'13-'14 Michigan Basketball Snowflakes/Posbang/Appreciation Thread
How pumped I am to see Irvin in 6 months??? We might have another lottery pick in the making.
A bit of a set shot - needs a quicker release. But there is no question he has the talent to be a top-end player next year. If he makes similar gains as Levert, then we're looking at a very good player next year.
Amazing what they accomplished.
Proud of these young men!
Out shot from 3 by Kentucky? Story of the game.
This team overachieved - no question about it. Winning like they did, fighting through expectations and then falling out of the Top 25 and then roaring back. Great season. Awesome future ahead.
See my earlier post. It is a travesty to play GR at the 4. It is sad to watch. He gets abused inside by players HE WILL LITERALLY NEVER GUARD again in his career.
Whatever happened to a 3-2 zone? Or a 2-3? And why is there such reluctance to at least play Horford and Morgan 5 minutes a game together. 5 MINUTES! Would it really disrupt our rhythm? For the last 5 minutes of the half, Kentucky outscored us basically 12-5 or something. Would it really be so bad to play BOTH BIGS on the floor at the same time and mitigate their rebounding a bit?
I just don't get it. And while I love the offensive system and the shooting and cutting and screen and rolls, the defense is just a pudding-soft unit because our coaches think they can mask a 6-7 dude as a 4 or they can get away with guarding Julian Randle with Spike Albrecht. I just don't see how we win a National Championship with no size on the floor, ever. Its proven we can win and advance in the tourney without it... but can we win it all with literally no size? I just don't know.
Kentucky and Lousiville were both physical teams and it seems this is a real advantage in the tournament. The officials let them play 'cause that's the way they play!
Go Blue!
And I take absolutely nothing away from Morgan. What a high-effort senior leader he was all year. Great player and person, it sounds like.
I just don't understand the reliance on 1 big. All game. I can understand it for stretches while your offense is in a flow or you're running up and down the court.
But when you need to scrap for a bit, you play 2 legit bigs. Not Glenn. He's not a big. You play Morgan and Horford and let the chips fall where they may. Wouldn't JMo and Horford or JMo and Beifeldt be better then whatever I saw for the last 5 minutes of the half?
Anyway, hats off and great season. Love the effort and Michigan's fight all season. Until next time.
We were going to use two bigs sometimes if McGary had been around, but he got hurt. Otherwise, we've gone with one because none of our bigs have the perimeter skills required of the 4 man in this offense. You talk about our defense struggling, but if you put two bigs without perimeter skills in this offense, that changes it dramatically, and not for the better.
Great season, and my favorite Michigan basketball team ever. Even if we won it all, I would have been sad when it ended.
my captain
So sad, so so sad. Still a great season and J-Mo, love you man, you're truly a hero in my eyes. I'll miss him, along with Nik and GR3(most likely).
Could not be prouder of our guys. Phenomenal effort. Our last offensive possession was the epitome of this team's resilience. Give Kentucky credit-- they were far deadlier from 3-pt. range than I expected. A freshman steps up and knocks that well-defended shot down with 2.6 seconds left... what can you do.
"Sometimes you eat the bar... sometimes the bar eats you."
and I wanted a bit more 1-3-1 personally. Not his best in game performance, but Michigan was prepped and ready for the game and he's coached a hell of a season. I saw we get him a sub anyways.
Because fouling in a tie game is insane. I mean Kentucky's not a great free throw shooting team, but it's still like 68% and then we have to score to tie or win. Instead we forced them into a shot that even if it's open is 32% for them and THAT shot is like... 1/6? At best?
#1 Offense In Kenpom two years in a row! Unless Wisconsin goes crazy in the final four. That made me feel a little bit better when I saw it. This team kicked so much ass, gave the fans a great ride and was probably the best team to watch as a neutral observer since we scored so much and were scored on so much.
Well, we went down fighting. For a team often called soft, that was a hell of a physical game they played. And I don't think anyone can overstate what Morgan has accomplished these last few weeks. I know we have had more talented players, but I don't think I have been more blown away by an individual performance like that. For me, that straight of block of the huge Texas guy going up for a dunk will be the defining moment of this tournament. I hope he is successful in whatever he decides to go into.
And if that is the last we see of Stauskas and Robinson, then good luck to them in the NBA. Stauskas definitely played his ass off today and Robinson ended the year being much more aggressive than he was at the start. I couldn't be happier to have Beilein as this team's coach.
We are soft on D. There is no question. But it ISN'T the players. They aren't "soft" they are Michigan men who play like greek warriors besieged by 1 million persians.
Its the coaches and the defensive system. Look, I love and respect B's offense but this D system is a joke. Guarding Julian Randle with Zach Irving at times??? Are you kidding? Having Glenn on a player 6-10 and hoping he can hang tough?
Glenn Robinson will be a fine NBA player - because he'll be put in the right situation on D!! He won't be asked to guard 4's who outweight him by 50 pounds or something. That is the problem here... the coaches aren't good a masking their size deficiency on D and they don't even try. What happened to using the 1-3-1 trap more? And when you play the 1-3-1, wouldn't you want your PG on the top and your Big man down low? Why on earth would Morgan be in the middle of the lane while Spike has to step in on the wing and potentially put a body on Randle?
I'm sorry - this is just poor strategy. Coach B needs to shore all of that up or get the players he needs to make it happen. You can't win Division 1 basketball with this kind of small ball on D. You will lose when your shooting starts to go south.
to an extent - the idea of not fouling gives you two advantages - your players do not have to sit on the bench for long stretches - you get to play your best players more - that is a big plus. Also you are not putting the other team on the free throw line - Michigan simply got outsized, nothing more. It is a sound strategy that got this team to the Finals last year and the elite 8 this year. Not to mention won the best conference by 3 games.
Coach B - if you are reading my post, and I know you will - keep up the great work both offensively AND DEFENSIVELY - you are obviously a lot smarter than us
The whole point of the 1-3-1 is to keep the ball trapped outside. If you have your 6' PG as the top, teams can pass over them. Especially teams like Kentucky. Caris has to be there because he's so long. And then you need someone super mobile on the back end since he has to respond to both corners if they make it there.
They had a great ride this year. They were the best kinds of overachievers. Disapointed for today - excited for the future.
or at least have a single Elite 8 banner with all the years underneath. A shame that this year's tourney run won't be commemorated in Crisler
March 30th, 2014 at 10:33 PM ^
But it's still an accomplishment to make the Elite 8 (a few short years ago we may have all been asking for an Elite 8 banner if one of Beilein's early teams made it). The B1G title banner will be there, but nothing to show consecutive Elite 8's, a feat that's not exactly common
Wofford, Texas and Tennessee isn't a run worthy of a banner.
Thanks UM basketball for a terrific season!
GO BLUE!
This one was more like a slap in the face than a punch in the gut. It stings immediately, it shocks you, then it goes away quickly too. We played our game, which doesn't look good against teams like that, but it works pretty well. A great game, an amazing finish, wish we were on the other end like Kansas last year and OSU in 1992 as similar in regionals.
It sucks for J-Mo
but other than that I couldn't be more proud of this team. Beilein is all class. Hail
Great season. To think this team lost 2 1st rounders and McGary, to get to within a last-second shot of the Final Four plus have the regular-season conference title is amazing.