meltdow at the end of the game yesterday, thats the best UM has played in about a month-month and a half. If they play like that in the big ten tourney, I like our chances of bumping up to a #2 seed. I think #1 is completely out of the question at this point, although leaving KU at #2 after getting crushed this weekend is perplexing so who knows. Again, the defensive intensity and effort yesterday was the best its been all year by a lot. We missed quite a few bunnies (and FT's...argh!!!). So again, aside from the last few minutes, we went toe-to-toe with one of, if not the best, team in the country and had every opportunity to win. Keep things in perspective...
Miami?
I would be petrified of playing Miami in the Sweet 16. To me, they look like a much better team than Duke - who they killed at home and lost to by the slimmest of margins during Ryan Kelly's greatest game this year by a human. They are athletic and a matchup nightmare offensively - I would frankly rather be in a bracket with Indiana or Florida than Miami.
"Nowhere is there a better university, in any way, than this Michigan of ours."
They're better than Duke but
They're better than Duke but not by that much. Like Duke, they're a little thin and get most of their contributions from five players. Essentially they're reaping the benefits of having a senior-heavy lineup of good players. Far too many close calls to bad teams in ACC play this year that could easily have been losses. I think you're pumping them up too high; they're not that scary.
"We've beaten Michigan the last four years. So where's the threat?"
- Mark Dantonio
Blogging the Virginia Cavaliers at http://fromoldvirginia.blogspot.com/<
I defer to the resident Wahoo
I will defer to the resident Wahoo as my impressions were based on only a handful of games. Though I do think from that limited viewing I am somewhat confident in my assertion that they'd be a matchup problem for us. I also am a huge Shane Larkin fan rather inexplicably after watching those few games.
"Nowhere is there a better university, in any way, than this Michigan of ours."
Bracket Matrix
Per the averages, we are sitting at a solid 2. Fine with either a two or three, as long as we land in Auburn Hills.
Also, beat Penn State please.
All right Lemmings. Bring the heat.
Massey has been posting odds
Massey has been posting odds tables based on Lunardi's brackets, though I think he's one bracket behind (this was the one before yesterday's games):
http://masseyratings.com/tourn.php?t=10
Louisville is the favorite at a little better than 5:1. Other odds:
Other B1G teams:
I'd take those last three bets, to be honest. These tables always seem to underestimate the odds at the longshot end, probably because they assume the odds on individual games are uncorrelated.
Idk if I would want to see
Idk if I would want to see Burke's potential final game in Maize matched up against Larkin. That dude is Trey Burke on steroids in terms of speed getting to the basket. He might look like the far superior PG on the floor even though Burke's all around game is so polished.
Columbus bred, but home is where the heart is.
Also hate seeing sons of Michigan legends
Playing in some other school's colors....
I don't want to play VCU at all..
And, Miami has some great size, and we don't at all...