MC Hammer

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1 year 13 weeks ago St. John's

I don't think anybody is seriously talking about them as a 4/5. They've been a 6/7 wherever I've looked, which is about right. Saying they have a "couple" of big-name wins is laughably dismissive. Georgetown, Notre Dame, Duke, UConn, Pitt? That's 5 teams that have spent much (or all) of the season in the top 10. Add to that road wins over bubble teams Cincinnati, West Virginia and Marquette and the fact that the committee weights how a team is playing later in the season, and it's not hard to see them on a 6/7 line.

Also, while the Fordham/St. Bonaventure losses happened, a lot can be attributed to the growing pains of a coaching change with 10 seniors. It's telling that their only freshman Dwayne Polee, who was one of their best players in the non-conference schedule, has disappeared as the seniors have adjusted.

The reason why the Big East gets so much love every year is because even though a team like West Virginia only played Vanderbilt, Minnesota, Duqesene, Cleveland St and Purdue...well that's a bad example I guess, because that's a legit schedule, tougher than Michigan's Kansas-Clemson-Syracuse and nobody else.

The Big East gets love because its good teams play ridiculously tough OOC schedules, which gives the middle-of-the-pack teams (which play tougher schedules than their counterparts in other conferences) an extra boost when they beat those teams.

As for the larger point, the advanced metrics fail to take into account the human element. Sure, a team that wins a lot of close games is not as statistically dominant, but they still had to win those games. There are always teams that consistently find a way to win the close one's, and there is something to be said for having the resolve to play through adverstiy that can't be quanitfied.
1 year 47 weeks ago Tyler is a legend...

but I've actually liked Darke more. If i had to equate him with an American announcer it would be Sean McDonough. He obviously knows the game and isn't afraid to share his opinion. He toes the line between getting excited and the right time and being too excitable almost flawlessly. Also, and this obviously doesnt apply only to him, the different way they use the language (talking about a "plot" between Donovan and I think Bradley on a free kick) is interesting to me.
2 years 2 weeks ago Brian, I think you mean

Worcester, not Worchester.

Pronounced Wusster
2 years 7 weeks ago Butler

When he said he'd be doing a whole lot of nothing, I took it to mean that his season would be over because Michigan wouldn't be in the Final Four with a hypothetical redshirt junior Butler. I don't think there's anything disrespectful about that.
2 years 8 weeks ago Blueloosh beat me to it

was browsing TNR and saw this..love seeing mgoblog getting some mainstream love.
2 years 13 weeks ago [Editor's note: UMHoops

[Editor's note: UMHoops pointed this out about the refereeing: DeShawn Sims says he complained to the refs about his game-tying three and the ref said he would have called a foul if he had missed, which just goes to show that every conspiracy theory you've ever had about basketball refereeing is true. Bastards.]

That's actually a fairly commonplace procedure. If a player gets bumped but the shot isn't affected much, the ref waits to see if it goes in. If it does, no harm no foul (literally) and if it doesn't the whistle gets blown.

Sounds unfair, but it reduces cheap fouls and three point plays.
2 years 16 weeks ago Pure shooters are not really

Pure shooters are not really affected by moving the line back a foot.

Scorers (Sims, Harris) who shoot 3s are affected more.

As for the people we thought were shooters, like Douglass and LLP, well I don't know to be honest.
2 years 16 weeks ago No reason for him to be

No reason for him to be ejected.

Harris shouldn't have been ejected last year. Two wrongs don't make a right.

Perry was hounding him defensively. A misplaced elbow is dangerous, but it is what it is--misplaced. It's a part of basketball
2 years 18 weeks ago I compare this team's tourney

I compare this team's tourney prospects to Kentucky's two years ago. They started 5-6 and ended 18-12 and squeaked into the tourney as a 12 seed despite a loss to Georgia in the first round of the SEC tournament (IIRC)
2 years 22 weeks ago Defense

is mostly about effort, especially factoring in who they've played, as they haven't been at a significant athletic disadvantage so far this year.

The 1-3-1 lends itself to more steals, as well as more open looks, but Michigan is not in the 1-3-1 all the time.

At the game I went to against Houston Baptist, they looked lazy, esp. in transition.

I've seen the same things in other games as well.
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