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Never used TicketIQ so no…

Never used TicketIQ so no shade to the sponsor but I've had good experience with TickPick (ironically the site Seth pulled the stadium seating chart from) and it's $613 each for a pair to get in the door.

Yes it's for sure him and he…

Yes it's for sure him and he is undoubtedly well connected. In the comment chain he presented this as directly from a source privy to the conversations, who has never lied to him previously, and who authorized him to release the intel. So I'm sure there's a bigger story here but have little reason to doubt something went down with the regents going rogue in some respect.

Well CR is Craig Ross so I…

Well CR is Craig Ross so I tend to trust this info, but I don't get it at all.

I was only able to catch the…

I was only able to catch the first 15 minutes of game time and it was enough to significantly notch up my expectations. Dug looked the part of sophomore breakout, TWill appears to fit into his role a lot more naturally at the 3, and the athleticism of Nkamhoua and Burnett  is a welcome sight.

The obvious concern is guard depth (and specifically ball handling). Hopefully Llewellyn will be back soon but even with him healthy, and assuming GW3 develops quickly, we may not be able to afford Dug getting in foul trouble or missing games. Who was bringing it up the floor and initiating offense when he got rest tonight?

Loving what Atlanta is…

Loving what Atlanta is building. Many teams seem to be aimless with no real identity or just awful at roster construction.

WNBA restricts American…

WNBA restricts American players from entering until the year they turn 22. Caitlin Clark could be an immediate starter but isn't eligible. Other eligible players are staying in school because NIL deals are tied to the bigger college fan bases and rookie salary is like $75k for a lotto pick.

So Leigha probably isn't the 15th best draft eligible woman, and definitely isn't the 15th best prospect regardless of eligibility. Her play could be super frustrating at times since she was our alpha, but the ability to do a bit of everything gives her a shot to be a solid role player in the league.

Unfortunately roster cuts…

Unfortunately roster cuts are brutal in the WNBA and the 15th overall pick is far from guaranteed to get a spot. But she plays with fire and that should get her some looks elsewhere if she doesn't make it out of camp.

The Atlanta Dream have…

The Atlanta Dream have selected Leigha Brown with the 15th pick in the WNBA Draft.

— Rachel Galligan (@RachGall) April 11, 2023
Definitely a flush it in the…

Definitely a flush it in the toilet game and no reason to believe that's "who we are" any more than last night's 72% shooting second half did. Even so, it underscored some existing concerns:

- Getting nothing from Bufkin and Llewellyn is a real problem when the rest of the back court is freshman Dug and air.

- Hunter struggled with the double/triple teams that he's gonna be dealing with all season, so we're gonna have to keep finding ways to pay that off elsewhere. Making shots helps.

The optimistic view...

- Up-transferring is an adjustment and Lewellyn should become a plus on the offensive end as the year goes on. We saw Devante evolve from absolute disaster to a key part of the tourney push last year, and Mike Smith improved substantially the year before.

- I'm entertaining the idea that Bufkin can be a respectable defender.

- Hunter is going to be one of the best in the conference regardless of the double/triple teams.

I'm not optimistic about…

I'm not optimistic about making the big dance, but you didn't see any fight in that game at Purdue? The problem didn't look like lack of feelingsball intangibles ("heart," "will," "desire") so much as a hard ceiling on our defense's ability to get stops. The offense punched back all game and kept it close and it still wasn't good enough.

I had some hope Frankie…

I had some hope Frankie would be the one bench option given he's the only guy who can truly take it to the rack, but it's just not there yet. I think it has to be Johns. Just hit the corner 3 and stop missing those bunnies on decent post moves. Probably not gonna happen, but we've seen him flash before and maybe he can show some confidence for a stretch of games. I thought his defense late against Nebraska, with Diabate on the bench, showed enough effort to get out of the immediate doghouse.

Or, as TrueBlue suggested in the Nebraska game thread, move Johns back into the starting lineup. I'm not optimistic he'll look like he did in the tourney last year on a regular basis because he's just too mercurial, but we could use his presence defending opposing bigs. Then Diabate becomes your bench scorer.

He is who we thought he was …

He is who we thought he was - inconsistent at best. He's not who we hoped he was - a legit Big Ten starter who could hold off Diabate and contribute on both ends.

 

Having said that, he closed for (a still somewhat out of control and foul-plagued) Diabate down the stretch last night and I thought he played solid defense on a couple important possessions.

 

So was Craig Ross, after…

So was Craig Ross, after evaluating his performance for team Canada at World Juniors.

Rarely wanted him gone but…

Rarely wanted him gone but wasn't expecting regular returns to the playoffs either. He brought stability at a pivotal time when the wrong hire after Hoke could have sent us into a death spiral. If we come out on the other side with another successful coach, I'll appreciate that and remind folks he had a solid record. If we don't, it'll be a little tougher to remember him for anything but his foibles and failures and going out on a sour note.

Stanford beat Arizona in the…

Stanford beat Arizona in the final. Aari McDonald of the Wildcats was a lot of fun to watch, and they beat Indiana in the Elite 8. We narrowly lost to Baylor in OT in the sweet 16.

I know the team is playing…

I know the team is playing well but guessing this wasn't intended to be three up, one down. Or are Eli's struggles so bad they're worth three?

Admittedly, I'm struggling to think of other downs. I'd say Devante Jones, for all the improvement, needs to be a bit more selective with pushing the ball up the floor. On an odd-man break, go for it (although even then the passes haven't always been great, as seen in the Dickinson hustle clip where he biffs the alley-oop to Moussa). But sometimes he'll push it up and barrel at the hoop right off an inbound from a made basket. Got called for a bogus charge on it once v Indiana, but has been hit with legitimate charges, turned it over, or thrown up an ugly contested shot on others.

Speaking from experience,…

Speaking from experience, you're not wrong. He vibes and I'm there for it.

Logged in to say this is…

Logged in to say this is what OT season is all about. I commend you on actually creating this monstrosity and (saying this as a Browns fan) wish you the best with such superstitions.

Wipe that Darvin Ham…

Wipe that Darvin Ham disrespect out of your mouth!

But for real, my recollection is that Corliss was still viable in the post in limited minutes. Lindsey Hunter provided some vet leadership. The bench was not strong but the team was "perfect" for the moment in the sense that no one else could slow down Shaq and Kobe.

It sucks to have shown some…

It sucks to have shown some cracks in the armor with 2 of 3 but Illinois lost to this MSU team and was "trending down" too. No reason we can't flip it into another positive trend like we had for the other 80% of the season.

This will be a good chance…

This will be a good chance to test the chill-to-stress ratio.

On the plus side, we didn't…

On the plus side, we didn't lose by 20 this time. Losing by way of 33% shooter Rocket Watts midrange jumpers may be worse.

That's two games in a row…

That's two games in a row that qualify as Smith's best in a Michigan jersey. I'm most impressed by his ability to give us timely buckets. After Maryland had a run to take the lead in the 2nd half he hit a mid range to stop the bleeding. Other than Dickinson in the post, he's been the most reliable scorer late in the shot clock.

Ace, his name is Pete Nance,…

Ace, I mention this because it's the second Big 10 Reset with the error: his name is Pete Nance, as in Larry Nance Jr's little brother, Larry Nance Sr's kid. No relation to Jim Nantz. He was also a serious recruiting target for us.

Implying they would be doing…

Implying they would be doing due diligence on exclusively on reports of dysfunction with Jed York leading to his departure? I suspect it's standard course of business to inquire with previous employers, and York is a professional who has been pretty neutral on Harbaugh since then, but that's no reason not to shit on our coach! 

Exactly. This is a tactful…

Exactly. This is a tactful musing on what I'd call "microaggression" if it weren't such a trigger word. OP accounts for several factors, none of which seem like mere fodder to scream "racism." Nonetheless, asking us to consider this observation has generated instinctive denials.

 

Juwan's (yep that's what I…

Juwan's (yep that's what I call him) history as a player is mentioned as item 1 among reasons people may use his first name. So I think it's safe to say OP remembers that and remains rankled by the possibility race is a factor in some cases.

I found the"more unique name…

I found the"more unique name" and "former player" arguments compelling in this case. But I also think OP is right about race/gender and how people are addressed. So there's no reason to doubt it's an influential factor for a handful of media. That doesn't mean it's the only factor, or even a particular strong one, much less one with any ill intent. But it's there, and I understand why it rankles those who've experienced it or seen it happen to others.

 

Like Ace, I came away…

Like Ace, I came away feeling like that was Mike Smith's best game; like Brian, I forgive the TOs in the box score. He hit some clutch buckets when Nebraska was trimming the lead late and I really loved how he handled this double team late in the shot clock after the dump into Dickinson went nowhere:

Inexperienced guys might force a pass over/through the limb forest here, or pick up their dribble in a bad spot. Smith drew the big man all the way out top, attacked the lane when he caught him recovering, and sneaked an assist to Franz between defenders.

Dickinson did get in some trouble with aggressive doubles down the stretch after showing some great court vision in the first half. I barely had time to appreciate the pretty slingshot would-be assist that begins this sequence because it was followed up by a leaping block that was one of his most athletic defensive plays of the year:

Thanks, SDM.

Plenty of room…

Thanks, SDM.

Plenty of room for debate on what makes for a satisfactory track record. Not to endorse Freeman specifically, but waiting often means missing your chance. Sometimes that comes back to haunt you; sometimes it ends up for the best.

I definitely picked a couple…

I definitely picked a couple younger guys to review and share in response to the mood of the board. Felt like we needed some productive DCC chatter after the Mattison post devolved and everyone shat on Craig for suggesting Hankwitz. Personally I agree that it's not necessarily a priority. I think youth is being treated as synonymous with "energy to recruit" but that isn't a given either.

Appreciate the insight,…

Appreciate the insight, Ghost. Mason is a little more known but I may do one of these for him. Any other names I should consider to prep the board for who might actually end up here?

Certainly looks that way. I…

Certainly looks that way. I didn't specify in the OP but those kids he mentioned thinking about when deciding not to move to Lansing? He's got six of em!

Operating under a coach…

Operating under a coach known for defense does open up that question. For Clinkscale, hiring a mentor to work with him would almost be a prerequisite since he hasn't run a defense. I don't necessarily think other schools are looking at Freeman that way and we may be too convesrative about giving the reins to an up and comer. Admittedly the timing for that may be particularly bad right now. I suspect UM views things similarly.

That' usually reserved for…

That' usually reserved for scenarios where the HC is either close to retirement or likely to move on to a bigger job. I doubt M would offer anything like that, even informally, nor that any candidates would see it as a good thing to be "coach in waiting" in the sense there's a known risk Harbaugh ends up getting canned down the road.

DCC: Mongo

Fucking stuff…

DCC: Mongo

Fucking stuff the run... 28 or less PPG

I'm on board! But I don't really care if you do it with Tampa 2, multiple, banjo, kazooie, or any other scheme.

A well measured response, XM…

A well measured response, XM. I knew I left something out... the minor detail of whether he can actually coach! Honestly I have no idea beyond the implications of a quick review. Given he was in the mix for an assistant role in January, I hope Warde is checking the finer details.

I appreciate your feedback and thoughts on the candidate; didn't take it as a knock on the OP at all. I may put one together on Freeman with a minor change from "verdict" to "summary" to better reflect that I'm offering intel rather than positing my preference.

Makes me nervous as well but…

Makes me nervous as well but getting bombed by OSU and leaving gaping recruiting holes (though not entirely his fault) pushed it over the edge.

I actually searched the…

I know I've seen his name thrown around as someone to look for and did an MGoSearch before posting. I see you endorsed him "full stop" in July. Nothing from 2017 but I'll take your word and +1.

I'm open to putting one of…

I'm open to putting one of these together for other candidates. Definitely interested in checking out Freeman's resume.

I'd love that.

I'd love that.

That's true, but Don Brown…

That's true, but Don Brown was considered a great hire and looked like one until he didn't. I'm not sure anyone with his resume at a school that offers less is available. If our holdup is "what if he's not as good as Don Brown" then most the fan base would say "not possible" while a handful would say "at least he'd recruit." Not necessarily my opinions as I agree his resume isn't a guarantee; no one is.

I'm comparing him to other names that have come up as legitimate candidates and I like what I see. But I'm also going more off the apparent board preference for someone young with recruiting as a high priority. And that comes from one of the few who supported Craig Ross opining on Hankwitz, so I'm honestly asking who says no to get questions like yours.

EDIT: As for the question on moving backwards, he may have been escaping the sinking ship that was Tommy Tuberville (no politics). In that article they reference him as co-DC. On the one hand that makes it less of a backslide since he moved from AAC to SEC. On the other hand that negates one of my points in his favor that I can't edit in the OP.

So do you say no, XM?

Fair point I hadn't…

Fair point I hadn't considered in spite of its practical importance. Given he's working under Stoops, gotta think that's what he'd bring.

CR, you're gonna get crushed…

CR, you're gonna get crushed by the board on this one. But I appreciate the idea we could use some stability with so much in flux. Maybe a high floor option like Hankwitz isn't the worst idea if we also brought on a young guy who can recruit to be groomed for the role. I say you make the haters suffer through a protracted Hankwitz discussion with Brian and Sam on WTKA!

Not a knock on your vision…

Not a knock on your vision of the future, just agreeing with RGard that bad actors will continue to impact the way this works. I think we're both talking about kids who agents aren't even interested in because they are in the "$10k fit tea" tier at best. That market will remain distorted because "Bubba" will pay for them like luxury goods rather than labor.

Interesting. I understand…

Interesting. I understand why schools wouldn't want any branding associated with whatever random local advertisement, and why a blanket ban would be easiest to manage. But it also seems like the easiest way to get some money flowing would be to start (continue) selling authorized jerseys/memorabilia/whatever and cut kids in based on volume of sales including their NIL.

Completely agree. There are…

Completely agree. There are plenty of rich fans who see the team as a toy but don't want to open that luxury expense to scrutiny and aren't afraid of the IRS. Schools will have to institutionalize this effectively to attract QB1 with the promise of Nike and Wheaties partnerships, but no set of rules can stop the current underground booster type from paying lower tier players above "market" rates to ensure their toy is that much shinier.

Most of this sounds OK to me…

Most of this sounds OK to me. I agree that regulating agents will be important. Not that letting the schools handle NIL would be problem free, but it makes a bit more sense to me. Maybe there's a hybrid model where the agents have to have a formal relationship with the school? I'd imagine they need to sanction anything that involves use of school branding, which will be important in obvious NIL opportunities like jersey sales, autograph sessions, and local business advertising.

Nice work on the OP,…

Nice work on the OP, MaizeAndBlueWahoo. In response to this comment (and related to my longer post below) - don't the players who made Duke "Duke" deserve some of the credit? Or is Duke entirely responsible for creating a program that could attract those players? I think there's a bit more of a chicken and egg debate than this line of thinking allows.

Appreciate your thoughtful…

Appreciate your thoughtful addition to the conversation here. It makes a lot of sense even though I'm on the "pay the payers" side of the spectrum with reservations. I think there's a tiny subset of who deserve a lot more compensation (Denard Robinson, Chris Webber), a modest number that deserve a little extra (Chase Winovich, Tim Hardaway Jr), and the vast majority getting a fair (Brad Robbins, Adrien Nunez) to excellent (any non-revenue athlete) deal.

But here's a thought experiment: what if the Big 10 and the MAC swapped entire rosters? Assuming that continues every year, how long would it take before the conferences flipped in value? Pretty soon Tuesday night MACtion becomes Big Ten-dnesday while University of Toledo vs. Bowling Green slots into Big Noon Saturday.

I think the implication from your original agument is that the Big 10 schools created valuable programs, which is what attracted the better players. Therefore the spoils of success, while dependent on those players, still belongs mostly to the schools. And I think that's a valid argument.

Using Michigan as an example, the institution invested roughly a century's worth of effort making their program (and college football) popular enough to be worth the massive TV contracts that followed. I might draw similar conclusions from a very different history at Oregon; the investment of one deep pocketed alum created more value than any player ever did.

But how much more value has Northwestern created for players than Miami of Ohio? Let's say only those two schools swapped rosters every year. That's not going to upend the TV landscape, nor will it guarantee Miami MAC championships, but the relative value of each program changes purely based on who's playing.

For a real world example: VCU athletics budget more than doubled following the 2011 Final Four run. That was the result of a lot of work by the school, and plenty of luck, but it seems like the players earned a piece of that pie.