http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/rankings
We received three first-place votes in the AP poll and one in the USA Today poll.
Pollspeak
What's Nice About This...
Thanks to Pollspeak as well, you can see that we're starting to make believers out of some of the voters, as well as how rapidly we did it, going from 2 to 49 to 52 to 56 second-place votes in a matter of weeks and a constant hum of 2-3 first place votes over the last few polls as well. Also, this Ron Morris character just likes Michigan at #5 apparently - he's had us in the same spot for over a month now.
"Funny isn't it, how naughty dentists always make that one fatal mistake."
Follow the random tweets of a Michigan alum - http://twitter.com/#!/LorneEC3
Wow, John Feinstein is a huge
Wow, John Feinstein is a huge Duke fan...that is surpising.
2011 Nebraska State Champ "We're Michigan." @tannerwooten not that funny, though.
John "Jr". Feinstein
Is a nationally recognized syndicated guy who works for ESPN. He's a Dook graduate so he's just giving us the vote to not seem like the tool bag he actually is.
John Feinstein is a Duke
John Feinstein is a Duke grad, I think he's trying to jinx us.
Guys guys
Guys guys this is really fun you guys HIGHLIGHTS
Tremendous!
Those nobody's k state and nc
Those nobody's k state and nc state sure are hanging around. Since we've beat nobody and had no real tests. Both are ranked higher than spartina now.
All in for some manball.
I've seen
posters caved for typing that word. Mods have mercy on your soul.
I've paid prices before. I'm
I've paid prices before. I'm sure I'll pay them again.
All in for some manball.
Big Ten is continuing to look
Big Ten is continuing to look really strong in the polls this week:
(2) Michigan 15-0
(5) Indiana 13-1
(8) Minnesota 14-1
(12) Illinois 14-2
(15) Ohio State 11-3
(22) Michigan State 12-3
Illinois was wise to prevent their epic plummet in the polls
by clobbering OSU
somehow
Minnesota seems under-rated to me, but then, it's justifiable to have Arizona, Indiana, 'Cuse, Louisville, KU, Michigan, and Duke all ahead of them.
What I just can NOT agree with is the inclusion of Arizona ahead of Michigan. They almost blew it against Colorado (and frankly should have lost but not for a horrible call) and Utah, and struggled mightily against Steve Fisher's SDSU squad. I could maybe see the rationale for Louisville, but they're hanging their hats on beating mizzou and unranked Kentucky, and a good loss to Duke.
The case for Michigan as #2 is as strong (or stronger) than for any other team. I think Duke still has the leg up in terms of teams played thus far, but the ACC blows this year and Michigan will make up ground in a major way in terms of schedule strength and tough games.
And as the OP pointed out, those wins against K-State and NC State are looking pretty good right now. And c'mon Pitt, losing to freakin' Rutgers??? The disparity on K-State between the coaches and AP polls ((23 and 18, respectively) is interesting. Wonder why so different. Maybe coaches' lack of faith in Bruce Weber?
For my privacy, my new username is "non-Oriental non-Andrew"
Of note
is that both K-State and NC State cracked the top 20 this week, which makes us look better come tourney time.
So it goes.
Something I found interesting
Nice to see NC State and KState staying in the top 25. Hope they continue to win...especially NC State against Duke this weekend.
Our players won't really
Our players won't really regress, but the statistics will because of the better competition we will face. There is no way we can keep putting up 90+ points in the big ten. ( or can we...)
Edit: you changed your initial post before I responded
I realized I posted it in the
I realized I posted it in the wrong basketball thread...nice to see so many michigan b'ball threads on the board though. But I do agree with your point, I didn't mean to suggest our players would really become worse but that it would just be difficult for them to do what they have been doing. I do think that the emergence of LeVert and McGary is especially important for boosting that 2nd units scoring ability and defense for that matter.
I love this team and they are for real
The 89 team obviously is the only one to bring an NCAA title to Ann Arbor, and we had a couple of other great final four teams in the 60s and 70s. We also had the Fab 5 and their back to back NC games. But I enjoy watching this team more than any other team.
I first really started following Michigan basketball seriously in 84-85 when my oldest brother was a freshman on campus. I actually went to a game with him during their winning streak to start the season in 85-86.
The thing that separates this teams from the others that I can remember is that they seem to really enjoy playing together and being teammates despite being one of the most talented, if not the most talented, teams from top to bottom. Unlike the tension between the Fab 5 and the upperclassmen, these guys seemed to have checked their egos at the door.
I guess it's been easy to have good chemistry since they are winning, but they also don't seem nervous when other teams make a run and they don't seem to get too pissed at each other over mistakes on the court.
I hope they exceed the success of the 89 team by bringing home the B1G and NCAA crowns.
"[The University of Michigan] was, in short, the testing ground for all my prejudices, my beliefs and my ignorance, and it helped to lay out the boundaries of my life."--Arthur Miller
89 team
That team was stacked though they did have some issues. I was at the regular season finale against Illinois as a kid and vividly remember how bad they got smoked by the likes of Kenny Battle, Kendall Gill, and Nick Anderson. Fish got them to play together after Bo bounced Frieder and the rest is history!! That team produced 9 guys who played in the NBA and Kobe Bryant's agent.
That Illinois game was brutal
They had a great team that year too. The Flyin' Illini.
I really don't think Michigan wins it all in 89 unless Frieder takes the ASU job. I think the guys on the team really played with a renewed sense of pride after Fisher left. Then again, maybe the Illinois beat down brought them together too.
Frieder was a good coach who just couldn't seem to do anything in the tourney. The 86 team was an awesome team but got bounced in the second round.
"[The University of Michigan] was, in short, the testing ground for all my prejudices, my beliefs and my ignorance, and it helped to lay out the boundaries of my life."--Arthur Miller
Agreed
That Illinois team was awesome. They also had Marcus Liberty and were coached by the "Lou do". I remember Bo talking to the team during the tournament when he said "you know what I hope? I hope we get illinois!!!!"
AND Indiana was Big 10 champ
I totally forgot that. I guess my memory of the Illinois games made me think that Illinois was Big 10 champ.
"[The University of Michigan] was, in short, the testing ground for all my prejudices, my beliefs and my ignorance, and it helped to lay out the boundaries of my life."--Arthur Miller
Jay Edwards
Hit that buzzer beater from NBA range to beat Michigan in Bloomington. To bad he did too much blow.
How would the current team matchup with the 89 squad? That's a thread on its own. No way the current bigs could matchup with Vaught, Mills, Hughes. Stauskas is a poor mans Rice at best. Rumeal and Burke is a wash. Think the 89 team wins 7 of 10.
It would be fun to watch a best of 7 series
Mills was a beast too. Michigan had so many great players from the early to mid 80s until the Fab 5. I can understand some of the resentment of older guys towards the Fab 5. It's not like Michigan basketball sucked before they got here. Tarpley (damn drugs), Grant, Rice, Vaught, Robinson, Higgins (who left for the NBA too soon), Joubert,, Hughes, McCormick. Plus, some of these guys were part of the last Big Ten champion until last year and the only NCAA championship.
The Fab 5 had the most talented starting five, but those teams were deep and actually won championships.
One of many things about our current team that I love is the depth. We have a deep bench that compliments a strong starting 5 for the first time in a very long time. Vogrich has gone from starter to garbage time (and to his credit appears to be supporting his team from the bench) and Horford, assuming he's healthy, would have started on some of our recent teams. Hell, Levert might even have been a starter.
I just feel bad for the youngsters who don't remember how great Michigan basketball was, but I hope (and believe) that they will know what is like to have a consistent Big Ten contender for a prolonged stretch.
I generally hate the NBA, so basketball has just been painful for most of the last 20 years. Now, basketball is fun again due to Coach Beilein. Go Blue!
"[The University of Michigan] was, in short, the testing ground for all my prejudices, my beliefs and my ignorance, and it helped to lay out the boundaries of my life."--Arthur Miller
Joubert
"The Judge!!!" Forgot about him and his soul glow!!
Don't forget
Richard Rellford. He was a large man.
UM hoops
The Fab 5 teams were always kind of frustrating to watch; they would seem to have long lapses in games where they would play terribly, then suddenly "turn it on" and dominate. If only they could have maintained their intensity for the full 40 minutes on a consistent basis, there might have been a couple more banners to take down.
This year's team might not have a Webber-Howard frontcourt, but they do go hard from start-to-finish. If they don't win a title, I think it will be because IU or Duke or some other team is just a little better this season--unlike the Fab 5, which had the most talent but choked away Big Ten titles in '93 and '94 (minus Webber) and probably should have won the NCAA tournament in '93.
"You will suffer humiliation when the team from my area defeats the team from your area." -- The Onion
I agree with you about the
I agree with you about the Fab Five in that regard, but this year's team has at times had trouble closing teams out, too.
No question this team is very
No question this team is very very good, But I'm just worried about how they will match up with a good big man like Cody Zellar. They haven't really played an elite big man yet.
The Team, The Team, The Team!- Bo
nc-state had a big man who
nc-state had a big man who was pretty decent "howell" i believe his name was?
atleast Gordon, Mackel, and
atleast Gordon, Mackel, and Feinstein like us, it is a start. as soon as nc-state beats duke we will be #1!!
Voters with Michigan #1:
Those sound like newspaper reporter names from comic books. Pollspeak Link...Ron Morris of South Carolina has us #5. THIS IS ROUNDBALL NOT OBLONG SPHEROID THATS THE SHAPE OF A FOOTBALL LIKE I LEARNED ON NFL ON TV THIS PAST WEEKEND.
Intensity is a lot of guys that run fast.