UM Bball wins game 3 - 116-52

Submitted by alum96 on

Has anyone seen the Washington Generals ?  First half ended 63-36.

Have to say I am disappointed in the level of opponent on this trip.  I believe we got crushed a time or two when we last went to Europe.  I would not mind a game say within 10 pts or heck us losing by 10.  Not sure you gain much from crushing teams (or being crushed) - always at the youth level liked to play teams about 1 notch higher than you especially early in the season.  I mean team bonding and all but this is a bit ridiculous. 

toomer18

August 20th, 2014 at 4:42 PM ^

This trip really isn't about the competition. It's about the extra practices and getting these freshman up to speed. This trip will really go a long way in developing the team. That being said, a little better comp would be nice

charblue.

August 20th, 2014 at 4:42 PM ^

to be challenged by the competition. In fact, the suggestion was this team would likely get its head handed to it on this trip. Instead, we are seeing the opposite. Now, this would be fine if we understood what the competition is, which we don't. So, yeah, apart from them coming together as a team and learning how to play with each other, and figuring out what needs work and all that, this seems like a junket at best. 

This is all good from the standpoint of extra practice and work and chemistry. But we've been oversold on the competition, unless these guys are off the chart good, which, I am guessing, they really aren't. Actually looking at the officials for a couple of the games led me to think this was a maybe one step removed from an AAU tournament. 

alum96

August 20th, 2014 at 4:48 PM ^

Curious about your last statement - are the officials overweight or old or what did you mean?

I do think we went over there for competition.  You don't learn much of anything about yourself destroying other teams or being destroyed.  I coached travel soccer a long time and games we were up 4-0 in the first 6-7 minutes you could either go on to win 20-0 or spend all game playing keep away ...and learning nearly zilch either way.  Been on the other end of those beatings as well - doesn't help anyone.  It is kind of a wasted trip IMO.  If you don't play in game like conditions you don't really learn - these are not game like conditions other than there is an opponent and refs on the court.  Zero pressure on anyone.  We could have scheduled 4 closed door games with Eastern Michigan and gotten better competition.

NJblue2

August 20th, 2014 at 5:23 PM ^

They're playing lower level Italian teams. The last team they play is in the 3rd division or something like that. If they play the top level Italians team they would probably lose or get blown out most games. I think the last time they went to Europe they played higher level teams.

Raoul

August 20th, 2014 at 4:44 PM ^

These sorts of scores are not at all unusual on these foreign trips. I think the choices of possible opponents are a lot more limited than might be supposed.

Besides, I wouldn't knock the team bonding aspect of these trips—plus the extra practices plus the game experience (regardless of the level of the opponent) plus the once-in-a-lifetime experiences such as this one:

Raoul

August 20th, 2014 at 5:02 PM ^

For those who don't know, the team visited the local U.S. military base, served lunch to the troops, and later held a workout there. Here's Spike on the lunch line:

alum96

August 20th, 2014 at 4:52 PM ^

Thanks.  Sounds like they are 3rd division moving up to 2nd.  Everyone else on this trip appears to just be a temporary collection of talent - I use that word loosely.

 

Michigan’s final game overseas will be against its toughest opponent. The Mantova Stings are the only team the Wolverines will face that isn’t an All-Star or exhibition team made up of an collection of players, but an actual professional team. Mantova went 18-10 in the third division (A2 Silver) of Italian basketball last season and earned promotion to A2 Gold, the second division, this year.

Avon Barksdale

August 20th, 2014 at 4:52 PM ^

Could be totally wrong but didn't Notre Dame do this same trip and go 4-0? I thought I saw somewhere where they went 4-0 and played Vicenza as well - which leads me to believe they made the same trip and crushed the same opponents also.

LSAClassOf2000

August 20th, 2014 at 4:56 PM ^

Dylan Burkhart will hopefully have the box score up soon - we went 38-67 from the field in the second game, so I am sort of interested in the stats for this game in particular. Granted, it is an exhibition and it doesn't mean anything statistically towards the season, but the novelty of the games is there for me all the same. Maybe there is a diary in it, albeit one which in no way speaks to season implications, but a fun one. 

Friday, it is the Mantova Stings, which I think is the only professional team that the Wolverines will see on this trip. 

alum96

August 20th, 2014 at 4:59 PM ^

For anyone curious, I was not aware of it but on UMHoops it says Notre Dame played a lot of these same teams.  They beat Vicenza All Stars 95-57, and Perugia Select 102-48.  But it sounds like those rosters are not even static - some dudes are on vacation (Europeans basically take August off for vaca) and some of those "All Star" teams the organizers tried to bring new players in to improve the squad etc.   Most of the players are from the 4th and 5th divisions of Italian baskertball - the "Sting" was in the 3rd and advanced to the 2nd.  So it appears only this last team is really even a team - the rest of the "teams" are cobbled together collections of players. Could be a dogfight! i.e. stays within 25.

westwardwolverine

August 20th, 2014 at 5:02 PM ^

Is there anyway Michigan could realign itself to a conference in Italy? Soccer might take a hit, but I feel like we'd dominate football and basketball. 

ClearEyesFullHart

August 20th, 2014 at 6:18 PM ^

Michigan can take it's team to Europe.  How many of these kids have been to Rome before?  They'll get some practice, see the sights, and finish up with one competitive game(in which I am hoping our post players dont get utterly destroyed).  You'd think it would be a pretty great opportunity to point out to a kid on a recruiting trip.  And a lot better than NOT practicing at home(the other option).