META: MGoBlog Appreciation Thread
For a moment I wondered if I was alone in feeling pride above all else in the wake of that heartbreaking loss. I should have known better. From Ace's post-game to hundreds of comments on the board, the blog has shown a fantastic display of sportsmanship in fandom. No moping, a shockingly minimal amount of attempted Sparty trolling, and an overflow of love and support for the team we put on the floor this season.
I've never visited RCMB (won't troll the squad but I'll troll the trolls), but I have a sneaking suspicion its not a pretty place right now. Pat yourselves on the back MGoBlog, for living up to the inflated ideals of the "Michigan Man," if only for a day. I enjoyed reading all of your input. This is what makes the platform so unique and meaningful for all of us.
March 30th, 2014 at 10:11 PM ^
The reply to this game on the blog was pretty level overall, or at least I thought so, and while people are obviously disappointed, I think there is a lot of optimism and hope about this program. I know that is primarily why I came to peace with the result of this game almost immediately after it ended - the basketball program is in a good place and could very well be playing at the end of March next year. For a moment of disappointment, I will take it.
March 30th, 2014 at 10:20 PM ^
I think this is why the Blog was so vocal towards the end of the football season too. That optimism for the team/coaches just hasn't been there.
March 30th, 2014 at 10:42 PM ^
Because the entire team looked like they were playing half assed during the bowl game. That game I saw today was one of the best games I've ever watched. Passion. That's what we saw out of the basketball team today and all season. It's what the football team lacked and needs badly.
March 30th, 2014 at 11:07 PM ^
I can't stop feeling terrible for Caris, JMo, Nik, GR3, and the like.
March 31st, 2014 at 12:16 AM ^
March 30th, 2014 at 10:12 PM ^
March 30th, 2014 at 10:13 PM ^
March 30th, 2014 at 10:22 PM ^
I'm just sad this team's season is over. I loved watching them.
March 30th, 2014 at 10:24 PM ^
I love this place. There's not a better blog around.
March 30th, 2014 at 10:27 PM ^
Going to be hard to write the feels on this one.
March 30th, 2014 at 10:32 PM ^
Just as last year I feel more bad for the players than I do for myself.
March 30th, 2014 at 10:37 PM ^
All of my friends are anti-Michigan, so MGoBlog is pretty much a safe haven for me to enjoy Michigan, and it was definitely needed as a place to feel disappointed this afternoon.
March 30th, 2014 at 10:42 PM ^
Sincere recommendation: New friends.
March 30th, 2014 at 10:48 PM ^
We played well and improved all year. We lost a major piece and trucked on. Our coaching is superb. We left it all out on the court in a loss. A very good team beat us, in a game that could have went either way for a berth in the Final 4 ina game worthy of a final. I dont see why anyone would complain about a thing.
The difference between this and our football team is vast. There are countless question there. Can anyone say we do not have incredible player development in basketball? Can anyone question the team improves markedly from game 3 to game 30? Can anyone question this coaching staff is respected and sometimes revered by media and other staffs? No we all have all that and that is all you can ask. When a game against a quality team comes down to a coin flip you can only say congrats and carry forward. You know YOUR team left it all out on the court - and showed heart, courage, skill, effort, and was coached very well. That is all we ask as fans and hence the dichotomy of the football team and basketball team. No one can walk away from what happened against K State and say "disappointed like hell but satisfied - what a group of overachievers". At this point this is all we want, and we ask - play to your potential (or heck, above).
This bball team hit its head against the ceiling this year - big time.
March 30th, 2014 at 10:39 PM ^
I agree that the attitude has been good here lately. I think the return of MGoPoints and the use of the banhammer have helped.
I don't deal with losses, especially one like this one, very well. My coping mechanism is to piss and moan and slightly overreact. It personally helps me just shake the crappy feeling off of me. I don't think there's anything wrong with people with who deal with losses in that manner as long as they don't take it too far. But after seeing everyone trying to be positive about the loss last night, the combination of not wanting to ruin the vibe as well as not getting negged to shit, made me bite my tongue. In other words, you're absolutely right, the bringing back of points is working exactly as expected. A year ago I wouldn't have hesitated to be a debbie downer for everyone.
March 30th, 2014 at 11:19 PM ^
I couldn't even begin to explain how pleased I am with Michigan basketball. As much as I love football, basketball has always been my passion, and the Ellerbe/Amaker years were a test of that. I remember watching Beilein's first season, when they went to Alaska and got their asses handed to them by Butler and thinking "here we go again". Six years later, I had to fight the urge to be disappointed by an Elite 8 loss to Kentucky. Being able to partake in the great content put out by Ace/Brian and MGoBlog's users has only enhanced the enjoyment that's been Michigan basketball the past few years. Thank you to everybody who contributes and I hope to see you all here next year after a successful title run. Go Blue!
March 30th, 2014 at 11:23 PM ^
It really is at a time like this when one can truly appreciate this community. I read the comment threads under news stories (and on the Facebook posts of some of my own idiot coworkers), it's amazing what some people allow a sport to do to them, just as spectators. It's fine to be passionate but there's no need to be so brimming with venom or live in such an alternate reality where everything that doesn't go your way must be the result of a conspiracy. I'm actually glad it's time for the annual five-month hiatus from college sports.
March 30th, 2014 at 11:30 PM ^
Hopefully we will start to recruit more and more big men so we can have some interior defense. Either way, I care a lot more about basketball right now than football.
Can't decide if I will watch the Final Four or not.
March 31st, 2014 at 12:34 AM ^
March 31st, 2014 at 12:46 AM ^
Pretty sure Kentucky will be able to say they put 5+ of their starters in the league in one year lol. Tough break to run into KY just as they were starting to turn from 5 All Stars into one heckuva team. What a great game to watch. Proud of our effort this year, and proud of this team. Hope they all come back (I'm certain they won't) Thanks MGOBLOG for everything you do. You're always the highlight of my day.
Thanks for all of the hard work. Belonging to this community of Michigan junkies is a joy.
March 31st, 2014 at 11:18 AM ^
Before the game against Kentucky, I knew there were two scenarios in which I would feel really upset about a loss. (1) We blow a 20-point lead in the second half. (2) We get blown straight out of the building and it looks like we don't belong on the court with those guys.
In scenario 1, I would have had a tough time not feeling like we were the better team but we collapsed. I would have felt like we stumbled. In scenario 2, I would have had doubts about the fundamental quality of the team, and maybe I would have felt bad because we weren't as good as I believed.
The way we lost is the best way to lose - we did great, and we were overcome by a slightly superior combination of effort, planning, talent, and athleticism. We are as good as I hoped we were, I love the team, but we just got outplayed. Hard to stay mad like that. That's going out like a warrior, you know? And the optimism for the future certainly helps.
March 31st, 2014 at 12:14 PM ^
Being a basketball neophyte and not really understanding a lot of the strategy, I looked forward to the board's collective analysis. I've learned a lot about the game this past year from you guys. Thanks.