Predict the 2014-2015 basketball season

Submitted by ThadMattasagoblin on

At this point, we're a top 3 big ten team every year until Beilein proves otherwise.

1. Wisconsin 2. Ohio 3. Michigan 4. Nebraska 5. MSU 6. Iowa 7. Minnesota 8. Illinois 9. Indiana 10. Maryland 11. Northwestern 12. Purdue 13. Penn State 14. Rutgers

not TOM BRADY

April 26th, 2014 at 11:37 PM ^

Wisconsin is basically returning everyone. They should be preseason top 5. I think we will be fine. Maybe a little weak on the inside. But that hasn't stopped JB from winning before.

ijohnb

April 27th, 2014 at 8:16 AM ^

really don't see, with the loss of Morgan and basically our entire front line, how we can really contend for the Big Ten. I think we will make the tournament, and I think that Levert will prove to be legit as a first round pick, but I don't see how we will be more than a team that is "dangerous" when hitting threes. We are going to get smashed on the boards. I think we will run at EVERY opportunity, odd for a Beilien team but I think we are going to have no choice but to force a run and gun style. We will be a very unconventional outfit next year.

PurpleStuff

April 27th, 2014 at 12:09 PM ^

It isn't like we were any good on defense or on the glass this past season.  And a couple years ago Novak was starting at the 4. 

I don't think a team in America has three guys as gifted as Caris/Walton/Irvin, who all happen to shoot 40% from behind the 3-point line.  Their D should benefit from experience and Irvin being a better talent there than Stauskas.  We'll see what the new guys do up front, but they should add a lot more offensive versatility than Morford and they will have enough height to at least not get totally crushed on the glass.

If we're just remotely competitive on the boards, this team  is still elite, IMO.

redhousewolverine

April 27th, 2014 at 4:37 PM ^

I think we can expect all three to take steps forward defensively. They will know the system better, be stronger and in better shape, and have a year of experience playing together. I imagine the communication will be better and Walton and Irvin will see a big sophomore year jump. After all, they were just freshman last season, and Levert is pretty young for his age. I don't know if any of them will be elite defenders, but Walton and Irvin were recruits that presented a lot of defensive upside so hopefully they can make a jump this year.

ijohnb

April 27th, 2014 at 7:07 PM ^

You can't make them taller. They may improve individually as defenders but who is grabbing boards man. The key to the entire season will be the ability of Doyle, Donnal, and DJ being ready to bang with folks. The loss of horford cannot be overstated in that regard. I basically expected Nik, GR, and Mitch to be gone. The loss of Horford changes our team substantially and I for one hope that Bielien made a pitch to him at least. That hurt pretty bad.

rob f

April 27th, 2014 at 10:22 AM ^

heavily favored, without a doubt.  But the OP is obviously filled with unwarranted bias in favor of THE Ohio, who somehow thinks the Craft-less Buckeyes won't miss his rosy cheeks.   Seriously, though, I don't see OhioState anywhere in the B1G top 5; they'll finish behind the group of Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa, Maryland, MSU,Nebraska, and possibly even Minnesota, most  of whom will be in a real dogfight for 2nd place.

ThadMottasaGoblin or Thad Motta himself wrote that OP?

MGoBlueFan90

April 28th, 2014 at 11:14 AM ^

probably not as deep of a run as we've had the last few years, but I still think a NCAA bid is definitely likely. We have a darn good coach in Beilein.

MGoGrendel

April 27th, 2014 at 9:24 AM ^

and he does. We expect our incoming freshmen to push the sophomores to get better or sit - and they do. We expect our upper class players to lead by example with hard work and high expectations - and they do.

We expect to be a national power in basketball because the foundation and system are in place.

HartAttack20

April 27th, 2014 at 3:17 AM ^

While I wouldn't say they will be an elite eight team, it's hard to say that's not possible. I think they'll be a couple steps back from this season, but that isn't necessarily a bad season. Beilein has proven he can get teams to overcome some major deficiencies. I think the team is going to struggle a little bit at times without Stauskas. He had an amazing ability to bail the team out. The shots he was able to make amazed me every time I watched a game. The team still has a lot of great shooters, but Stauskas was able to seemingly just will shots into the basket no matter how well he was defended. Maybe that's something Caris can try to do, but I've never really seen a player nail those kinds of shots consistently. That kind of stuff never got old and it just makes me wish he came back for just one more year. Obviously the team will miss the potential of having Mitch, but he didn't even play last season (duh). The one thing we can say for sure is that Beilein has brought Michigan fans a consistently fun team to watch year in and year out. He just knows how to highlight his players' strengths while hiding their weaknesses. The main weaknesses of his teams have been defense and a lack of big men, but that hasn't stopped him before. I've always loved football and basketball, but at this point it's hard to not be more excited for basketball than football (especially given the home schedule this fall).

 

EDIT: Wow that was way longer than I thought. Drunk.

MJ14

April 27th, 2014 at 11:50 AM ^

My thoughts exactly. Though I highly disagree with the poster above about IU. IU should be better next year and they'll actually have some shooters. I think the OP hardcore underrated IU and Maryland.

MarqueeView

April 27th, 2014 at 12:12 AM ^

Sorry but this is a rebuilding year.



2013: NC game. 2014: Elite Eight. 2015: Round of 32.



We limp into the tournament as a 5-8 seed and lose to a better team.

Michigania

April 27th, 2014 at 7:58 AM ^

5th seed? ....we lost FOUR of our top big men in Morgan, McGary, Robinson, Horford....plus all american stauskas... i figure they only planned for losing two of the four bigs.....now we rely on Donnal, Beilfelt, Doyle....Indiana could go to NIT, and gave us fits. At this pt Id be suprised with making the ncaa

enlightenedbum

April 27th, 2014 at 12:38 AM ^

Depends if Caris becomes the lockdown defender that can stop penetration that everyone says he can be.  If yes, Sweet Sixteen is doable.  That's probably the upper limit though without any experience or incrredible talent inside.

Darker Blue

April 27th, 2014 at 1:09 AM ^

1.Northwestern

2. Navy

3. Hard Knocks U 

4. Tampa Bay

5, Liverpool 

6. Bangledash 

7. Folsom Prison Panthers

8. West Michigan Whitecaps

9. Cape Hope 

10. Michigan 

11. Notre Dame

12. Phildelphia 76ers 

13 staee

14. ohio

MichiganMan14

April 27th, 2014 at 1:22 AM ^

5 seed in the tournament and a Sweet 16 birth. We bow out to Kentucky again who will be the #1 overall seed. 3 straight years of beating everyone outside of the bluegrass state....smdh.

rob f

April 27th, 2014 at 9:50 AM ^

what any sequel, reprisal or remake of Molly Ringwald's character and "Sixteen Candles" (in which the star gives birth to a baby) has anything to do with how well Michigan Basketball fares next season.

Who's the daddy---Michael Schoeffling?

Sixteen Candles (1984)

 

Or Anthony Michael Hall?

0447476_2294_MC_Tx304.jpg

John Hughes has to be rolling over in his grave with this new twist being added to the plot of one of his most successful films.

Sixteen Candles 

chatster

April 27th, 2014 at 2:03 AM ^

NCAA Bubble Team all season. Finish sixth in Big Ten. No player scores as many as 20 points in a game, but all five starters average in double figures in scoring.

Projected as two seed in NIT before winning Big Ten Tournament to get sent to Dayton for NCAA Opening Round game for 12 seed in East.

Win NCAA Opening Round game and upset five seed in round of 64 and four seed in round of 32 to advance to NCAA Sweet Sixteen.

Buzzer beater win over one seed in Sweet Sixteen to advance to NCAA Elite Eight. Triple OT win over three seed in Elite Eight.

NCAA Final Four features three one seeds and twelfth seeded Michigan which ends the season on 14-game winning streak, with no game in that streak decided by more than five points.

During Michigan’s "One Shining Moment" after the NCAA Championship Game, every member of the team announces that he’ll be returning for the 2015-16 season . . . and every MGoBlogger is Happy!

lilwolve4

April 27th, 2014 at 3:44 AM ^

Would you rather:

Regress in basketball next year and be swept by all our rivals, but our football team beats MSU, ND, and Ohio en route to winning a B1G championship and going to the rose bowl



Or



The football team performs like the past few years but the basketball team wins the B1G and goes to at least the final four.

mgobleu

April 27th, 2014 at 7:27 AM ^

no contest. The situation the bball team is in is exactly why the whole sport pisses me off. I hate the one (or two) and done game. Sure, a lot of kids jump early to the nfl, but not nearly as much and at least they make it to junior year. I know kids want to make money, and nba owners want to make money, but screw them. What about what I want???