Shifting Attention to the Iowa State game
So, I've given up on football for the year. The reason? I'm and Michigan and Iowa State fan. From the Iowa State side I can take solice in the fact that we haven't rushed for negative yardage once this year and from the Michigan side, I can take solice in the fact that a bowl game will exist. Both offenses are awful, both coordinators probably should not be retained and yet, at least one of them will. Anyway, I've moved on to basketball. I haven't been a very big basketball fan but this year neccessitates letting go of football early. So let's talk about basketball.
It's really a game that has a lot of interesting, small subplots. Johnny Orr is the guy who brought ISU basketball to a respectable level. He coached at Michigan prior to ISU, is a rockstar there and will be in attendance. Then you have Stauskas who came down to ISU and Michigan at the time of his commitment. He literally could not have gone wrong with either syatem. You then Mave Monte Morris and Derek Walton. Those two battled for Mr. Basketball and will certainly face each other. The teams will also play a similar style of basketball offensively with defense not being something either team has been very good at in recent years.
So, as an ISU alum, I pay pretty close attention to what goes on there as well as what goes on at Michigan. What does ISU have? Well, they don't have Ejim. He's a 6'6 perimeter 4 who lead the league in rebounding last year and is, in general a hustle type player. He's not the athlete GR3 is but neither has consistently created their own offense. Dustin Hogue will replace him. Hogue is probably a slightly better athlete with the same rebounding ability but agin, is limited in his offensive skill.
At the PG position, ISU will have Deandre Kane who is a graduate transfer from Marshall. He's a big kid at 6'4 and will use that size when able. He seems to be a pretty solid defender and I see him on CL for the mjority of the game. On Stauskas, I would guess will be Naz Long. Long hit 8 threes in the opening game. He was thought of as a defensive stopper but it seems he packs that combination of defense and three point shooting. Matt Thomas is the other guard who I would guess will defend GR3. If not he'll be on Stauskas until he gets killed. Interestingly, throughout all of his high school and AAU ball, he has never played man defense. At post they have Georges Niang. He's a pretty decent shooter with excellent feel for the game and finsihing. He certainly isn't great athlete but his feel is excellent. ISU will force Morgan or Horford to step out and defend him.
I think UM fans will be surprised by the atmosphere. Hilton will be sold out and there is a lot of buzz around this game for the obvious matchup in itself but also a highly ranked visitor. This should be a fun game to watch with a bunch of threes going up and faced paced offenses on both ends. I just thought I would throw some of this info up on the board to take some time away from the depressing football chatter and look forward to something else.
November 14th, 2013 at 3:49 PM ^
As badly as I want basketball to fill the void it just doesn't. Not yet anyway.
November 14th, 2013 at 4:20 PM ^
I agree and it never will fill the void. M is a football school and that will always be my favorite sports team. Nothing will ever top M football.
November 14th, 2013 at 6:26 PM ^
I look forward to the day that people stop saying Michigan is a football school. You are selling short a great university with a great athletic tradition outside of football.
November 14th, 2013 at 11:24 PM ^
November 15th, 2013 at 9:32 AM ^
The past ~5 years.
November 14th, 2013 at 3:51 PM ^
So is it close early, then M pulls away?
Or are we talking uCONN here? I can't do another football season for basketball season.
November 14th, 2013 at 5:35 PM ^
Well, I think ISU is close to a top 25 team by the end of the year. It will be one of the toughest enviroments Michigan plays in so I expect it to be close throught. ISU basketball isn't even close to as bad as UCONN football.
November 14th, 2013 at 3:52 PM ^
Too many typos... I refuse to read your thread.
November 14th, 2013 at 4:01 PM ^
missing /s? Get off of your horse. I'd term the OP pretty informative and useful, typos and all.
November 14th, 2013 at 4:41 PM ^
I like my horse.
*gallop gallop*
November 14th, 2013 at 4:18 PM ^
I am looking forward to seeing the Morris vs Walton match up.
November 14th, 2013 at 4:27 PM ^
Johnny Orr was a great basketball coach at Michigan in the seventies. He twice took the team to the quarter finals of the NCAA's, and in 1975 went to the finals, where they lost for the 3rd time to undefeated Indiana.
During the season Bobby Knight stated that he thought the 2 best teams in the country played in the same conference. There was no question which 2 teams he was talking about, and it was borne out in the tourney.
November 14th, 2013 at 4:48 PM ^
I've spent a decent amount of time in and around ISU Sports and academe. I will go on record saying that Iowa State would make a great addition to the B1G. I would target the Cyclones and Vandy above others (including UNC and Georgia Tech). Before you dismiss the notion, consider that ISU athletics support 18 varsity sports, are competitive in the majority of them and outstanding in a few (like wrestling and womens' hoops), are an AAU school, were 41st in the Directors' Cup standings last year, have a loyal and stable fan base, sit within the B1G footprint, and, most importantly, would add more red to conference uniformz (O.K., that one's not a positive). Add in AD Jamie Pollard, who is a down-to-earth, innovative AD with Wisconsin ties and Paul Rhodes, who is well-respected and might be the most passionate coach on the planet, and you get a school that is much more desirable by almost all accounts than Maryland and Rutgers combined.
That said, Hilton is a tough place to play as a visitor. I'm hopeful for a win, but it isgoing to be a hostile crowd and I will not be that surprised if we do not leave Ames with the W.
November 14th, 2013 at 5:04 PM ^
It's always about $, and if he can get into another new, big market, he will. Otherwise Rutgers definitely never would've been added.
November 14th, 2013 at 4:52 PM ^
Edit* I misread...you correctly noted Ejim is NOT playing
November 14th, 2013 at 6:36 PM ^
Stopped reading after "I've given up on football for the year"
November 14th, 2013 at 7:11 PM ^
November 14th, 2013 at 9:23 PM ^
http://mgoblog.com/diaries/way-too-early-iowa-state-basketball-preview
Some of my finer work if you are at all interested.
November 15th, 2013 at 2:14 AM ^
I saw that earlier. Palo isn't on the team anymore either. Also, Dorsey-Walker probably won't play much if the first couple games are any indicator.
November 14th, 2013 at 10:37 PM ^
Nice info.
November 15th, 2013 at 12:34 AM ^
November 15th, 2013 at 7:56 AM ^
November 15th, 2013 at 1:12 PM ^
It's very strange to think that our winningest basketball coach in school history left for Iowa State, of all places. And then our next one left for Arizona State. We neglected our basketball program for far too long.