January 4th, 2024 at 11:05 PM ^
This team is just not good at the end of games, pure and simple.
The team plays confused, too many mistakes, bad shot selection, etc.
January 4th, 2024 at 11:08 PM ^
You could have stopped at this team is just not good
BEAT WASHINGTON
January 4th, 2024 at 11:09 PM ^
That's what a good timeout is for, to get the players focused and setting up a play. I'm sure the coach knows this
January 5th, 2024 at 8:55 AM ^
Why are you sure the coach knows that?
January 4th, 2024 at 11:11 PM ^
Must be some record for losing this many one possession games.
January 5th, 2024 at 12:20 AM ^
This team is 2-14 in one possession games under Juwan. That is mind boggling.
January 5th, 2024 at 8:37 AM ^
Actually this makes Juwan -hurts to say this- Scott Frost. Can’t close.
January 5th, 2024 at 12:39 AM ^
The run this team will have to go on to get me back in Juwan's corner would be epic, record setting.
And there's virtually no chance (actually NO chance) of that happening. And at this point I don't think I'd give Juwan credit anyway.
I think I'm out. He's Hoke without the charm to me now...🤷♂️
January 5th, 2024 at 8:17 AM ^
OR Hoke is Juwan without fighting people.
January 5th, 2024 at 9:12 AM ^
Took you long enough!
January 4th, 2024 at 11:08 PM ^
There's nothing they can hang their hat on. They're not a tough rebounding team. They don't take care of the basketball. Their defense sucks. They shoot decently well and that's about it. Been trending that way since Juwan took over.
January 5th, 2024 at 6:33 AM ^
two things, both easily fixable, are miserable with this team and a direct reflection on the coaching: rebounding and defensive hustle. it takes exactly zero talent to excel at those two things, johnny lunch-pail-Y-league guy can do that and actually help his team. our guys are generally atrocious at those things. hustle. that alone would account for a few wins already this year.
January 5th, 2024 at 8:21 AM ^
Yo. Nail on the head. This team doesn't play hard and I never thought that would be the case with a Juwan-coached team. So many times I've watched them and thought: a little bit more effort would probably help them win this game. And the thing is: they're not a bad team at all. They have a lot of ability and have talented guys on the roster and can score. We've seen really bad UM teams in the past and this is not one of those. This is just a decent/could-be-good team that cannot figure out how to win games to save it's life.
January 5th, 2024 at 9:23 AM ^
Set the culture last year when he allowed the most talented player to play how he did. Culture wins (or loses in this case). I’m additionally surprised bc as I recall Howard was the architect of bringing the fab 5 together, but maybe that’s the recruitment skill he has…
We have talented people this year too but they aren’t going anywhere together right now. Might need a players only meeting to decide who they want to be.
January 5th, 2024 at 8:22 AM ^
I agree and I'm shocked how bad they were rebounding and on defense. After Beilein, and hiring a guy who was a big, I think most of us expected a physical team, and we haven't seen that at all.
Funny thing is I could actually see Juwan having more success at a bigger school where they'll take anyone in admissions and transfers and through NIL. He's obviously a great recruiter, so I could see him at another school bringing in tons of talent and having that talent make up for whatever he's lacking in building the program and culture.
January 5th, 2024 at 8:59 AM ^
That’s not exactly true. Length and athleticism help immensely with defense and rebounding. Other than Jett last year, who was clearly not hustling on defense, Juwan has put together a lot teams that aren’t very athletic on top of being too focused on offense.
January 5th, 2024 at 10:23 AM ^
I think his statement needs to be read carefully - it wasn't a claim that rebounding and defense are 100% effort, it was that rebounding and defensive hustle are 100% effort.
In other words, while this team might have some rebounding and defensive limitations based on length and athleticism, they aren't maximizing their current potential because of the lack of effort.
The thought that popped into my head last night while watching the game is that if you transported this roster into the Wisconsin program, it might compete for the Big Ten title.
January 5th, 2024 at 10:39 AM ^
exactly. and to further illustrate the point: the hoops team and its effort or lack thereof are in direct contradiction to what we see in our football team. if the hoops team worked like the football team, they might not be the greatest, but they would be much, much better.
January 5th, 2024 at 1:45 PM ^
OK but we're not asking them to be Houston. They're really bad on defense (151st on Kenpom) and rebounding. Beilein didn't have better athletes and Juwan's teams play defense like his early teams did. This isn't a small team outside of Dug.
January 5th, 2024 at 9:16 AM ^
Damn. If we could just have someone like Jett Howard on the team all or problems would be fixed.
January 4th, 2024 at 11:08 PM ^
Need to offer Juwan to Zeus to give the football team strength. Erect the altar!
January 5th, 2024 at 12:53 AM ^
Let us hope it is the final sacrifice. Rowsdower!!!
January 5th, 2024 at 1:15 AM ^
Wait, who is Sartorus in this scenario? What's Mike Pipper got to say about it?
January 5th, 2024 at 4:06 AM ^
And who’s got the yearbook photo of Larry Csonka?
January 5th, 2024 at 6:32 AM ^
As a Larry Csonka (and Jim Kiick and Mercury Morris) fan, can I get help with this reference? I enjoyed the Larry Csonka guest appearance on The Six Million Dollar Man. Google didn't help. Swisscows prompted me to add his book to my "to-read" list.
January 5th, 2024 at 8:51 AM ^
It’s a classic episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 in which they riff on the film “The Final Sacrifice.” One of the characters has a father who looks like Larry Csonka and they keep making fun of that. Rowsdower and Mike Pipped are other characters in the movie. One of the best episodes ever, but unfortunately it’s unavailable anywhere as the original filmmaker became very possessive of his work after it received the MST3K treatment.
January 7th, 2024 at 7:05 AM ^
Awesome. I am an MST3000 fan and you provided the Michigan difference. Thank you.
January 5th, 2024 at 11:19 AM ^
Are you talking about "Always on the Run" by Csonka and Kiick? Got it from my junior-high library 35 years ago. Great stuff.
January 7th, 2024 at 7:10 AM ^
Now I have a choice of books. "Head On" by Larry Csonka was published in 2022 (Kindle edition). It looks like a re-write of the Csonka Kiick book. I will read whichever one I have find first.
Thank you for the lead.
"No matter what your style, you have to take a beating."
--Larry Csonka, Life magazine, October 6, 1972
January 5th, 2024 at 11:20 AM ^
I don't know what Ol' Pipper will say, but I guarantee his voice will still have that melodious "someone shoved a bottle brush down his throat" quality.
January 5th, 2024 at 5:55 PM ^
"Met him? He was delicious!"
January 5th, 2024 at 9:19 AM ^
Sorry, guys. Another MBB game on Saturday. May have to sacrifice the assistant coaches.
January 4th, 2024 at 11:09 PM ^
I didn't watch but we accept the sacrifice of the BB team's lifeforce so that football team may win a national championship. So it is written and so it shall be.
January 5th, 2024 at 5:43 AM ^
I would happily exchange the basketball program going sub .500 in perpetuity if we got 14+ win football seasons out of it. Would not hesitate to make that deal, if any infernal deities with the power to make that happen are reading.
January 5th, 2024 at 12:12 PM ^
I said nearly precisely this to my wife around a month ago. Sacrifices must be made. Their heroic sacrifice may long be forgotten in the haze of Natty celebrations (the Gods willing), but, it’s a necessary sacrifice nonetheless.
January 4th, 2024 at 11:09 PM ^
I can't believe I actually watched that entire second half.
On peacock, no less!
It was like an airplane crash colliding with a train derailment. I couldn't look away, even on commercial breaks.
I have never been less enthused about a Michigan basketball team. They don't inspire any reaction at all. They just....suuuuucckkkk.
God, I hope the football team wins Monday.
January 4th, 2024 at 11:11 PM ^
Just fire him tomorrow. Seriously, before another issue with him throwing a temper tantrum and embarrassing the university
January 4th, 2024 at 11:18 PM ^
What would it even take for Juwan to be fired at this point?
January 5th, 2024 at 1:57 AM ^
Juwan has quit. Firing would be redundant. I get he had a medical situation but there is zero in that tank. Apathy is all I saw. Kids play the same.
January 5th, 2024 at 8:26 AM ^
I was psyched about Juwan and I still think he's a great dude and great choice for this program. But, he's going through a lot personally: he's coming off a major heart operation and his best friend and a close cousin (who was like a brother to him) both passed away in 2021. It seems like a lot of the program's problems since then can be traced to that.
I'm wondering if he shouldn't step down or at least step away temporarily. Maybe they can bring back Beilein for an emergency interim season or something (I honestly think this is a good team and with some focus and effort they could win a lot of games and make the tournament, but they're not getting that from the staff at the moment.)
January 5th, 2024 at 9:16 AM ^
Better take those rose colored glasses off.
January 5th, 2024 at 9:20 AM ^
It's not the medical situation. Last year was almost as bad with better talent on the team.
January 4th, 2024 at 11:12 PM ^
I watch this team and the Pistons. How fucked up is that?
January 4th, 2024 at 11:16 PM ^
If you're into masochism I'm not here to yuck your yum.
January 5th, 2024 at 12:35 AM ^
Dang bro. Can I get you a Snickers?
January 4th, 2024 at 11:14 PM ^
Comrade, talk to your people and nuke M Basketball.
January 4th, 2024 at 11:40 PM ^
Maybe I can get a two-fer with the Pistons. I honestly don't know which team is worse.