J.

History

Member for

1 year 10 weeks

Karma

Current value

2

Recent Comments

Date	Title	Body
3 weeks 1 day ago	Truthfully...	I wouldn't have minded hearing him say "Denard Robinson" once or twice (or fifty times), either. :-)
3 weeks 5 days ago	The Big Ten...	The Big Ten:  Giving Delaware What-For Since 2014!™   I also laughed at the "18 years" part.  Then again, it's hard to take anything Jim Delany says seriously.  However, I'm sure that he was able to keep a straight face, given the other things he's said.  POSIT: Jim Delany is actually a robot sent by aliens to soften human resistance to the upcoming invasion by destroying our most beloved pastimes and causing us to mistrust even the most basic communication from other people.  When we're all deep in the molybdenum mines of China digging up precious ore for our new overlords, it's all going to be on him.  ;-) (ed: earlier poster was right; "theory" was wrong :-) ).
6 weeks 4 days ago	It mattered...	It would have mattered more if either Trey had made his last off-balance three or Louisville had missed some free throws.  But, as I said in another thread, I'm more impressed by Coach Beilein for coming out and admitting to a potentially crucial mistake than I can express.  He's a great teacher and a great leader.. and he teaches the important things, just like Bo did back in the day -- responsibility, accountability, teamwork, values... if I had a son who could play basketball, I would point him squarely at Michigan and say "you want to play for a coach like that."
6 weeks 4 days ago	Proud of the team	This isn't on the refs -- yes, there were a lot of bad calls, but they really did go both ways -- and in the end, Michigan took more free throws than Louisville, despite the huge discrepancy in the first half.  It sort of looked to me like the refs went in at halftime and said "hey, we let too much stuff go; we'd better tighten it up in the second half."  Michigan got some bad breaks, but they were really done in by the inability to get defensive rebounds.  A lot of the credit goes to Louisville, with maybe a little blame to McGary for picking up cheap fouls; his third comes to mind immediately, where he swatted at a guy and got his arm on the follow-through -- after already having altered the shot to the point it had no chance.  If he learns to defend with his arms straight up, he'll be (even more of) a beast. I wish I had known to go to the team hotel -- heck, I only got two hours of sleep before my flight anyway.  Next time... Even at the end of the game, I wasn't angry, or even particularly upset. It felt like '92, except that we didn't have a 12-point lead on Duke on the first half. :-) but I understood, intellectually, that the better team had probably won the game.  I also understood that if the team sticks together -- even if most of the team sticks together -- they can be back. I also want to tip my hat to Coach Beilein for his admission that he didn't know Michigan still had a foul to give at the 0:50 mark, which completely explains the otherwise perplexing sequence right after that.  I don't know how he made that mistake -- the foul indicators on the scoreboard were correct, and I assume he has someone responsible for tracking that on the bench anyway -- but it takes a big man to step up and admit to the world when he made a mistake.  A lot of coaches would have mumbled something about their team not understanding the instructions, or said that they were trying to foul but couldn't get the call.  Coach Beilein took responsibility, and I salute that. One last thing -- to any of you who did not make it to Atlanta.. the next time Michigan is in the Final Four, whenever that may be -- if you have the means, it's totally worth it to go, win or lose.  The atmosphere in the Georgia Dome was absolutely electric. Go Blue!
6 weeks 4 days ago	Go Blue!	I was sitting above the basket, in the corner, where that play occurred.  I cheered wildly, because, damn it, at least he showed effort and fouled him hard, and maybe Siva would think twice before driving back up into the lane.  I mean, obviously it was a foul -- Siva was way ahead, Burke came back and hacked him... Then I saw the replay, and that he had actually caught up and blocked it cleanly.  I don't really blame the referee on this one. Trey Burke can do things that stretch the bounds of credulity. I think the ref just saw what I saw -- nobody can possibly catch up and make that play against Siva. It's really, really fun to care about basketball in April again... and the basketball team is 2-0 at Cowboys Stadium.  Just sayin'...
15 weeks 3 days ago	It's like a train wreck	MN@MSU: I don't want to look, but I can't help myself. Terrible shooting, no-call muggings... Big Ten basketball, old-school style. :)
15 weeks 3 days ago	Final possessions	I just watched the replay, and I retract the second part of my statement -- they were clearly not trying to go two for one. Burke dribbled up near halfcourt until Beilein called a timeout with 37 seconds left.
15 weeks 3 days ago	Going two-for-one	Yes, I absolutely thought that Michigan should have gone two-for-one at the end of the game. However, they were having such trouble generating scoring opportunities that it's possible that this was their plan and they simply failed at it.
15 weeks 3 days ago	End-game fouls	I liked both calls. Craft didn't throw an elbow and I didn't see any intent to injure -- I saw a panicked attempt to regain possession and/or stop the game-icing fast break. Timmy got 90% ball or more; if there was a foul, it would have been on Burke on the floor (and a non-shooting foul to boot, although we were in the 1-and-1).  However, it looked to me like Burke was in good position and, if anything, it should have been an offensive foul on Craft as he used a swim move to get around him.  Ohio had a timeout -- they could have set up an inbounds play -- and Craft's role is to run the offense, not score the points. If he kicks it back out, maybe they hit a jumper to tie / win. Needless to say, I'm glad he decided not to rely on his teammates. :)
18 weeks 5 days ago	That's what the mute button is for...	I muted the game for most of the first half, and half of the second half, but, like Brian, and like most of you, I watched every minute; I was rewarded with a dogfight at the end that almost went our way. If you're turning off this year's basketball team -- ever -- I'm afraid I have to question your fanhood. This team is too much fun to watch... and I think they've now proved they're never actually out of a game, regardless of the score.
18 weeks 5 days ago	Good in the long run...	I thought going in that we would lose at least one of the two games @Ohio and @Minny.  After seeing the comeback, followed by the meltdown... and still having a legitimate chance to win the game with 20 seconds left, I'm even more excited than I already was about this team.  This kind of game is exactly what we needed, and I think we'll come out with a markedly better approach at Minnesota, where I now think we're likely to prevail.  And when Ohio makes their return trip to Ann Arbor? Take Michigan and the over, and don't look back. We'll win by at least 15.
19 weeks 3 days ago	on pace for 51 possessions	This game will look close even at the end because of the slow pace. It's on pace for about 51 (!) possessions.
19 weeks 3 days ago	Now that Congress passed a budget deal...	Can't they get down to the important work, like declaring Gus Johnson a national treasure and requiring that he be temporarily reassigned to CBS every March for the tournament?
19 weeks 3 days ago	Go blue!	Good: 70 Evil: 68
19 weeks 5 days ago	11W thread	http://www.elevenwarriors.com/forum/basketball/2012/08/aaron-craft-vs-tr... Tempting.....
19 weeks 5 days ago	Let's see who's better at HORSE...	>  Let's see who's better at HORSE. Oh it's us yay. Brian, do you mind? Some of us read this at work. The uncontrollable laughter is going to get me in trouble! :-)
19 weeks 6 days ago	So...	a busted nose is incidental contact, but a possible, slight tap on the elbow is a foul? Is this game in Iowa City, and I just didn't notice?
20 weeks 1 day ago	If this were a normal occurrence..	If flowery pose and hero worship were a normal occurrence on this blog, I'd agree.. but one of the reasons I enjoy reading this blog is the healthy perspective Brian, Ace, and company share.  Michigan just won a road Big Ten game by its largest margin in over 40 years.  If you're a Michigan basketball fan and you can't get excited by that, I'm not sure what to tell you. Sure, the defense is imperfect, but the offense just rose to #1 in KenPom's efficiency ratings, and Ace is hardly the only person who noticed that this was the most complete game the team has played all season.  And, yes, the team can get better -- but, with the possible exception of the CMU game, they have gotten better, pretty much every game.  If Stauskas's open looks went down at his normal rate, and a couple of other shots rimmed in instead of rimming out, this game could easily have been a 40+ point win, on the road, in under 70 possessions, in a gym where Michigan has struggled over the past several years. I say, let the hyperbole fly -- but it's tough being hyperbolic about Burke.  He's just been that good. [Edited for pronoun referential integrity]
20 weeks 2 days ago	In the spirit of the post...	Vulgar Wolverines: 23π Genteel Wildcats: 23e (72.2566...-62.5205...).  Poor 'cats -- they'll choose the wrong transcendental.
20 weeks 3 days ago	Thanks for all the replies...	I feel much better about the game result knowing that my screaming at the officials was, in fact, unwarranted.  :-)  I'm used to watching the video, figuring out the correct call, and then trying to calm the people around me when it's correct.  Without the benefit of replays, it was intensely frustrating seeing the game unwind as it did. A sincere thank-you to everybody who responded.
20 weeks 3 days ago	Block in the Back	My entire section was screaming about it, so you weren't the only one who thought that.  Then again, I tend to assume that every kick will always have a block in the back, so I may have started seeing imaginary penalties. To someone who watched on TV, three questions (see: Brian's comments on the scoreboards): 1 - Did Devin Gardner's helmet come off because he was grabbed by the facemask? 2 - Was the touchdown that "stood" actually inbounds? 3 - Ditto, the 3rd and 10 completion that was "confirmed" on the last drive? BTW, the fake punt was awesome.  Not only was it a great call, whether it worked or not, but it was the entire time the whole stadium cheered -- SC fans, because they could tell that it was obviously short, and Michigan fans, once enough guys yelled "he's pointing that way!" and we realized that the official had somehow blown the measurement.
22 weeks 1 day ago	Was that really that different...	from the first 32 minutes?  It seemed to me that the Hurons got intoxicated by making two early 3s and were routinely throwing up bad shots most of the game.  (They finished 7 of 26 from behind the arc, whch is.. subpar).
22 weeks 6 days ago	Couldn't buy a shot..	That's the thing.. rationally, I can look at the stats and say, "yes, we made 56%."  Emotionally, I keep seeing Stauskas miss the jam and the first couple of threes (before he got frustrated, when they really were easy shots), Hardaway at the beginning of the game, Robinson -- there were a lot of shots that looked like they should have gone in and didn't.  Obviously my brain turns that into more of a pattern than actually existed. :-) Great problems to have. I've always felt that the second-tier status of the basketball program was a direct result of the administration's embarrassment -- as if they placed it on some kind of internal (double-secret?) probation in order to make sure that the violations wouldn't be allowed to recur.
22 weeks 6 days ago	Thanks	LOL - thanks.  That clears everything up. ;)
22 weeks 6 days ago	Is it just me...	So... WVU throws up one horrible off-balance shot after another; for stretches, they seemingly all go in.  (Bill Raftery mumbles something about playing with confidence).  Michigan can't buy a shot off of an open look; Stauskas is as ice cold as we've ever seen him.  At one point, WVU was hitting over 70% from the field.  The officiating is awful, as evidenced by the number of free throws granted to both sides, phantom traveling violations, etc.  I'm constantly getting frustrated at the TV... ... because Michigan "should have" been winning by 30 and instead were "only" winning by 15.  Against a quality major conference opponent with lots of size playing a press man-to-man defense for much of the game. I appear to have advanced through the "winning is fun" stage all the way to the football-esque "winning is expected." So, this is what having a top basketball program is like.  Ed Martin, I hate you.
23 weeks 2 days ago	Outback Bowl Tickets	I bought Outback Bowl tickets through the university once and definitely wished I hadn't.  I'm keeping my eyes on StubHub for particularly desirable tickets, but if you're just looking to get in the door, especially for a single, scalping will definitely be your best bet. The year before, at the Citrus Bowl, I scalped -- and the guy opened by asking me to make an offer.  Protip: if that happens, offer about $10 and take it from there. :-)
23 weeks 3 days ago	The mind boggles...	I had to stop and remind myself to enjoy the relentless throttling of an overmatched opponent. (OK, I would have rather played, say, Duke.  But given that they were on the schedule...)  I just kept thinking "this is going to destroy our KenPom profile.  There's no way we're going to win by 37! What a wonderful luxury.  It wasn't long ago (2008/9) when we were going to overtime to beat Savannah State by two.  At home.  (Or Harvard, by three, 2010/11? Western Illinois, by four, just last year?)  This, for those of us old enough to remember, is what Michigan basketball was supposed to feel like. I was finally able to enjoy the sheer lunacy of, what was it, five Binghamton shot clock violations?  Stauskas having an "off night" with 4/8 3-point shooting?  GR3 bricking the alley oop, Mitch being Mitch and passing it to nobody, getting two or three offensive rebounds on a possession, and then making some ridiciously pretty play... Blake McLimans (!) hoisting threes with reckless abandon... Sure, it wasn't incredibly pretty.. but we won by 28 -on an off night-! This team is damned good, and I'm going to enjoy every minute they play.. All forty games, if we have our way.
23 weeks 5 days ago	Spam Filter	(I was going to +1 the mods for making me change "Madonna" to "Mad0nna" to get past the Spam filter, but apparently that was just a hiccup, since this reply didn't trigger that same filter. :)
23 weeks 5 days ago	How Bizarre...	FYI, Pomeroy doesn't want to round up to 100% or down to 0%, hence the bizarrely specific value.  (You can safely assume that 99% means "somewhere between 98.5% and 99.4%").  After all, there must be some chance that Binghamton will win.  Right? Right? (Of course, non-DI schools do get listed as 100%, which, oops, sorry, Chaminade vs. Texas et al. But I assume that the reason for that is that he doesn't actually do projections for DI vs. non-DI). Also -- Eastern has beaten Rochester College, Eastern Illinois, IPFW, UT Pan American, Mad0nna (?!), and... Purdue.  Directional Purdue?  Somehow they left IUPUI off of their schedule, which is a shame because they could have gone for the directional Purdue sweep. Also, they have another game this season with Siena Heights.  Because obviously. (Although, frankly, it's better for Michigan that Eastern play as many non-DI schools as possible, since that way those records don't end up in our RPI formula).
27 weeks 2 days ago	Big Ten night games	At the end of the podcast, there's a throwaway line about the Big Ten being declared unworthy of prime-time television.  While that's as may be (Big Ten!!!), my understanding is that the conference prohibits (outdoor) night games after November 1st due to the weather. Bonus: When I loaded this page, the top banner ad was for the ACC Digital Network ("Get ACCess!")  Because, after all, nothing says "potential ACC Digital Network" customer like "reading a Michigan blog." :-)

more