Blue Durham

January 15th, 2014 at 9:30 AM ^

If you look at him during and just after games, there he is all sweaty with a towel draped over his shoulder. Looks like he just recovered from a panic attack.

Prior to 1989, Michigan had other teams that were just as talented. Perhaps even more talented. But always lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament, to much less talented teams.

One year Michigan almost lost their first-round game against Farliegh Dickenson.

Frieder always looked panicked at the end of a close, important game, and so did his teams.

I'll never forget guard Gary Grant's statement after yet another poor performance by both him and Michigan in the NCAA's "the NCAA tournament and Gary Grant do not go together." He was a reflection of Frieder and his teams.

LSAClassOf2000

January 14th, 2014 at 10:17 PM ^

Granted, I was all of 11 when the transition happened, but I really didn't think of the transition of Schembechler to being athletic director as being a potential motivator to Frieder looking to leave. The clash of personalities was evident, but the in-depth stuff is very interesting, to say the least. 

Dontfakeitfunk

January 14th, 2014 at 11:20 PM ^

Raycom baby. Still remember dunking on my mini basketball hoop watching Maceo Baston and Travis Conlan ball out on Saturday afternoons. Despite all of the scandal/controversy, Louis Bullock was revolutionary in my eyes (at the time) and had a huge influence on the way I played PG in high school and college.

goblue2008

January 14th, 2014 at 10:21 PM ^

in 1989 seems a lot like our run last year. Midseason struggles against teams that should've beat and turning it on when it mattered most. I was in ATL for Final Four last year and can say it was one of the best sports weekends I've ever experienced despite the outcome. I hope we have the chance to experience another run soon!

Wolverine Devotee

January 14th, 2014 at 10:35 PM ^

When Michigan lost to winless PSU last year I talked people off the ledge reminding them of that loss to Alaska-Anchorage in 1988-89.

At least PSU was Big Ten and DI. UAA is a division 2 school that is only known for hockey and they aren't even the better of the two D2 Alaska schools.

BY FAR the worst loss in program history. But nobody remembers it for something that happened in March-April.

Seeing video of that game in this doc....oh man that was awful.

Wolverine Devotee

January 15th, 2014 at 7:15 AM ^

I love it. The age thing is great. As if I can control what year I was born in.

I didn't live in 1929, but I know it was the worst economic crash in the country's history based on the facts.

How in the world are you going to defend an elite team stockpiled with NBA talent losing to a Division 2 school from Alaska, in a regular season game? 

You can't. And nobody cares about it because Michigan won the whole damn show that season. 

That's unheard of. Not as bad as Chaminade vs Virginia, though. 

Bando Calrissian

January 15th, 2014 at 11:36 AM ^

I harp on the age thing because it so often clouds your perspective. A fairly meaningless holiday tournament no one cares about in a season Michigan won the freaking tournament is not the worst loss in program history. I'm sorry, but it's just not.

Let's start with Michigan giving up 114 and losing by 50 to MSU in 2000, pretty much cementing the way that rivalry (and college basketball in Michigan) was going to go for the next five years. The infamous 34-2 run Duke put up to start the game the next season, which was just about as embarrassing as it could get. Giving #1 Illinois a run in 2005, only to choke it away at the end in what could have been a major turning point for a program that desperately needed a break. Not to mention the fact the Orange Krush punked our Athletic Department and took over the freaking arena.

Like I said, perspective is key. Losing to Alaska was essentially meaningless. But if you live Michigan Basketball through Wikipedia and YouTube, it might mean something to you?

JamieH

January 15th, 2014 at 12:40 PM ^

Are mostly meaningless outside of getting you into the NCAA tournament.  They are pseudo-exhibition games.  They don't count towards the Big Ten title, and unless they keep you out of the NCAA tournament, they don't really affect you at all. 

Was losing to Alaska embarassing?  Sure.  Did it have any affect on the season other than as a wake-up call?  Nope.  Hell, Alaska wasn't even the worst loss of 88-89.  That would be probably be the buzzer-beater Indiana won down in Bloomington because it pretty much ended Michigan's shot at the Big Ten title.  I remember being CRUSHED by that loss.  The Alaska game?  Bah, it barely registered other than a WTF.   The beatdown Illinois put on us in the last game of the season would probably be #2, though by that game the title was already decided.

Calling it the worst loss in program history shows a complete lack of perspective.  The worst losses in program history came in games that actually meant something.  

Was it the worst loss in terms of the opening POINT SPREAD in history?  Maybe.  But the worst losses in program history cost us Big Ten titles or even National Titles, IMO.

Wolverine Devotee

January 15th, 2014 at 2:46 PM ^

Yeah, and what do all of those games you mentioned have in common? They were all against top 10 opponents and Michigan wasn't expected to win.

UAA didn't deserve to be on the same floor as that Michigan team. That's my criteria for worst losses. Games you had no business losing. Last year @PSU is up there as well.

Sorry I didn't experience something I wasn't even alive for. That doesn't not give me the right talk about past games and teams and look at it. But oh well, not the first person to dislike me and certainly not the last.

JamieH

January 15th, 2014 at 3:02 PM ^

Michigan was 16-5 and ranked #13 in the country at that point.  Indiana was 15-4 and ranked #4.  The first matchup in Ann Arbor had been a 1-point game.

Was Indiana slightly favored, yeah.  Was a Michigan win unexpected?  Absolutely not.

What does that have to do with it being a terrible loss?  They essentially were ahead when the horn went off.  In fact, replays showed that it's not even clear that the Indiana guy got the ball off before the clock ran out.  Now THAT is a bad loss.  Not some meaningless non-conference loss that no one even remembers.

This isn't football where 1 loss can define a season.  Basketball teams lose games.  Michigan didn't show up for some meaningless game against a meaningless opponent in a meaningless holiday tournament that had no on in the stands.  Sure it was momentarily embarassing.  But anyone who was actually around back then will tell you it just wasn't that big of deal.  If it had sent the team into some sort of tailspin maybe it would have some relevance, but they won all of their other non-conference games.

 

 

 

rob f

January 14th, 2014 at 10:38 PM ^

that Demetrius Calip bailed us out early in during the Championship run.  Never forgot the success of Glen Rice or the clutch play of Sean Higgens, but Calip---without him in game 1, none of the rest coulda happened.

TexasMaizeNBlue

January 14th, 2014 at 10:46 PM ^

after the championship, my dad took me down to the old Waterstreet Pavillion in downtown Flint to meet Glen and Demetrius. They both autographed a "Michigan 1989-90 NCAA Champions" pennant that I still proudly have displayed in my man cave 25 years later. I still have arguments that this team would have beaten the Fab 5 teams.

JudgeMart

January 15th, 2014 at 10:38 AM ^

It wasn't Bo's ego that ran Frieder out of town.  Frieder's shady recruiting practices and blindly allowing the players' excess during those years is what did it.  How do I know this?  I've known him since he was a high school coach in Flint...even then his 'palm-greasing' was legendary.

 

Wolverine Devotee

January 14th, 2014 at 11:09 PM ^

You guys are so freaking lucky to have lived through and experienced 1988-89 - 1998-99 as fans.

Broke the whole thing down before, but for short-

  • Football- 1 National Championship, 7 Big Ten Championships, 3 Rose Bowl Championships, 7-2-1 vs ohio, 8-3 vs state
  • Basketball- 1 NCAA Championship, 3 NCAA Regional Championships, 1 Big Ten Tournament Championship, The Fab Five
  • Hockey- 2 NCAA Championships, 6 NCAA Regional Championships, 5 Conference Regular Season Championships, 4 Conference Tournament Championships, 9 GLI Championships

Oh, and if you're a Detroit sports fan you got these as well-

  • 2 straight NBA Championships
  • 2 straight Stanley Cup Championships
  • NFC Division title and one and only Lions playoff win

I am truly jealous of all of you as a 95er. 

stephenrjking

January 14th, 2014 at 11:24 PM ^

It's really amazing I didn't become a basketball fan for life. My friends and I watched all the time, shot hoops in our driveway all the time, and lived and died with the Pistons and Wolverines. Snow day at school? Watch Hoosiers to pass the time. And it paid off. For a 9-10 year old it was amazing.

Good reminder that I really was a lucky sports fan as a kid.

M-Dog

January 15th, 2014 at 8:10 AM ^

Don't forget a couple of Heisman's in there too.

What was really fun was living through all of this in the heart of buckeye country.  To add insult to injury, we even beat them to go to the Final Four in '92.  

We owned their sorry asses.  And I got to walk around Ohio grinning like the Cheshire Cat.