The Ohio bandwagon
Why do a lot of people think Michigan is going to lose this game? Look, I know M is not Phi Slama Jamma, but what is it about this particular matchup and this particular team that is making this game the "upset special" of the first round? I am not expecting a cake walk here but all of the sudden every analyst and commentator that I see is acting like D.J. Cooper is a five time All American. I don't want to be the jinx guy, but I am I the only one that really does not see the ingredients of an upset here? I have taken a look at Ohio, I have seen them play and watched a little video. There are a lot of other matchups where a higher seed looks more vulnerable than Michigan to me. Prior to selection Sunday, JB was known as a coach who is a very tough out in the NCAA tourney. What's all the fuss about now?
March 13th, 2012 at 12:44 PM ^
I dont think its necessarily any mad love for the Bobcats as much as it is the collective memory of us getting thoroughly curb-stomped by OSU last Saturday.
March 13th, 2012 at 12:44 PM ^
It truely depends on which Michigan team shows up. The last two games they were anything but stellar!
His name is DJ Cooper and he's pretty good.
some over at ESPN and at Yahoo Sports think UM is ripe for an upset. The Ann Arbor News even has a story on it:
I agree with those that think it's hype or possibly based on the last 2 performances. Why would anyone want to look at the entire body of work this team put in over the season. We're a fickle society predicated on instant gratification and a what have you done for me lately attitude. Plus there are always those that are just gonna hate on UM.
March 13th, 2012 at 12:48 PM ^
before TV and computer screens, arousing interest in the games. And making betting money circulate, both sides of the line.
March 13th, 2012 at 12:49 PM ^
But he's no Scalabrine
I haven't thought about this guy since he left the C's. Man, Joe Celtics Fan loved Scalabrine...
March 13th, 2012 at 12:51 PM ^
Ohio has some familiarity w/ Michigan because of its OSU connections, Ohio beat G'Town in 2010, Michigan (as said above) just got hammered, all commentators (as others have noted) want to pick upsets.
I'm glad Ohio is being picked. I like the idea of Michigan reading all week about how they're going to lose.
March 13th, 2012 at 12:57 PM ^
Plus, a lot of people here talk about how thankful we are to have a team that we match up well with; the reverse is also true. The Bobcats match up with us fairly well too. The mid major teams are often at a size and depth disadvantage inside with the top teams, but that's not really the case with Michigan.
March 13th, 2012 at 12:52 PM ^
He actually was the starting Kicker for the football team in the late 2000's. He has been laying it on thick all week about how the basketball team knows how to spring the upset because they did it to Georgetown just a few years back. I then told him how it seems the only teams Michigan has really had trouble with have a big or two that can take over a game. He then says, "Oh, we don't have one of those". He hasn't said a word about the game since.
March 13th, 2012 at 12:56 PM ^
Your boss sounds like a pushover
Your boss is a 25 year old Ohio University grad?
And he puts in way more hours than I'm willing to. I've got a life to live....you know.....like checking MGoBlog 300 times a day.
March 13th, 2012 at 12:54 PM ^
Ohio apparently is really good at defending against the 3 pt shot. That's the main thing I've heard them bring up.
March 13th, 2012 at 12:55 PM ^
Thanks to Coach Hoke, analysts and experts everywhere are confused as to which Ohio we are really playing. Except Doug Gotleib, who is just an idiot.
March 13th, 2012 at 12:58 PM ^
Tom Blockham knows the difference but his dad is confused like the others.
March 13th, 2012 at 12:56 PM ^
I've been listening to the same crap about both Michigan and Syracuse.
You lose your last game and all of a sudden you suck, forget the whole season before it.
So now Vanderbilt, Florida State, and Ohio are now the second-coming of the 1993 Chicago Bulls.
As long as they're not the '96 Bulls. Then we'd be in trouble.
I've noticed this especially about FSU and Vandy. It makes me wonder if "analysts" watched any more than the conference tournaments. FSU had some nice upsets and has some great athletes, but there's a reason they struggled in conference play. Same for Vandy. The idea that these are now consensus sleeper final four picks is beyond me.
FSU went 12-4 in the ACC, I don't see that as struggling.
They also beat both Duke and UNC twice.
I am not dogging their quality wins or calling them a bad team, but I am not as impressed as a lot of people seem to be. I also don't put as much stock into conference tournaments, for no other reason than they historically don't seem to matter that much for the power conferences. They beat some good teams that play in their conference. Every good team does that. They also got whacked by some mediocre to good teams out of conference and in the ACC. There are a good number of teams that performed much better over the course of the entire season.
March 13th, 2012 at 12:56 PM ^
The MSM is always searching for an underdog to hype. For many of them, Ohio is that underdog. Belmont seems to be the number one choice for many, though. Hopefully, it backfires and Michigan comes out fired up and ready to take care of business.
The more I think of it, the more I hope the media hypes Ohio until everyone on the Wolverines gets sick of it and plays it like a rivalry game until the score gets out of reach.
March 13th, 2012 at 12:57 PM ^
that is picking every 4, 5, and 6 seed to lose. It is their job to strum up interest in the games. If you were to take a total of every analyst on the major sports websites who were putting out brackets, I'm pretty sure M is being picked in at least 80%. I wouldn't read too much into this, it happens every year. Let's go out and mop the floor with OHIO and then you'll see all those predicting a M loss to go, welp, there goes my upset pick.
Because that's what it will be, an upset.
Well for the past 20 years or so, there has almost always been a 5 seed that gets beat by a 12 seed. And when I say almost, there are only a couple of years of that not happening. So it's a case of picking the right 5 seed I guess. But someone at work was mentioning that they've changed how they pick the seeding a bit, so that might not be the case so much anymore.
beat Memphis, MSU, and OSU and kept it close against Duke and Arkansas, we'll win convincingly. If we play like we did at Iowa or at home against Purdue, then a loss is a distinct possibility.
Don't you mean OHIO?
ie "the real OHIO" ?
These "experts" like to pick their upsets based on teams that performed well in the past. So when you combine OHIO's win over Georgetown 2 years ago with our poor performance in the B1G Tournament people are looking at this game.
I expect us to make it to the sweet 16 and give UNC a run for their money.
Our away game record wasn't bad. We went 2-1 in Maui, 5-4 in the B1G, 1-1 in the BTT. And, oh yeah, we beat Oakland at a neutral site.
I've watched every Ohio tv game this year and every michigan game this year, so I feel I may have some perspective here. Admittedly, I am an Ohio grad so they have a soft spot in my heart when they make a run to the big dance.
I told myself before selection Sunday that I was going to bet (not necessarily take to win) Ohio in any first round matchup that came up. The one thing they have going for them is that they are absolutely fearless and will force the tempo whether Michigan wants it or not. I think the game comes down to limiting turnovers and knocking down some shots for Michigan. I believe Beilein is too good of a coach to not have a gameplan put together for such an overagressive defensive team.
That being said I totally expect this game to be close until the end unless Ohio is cold from the field. DJ Cooper is good (not Burke) but where he will hurt you is his streak shooting. If he's on, OU will be in the game and have a chance to win. I also expect Reggie Keely to draw fouls on Morgan which can invoke the Beilein "Two Foul Rule" which I feel should be tossed out the window in the tourney.
In the end, I'll take Michigan by 5 due to Burke and Beilein. Needless to say I will be skitzo during this game. Go Blue! (don't blow out my alma mater?)
on the defensive end, but they turn the ball over a lot, and foul all day and all night. So if we hit the FT's we should be able to take this game.
Did you watch the Minnesota game? We aren't super athletic, so we rely a lot on shooting. If our shots aren't falling, we can lose to anyone.
Ohio is suppose to be one of the better in the country at defending the 3
So what?
If we are forced into taking 3 point shots against OHIO, then we are in trouble anyways. I think we won't have much problems getting to the basket and running our offense in this game.
we will be taking threes. That is a significant part of Michigan's offense regardless of who they are playing.
they are all over the Bobcat's nuts, but every year there are quite a few upsets and that is what makes the Big Dance special. But that being said Coach Beilein is 5-0 in the first round of the BTT, and 0-5 in the second round, 2-0 in the NCAA first round, 0-2 in the next round, plus add in Maui we are 1-0 in the first round and 1-1 in the following games.See what I am getting at here? We are freaking pretty unbeatable in the first round under Beilein no matter where or when we play. And I may add that this is the year we get past the second round and go to the Sweet Sixteen IMO. Given the time Beilein has shown he will own a team who has not seen us before. In Beilein we trust.
Beilein lost in the first round in his lone appearance at Canisius as a 13 seed (though he did make an NIT semi-final run the year before).
At Richmond he beat South Carolina as a 14 seed before falling to 11 seed Washington in the 2nd round (that Huskies team lost to #2 UConn in the next round by just one). He also made a run to the Final 8 of the NIT.
At WVU he made the Elite Eight as a 7 seed, and made the Sweet Sixteen as a 6. He also won an NIT title.
At Michigan he's won first round games as an 8 and a 10 seed, and only lost to a team with a future NBA star and the defending national champions.
The guy has never underperformed compared to his seed in the NCAA tournament and has done better than expected a fair share of the time. He's also had plenty of tournament success in the NIT along the way at a number of stops (and at places where the NIT is a bigger deal playing against competition that is more at your own level).
I suppose there is a first time for everything, but if Michigan were to lose to Ohio it would be a major aberration compared to the rest of Coach B's tournament resume.
comes from the fact that Clark Kellogg's son is on the Bobcats, so lots of analysts are giving them some run to make their colleague feel good. No harm done, only thing that matters is the scoreboard at the end of the game
March 13th, 2012 at 10:02 PM ^
Beat Pickerington South!