Tater

December 8th, 2014 at 7:21 PM ^

I was surprised that they beat Oregon and Syracuse.  I thought their relative inexperience would be a factor.  I also thought I was wrong about them, but it turns out my orignal thoughts were probably closer to being correct.  

I don't see them as one of the top 25 teams yet, but I think they will be one of the teams that makes it to the second week of the tournament, after which anything can happen.  In the meantime, being unranked will "rankle" them a bit and give them a bit more motivation to improve even faster.

Joined: 08/13/2008

MGoPoints: 30584

freejs

December 8th, 2014 at 6:10 PM ^

Your negativity is becoming a real drag. Sack the fuck up. 

It's a terrible loss, but if it turns out to be a blip, it will be treated like a blip. 

If it turns out we're actually not that good, well, then we weren't good enough this year, anyway. 

Frankly, I think it's far from the worst thing in the world that could happen to this team. 

It's a massive kick in the pants, and a reminder that they aren't talented enough to mail one in. It's going to be used to taunt them all year, and a chip on the shoulder is a great thing for a team with potential and some ability, but not overwhleming talent to have. 

If we were Kentucky going for an undefeated season or a #1 seed, this would be tragic. 

As things stand, this is the 12, 562nd worse thing to happen to Michigan Athletics in the past few years, so get the fuck over it. 

 

Joined: 04/07/2010

MGoPoints: 9002

GoBlueinEugene

December 8th, 2014 at 2:32 PM ^

Surprised (and disappointed, I guess) that NJIT didn't even get one vote. Maybe an AP voter will. 

Edit: Crud, never mind. No votes for NJIT from AP either. GET HARBAUGH

Joined: 11/13/2010

MGoPoints: 5061

mgob-rad

December 8th, 2014 at 2:34 PM ^

I think we as a whole would have been much more upset about this loss if it wasn't in the midst of the most important coaching search this school has had in decades

Joined: 09/18/2014

MGoPoints: 2068

CRISPed in the DIAG

December 8th, 2014 at 2:35 PM ^

Not an unexpected development.  We'll cycle back into the polls at some point because there's too much talent, notwithstading the bizarre (young) play of our bigs.  Unfortanely this loss will leave a scar come March unless we really get to business.

Joined: 11/08/2010

MGoPoints: 47493

AZBlue

December 8th, 2014 at 2:57 PM ^

so there is no eye-test component.  Early in the season you will see teams whipsaw around a bit until there is more data.  If we were to beat AZ this weekend we would probably see an inordinant bump in the other direction.  

 

Iirc Kenpom had us quite a bit lower than the polls even before the NJIT loss.

Joined: 09/14/2008

MGoPoints: 16854

ijohnb

December 8th, 2014 at 2:57 PM ^

of us who looked at the opponent and decided to DVR the game and watch it later because it was "so totally going to be a blowout," and then deleted it in anger after I saw the score because f-that ,like how, exactly, did we lose the game?  I have seen various recaps, here, UM Hoops, etc., but I cannot really get an idea of how we lost the game.  Levert scored 32 points(!)(!) and we lost?  Walton had 17 and we lost?  Perhaps I shouldn't have deleted it and I would not have ask, but what was the culprit, if it can be summed up?  How did it possibly happen? (and not just "we scored fewer points" but for real).

Joined: 09/21/2009

MGoPoints: 69986

IndyBlue

December 8th, 2014 at 3:05 PM ^

Irvin was a non-factor and couldn't hit a shot; we played terrible defense; NJIT had 2 guys that combine for about 10-12 3-pointers and shot a great percentage.

Joined: 09/13/2008

MGoPoints: 4642

ijohnb

December 8th, 2014 at 3:09 PM ^

needs to slow down.  He seems like he still feels like he has to jack shots up at the first opportunity.  He still plays like he is going to have limited minutes.  He has time to really find his game now but he has to be patient.  And I think he can stop doing the phone thing now.

Joined: 09/21/2009

MGoPoints: 69986

Perkis-Size Me

December 8th, 2014 at 3:09 PM ^

I didn't see the game that day, but if I had to guess, the team was looking ahead to Arizona, and NJIT went into the game playing like it had nothing to lose. They literally had nothing to lose. No one knows your school, and no one really cares, either. I think it was the first time NJIT has ever played a ranked opponent, too. That, to me, says our guys didn't even remotely take NJIT seriously.

It also doesn't help when NJIT's 3 point shooting is on fire and they just can't miss. Sure, some of it might've been luck, but the defense must've been bad. From my understanding, we were considerably bigger and taller than everyone on NJIT, and guys like Doyle and Donnal, who should've been rebound machines, were complete no-shows. I wonder how many second chance points NJIT had on the day.

Simply put, I doubt the team really took these guys seriously during the week of practice, and by the time they even knew what was happening, it was already too late. If this proves to be the case, they got exactly what they deserved.



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Joined: 11/30/2011

MGoPoints: 105843

AZBlue

December 8th, 2014 at 3:09 PM ^

After the Syracuse win it was probably hard to get up for the game...and going up 8-0 after 4 straight NJIT turnovers to start the game didn't help the focus either.

The bigs played pretty poorly and Chapman looked lost.  We took zero advantage of our added height on offense.

 

On the plus side for NJIT had a bunch of 6'7"-ish guys that threw off our game with their quickness on Offense and with blocks on D.  Plus they shot out of thier mind from 3 -- the guy who hit the game winner was 4-5 in the second half.

 

Summary - Due to less than stellar effort we let an atheletically inferior team hang around long enough so that a streak of hot shooting made it possible for them to win.

Joined: 09/14/2008

MGoPoints: 16854

mgobluth

December 8th, 2014 at 3:15 PM ^

Kam Chatman seemed like he has no confidence (like he did at the start of the season). He passed up open threes multiple occassions, and instead took one dribble into the lane and took a bad shot or passed. It certainy wasn't the main reason we lost, but if you end up watching on your DVR (and I wouldn't blame you for not doing so), keep an eye out for it because it was frustrating to watch him play. 

Joined: 11/23/2014

MGoPoints: 4470

charblue.

December 8th, 2014 at 6:01 PM ^

They couldn't get shots off inside and only LeVert could hit from the outside because he can create his own shot. Irvin was off. And the freshmen bigs brought nothing to the floor.

NJIT deserved to win because they played with great intensity and desire. And their go-to guys hit NBA style threes and tear-drop shots, plus they were never threatened going to the rim and continually beat Michigan to the basket.

In his preview of this team, Beilein warned this could happen. He noted that the Highlanders had a star at guard who was NBA good and could play in any program in the country. He was right. This kid hit all kinds of contested shots and then had the poise to rely on teammates when LeVert was guarding him and completely denying him the ball.

The problem is Michigan has no one to protect the rim, and once they get beat on the bounce, they are done. And if you can't hit and don't have three scrorers in double figures, you are going to struggle. This was a struggle from the tip.

Joined: 05/25/2010

MGoPoints: 11420

bronxblue

December 8th, 2014 at 2:56 PM ^

Eh, it's early. obviously not a great loss for future seeding considerations, but I don't see it having a lasting effect on the team overall. But yeah, you lose to a commuter school at home, you should be dropped.

Joined: 11/22/2008

MGoPoints: 171818

mGrowOld

December 8th, 2014 at 3:05 PM ^

This was the cherry on my ice cream sundae of sports misery this weekend.  I coach a travel basketball team of 10 year olds and we started our season on Saturday and had two games.  To say my boys were overwhelmed by the noise, refs, other team, parents, etc would be a massive understatement as we lost our first game 32-12 and our second game (against the other travel team from our fair city) 35-18.  The highlight of game two was my son getting mixed up shortly after the second half started and making a lovely lay-up at his own basket when he forgot we were on defense.  Needless-to-say I got a lot of "helpful" texts & emails from parents on ways I can coach better.

Then yesterday I took my wife and oldest son to the Cleveland Browns game where I got to watch our season go up in flames thanks to the most inept display of Quarterbacking I've ever seen.  I swear to fucking God if Brian fucking Hoyer had been born in any other city but Cleveland his worthless ass would've been cut by now he's so shitty.  And all the while we've got Manzel on the bench with a rookie coach too stuborn to play him.

Oh yes.  Then my Michigan lost to a comuter college in their third year of organized basketball.   Fit right in with everything else that happened that's for sure.

Joined: 10/04/2010

MGoPoints: 213291

westwardwolverine

December 8th, 2014 at 3:05 PM ^

I think we're much closer to the team that beat Oregon and Syracuse and should have beat Villanova than the team that lost to NJIT. 

That said, we don't deserve to be ranked because that is a horrendous loss. 

Joined: 11/26/2013

MGoPoints: 9007

kehnonymous

December 8th, 2014 at 3:09 PM ^

No question this was an absolutely shite loss, but Beilein will use this as a tool to make the team damn good come Feb/March.  

If I'm one of the players, I'd sure as shit rather endure a fourteen-hour practice with Bob Knight cursing my ancestors than walk into Beilein's fatherly glare of disappointment.

Joined: 11/25/2011

MGoPoints: 33035