Moral Victory for MBB
I know there isn't any points for Moral Victories but I'm proud of the young Men's Basketball team fighting to get to OT against Kansas today. Let's hope they can use this experience for some tough games in the Big 10. Go Blue!
January 9th, 2011 at 10:05 PM ^
your assertion that it is the offense that has us competing with top teams in the nation. Have you even watched a game this year? It is the defense that has us competing with these teams. This team is the polar opposite of our football team. We have a real solid defense that holds opponents to poor shooting. At the same time we have a non-traditional gimmicky offense that is completely one dimensional. I don't know if you saw how we forced them to over time but it wasn't by hitting threes. Our last three scores down the stretch were all two point shots where we were looking to be agressive and take it to the basket. This worked well, so of course JB went away from it in OT going back to shooting threes. If we were hitting say even 25% from three point land I wouldn't be so harsh on JB. He has to learn how to adjust his offense rather than just running the shell where we pass it back and forth around the perimeter until someone gets open enough to shoot a three.
January 9th, 2011 at 10:59 PM ^
Sounds good. You continue to bitch about our offense while the rest of us watch a coach take 3 freshmen starters, a sophomore starter, a junior starter, and 0 seniors on the team compete with the upperclassmen of the 4th best team in the nation. Also, just so you know, we have 5 losses on the season: 2 of them to undefeated teams and 4 out of the 5 to ranked opponents. Also also, we have 1 true post player and he is a redshirt freshmen. Do you really want him to take a lot of shots against 4 and 5 star upperclassmen?
January 9th, 2011 at 11:34 PM ^
we have no solid low post players on offense. morgan generally gets his points from offensive rebounds or working off a pick and roll.
as far as driving the lane, morris is the only guy who can do that. and he does it quite a bit. it's just very hard to do that against kansas with their athletes.
novak, douglas and smotrycz are not good at creating their own shots. and hardaway showed signs tonite of improving his dribble drive but he's just a frosh.
of course the offense doesn't look good when the shots aren't falling. beilein is doing the best right now with what he's got. and he's got a couple more athletic scoring types coming in next year, so the offense may look a bit different.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:00 PM ^
Kansas took their foot off the gas. They thought Michigan would quit when we went down 13 in the second half. Then they couldn't get their momentum back until overtime.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:34 PM ^
This is starting to become a horrible meme. Michigan can never come back in a game, football or basketball, without the other team "taking theire foot off the gas." Not only is it ignorant, it is just plain wrong. I must have missed them subbing out all of the starters. It is a horseshit argument. But please, tell me how Syracuse did the same thing.
January 10th, 2011 at 2:28 AM ^
4 more threes than Kansas. Is their offense gimmicky too? If Michigan had shot their season average percentage from the 3 point line, they would have won easily. IMO, one of the surprises for this season has been how few times UM has needed to be hot from 3 to bail them out.
January 9th, 2011 at 7:09 PM ^
Definitely learned something about themselves today. Hopefully can use this game to help win others down the road.
January 9th, 2011 at 7:10 PM ^
Makes me want to pull my hair out.
We catch Kansas with their paints down, playing their worst game of the year, and we couldn't capitalize. We needed a comeback just to force overtime.
This team is young, so I'll stop being upset after another half hour and remember we're going to rip people to pieces in a year or two, but I feel like this is the story of our program and I'm getting really, REALLY tired of it. Living off football and hockey only works when football is actually winning.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:02 PM ^
he is by far the most schizo player on the team. Can't miss one day and cant shoot the next.
January 9th, 2011 at 7:12 PM ^
Anyone know what recruits were visiting today?
January 9th, 2011 at 7:33 PM ^
Someone on the open thread mentioned Garry Harris and Sherron Dorsey Walker. I think there was one more that I can't seem to remember.
January 9th, 2011 at 7:38 PM ^
From @umhoops on Twitter:
Carlton Brundidge, Sherron Dorsey-Walker, and Gary Harris are among the recruits expected at Crisler Arena today.
January 9th, 2011 at 7:12 PM ^
Buckeyes go down.
January 9th, 2011 at 7:18 PM ^
Why is this game so early? I'm going to have to make a tough commute after school...
January 9th, 2011 at 7:21 PM ^
not sure, but I know I'll be there.
January 9th, 2011 at 7:24 PM ^
See you there, my friend.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:44 PM ^
they routinely have double headers on Wednesday, one at 6:30 and one at 8:30. Teams in the EST usually get the early game, and teams in the CST get the late game.
January 9th, 2011 at 7:14 PM ^
If you had a brain and you gave a prediction for the basketball team's season record in early November, you would have predicted between 10 and 15 wins. That's a bad team.
A win today would have been an all-time Michigan Miracle, the likes of which would be nearly unmatched in the history of any U of M program. As it was, it's a very reassuring sign.
We have an above-average team when we thought we had a bad team. This team graduates nobody.
Today was awesome. If you're upset, you're not paying close enough attention. Now's a good time to start.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:05 PM ^
i had them pegged for 5 big ten wins (9th in conf) and probably 12 overall. they are better than that.
the team is so frosh and soph dominated yet play solid D. i have to believe that JB places much more time and effort in practice to get these young guys insync on D. and it's working. that's probably why the O is kinda vanilla right now.
i think this is the way to go.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:46 PM ^
will still be tough. Outside of Iowa and Indiana, the league is tough this year, possibly the best since the 89 season.
January 9th, 2011 at 7:18 PM ^
Eh, it may give them confidence going into the meat of Big Ten play.
January 9th, 2011 at 7:18 PM ^
They should fire Beilein and go on a coaching search.
January 9th, 2011 at 7:22 PM ^
Well played, sir!
January 9th, 2011 at 7:23 PM ^
No, no, no, you have to wait until the end of the season. Let the process play out.
January 9th, 2011 at 7:24 PM ^
Then make a run at John Kuester
January 9th, 2011 at 9:11 PM ^
still under contract with a different team, don't want to break any ethical violations.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:43 PM ^
Damn, same with Phil Jackson too...
January 9th, 2011 at 9:08 PM ^
Look what he's doing at SDSU!
Wait.....
January 9th, 2011 at 7:21 PM ^
I do not believe in moral victories. Under any circumstances.
But the part about picking up some confidence prior to the B10 season makes sense.
January 9th, 2011 at 7:22 PM ^
Obviously, you need to watch more Lions. You'll believe!
January 9th, 2011 at 9:14 PM ^
loveable lions.
January 9th, 2011 at 7:22 PM ^
If this team stays together until Morris is a senior along with adding the recruiting class coming in we will be a championship contender.
January 9th, 2011 at 7:26 PM ^
Moral victory? LOL! Tell that to the team. They choked at the end and they know it.
January 9th, 2011 at 7:27 PM ^
Oh, wait, OK. Great effort, still waiting for U-M to shoot above 30% from three in a key game...
January 9th, 2011 at 7:30 PM ^
I am not sure why Coach B went man to man in the OT but it is obvious that the hoops team is getting better and if they had any luck with the health of there big men in his first two years they would be even farther along. Future seems bright and look forward to Crisler being improved and hoops rocking.
January 9th, 2011 at 11:39 PM ^
i think generally the 1-3-1 can be employed after a made basket. our shots weren't falling in OT.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:13 PM ^
I saw moral victory and thought what does Les Miles have to do with MBB. I am hoping Purple Stuff will clarify for me.
January 9th, 2011 at 7:40 PM ^
Hardaway has shown the ability to get to the basket and at the very least draw the foul, when he learns to pass up some of those threes and take it to the hole I think he will be even more impressive than he has been so far for just a freshman
January 9th, 2011 at 8:05 PM ^
I would rather play in the NIT and win a few games than play a two or three seed in the NCAA and get blown out. Very nice showing though and it gives me hope we might win a surpise game or two in conference this year.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:18 PM ^
this is not an ncaa tourny team. probably next year though.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:24 PM ^
But I was going through photos of the game, and I figured out one thing.
John Beilein is a Scanner!
January 9th, 2011 at 8:29 PM ^
That was the first time I have seen them play this year and I must admit I'm looking forward to the future of Michigan Basketball. It looks like the talent is there and with a little time with Beilein, I can see this team competing for the Big Ten and an NCAA tournament bid next year.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:37 PM ^
Bright future.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:39 PM ^
Learn how to speak properly. There "aren't" any points for moral victories.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:01 PM ^
I couldn't be more proud or more heartbroken for our kids today. What a great defensive effort. OSU is in for more than they bargained for. Go blue!
January 9th, 2011 at 9:04 PM ^
"Moral victories is for minor league coaches"
January 9th, 2011 at 9:43 PM ^
And bad grammar is for major league coaches?
January 9th, 2011 at 9:45 PM ^
I was there. Great game, and the crowd was terrific down the stretch and in OT. But it was not a sellout - there were plenty of empty seats in the gold sections. People, come out and support this team - they've demonstrated that they'll leave it all out on the floor.