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Date	Title	Body
6 hours 56 min ago	Average player usage	is about 20% if I'm understanding that stat. If you are being defended by a guy with 2 fouls in the first half, your usage should approach 100%, so the probability of getting another foul goes up by 4 or 5 times because the other team focuses on attacking you, whether or not you are inherently foul-prone. If you set your feet and wait for me to drive into you, I'm going to pull up and have an uncontested jumper. The shooting percentage of that should be higher than a contested jumper just by definition. Trying to take a charge is also a risky play because the charge/block call is the most disputed/hard to call play in the game.
9 hours 19 min ago	Speight	He took a fifth year of high school, or prep school, or whatever, and is 20 years old. So he's quite a bit older than the average freshman. Hence, the use of " ". He's not Chris Weinke old, but he'll be able to celebrate our national championship by drinking a beer, legally.
9 hours 31 min ago	Glasgow	I thought he was our best d-lineman last year. I'd like to see what the opponents' YPC stats were with him in and out of the game.
10 hours 10 min ago	A coach's perspective	I've coached at the junior level for four seasons, so I've had a very little experience with these things. Regarding the autobench, if you leave the player on the court, the other team is going to go right after him to get the third foul on him. He knows this, so he backs off and tries not to foul. This leads to a virtual layup line for the other team. If he gets that third foul, guess what happens to start the 2nd half? The same thing until he gets his fourth foul. So comparing stats from the autobench situation to normal situations is not appropriate. You have to compare the autobench situation to a situation where one guy is not playing defense. Historically, coaches have tried to protect a player in foul trouble by going to a zone defense. If MAAR is in foul trouble, (and he's been the most autobenched player by FAAR) you could go to a 2-3 zone, and have him sag back giving the other team wide open threes. The thing is, he can't even contest the three because if he reaches up for the block, there's a chance he catches the shooter's wrist and gets called for a foul. A big you can stick in the middle of a 2-3 and just have him focus on rebounding and clogging up the middle, but the defense is still likely to try and drive and get a blocking foul. Regarding the inbounds pass, I disliked having to spend practice time on one play. Yes, you've got to have something to go to when the defense decides to go for a steal, but it's one play out of 40 minutes. Normally, you just set a screen and have the guy using the screen run to open space. It shouldn't be difficult. But when the defense needs a stop, and they put a big on your 6' PG whose throwing the ball in, and he's in the corner limiting his options, it becomes more difficult. Is that something I should practice when the situation may or may not come up in a game? A lot of times the defense will just concede the long pass to the backcourt. Do I need to practice that or do I just tell the kids to set a screen and run to the backcourt? It's more important for the kids to understand their roles. The fact that Beilein has Spike inbounding the ball suggests he doesn't trust the freshmen to make a good decision. That old expression, "the best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores" is true this season more than ever.
2 days 7 hours ago	His sample size	is small, but he's been successful when given the opportunity, unlike, say Funchess, who tallied -11 yards on his 2 carries. I understand not trying that again. I don't understand not giving the ball more to Norfleet. He's not demonstrated an ability to be a downfield threat in the passing game, but I'll take a 7+ YPC average from the slot receiver/3rd down back. The problem is, no one was a downfield threat last season. Gardner needed to use his backs as outlets far more often than he did.
2 days 9 hours ago	to be fair	I get to do that to everyone else on the roster, too. Take away the one 38 yarder and he's still averaging 6.6 YPC. Green had a long of 62 against Appy St. Taking that away from him leaves him with a pedestrian 409 yards on 81 carries. 307 of his 471 yards came against Miami and Appy St.
2 days 10 hours ago	Norfleet's stats	In three years, he has 15 carries for 130 yards. That's 8.7 YPC. I don't know, if I had a back that was averaging almost 9 yards a carry, I think I'd utilize him more than every third game.
5 days 7 hours ago	PhDs vs. MDs	This line of discussion always reminds me of a great cartoon I saw many years ago. The maitre d' of a fine restaurant is on the phone taking a reservation and he asks the caller, "Is that an actual MD or just a PhD." When my friend got his PhD, he changed all his magazine subscriptions to be addressed to Dr. Blah Blah. His reasoning was that he spent enough time getting the darn thing, he was going to make sure he took advantage of it. I liked that idea, but I only changed one subscription. Every week I'm reminded by SI that I'm Dr. ST3.
6 days 7 hours ago	Let me guess	you get overly excited when the new phone books come out.
6 days 8 hours ago	Happened right in front of me	I was sitting on the goal line, about 15 rows up. I was an incoherent mess for a couple hours after the game, mumbling, "he tackled him in the endzone," over and over, wildly lashing out at random State fans we passed on the way from the stadium to Cottage Inn. It still hurts. That was a national championship caliber team.
6 days 9 hours ago	The Horror	I thought the rumor was that the whole team was smoking weed pre-game. That's the only way that outcome makes sense to me. Add in some of the rumors about the early-tourney losses in the Frieder era, and I'd say weed cost us a lot more than just one season of Mitch McGary.
6 days 9 hours ago	Exhibit B	this year's Super Bowl. NE was getting torched by that tall WR from Seattle, so NE adjusted and brought in that rookie FA from South Alabama. Meanwhile, Seattle's DB hurt something on the INT and was replaced. NE went after that guy for the rest of the game. That game was less than a month ago, yet I've already forgotten all of their names.
6 days 13 hours ago	My greatest Harbaugh moment	is when my sister told me her roommate shared a hot tub with Jim. This was about 30 years ago, so the details are fuzzy, but my sister's roommate was good looking in an, "East Quad hippy who grows marijuana in her room" kind of way.
6 days 13 hours ago	How about Air Force?	They play football and would bring a unique prestige to the conference.
1 week 6 hours ago	Oooohhh, snap	The Moe/WD war of words continues...
1 week 6 hours ago	I admit	they're not great options. I was thinking more about travel logistics. In basketball, it's common for schools to get paired up so you make a road trip to two geographically similar schools. You go play ASU on Thursday night and then Arizona on Saturday. That's the only thing I was getting at. Colorado St. has more panache - for lack of a better word - than Utah State, but both are sub Pac 12 standard. I'm not sure who BYU could pair up with. It seems like these things come in pairs due to scheduling headaches with odd numbers. Do any of these schools fit the bill: Fresno St., UNLV, Gonzaga (no football, so no.), Nevada, Boise St.? It's really slim pickings unless the Pac wants to really expand their footprint with a Texas-like school, but I can't see the Longhorns moving west out of the conference they own to one where they would be treated as an equal.
1 week 9 hours ago	BYU to Pac12 makes most sense to me	You've got Arizona and Arizona State Washington and Washington State Oregon and Oregon State Just bring in Colorado State or Utah State with you to pair up with Colorado or Utah and bring the conference to 14 teams like the B1G.
1 week 2 days ago	post-season	I hope we finish strong and at least make the NIT. I didn't say anything in the CIT/CBA thread (or whatever those other tournaments are called). Part of me wishes they'd accept a bid if that's what it came to for the lower tourney just so Bielfeldt, Dakich, Lonergan, Chatman, and Donnal can get some more PT. College is fleeting, I'd want every opportunity I could get to suit up in the maize and blue if I was fortunate enough to be a player. I'd love to see Max light up some lower-level club with 17 points like he did earlier in the year.
1 week 5 days ago	Saving the season?	Interesting question. Let's look at the 7 losses. @ND, he had a good game, we got stomped. That's not on him. Utah, Special teams lost that game. That loss is squarely on Hoke and puntasaurus rex. Minn, Hoke lost that game when he decided to start, and stick with, Morris. @Rutgers, the refs cost us that game by incorrectly ruling Darboh's catch was a drop. Funch had a good game. Not on Funch. @MSU, we got hosed again by them. Not on Funch. Maryland, lost by 7, he went 5-30. Maybe, just maybe if he had an 8-80 type game, we win, but then again weren't the weather conditions bad? @OSU, 7-108. Not his fault. So even if Funchess had the season we were all hoping for, the team still finishes 5-7, maybe 6-6. The right guy got fired. Let's not direct our disappointment over the season at Funchess.
1 week 5 days ago	I would've taken a 1000 yard season	Instead, we got a 733 yard season with 310 of those in the first two and the last games of the season, and very little in between. I think Gardner was hurt all year, couldn't throw a deep ball and that torpedoed the season because of Hoke's inability to find a competent backup QB. Hoke paid for it. Let's all just move on. EDIT: and blocking, I would have gladly accepted some blocking.
1 week 5 days ago	More Donnal	less Dakich. I don't care that Irvin's handle isn't great. Our PGs have been dominating possession anyway so we don't really need a strong second ballhandler when Spike or MAAR get in foul trouble. Donnal's splits are bizarre. He's either solidly green or gets a DNP.
1 week 6 days ago	It works for UCLA/USC	because they are BOTH the home team, playing in LA. That's not the case with M-OSU. I'm not sure what the reason would be for having both us and OSU wear home uniforms other than "it would look cool," and that's a road I don't want to travel down again. Maybe Michigan/MSU could pull off the double home jerseys idea because the schools are so close.
1 week 6 days ago	I find it more likely	that Dave Brandon has friends at Google. No wait, scratch that, Dave Brandon having friends? Let's just call them associates.
2 weeks 2 hours ago	Helmet numbers	The decision to keep them was the players. I don't recall whose idea they were in the first place.
2 weeks 5 hours ago	Magnum opus	would be his greatest work. I'm not sure I'm willing to go that far, yet. But I do consider this an example of great writing. I so thoroughly identified with the intro where he writes about not having any friends as a kid because he does better than everyone else on tests. And then he contrasts his abillity to own up to his shortcomings and failures and learn from them and get better to Brandon's inability to learn. It's really well done.
2 weeks 6 hours ago	not me	I didn't find this fiery or bitter. It's more a re-telling of the facts. An historical narrative of recent events that lays blame on Brandon rationally and fairly. But thanks for teaching me a new word.
2 weeks 8 hours ago	Brian's opus	This is Brian's opus.
2 weeks 10 hours ago	Sugar	or to be precise, added sugar. No more soda, leftover Halloween candy (yep, still have lots of that around), or girl scout cookies. This is going to suck.
2 weeks 10 hours ago	Rudock / Gardner	not only were Rudock's stats better, but he has a functioning ribcage, so there's that.
2 weeks 10 hours ago	Rudock	The thought of spending a whole season listening to Beth Mowins say "Jake Rudock" has me giddy. That's far and away my favorite Beth Mowins name. I get into Beth Mowins imitation-mode by saying "Jake Rudock" multiple times. Oh please let this happen.

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