BlueNote

March 15th, 2011 at 9:03 AM ^

1.  Michigan is playing in the NCAA tournament with a middle-of-the-road seeding

2.  We start an unusual number of freshmen, and we are one of the youngest teams in the country

3.  No one, at the start of the season, gave us any kind of shot to make the NCAA, much less make any noise at the Dance

4.  [Assuming we beat Tennessee] We play Duke.

 

That's right.  Let's shock the world!  Only this time let's put a whupping on Duke!

(Okay, we're not exactly the Fab Five, but you have to admit there are some strange parallels)

jcgold

March 15th, 2011 at 12:33 AM ^

And this is different from what we've been hearing about this team this entire seson how?

We are peaking now, with are best basketball happening over the past 10 games.  Tennessee peaked in November.  I think we have as good a shot as anyone.

BraveWolverine730

March 15th, 2011 at 12:34 AM ^

Well Lunardi didn't think we were a bubble team until we lost to Wisconsin...also how did that whole predicting UM as one of the last 4 byes go? Why would I care what this guy thinks?

vaneasy2338

March 15th, 2011 at 12:39 AM ^

a double digit loss, and to go as far as to say that Tenn. and Duke are happy that they might play us. I consider that taking a shot at us. I also think other people are overblowing the 8 seed being way too high for us. Honestly look at our record against the teams in the tourney below us. We were 7-1 against MSU, PSU, Ill., Clemson, and Oakland with four of those games being a neutral or away game. We deserved to be ranked above of those teams.

On a side note, it kinda makes me happy that Lunardi shit the bed in predicting the bracket this year. Makes him lose a lot of credibility moving foward.

oriental andrew

March 15th, 2011 at 1:23 AM ^

[blockquote]On a side note, it kinda makes me happy that Lunardi shit the bed in predicting the bracket this year. [/blockquote]

To be fair, the committee did such a crappy job, nobody's bracket predictions were all that great.  Not defending Lunardi, more putting down the osu-ad led selection committee. 

CWoodson

March 15th, 2011 at 12:47 PM ^

Still trying to figure out the terrible injustices from the bracket.  When did beating K-State 3 times and doing nothing else in a shitty conference after playing literally nobody before conference play make you one of the best teams in the country?  The difference between Alabama, Colorado, St. Mary's, VCU, UAB, and USC is tiny.  Everyone here understands an argument that Michigan should be the #8 seed.  And the dastardly OSU AD a) doesn't consult when B1G teams are discussed and b) had to get 11 Big East teams in.

Particularly since all the teams left out this year would have been left out last year and then some (as the tournament expanded by 3 teams), I'm astonished at all the whining.  What's funny is that VCU, UAB, and USC would have missed the tournament last year, and Colorado (and the rest) would have no argument they were better than, say, MSU or (IMO) Clemson and the rest.  Totally meaningless nonsense, and not some mythical "terrible" bracket.

umchicago

March 15th, 2011 at 12:36 AM ^

does anyone believe that this guy even watches any basketball?  looking at him and listening to him, i get the feeling he just looks at box scores, formula rankings, wins and losses. 

i've never really ever heard of him talking about players, coaches, team strengths and weakness, etc; only RPI, wins against good teams, etc.  i really have my doubts on whether or not he actually knows much about basketball.

oHOWiHATEohioSTATE

March 15th, 2011 at 10:38 AM ^

Please explain your logic. Here is mine. You do realize both games will be on the same ticket right? Duke enrollment is around 6500. UNC is over 20000. Its a numbers game and there is 4 times the students/ 4 times the alumni at UNC compared to Duke. I have been to a lot of Final Fours and at that stage of the tournament there has been far greater following by UNC then Duke. I would assume it will be similar early in the tournament as well.

M2NASA

March 15th, 2011 at 10:46 AM ^

Though UNC fans are most docile group that I've ever seen in college basketball.

Went to a game in the Dean Dome earlier this year, which came down to a last-second shot, and couldn't believe the lack of noise, espcially compared to their counterparts in Durham.  It was like watching a basketball game with an opera crowd.

bklein09

March 15th, 2011 at 2:57 AM ^

Dear John Beilein, 

Please show this video to the boys in the next couple days. I think it may provide some motivation.

Signed,

The Michigan Fanbase

steve sharik

March 15th, 2011 at 8:10 AM ^

Just b/c he and all the other nerd bracketologists out there had Michigan seeded much lower, they think M isn't that good.

Well, all the statistical indicators (kenpom chief among them) and past performance suggest otherwise.

The Vols haven't won back-to-back games since Feb. 3 and, outside of winning at Vandy Feb. 22nd, haven't beaten a top 100 rpi team since Jan. 18th.

People like to point to Tenn's quality wins, but they were a looong time ago.  Sure, they beat Pitt, but that was on Dec. 11th. 

michiganfanforlife

March 15th, 2011 at 9:25 AM ^

Lunardi can suck it. He needs a new haipiece that doesn't look like the shaved hair off my cat's ass. I was also pleased with the UT draw. Should be fun watching another win on Friday. Go Blue! 

Meeeeshigan

March 15th, 2011 at 9:35 AM ^

Tennessee is a team that lost to Oakland at home during the stretch of their season when they were arguably playing their best basketball. They stumbled down the final dozen or so games of their season. Michigan is clearly peaking now. Although the Vols are an athletic team, I really like our chances. Beating Duke will be another story...

Michfan from A…

March 15th, 2011 at 9:47 AM ^

Top assist man on the Vols averages 2.9. This means all their scoring comes from Hopson one on one's and their length inside. Harris isn't that big, so this should be a welcome sight after facing the Illini front line and Sully last game. I expect to see a lot more zone than we have seeing as how this isn't an assist oriented team, and only Hopson has a respectable 3pt %. The vols are a young team also. With young teams, coaching is a huge factor. Advantage MICH. Beilein will have those kids running around screens trying to get out on threes. If we can knock em down, we can break their backs in the second half with pick n rolls and good ol' smash mouth, big ten defense.

My homer bracket has MICH beating Tenn, Duke, AND Arizona, before falling to one of the 4 big east teams I have in the final four. Probably a more likely scenario for next years team, but March is all about this madness

WolvinLA2

March 15th, 2011 at 11:59 AM ^

The Vols are not a young team.   They have 6 guys that get the majority of their points and minutes, and of those six, three are seniors and two are juniors.  In addition, they have two more guys who get significant minutes off the bench, Pearl and Fields, who are also seniors. 

Yes, Tobias Harris is a freshman and they have a few other freshmen and sophomores who come off the bench.  But they get 78.7% of their minutes from juniors and seniors, and outside of Harris, almost all of their statistical production.

umfan

March 15th, 2011 at 9:57 AM ^

Yeah okay Double-Chin! You sure sound like you've followed Michigan very closely! Has this guy even watched a Michigan game this year?

M2NASA

March 15th, 2011 at 10:03 AM ^

Well based on his great predictions for his "bracketology", I feel pretty good about this assclown's prediction.

Most of these mouthbreathers had M losing to Clemson two years ago.

bronxblue

March 15th, 2011 at 10:09 AM ^

So at no point during that spiel did Lunardi provide on iota of evidence backing up his opinion that UM is in "big trouble" against the Volunteers and will probably lose "by double digits."  Yeah, great research there.  Good thing these games are played on the court.

Braylon 5 Hour…

March 15th, 2011 at 10:32 AM ^

You know, the natural inclination is for everyone to say we are mismatched against any opponent.  We played against Minnesota and Illinois, of course they have too much size, we won't be able to get shots off, we'll lose.  Oh wait, we didn't.  Beilein is comfortable playing mismatches on the court and just has faith in his guys and his coaching enough to overcome those mismatches.  Against Illinois, the fact that Mike davis had to cover Novak got him so many more open looks than he had been getting in "normal" matchups the previous several games.

So, when I look at Tennessee, even though I don't like their height and length, the fact is we have performed far more consistently and far closer to potential than they have.  I think that counts for something, and I think we'll be ready to go on Friday. 

CookieMonster

March 15th, 2011 at 11:14 AM ^

The guy is a bracket analyst. He studies resumes, and rpi.......so what all of a sudden makes him an expert at picking games???? Let's ask Karl Ravech instead who will win the NCAA tourney, and maybe have him do a break down analysis too, or better yet let me up there and i'll ramble on about what i think.