Michigan Basketball and Midnight Madness?

Submitted by Wolverine Devotee on

Last night would have been Midnight Madness if Michigan chose to have one. Would have been a great time with it being homecoming weekend. Could have a doubleheader with the hockey game at 7:35pm and midnight madness at Crisler later on where they could have unveiled the B1G Championship banenr.

Anyone know why Michigan doesn't do this anymore? I remember they did it a few years ago and in the 90s?

JHendo

October 13th, 2012 at 9:14 PM ^

Here's a Beilein quote from when they again stopped doing it in 2010:

“That was my decision.  It is homecoming weekend and I just wanted to go to work. I’ve never been a big fan of that, especially when it has been at midnight.  Last year we had a pulled hamstring in it. We just all want to go to work and we hope there will be more hoopla as we watch this team grow and people come to games to do it as opposed to start off the season.”

bacon1431

October 13th, 2012 at 9:16 PM ^

I'm indifferent about midnight madnesses. They're probably cool for the students, but it doesn't really get anything accomplisheed IMO. Hard to be original with it nowadays too. Those national TV games against Indiana, OSU, and MSU are a bigger deal for recruiting than midnight madness will ever be.

UMfan21

October 13th, 2012 at 9:44 PM ^

I think Beilein also said one time that they are only allowed X number of practice hours before the season begins, and he felt practice time was better spent during the day time behind closed doors than in a midnight madness atmosphere.



Lets face it, while midnight madness is fun for kids, it's not like a real practice.

Tater

October 13th, 2012 at 11:59 PM ^

Belein is right; save the "hoopla" for later.  

Midnight Madness was really cool when only one or two schools did it, but became passe when everyone started doing it.  Back then, before the internet, there was some mystique about recruits, and it was like a "great unveiling."  Nowadays, there is so much video of recruits on the internet, playing in camps and in HS, and so much more recruiting info in general, that MM just doesn't have the impact it once did.

cbs650

October 14th, 2012 at 10:23 AM ^

midnight madness is akin to the bbq in the bighouse. Alot schools do it but that doesnt mean u stop because of it. U just have to continue be creative. Something as trival as this and uniforms can sway a recruit these days.

bacon1431

October 14th, 2012 at 11:45 AM ^

Except you don't lose practice time with the BBQ in the Big House. I'd be in favor of the basketball program doing something similar to the BBQ for a recruiting event, but midnight madness is not a huge deal anymore. JB is not a real rah-rah guy so pep-rally type stuff is not his thing. Midnight madness can potenntially be a big deal. But there are other ways and methods. And we're obviously doing fine in recruiting without it.