Lindy's College Basketball 2012 magazine has UM basketball team making Final Four
DetNews article summates Lindy's College Basketball 2012 Preview; which has the Wolverines finishing second to Indiana in the Big Ten and then advancing to the Final Four, with the Hoosiers, Louisville and North Carolina State.
LINK: Wolverines: Lindy's has basketball team making Final Four
September 18th, 2012 at 2:27 AM ^
Why wouldn't they release their NC winner as well? I mean, that's the only logical explanation...
September 18th, 2012 at 2:38 AM ^
Single elimination tournaments are no way to judge a team's success. One team gets hot and you go cold and you're out. March Madness is loved and gets great ratings because people gamble on it. I'd probably love watching Sesame Street if I could gamble on it.
September 18th, 2012 at 3:45 AM ^
Yeah. March Madness is a lot of fun to watch but is not a very good way of picking a champion. When VCU made the final four, it was kind of fun to see the underdog get there, but it would have been stupid if they won the championship. They were not one of the four best teams in basketball.
September 18th, 2012 at 11:32 AM ^
I'm always betting on which of the things is not like the other. Pro-tip: don't take the chalk with anyone over 8.
September 18th, 2012 at 11:35 AM ^
September 18th, 2012 at 7:26 AM ^
September 18th, 2012 at 8:38 AM ^
September 18th, 2012 at 10:03 AM ^
So we, as fans, should not speak of major national publications predicting that we'll make the Final Four, since you're worried that we, as fans, might get ahead of ourselves and not win the conference. That makes sense.
Plus, as noted above, it's not like you have to win the conference in order to make the Final Four. The fact that these guys have Indiana in there, too, would seem to make that pretty clear.
September 18th, 2012 at 7:43 AM ^
September 18th, 2012 at 8:23 AM ^
has the loss the certain players been more overlooked than with the 2012-13 Michigan basketball team. The team will be good, as in the absence of bad, but Novak and Douglas were literally the soul of this basketball team, and Smot, another departure, individually, was the only reason the Ohio (no, not that Ohio) loss was merely bad instead of completely humiliating. I hope I am wrong, and I often am, but I am not sold on the billing this team is getting.
September 18th, 2012 at 9:40 AM ^
Loved watching Novak and Douglass but the fact was their heart had to make up for a lack of talent and depth. This year, hopefully the talent and heart will be there.
In terms of Smot and the Ohio game, you are completely overlooking him getting DESTROYED in the paint the entire game on defense.
September 18th, 2012 at 9:46 AM ^
@ijohnb: I pos'd your comment, because it's throught-provoking, and I agree with most of it, but I still think this team could make the Final Four. I would expect a lot of "coachable moments" through the first few weeks of the Big Ten season, but if this team "gels," they could be as good as anyone in March.
Basically, I am "sold" on their potential. Whether they fulfill it is another question altogether.
September 18th, 2012 at 10:37 AM ^
and I agree that there is certainly potential for this team to be special, however, I am remain guarded in terms of my expectations. Other factors include whether we get the Hardaway Jr. we thought we had after his Freshman year instead of the strange player we got back last year. And whether Trey Burke spends the entire season being all "I should have gone pro." There are some very compelling aspects of this team to say the least.
September 18th, 2012 at 11:05 AM ^
September 18th, 2012 at 11:21 AM ^
with "By all accounts," does not identify one "account," and then goes off on me for speculating. By all accounts, that is pretty funny.
September 18th, 2012 at 1:00 PM ^
September 18th, 2012 at 1:05 PM ^
"the ESPN article that quotes the Free Press article." Can't get much more first hand than that. Sounds like you and Trey are pretty tight.
September 18th, 2012 at 1:50 PM ^
September 18th, 2012 at 2:05 PM ^
up and look at the course of this dialogue to identify the one who decided to be a prick. Don't start nothing won't be nothing.
September 18th, 2012 at 11:03 AM ^
the most underrated losses ever going in to a season were Merritt and Lee. I think we expect to miss Novak and Douglass. They made a late of plays and provided a lot of leadership. I'm confident that we have the talent to make plays and hopeful that they helped groom the leaders for this team.
September 18th, 2012 at 8:29 AM ^
I'd probably run down my street shirtless if they made the Final Four and dive into someone's pool.
After all this program has been through, my God that would be sweet. Already shed some tears of happiness when they won the B1G. Just felt like a dream after what this program has been through and we've been through as fans.
September 18th, 2012 at 9:27 AM ^
If you live in Michigan, I'd assume that persons pool would be closed up for the winter. Streaking through the quad seems to be a more logical way to express your feelings.
September 18th, 2012 at 9:41 AM ^
I think you mean The Diag.
This is Michigan fergodsakes.
September 18th, 2012 at 10:29 AM ^
I implied that I'd be jumping in even though it is closed.
September 18th, 2012 at 1:14 PM ^
I'm not a doctor, and I did not stay in a holiday inn last night, but I do not recommend that.
September 18th, 2012 at 5:50 PM ^
You think KFC is still open?
September 18th, 2012 at 9:43 AM ^
September 18th, 2012 at 11:04 AM ^
Our biggest weakness all of last year was the lack of size. We consistently got outrebounded and crushed in the paint (see the Ohio tourney game for just one of many examples). McGary and GRIII should take care of that problem in a hurry. Of course I'm gonna miss the guys that are gone, but heart isn't everything. If heart was everything we would be gunning for our 5th straight final four this year as we would've made the past four with them on the team.
I haven't been this excited for a Michigan basketball season ever (I was not yet a Michigan fan in the Fab Five era and was a student here during the Amaker years). I can't wait for November to get here.
September 18th, 2012 at 11:10 AM ^
Very excited for this upcoming basketball season. And as a hardcore hockey/Red Wings fan, I'm even more excited considering there probably won't be any hockey to watch.
I need to get to Crisler to watch this team and check out the new renovations.
September 18th, 2012 at 12:03 PM ^
Picked up a pair of tickets for the final four in the ticket lottery a couple weeks back. Michigan in the series would make that trip extra sweet :)
September 18th, 2012 at 1:12 PM ^
Pretty sweet to see M getting love in the dreaded MSM.
Hopefully Coach B is able to get Trey some rest this season and keep him fresh for March.
Also wonder if Coach B is going to run more of his famed zone D, now that M has the size and depth to do so. Not that familiar with Beilein's 1-3-1, since he hasn't used it much here, but I think GRIII or Hardaway would look real nice at the top of that zone. Play some good D, and get GRIII a leg up in transition, would be spectacular to watch.
September 18th, 2012 at 2:01 PM ^
September 18th, 2012 at 3:54 PM ^
We're going to have to get tougher both mentally and physically if we want to reach the Final Four. We certainly the talent, the system and a team worthy of reaching the Final Four but we need to have a mindset and a determination like we haven't seen at Michigan (for a season) in a long time.
Whatever that was that led Zack Novak to beat MSU, screaming and yelling...we need the whole team to embody that. It doesn't have to be screaming and yelling, but that relentlessness that says "we won't lose, period." See Denard Robinson/Mike Martin/etc. vs. OSU last year.
Quality tournament teams have a certain level of focus, it's that "it" factor that you can't describe. If we have that, I definitely could see us going deep --- obviously a lot depends on matchups.
September 18th, 2012 at 6:41 PM ^
I think they were mentally tough enough, but they weren't talented or deep enough last season. Team overachieved. They won a Big Ten title for the first time since 1986, with basically a 7 man rotation
I don't think you can be referring to the 5 incoming freshmen when you are talking about, "have to get tougher both mentally and physically if we want to reach the Final Four", since they weren't relevant to last years team's mental toughness.
September 19th, 2012 at 11:18 PM ^
Winning the B1G regular season tough isn't Final Four "1 and done" tough...
Playing in a tournament, whether high school or college is a different breed. Different arenas, atmosphere, distractions, pressure...completely different than winning a league title of a season.