Arkansas up 41 to 38 on Oklahoma at half. If you want something to watch until tip.
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MBB vs Western Michigan Open Thread
having their way with Texas on ESPN right now.
I think that website has some sort of pornography or something on it. I clicked on it and a bunch of new programs came up and would not let me get away.
~Herm
Um no. I've been using thefrontrow for a while now and it's an unbelievably consistent way to watch ANY game (no baseball though). I've never owned a TV in my life so I watch games on my computer.
Actually, it happened to me too. I clicked that link, and some other things popped up... not good, considering i'm on my work lap top.
Do you torrent songs on your work laptop too?
Sounds like we should have a big win tonight
I'll say 81- 64 just a guess for fun
Is this related to the injury he had last year?
Doubt it. I believe it was bilateral knee tendonitis last year. Hopefully he just rolled an ankle. If his jumper gets better, he could allow coach B go big more effectively.
Kicking back with some homebrew. Looking forward to a rout in this one.
For those with comcast/xfinity, xfinity.tv has recently added btn to their "live now" section, at no extra cost (along with the espn's, disney, etc.). So, if you have btn on comcast you can watch it without having to pay extra for btn2go. You just need to sign in with your comcast login.
Mich 80
Wm 62
Big Ten Network guys just said Bielema has an ankle tattoo. Of course he does
Actually kind of surprised he doesn't have a tramp stamp.
Bad visual.
Let's Go Blue!
Why do networks always put Ohio commentators on Michigan games?
Seriously.
lets take care of business...I really want to see Levert play some serious minutes tonight....I want to see what he brings this team this year...
I went to high school with one of Western's grad assistants. I hope he goes home sad. Go Blue!
gets to Fayettville, he'll probably get a stud for his tongue and another tattoo on the small of his back
Vomit.
can watch from beginning tonight
FORREST GUMP REFERENCE!!!! Ha so current BTN!
Michigan 85
WM 55
Man it doesn't seem like Beilein has been here for 6 years.
Well Tim is starting out great.
Is that 2 offensive fouls on Wittington?
Since when is that a double dribble. He didn't have control of the ball from the pass.
since they defined double dribbling as dribbling twice
since Nam.
Please don't follow the espn rule of showing a broadcast and show me the action on the court.
In other words, don't get cute, sports is simple, show the action, that is all
...
These refs are whistle happy.
sighting
Sloppy thusfar
WOW...MORGAN...the most athletic play I have ever seen him make
Great play Morgan! And a nice take by Burke.
Both teams are cold as fuck.
I think Hardaway is hurting his with those leggings
is a little off right now, I expect that to change once they warm up
well yeah..
When was the last time we trailed in a game? Not Bradley and I don't think nc state.
OMG! Timmy!
So happy to see us getting the passing lanes. It's been bugging me this season and we already have two hustle plays on defense that have led to two easy steals and two easy layups.
Now please make a shot on offense. Thanks.
This is becoming too common.
woof
Oops there he is
Defense is sloppy.
Every white guy on Westerns team looks like they came from Holland Christian
I hope we start heating up.
Dunk you very much!
Still workin on that alley oop thing
But seriously, what's our conversion % on those? 0%?
I was just about to post the same thing. I seem to remember someone hitting GRIII for one a few games ago. It's the only successful one I can recall.
just needs to stroke it and not hesitate
and nice dunk timmmayyy
That's what she said
I can't wait for McGary to mature...his speed and power is amazing....
Brian's description of him being a puppy is dead on
I can't wait for him to just start catching and hanging onto the ball
True, but watching him on defense is pretty cool. He has the potential to be a great defender this year
That he does. Very active and takes up a ton of space. It's just frustrating to see him make a great play on either end of the floor, have the ball in his hands and then...DO'H hands of stone sometimes. But I'm being picky. I've been very pleased with his play so far.
Turnout looks pretty good for western. Hope we don't have to say that going forward. That alley oop woulda brought the house down
Students didn't show up too well. But with finals coming up, not totally unexpected. Student tickets were going for the low price of... free. But the regular fans did turn out pretty well for a meaningless game.
sickkkk dunk by Hardaway.
Stauskas just got clobbered there.
If Stauskas can shoot 95% from the line for the season and 50% from three; how cool would that be? ANSWER ME!
super cool
Are my expectations too high when I am pissed that we are #3 and we are only up by 1?
Rankings doesnt automatically guarantee a double digit lead immediately
I'm good, Stauskas is good, it's alll gooood.
...
Trey with the trey!
All right I'm sold. Watching #4 Mitch McGary on defense . . . He is a Wolverine among sloths. Just outstanding.
PS have met him in West Quad courtyard too. Really nice guy.
Time to get seperation here
Wow. What a good acting job by that WM player.
That foul was called just cuz the guard jerked his head
No need for stupid divisions when you have a tourney at the end you dumb asses
Western's jersey have got some Notre Dame font goin on
What you want to see in games like this is good shot selection. I'm not particularly worried about the score --- we're going to win. But are we getting good looks? Are we taking good shots? Are we working certain possessions --- pushing the ball in the right spots?
These are things we need to worry about more than anything. In that Bradley game, this was what concerned me the most.
welcome to the game Matt...keep your head up...
is Vogrich on the floor, again?
He seems so out of place now
Vogrich serves no purpose.
young fellas use the glass more, it works man
Wow this is ugly. Can we blow these guys out now, please?
Stauskas, GR3 and THJ are a combined 1/9 from the field and 0/3 from three. Combined they have 4 points. Meh.
Protip: no more Vogrich.
I would love to see the stats if Vogrich's fouls and TOs vs points, assists and rebounds.
Lots v little
Before this game Vogrich was playing very well. He's been a much better defender than Stauskas and had taken on that gritty role that we needed.
He was getting like 8 minutes a game, so it's a nonfactor, but he was certainly playing better than he has all year.
This has BY FAR been his worst game.
is on fire right now
Neither team can put the ball in the hoop right now. Lucky we at least aren't turning the ball over, that's the difference in the game right now.
We're taking good shots for the most part...and if we wanted, we could play our best or go 1-3-1 and shut down this slip-screen stuff they're running.
Vogrich really strugged in his first time off the bench...I might go back with putting him in the starting lineup and bringing him out quickly for Stauskas.
Then again, Levert is likely going to eat into his minutes. Wouldn't be shocked to see Stauskas start and Levert be the backup wing player.
He was playing well all things considered. Stauskas was lightyears ahead of him on the offensive end. But he was playing solid defense while Stauskas was giving up easy baskets earlier this year. He was also the first guy on the floor for loose balls and scrappy plays.
He was playing his role well. Then Stauskas was coming off the bench playing his. I think the emergence of Levert has more to do with Vogrich to the bench than Nik's play. Stauskas is always going to get starter's minutes whether he's starting or not.
He is a part of this team. Stop treating him like some sort of cancer. You have no idea what he contributes on or off the floor...I know I don't, but when I watch him, he does the little things well. He can get hot and produce a mini run by himself. Is he a starter...No...Is he a player who can provide some time off the bench...Yes. Stauskus is catching up on the D-end, and hence, greater minutes.
He provides leadership and a gritty presence that we need at times. Is that deserving of being a starter? Depends.
If it's just him and Stauskas...I have no problem with Vogrich starting and coming out at the 16 minute media timeout. That's 8-10 minutes a game. Stauskas with 25-30.
The X-Factor is Levert...with Caris now in the mix, that time is going to come from Vogrich, not Stauskas.
I understand he is struggling, but don't single him out and bash the kid. He is playing bc Coach B knows he can help this team to win games. It's fine to criticize his play, but we don't need you to belittle one of our own.
Man, our shooters can't seem to hit so far. Except for Burke of course.
Those would be Christmas lights.
The stream is good as far as I can tell (official btn2go stream)
Directv
Timmay is ice cold..starting to force shots a la last year.
Wait, is Stauskas 0-2 from the field? What is going on?
I thought he was better than Glenn rice!?!? Put in vogrich!OUTRAGE!
That was a real good job by Horford.
I am being hypnotized by the Big Ten Network's' flickering half court camera. It does not matter which TV I watch on. It keeps following me.
I am getting sleepy . . . I am getting sleepy . . . Go Green . . . Go White . . .
nice give and go Timmy to JM
I feel bad for Vogrich, senior and all but he struggles and we have more talented guys
and this team just seems like they're still very early in the meshing stage, obviously, and it's going to be a beautiful thing when they really start to click
I was going to switch TVs, but I'm on MGoBlog and well, I don't care.
Seems like Trey is forcing more dumb shots this year.
Remind you of someone in his sophomore year last year?
It's not surprising, you have so much success, flirt with the NBA and come back trying to be the man. You also know you can play outside of the framework of the offense a little more.
Burke will leave after this year and be fine, but if he came back his Junior year. He'd be unstoppable.
hasn't made a 3 yet...
Aliens
Foot. Please go on pedal. Please stay there for the rest of game.
Thanks.
is a coach in the making it looks like
Caris!
Levert! And good job by Burke kicking it back to him.
And that's exactly what I mean about shot selection...in the early games, Burke chucks up at 26 foot 3 for no reason.
Yeah I was worried about him throwing up something there.
Big shot! Anyone know why he wasn't playing early on? Injury?
He was supposed to redshirt due to his slight build but supposedly he's been too good in practice to keep out.
Caris!
What the hell is that sound in the BTN feed? It's pulsing and is annoying as hell.
Wow Canadian Bacon!
lol there's stauskas
He is, but he's still a freshman.
And you thought he was going to miss WMU...silly you.
Pretty fly for a white guy, anyone said that yet?
No. Thanks for being the first
He's plays at 110mph...it's a gift and a curse.
Played everyone that we needed to play...took good shots, could've shot a little better, but not really worried about that. Just execute.
I read this thread on the toilet before turning on the game. Based on all of the comments, I expected a tie game.. however, Michigan was up by like 15 when I turned the game on before the half ended. Something is wrong with this board. Too negative.
...we went on a 11-0 run late in the half. It doesn't take many shots to do that. I'm sure you saw the Stauskas 3 comments, the Trey Burke comments and the Caris Levert comments. That happened and boom, we're up going into halftime.
welcome to Michigan. You also probably thought Brandon inge put on Matt Vogrichs jersey and threw the ball non-stop into the crowd saying 'Fuck the Tigers'.
Dude you need to go back and read game threads of games we have lost. Then you would see how positive this thread is.
Rebounding: (Off) Total
M: (2) 11
WMU: (5) 15
We really have to crash the boards better in the second half.
GTFO
I've got your 6
Hardaway got LAZY
Lots of good and bad in that first half.
The good outweighs the bad, of course. It's awesome to have a team so athletic that the screw up an offensive possession and are able to come back on defense, make a play, and get a fast break/transition bucket. The "talent" on this team is great. It's putting that talent together and getting it to gel, day in and day out, possession after possession, and for a complete game come April and March; the talent alone will win some Big Ten games even if they play poorly. But getting far in March will be a sight to see as this team will be clicking and playing on a different level than we're even seeing now.
Trey has showed some NBA shots thus far in the game (thankfully, as a few were during stretches noone else was doing anything). Defense looks very good at times but getting caught with those backdoor/screens a few times has given WMU some easy points. Jordan Morgan looks great. The steal and fast break was a very athletic "chain of events". THJ also looking very good. Getting to the basket like a Boss; a few misses, yes, but he's not settling for lower efficiency shots. Let's see that trend continue all season.
Go Blue. (WMU is actually a decent looking team, all things considered).
We just need to execute, if shots aren't falling...not the end of the world. We'll win. You can't shoot the lights out every game.
3 pointer machine
Haha I love how on fast breaks, we look for him on the outside before a layup
He's not even playing. Who gives a shit?
We're up by like 20, and he hasn't been on the court in forever. We may as well be complaining about Eso Akunne.
Let it go. It's clear you don't have a working knowledge of the game of basketball, roles or rotations. It's fine, there should be plenty more 3's and dunks left in this game to tickle your fancy.
...aaaaand it's good from 49 yards for the 3.
That's going to be the key for us this year...we have the talent on the offensive end. But if we can be a "B" or better team on the defensive end. This is a Final Four type team.
Staukas is a showing better defensive prowess tonight. Much more hustle and smart plays on defense, even if he is still spotting half a step when players drive on him.
Because he's been below average to awful for most of the year. I've really been impressed with his improvement tonight.
In previous games he was always a step behind and going one way when the offensive player was going the other. Luckily, that guy usually missed and it didn't really show. Also, while he was giving up a potential 2 --- he was raining 3's on the other end.
If he can be an average level defender, he's a legit All-Conference type player.
That's actually been overblown by some uneducated fans. He's been pretty solid on D so far but bc he's white, Canadian and can shoot people have defaulted to the poor D stereotype. Pretty ignorant really.
Trey, he's been good tonight
GRIII needs to gain some confidence, he seems a little lost right now on offense
I agree. He needs to be much more assertive. Whenever he touches the ball, his first look is someone to pass to. I'd like to see him attack the basket a little bit more.
He wasn't shooting well and kind of lost it after that Pitt game. he got flat out abused by CJ Leslie if you watched close.
It's a great learning experience though, he'll grow...but I wouldn't be surprised to see McGary get more minutes as the 4.
Big Ten Football 2012: Unsatisfying and horrifying for everybody, including Wisconsin who improbably won the conference.
Mitch....Homerun or strikeout looking....wow
Still, he is my favorite player and I can't wait to watch him develop over his career here
He doesn't look very comfortable in the post, i don't see him as a one and done.
We have great freshman, but none are one and done IMO...at least, not yet
He's going to be very good, but it's going to take experience. He's just raw and unorthodox. Give him a couple years and lookout, he could carry this team in 2014-15.
I think he has a HUGE Junior year and leaves after that. I think GRIII has his big year next year and is forced with a big decision. The other guys stay all 4 years. Stauskas to be is a guy that is going to be a kid B1G teams hate ala Jon Diebler at OSU or JJ Reddick or Duke.
Another missed WMU free throw. Luck is nice.
We were getting BURNED earlier this game and could've easily switched to zone and shut them down...instead Coach B let them work through it and figure it out. Now they can't score.
Didnt feature him on Offense. Im super glad he chose Michigan but He never should have been a 5 star.
A 6'10 kid who looks very similar to Tyler Hansbrough his freshman year? A bunch of hustle, a bunch of turnovers, flashes of greatness...unorthodox and a year away from being great.
Yea, what? No, he's not Shaq yet, but the kid is showing signs of greatness; and already. Hes acclimating himself, yes, and again isn't "lighting it up" offensively, but we really don't need him to do that, yet.
Hardaway and Burke take too many shots, along with Stauskas. We don't need another guy on the floor to shoot. We need someone to hustle and get rebounds --- he's exactly what we need this year.
Looking real good now.
A great 5 minutes of Michigan basketball...highly recommend that people rewatch the start of the 2nd half. We're playing how we want to play all year.
this team has the ability to just go OFF. let's not let them get another late game run. i want a big win
I am glad they burned the redshirt of LeVert...he is a contributer.
forced his man to rotate towards the baseline, right into help defense, easy stop and taking it the other way. Just great maturity and basketball sense.
I neeeeed a Stauskas jersey
at the game watching his son. Back in my days at Michigan Tim along with Eric Turner were coach Frieder's first big recruits.
Where is Max B tonight?
He has a boo-boo.
Rumor is foot injury...not sure how serious, but I heard he was in a walking boot
He played what seemed like 105 minutes vs. Bradley because it was his hometown and his mom brought the team maize and blue ice cream (not a lie). I'm sure he'll get some run late in the game --- I'm happy with Horford getting back into the flow.
nice play by Spike...on D cutting off the drive and the nice find of the backdoor cutter
Spike!
use the glass my man, use the glass, it works
But I like the way he's getting involved more
great play...nice pass and finish
It may be cheeky or funny to some but I don't think it belongs here. (I know, I'm an ass for saying it and I honestly don't mean to come off like a grumpy old man. But we'll never ,as a society, get past the racial tones if we always have to bring it up, even when done a light-hearted fashion).
I agree, edited it, but forgot the title...
foot on pedal earlier, well there you have it, great defense, rebounding, running in the open court, hustle, savvyness from so many including the freshmen.
What I really like about this team is that even though the freshmen are really talented, they still need just enough seasoning to not want to go to the NBA too soon and some will be aroud a few years, I love it.
this is the first time i have seen the Morgan and McGary on the floor with Stauskus, Hardaway, and Burke really shine...before it looked forced...this lineup looks balanced and a force on D
McGary moves so much, he can easily play the 4...
Mitch is looking good.
Jackson is hating hard on our squad??
But he's also good friends with Burke's family so it's not out of spite. He just knows that we're not where we want to be and we have bigger aspirations.
I think he's also acknowledging that we've become more than a jump shooting team. It's a compliment.
I like forcing shot clock violations.
Gonna be honest, this team is playing as good of basketball as I've ever seen a team play at Michigan.
Probably because this is the best team you've seen at Michigan.
I'm assuming you never saw the Fab 5 or were too young to remember. This is clearly the best team since those teams. We'll see if we can keep improving and win big games, but talent and chemistry wise. We haven't had a better team since those 5 were sophomores.
Actually, I did watch the Fab Five. I was young, 12, but I remember how good they were. This team's performance tonight is reminiscent of those games I saw.
They won how Kentucky wins...not how this team wins. Both ways work, to me, this is the way to build a program and keep it there.
This is certainly the best team we've had since the Fab 5. Not at that level yet, but they're getting there --- they could absolutely reach that level but they've got to get tougher and better defensively. Also they just have to face some big time teams before we say they're going to be great.
With that said, they're doing what they're supposed to be doing.
cause we've been a perennially strong team for 50 years except for a while after that stupid scandal
I'm 31. I remember how awesome we were in the Fab Five era and just after. As I posted below, I just said this team is playing on that level. Even when we're not playing our best, we're killing teams.
Hey, Vogrich scored!
I see ya matt...
Nice shot by Vogrich
WMU isn't bad...73-41 is a solid victory.
Then again if Akunne had any say, he'd get you there. That guy shoots ALL the time. He's like that kid at the park that's alright, but a straight black hole when he gets the ball. It's funny to me.
Hah. Well put. A straight black hole when he gets the ball (I've never heard that before, that's a good one). But it's true. He tries to get his when he's out there. You really can't blame the guy. It's not as if they're terrible shots, though most haven't been great by any means either. A few games ago when he was getting some PT in the middle of a game and he jacked up shots two (sub-par at best) straight possessions, that was not good basketball.
Just to piss that idiot off who was posting earlier...
McLimas-Horford-Vogrich-Levert-Akunne
Make it happen...
D is looking better.
We flipped a switch midway through the first half and never looked back. We went from bad to dominant defensively. Sometimes it just takes a little time. In the end, this was one of the most complete games you'll ever see.
Bring on the Soooey.
We owe them from last year.
Tim Doyle cracks me up... I still remember a couple years ago when he dropped a "If loving Taylor Battle is wrong, I don't want to be right." When talking about Penn St.
Ha, ha, ha. Izzo has been trying to build a program in the tradition of Duke and North Carolina but I think it's Beilein who is going to accomplish that with his coaching smarts and rosters of talented, smart, good citizen kids.