Michigan vs. Louisville NCAA Tournament Game 6 Open Thread
Once more unto the breach, dear friends....
Not only keeping with the front page style, but I feel that way. I'm pretty live and let live on threads. But I might have fought someone for this one tonight. I'm taking no chances. I even had subs tonight. Because I bet it's going to get crazy. Liveblog is up on the front page, so if there are zero posts in this thread, that's fine. It exist. (Oh, and you can check out the Gameday open thread till this game really gets started).
It's funny how 2 and a half hours, plus commercials, can bring such misery or joy, over how a ball bounces. Both teams here have accomplished a lot. But only one gets to go home happy. For every person who loves this team and thinks "we're due" there's a Louisville fan thinking the same. Programs, recently overshadowed by their in-state rival, trying to win their first national championship since the late 80's, with a coach trying to set a historic personal milestone and prove their ranking among the elite. And someone is going to end very unhappy. So it's time to seize the day. Better them than us.
Because one of these opportunities may not come along for awhile. It doesn't have to be 20 years of darkness to not get back to this point; it's really hard, and you can be good for a good long while and not have the perfect mesh of players who come together in the right year, the right amount of chemistry and luck in big Tournament games, and things belong your control like some opposing team who is just better than you that year.
Is Louisville that team? We'll know before the night is done. But we should try and enjoy every player and play tonight, because we have no idea how many of these guys will be back. And while I expect we'll always be good under John Beilein, there's no guarantee we get back this far, even fielding good team after good team. If you had told a young me that after going 3 out of 5 years and back to back that we wouldn't be back till I was 20 years older, I don't know that I'd have believed it. We were Michigan. And we will be; a new generation will get to experience that from this day forward. I just hope they also don't have to experience the agony of losing one of these things. There's not much in sports worse. But only with great risk can come great reward.......
We are here. Louisville may be the better team, but we have the better players; and while Pitino does a great job when you consider recruiting and everything, I think we have the better X&O coach. One day to prepare. Time for them to shine in the short turnaround. Play for 40 minutes, leave it all on the court, and have no regrets. And bring home the ring and the banner, and fire up the pep rally and parade. I want to watch One Shining Moment and be happy. 5 down, only 1 to go. Let's do this. Go Blue!
Here are the quick stats:
FG% | 3FG% | FT% | Eff. FG% | Off. Reb. % | |
MICHIGAN | 50.00% | 54.55% | 66.67% | 60.71% | 46.67% |
LOUISVILLE | 48.00% | 71.43% | 88.89% | 55.77% | 30.77% |
So far, we're winning the battle on the boards, as you'll note, and shooting well thanks one Spike Albrecht. The defensive numbers for Louisville and Michigan are comparable - we have two steals to their four, and we have two blocks to their three.
Why does Charles Barkley sound hoarse?
I know he sounds just turrible
Positive:
Michigan is deep and when Burke is not playing, they just keep attacking. Spike had an amazing first half. You can sit the national player of the year out, but other teammates pick up the slack. Michigan teamwork.
Negative:
Lost control after being up 12, allowed Louisville to get back in it after playing well defensively for most of the 1st half
I would be terrified of Michigan's ability to keep playing without Burke. The team steps up in his absence. Hopefully we are in for a classic second half.
Please tell me that there's no way UL can keep shooting 73% from 3. I mean, that's imnpossible right? Right?
This. This. This.
I'm pretty confident that once the second half starts and Trey is back in there the game will settle down and Michigan will once again get a double digit lead and not give it up.
Halftime speech.
I don't want a classic finish. I want us to win by 15 and get the bench in for the final minute.
If it's meant to be, it'll be. But dammit I feel like blaming the refs.
Loong way to go.
Ok fuck this shit. We need to run away with this shit in the 2nd half. I don't want to die from rapid heartbeat.
a lot of heart, a lot of fortitude, heroics. While we lost a big lead we have a rested player of the year ready to go and I'm sure the rest of the team will be ready to seize the championship as well
Good news is that the best player in the country is well-rested for the second half. Let's do this.
I want to see a 24/7 one year of the NCAA tournament. Watching this behind the scenes stuff is pretty cool.
also beat the refs?
Not t the way to start
Three on Hancock!
Ha! Three fouls on Hancock.
ARGH MISSED FREE THROWS!
TREY BOMBS AWAY!!!
Dickie V. is driving me crazy.
Sweet move, Mitch!
Good play - Trey drawing out the defenders and getting Mitch involved. Definitely need to do that a few more times.
I wish these refs were more consistent. It's getting a little ridiculous.
but these refs SUCK! They must be too amped up or too sensitive at everyone saying there was a quick whistle; I sure hope this doesn't cost one of these valiant teams the championship
Dammit dumb foul Mitch.
BALL DON'T LIE!
You can't teach toughness like that.
What a commotion! Like the man said, "This game is worthy of a championship!" A lot of desperation out there, GO BLUE!!!