NOT ranked... WTF???
Apparently I have no objectivity whatsoever, because I was expecting something like a #15 ranking, or at worst #20 or #22... instead, both polls have Michigan just getting some votes and being like #31-35.
EDIT: Sorry, that's just the coaches' poll. Media poll not out yet.
December 8th, 2008 at 1:38 PM ^
no shit?
December 8th, 2008 at 1:39 PM ^
We did lose to Maryland this past week, you know. Still, I thought we'd be just inside or just outside the rankings, not 31-35
December 8th, 2008 at 1:40 PM ^
I frankly don't care about rankings so early in the season. If we deserve to be ranked, we'll keep playing well and we'll get there eventually. If not, we won't get there or we'll get in and then fall out. Not a big deal.
Wasn't Illinois ranked highly a year or two ago at the beginning of the season and then they ended up in the NIT?
December 8th, 2008 at 1:44 PM ^
The rankings aren't super important if you're a team who gets ranked regularly. But when you haven't been ranked more than a couple times in 10 years, it's important.
Compare us to UCLA, for instance. Both teams have 2 losses, one to a very good team (Duke, Texas) and one to a two loss borderline team (Maryland, Michigan). We have 2 signature wins (UCLA and Duke) and they have none. The fact that we won the head-to-head is the clincher. Yet they're #14 and we're 5 spots away from the rankings.
That's gayer than AIDS.
December 8th, 2008 at 1:52 PM ^
You mean we're a comparable team to UCLA but we're not ranked and they are?
Holy shit.
I guess that means the rankings don't matter.
Thanks for proving my point.
December 8th, 2008 at 1:45 PM ^
This goes to show that rankings are meaningless in basketball. I trust MSU is still ranked? After being run off the court by Maryland and UNC. It is fun to be in them and feel like you are getting some love but they are meaningless in basketball. You have an easier time staying in them if you are in the preseason rankings. I remember a few years ago when Michigan spent all season trying to crack them only to lose when they did and get tossed out immediately. Fun to look at but meaningless. No BCS here, just 64 teams with a chance at it all.
December 8th, 2008 at 1:52 PM ^
Rankings don't mean squat right now. Wait until the B10 season starts and we get some solid conference wins. The rankings will play out as the season progresses, it's all a crapshoot right now.
I repeat: DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE RANKINGS RIGHT NOW.
EDIT: If you want to puff your chest out about something, puff it out to our #15 RPI and #4 SOS. Comparisons: MSU has an RPI of 36 and a SOS of 24. UCLA has an RPI of 126 and SOS of 207.
We are still a team that narrrrrrrrrrrowly defeated Savannah State at home and coughed up a 2nd half lead to Maryland. We got some work to do yet, but the framework is there for a successful season.
December 8th, 2008 at 1:49 PM ^
How does Duke go from 7 to 4 in the AP?
December 8th, 2008 at 1:52 PM ^
If you're looking at the AP Poll, it has not been updated yet. Duke dropped to #7 in the updated Coaches Poll.
December 8th, 2008 at 1:54 PM ^
Duke was 4th in the AP Poll when we played them, and the new one isn't out yet, so I'm not sure what you're looking at. They went down from 4th to 7th in the Coaches Poll, is that what you're seeing?
December 8th, 2008 at 1:57 PM ^
I found a Dec. 8 AP poll on Sportsline
December 8th, 2008 at 2:01 PM ^
That's not updated yet, man. Did you notice that not a single team moved from the week before? That would be unprecedented.
December 8th, 2008 at 2:05 PM ^
The only other living thing that hasn't moved in a week is my bowel.
Also, John Navarre.
December 8th, 2008 at 1:58 PM ^
we were down 20 to Savannah State, lost to Maryland and beat Duke. I know we all look at that and see progress because we've watch the basketball team suck for almost a decade. Other people around the country probably see those results and say "the jury is still out". So the ranking doesn't surprise me.
Now if we win this next stretch of games against EMU, Oakland, Florida Gulf Coast and NC Central, then I think the voters will put us in the top 20. I think we just have to prove we're consistent enough to beat the teams we're supposed to beat.
December 8th, 2008 at 1:59 PM ^
Agreed.
December 8th, 2008 at 2:10 PM ^
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/rankings
Michigan is #28 with 119 votes
December 8th, 2008 at 2:15 PM ^
As I found out post-1998 for basketball, and this year for football, being ranked matters A LOT.
Why?
Well, the sports ticker often doesn't show non-Top 25 scores.
The highlights shows rarely show non-Top 25 scores.
I work for the government in the Middle East and Armed Forces Network mostly shows only high-level match-ups, except for games of real sentimental interest (for example, I got to see the Utah and Notre Dame games... and then nothing until Ohio State; last year and previous years I saw maybe 7-9 games a year).
December 8th, 2008 at 2:47 PM ^
We're where we should be right about now. Sparty, on the other hand, doesn't belong in the top 25.
December 8th, 2008 at 2:53 PM ^
would be the same as looking at the Duke win. Both game were the same just about. Gazillion lead changes and ties with Michigan shooting like Duke from the 3 pt line in retrospect to the Maryland game,Michigan made theirs in the waning moments like Duke. However Duke was rank and Maryland wasn't...hmmm!
I don't get why Blue isn't top twenty five material?
Did Maryland make the top twenty five?
December 8th, 2008 at 6:29 PM ^
Maryland, for whatever reason (probably because we're just not really that good, and got crushed by gonzaga and georgetown) is ranked far below michigan in terms of coaches poll votes. Maryland received three total votes, even though coach gary williams is one of the poll voters.
December 8th, 2008 at 3:07 PM ^
We were losing to Savannah State by TWENTY POINTS. I realize we came back to win that game, but come on...there are 200+ teams in Division I. It's not that hard to believe that there are 25 (or 30) teams better than us.
I don't realize why this is a big deal. If we keep playing well, we'll be respected when it counts. If we're a flash in the pan and we suck down the stretch, then it won't matter anyway.
December 8th, 2008 at 3:17 PM ^
we also beat ucla and duke. not many teams have done that. wait, no teams have done that.
December 8th, 2008 at 3:47 PM ^
I am concerned that UCLA isn't that good this year. They're good enough to be ranked, but I've been keeping an eye on them as a barometer for the significance of that win (relative to college basketball this season, not as a benchmark for the turnaround of our program) and UCLA has looked no better than Maryland for a couple of weeks now.
They squeaked by Miami (OH), they took 32 minutes to get control of the game against SIU and last night they turned the ball over 19 times in a win against Cal-State Northridge.
December 8th, 2008 at 3:54 PM ^
Not many programs have sucked for a decade straight, either.
December 8th, 2008 at 4:06 PM ^
i don't normally agree with a lot of what you say, but you're right. Brian even says in his commentary today that reality will still likely set in for road Big Ten games. Shoot for .500 or better in the Big Ten (would put Blue in the 20-10 range) and we'll get in the tourney. I'm actually pleased with the ranking we got. AP gave us #28. That sounds great, IMO. I'm happy with it. Sure it would have been nice to get in the top 25, but it still looks great seeing "Michigan" under that others votes section. F*** the ratings. 28 is good enough at this point. LET'S GO BLUE!
December 8th, 2008 at 4:19 PM ^
Hopefully this is a sign of me getting smarter and not a sign of you getting dumber.
December 8th, 2008 at 4:22 PM ^
it's a sign of us meeting in the middle lol
December 8th, 2008 at 4:40 PM ^
I like it.
December 8th, 2008 at 4:42 PM ^
i'm gonna go ahead and +1 you for it, even if it makes me sound gayer. LOL
December 8th, 2008 at 11:02 PM ^
agreed. and considering my hoyas just stomped all over savanah state (100-36), that looks like a bit of a blemish on their schedule and I cant see how Michigan could really make a huge jump in the rankings (Gtown is 19 fwiw)
December 9th, 2008 at 7:29 PM ^
Tool.
December 8th, 2008 at 3:22 PM ^
ZOMG WE'RE ONLY 31??? I MEAN I KNOW WE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR EVEN MAKING THE TOURNEY, BUT IF WE'RE NOT A NUMBER 1 SEED THEN THAT'S JUST A JOKE. MORE ANTI-MICHIGAN BIAS!!!!11
December 8th, 2008 at 3:35 PM ^
UM makes the Final Four, these bitches will have to rank us.
In all seriousness, the fact that we're even arguing if we should be ranked is a step in the right direction.
Did any of us even expect to have this conversation so soon? I didn't.
Avoid the upsets the next few weeks, then sweep home games vs Wisco and Illini to start the Big 10, and we will be in the middle of the rankings for the first 2009 poll.
December 8th, 2008 at 3:50 PM ^
Coming back from twenty down a triumph..no matter who the opponent.
December 8th, 2008 at 6:20 PM ^
We'll be ranked after we beat Oakland. I know that's a couple weeks off, but, if we can pick up a convincing win against a decent team like, them, we'll be ranked. As far as next week's poll goes, our only hope is killing EMU, and hoping #23 Davidson loses to a solid West Virginia team in Morgantown, and #20 Ohio State loses to an undefeated Butler in Columbus. It would also help if Dayton lost at Creighton, and, while its unlikely, South Carolina State upset Clemson at home. It's also not unreasonable that BYU loses to Boise State and/or Portland.
As far as the rest of the bottom 5 and the teams that separate us from polls, I can't see Baylor, Marquette, Kansas, or Miami (FL) losing.
December 9th, 2008 at 7:27 PM ^
Playing West Virginia on ESPN right now, might be worth checking out see Stephon Curry or just root against Davidson to help Michigan out in the rankings.