Is this Season Already Better than 2008-2009 MBB?
File this in the category of questions that are irrelevant, but I've seen a lot of comments across the board about "best basketball weekend in 20 years" from Michigan fans. I remember being pretty pumped up about us beating Clemson and getting into the 2nd round vs. Oklahoma, where we overall put up a pretty good fight. Obviously this a higher profile matchup vs. Duke, the Fab 5 documentary recently put out, so there's a lot more attention on the team.
My question is, is this season ALREADY better than 2 years ago? I personally think this team is better than Manny's team, but we did beat Duke and UCLA that year and it was also a run out of complete nowhere. I think it's close, and I'm hoping this chapter of MBB beats Duke and officially settles this question.
March 19th, 2011 at 10:42 AM ^
Which is this year and the end of a drought 2008-09. I like em both!
March 19th, 2011 at 10:46 AM ^
I think it is pretty similar except for the fact that this team started so poorly and their run was even more of a surprise. If you look at the big wins, I think 08-09 had some better victories. We also thought that 08-09's team would carry it over to greatness the next year, and that didn't happen. This team has the same type of promise if not more though. Let's hope they can build off this.
I would say this is not really any better than that year if you step back and think about it.
March 19th, 2011 at 10:51 AM ^
I'd have to say right now this season's team is better than the '08 team, but mostly because of the last couple months; it's like all systems went 'go' for this year's team and Coach Beilein has his program going full speed ahead. As to weekends, I'm going to give the nod to the '08 squad's weekend; we weren't sure we were even going to get in the tournament back then and when they announced it, the joy and celebration was just grand. This year's team was in, we all knew that for the most part, although the 8th seed was a surprise. Beating Tennessee like we did was great but now that I have a day to think about it, yeah we did great but Tennessee imploded; we better not think we are going to get that kind of effort from Duke.
the 2010 team could be as good as or better than the 2009 team. They are. Now I think that they are better than the 2008 team. They are more balanced and have more weapons and play together better. They have already achieved the same success and much less was expected of them. So, I would have to say that this year has been better.
March 19th, 2011 at 10:52 AM ^
But the excitement surrounding the team is much higher due to youth. That team had quite a few seniors in role playing positions...
Zack Gibson, Jevohn Shephard, and obviously Merrit & Lee
Since we have no seniors, there is reason to believe that the sky is the limit.
Oh, and also - we beat Clemson by 3 while we beat UT by 30 so that could have something to do with it as well.
March 19th, 2011 at 10:56 AM ^
We swept State this year. To me, that means more than the higher profile Ws against Duke, UCLA, etc.
March 19th, 2011 at 11:02 AM ^
how Sparty of you...
March 19th, 2011 at 11:23 AM ^
MSU is a rival, nothing wrong with valuing a win over them more than a win over a good team from another conference.
March 19th, 2011 at 12:11 PM ^
Exactly. While in football, OSU is definitely our #1 rival, in b-ball and hockey, MSU has traditionally held that spot. Also, since we have to share a state with them, the sound of silence coming from East Lansing right now is really nice.
March 19th, 2011 at 11:31 AM ^
No, the Sparty equivalent would be "I wouldn't mind only 2 wins all year as long as they're against State." While that probably isnt what they expect from their basketball program (sweeping Michigan isn't good enough to call it a good year for them) I am pretty convinced if Dantonio goes 1-11 every year with a win against UM they will not fire him.
When you work surrounded by Sparties it it a very big deal to beat them.
I was nice and sympathetic to my fellow Spartie employees and one of them said, "yeah well I'll be giving it right back to you when you get blown out by Tennessee". Uh, no I believe that would be chagrin, kthxbye!
March 19th, 2011 at 11:06 AM ^
I think this year is much better just based on potential--there isnt a player on the team that can't dramatically improve from now until next season. Especially after the game against Tenn I think we are starting to see how Smotrycz and Vogrich can really contribute to this team. Next year could be a much much deeper team.
March 19th, 2011 at 12:17 PM ^
I feel like I'm not satisfied just having a golden ticket, b/c my greed makes me want to jump into a river of chocolate.
March 19th, 2011 at 11:09 AM ^
In the words of Chris Webber, "The same.... exactly the same."
March 19th, 2011 at 11:12 AM ^
We were a bit higher in conference, we were seeded a bit higher, we made it equally far in the NCAAs at least and we were expected to be worse. So it's better so far. When we beat Duke, then it will have been a lot better.
March 19th, 2011 at 11:15 AM ^
Swept Sparty and made it into the BTT semis vs. didn't sweep Sparty and didn't make it to the BTT semis. No-brainer if you ask me.
Plus this team is a hell of a lot more fun to watch. Much better team ball. They pass the ball so well. Zack Novak was just a baby grittosaurus back then, not the full-fledged gritmonster of today. Morris distributes a hell of a lot better than Manny did. This team is my favorite Michigan team in decades.
March 19th, 2011 at 11:58 AM ^
This team is my favorite Michigan team since (gasp) The Fab Five. I find this ironic, because this team is antithetical to the Fab Five in its on-court demeanor, and doesn't have nearly the athleticism that the Fab Five did.
Morris is sorta like a shorter Jalen, but not on his level yet. Morgan is sorta like Howard, but Howard had a ridiculous drop step that Morgan doesn't have yet, and was a lot better at fakes. THJ would have fit in; I would compare him to a Ray Jackson with a better shot.
But this team doesn't have a Webber who can physically dominate, nor a King who can jump out of the gym. I totally disagree with what Webber did off the court, but, next to Cazzie Russell, he was the second-most gifted athlete I have ever seen in a Michigan basketball uniform.
This team probably won't make it past Duke, but one thing I see in them that is similar to the Fab Five is their resolve. They aren't making it a case of "us against the world," but this team does stay very focused and plays hard for forty minutes.
Remember that this team was expected to do nothing. I would have been happy with a .500 record and an NIT berth before the season started. Now, this team may be remembered as THE team that swung the instate balance of power back to Ann Arbor. And they did it without a senior.
Well, for clarification....the Fab Five was decades ago. Almost two of them. Like you, this is my favorite team since then.
March 19th, 2011 at 12:14 PM ^
what he said!
March 19th, 2011 at 11:16 AM ^
Last years offseason felt so long. Now that we have basketball to root for I totally forgot that spring training started. Last year felt like an eternity between end of the season and spring football
March 19th, 2011 at 12:19 PM ^
for football already started?
March 19th, 2011 at 11:18 AM ^
I have to vote for 2008-2009. Because it was the end, and the new beginning. Michigan's team this year is performing way above expectations - but frankly half of the joy and excitement isn't about this year - its about what is coming down the road. Not sure we would be in the same position had Beilein not been laying the foundation all along.
March 19th, 2011 at 11:21 AM ^
personally i'd take this season, if only because the future seems a lot brighter for a much longer time with this team than the 08-09 team.
March 19th, 2011 at 11:25 AM ^
Team's accomplished more this year with a younger team. Easily this one.
Added bonus for Zack Novak tomorrow: The Plumlee's are far less likely to put you on a poster then Blake Griffin. So there's that...
March 19th, 2011 at 12:00 PM ^
On the surface, it's extremely close: both teams went 10-3 out of conference, 9-9 in conference, and 1-1 in the BTT, and both even beat an orange-clad team in the tourney. But the 2009 team arguably peaked early on, with the win over Duke, and just kind of held on to make the tourney, whereas the 2011 team got off to that miserable start in conference and then really kicked it in high gear over the second half of the season. I think at this point, this is a significantly better team. It's definitely played better basketball over the last 15 games of the season.
Of course, we can make this all academic by winning tomorrow.
March 19th, 2011 at 12:00 PM ^
This year because of youth and clear path to improvement over the next several years. 2009 was special because we hadn't been to the tournament in so long, but now we seem built for the future.
March 19th, 2011 at 12:11 PM ^
I'd been thinking of the same thing, and I think I'll take this team. Extremely surprising, but overall they've done better, especially down the stretch.
March 19th, 2011 at 12:19 PM ^
we all got psyched about the next year too, I think this year is better because 09/10 was so bad and we all associate that team more with the 08/09 team.
Anyone else wonder what seed we would have gotten had we beaten Wisconsin or Kansas?
March 19th, 2011 at 12:37 PM ^
Both, we'd probably be a six seed, one or the other, I'm thinking a seven.
Right now this season feels better because it's still happening. I suspect in a couple of years I'll look back at 2008-2009 as better and more important for breaking the program's drought. I'm just hoping that with each subsequent team we have this discussion because the program keeps improving.
...but the team being an 8 seed, winning a tourney game by 30 points, sweeping MSU and crushing even the most optimistic expectations is so so sweet. If they shock the world and beat Duke I'm going to look into the legality of marrying a college bball team, can the lawyers on the board help a brother out.
I think I was more pumped to get into the tournament in 08-09 even though it was more surprising this year. Honestly this year felt like playing with house money.
for 2 reasons.
1) Snapped out NCAA drought streak
2) I felt that 09-10 would yield an amazing M team and was completely disappointed and now I know that 11-12 will be awesome, but some of that fear remains.