Predict the 2014-2015 basketball season
At this point, we're a top 3 big ten team every year until Beilein proves otherwise.
1. Wisconsin 2. Ohio 3. Michigan 4. Nebraska 5. MSU 6. Iowa 7. Minnesota 8. Illinois 9. Indiana 10. Maryland 11. Northwestern 12. Purdue 13. Penn State 14. Rutgers
April 26th, 2014 at 11:37 PM ^
April 27th, 2014 at 10:37 AM ^
April 27th, 2014 at 12:09 PM ^
It isn't like we were any good on defense or on the glass this past season. And a couple years ago Novak was starting at the 4.
I don't think a team in America has three guys as gifted as Caris/Walton/Irvin, who all happen to shoot 40% from behind the 3-point line. Their D should benefit from experience and Irvin being a better talent there than Stauskas. We'll see what the new guys do up front, but they should add a lot more offensive versatility than Morford and they will have enough height to at least not get totally crushed on the glass.
If we're just remotely competitive on the boards, this team is still elite, IMO.
I think we can expect all three to take steps forward defensively. They will know the system better, be stronger and in better shape, and have a year of experience playing together. I imagine the communication will be better and Walton and Irvin will see a big sophomore year jump. After all, they were just freshman last season, and Levert is pretty young for his age. I don't know if any of them will be elite defenders, but Walton and Irvin were recruits that presented a lot of defensive upside so hopefully they can make a jump this year.
April 27th, 2014 at 11:30 AM ^
so the person who negged this, you believe the losses of Morgan and Nik are no big deal?
April 27th, 2014 at 10:22 AM ^
heavily favored, without a doubt. But the OP is obviously filled with unwarranted bias in favor of THE Ohio, who somehow thinks the Craft-less Buckeyes won't miss his rosy cheeks. Seriously, though, I don't see OhioState anywhere in the B1G top 5; they'll finish behind the group of Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa, Maryland, MSU,Nebraska, and possibly even Minnesota, most of whom will be in a real dogfight for 2nd place.
ThadMottasaGoblin or Thad Motta himself wrote that OP?
April 28th, 2014 at 11:14 AM ^
probably not as deep of a run as we've had the last few years, but I still think a NCAA bid is definitely likely. We have a darn good coach in Beilein.
April 26th, 2014 at 11:37 PM ^
Expectations from now on: Compete for B1G Titles, get to Sweet 16 every year. In Beilein We Trust!
April 27th, 2014 at 12:13 AM ^
April 27th, 2014 at 12:31 AM ^
April 27th, 2014 at 12:41 AM ^
He has shown how good a coach he is, but next year, we'll be sweet 16 again and maybe even final 8. It's amazing to think of the expectations we have now versus before he arrived.
While I wouldn't say they will be an elite eight team, it's hard to say that's not possible. I think they'll be a couple steps back from this season, but that isn't necessarily a bad season. Beilein has proven he can get teams to overcome some major deficiencies. I think the team is going to struggle a little bit at times without Stauskas. He had an amazing ability to bail the team out. The shots he was able to make amazed me every time I watched a game. The team still has a lot of great shooters, but Stauskas was able to seemingly just will shots into the basket no matter how well he was defended. Maybe that's something Caris can try to do, but I've never really seen a player nail those kinds of shots consistently. That kind of stuff never got old and it just makes me wish he came back for just one more year. Obviously the team will miss the potential of having Mitch, but he didn't even play last season (duh). The one thing we can say for sure is that Beilein has brought Michigan fans a consistently fun team to watch year in and year out. He just knows how to highlight his players' strengths while hiding their weaknesses. The main weaknesses of his teams have been defense and a lack of big men, but that hasn't stopped him before. I've always loved football and basketball, but at this point it's hard to not be more excited for basketball than football (especially given the home schedule this fall).
EDIT: Wow that was way longer than I thought. Drunk.
April 26th, 2014 at 11:40 PM ^
April 27th, 2014 at 12:06 AM ^
should be better than IU by a good bit.
April 27th, 2014 at 11:50 AM ^
April 26th, 2014 at 11:41 PM ^
the rest of the field fights for 10-8 (6 teams in the hunt)
April 26th, 2014 at 11:48 PM ^
I predict next season to be unpredictable.
April 26th, 2014 at 11:49 PM ^
April 27th, 2014 at 12:03 AM ^
Undefeated season.
April 27th, 2014 at 12:04 AM ^
I've given up on predicting sports.
April 27th, 2014 at 12:04 AM ^
April 27th, 2014 at 12:47 AM ^
April 27th, 2014 at 12:07 AM ^
April 27th, 2014 at 12:11 AM ^
April 27th, 2014 at 12:12 AM ^
2013: NC game. 2014: Elite Eight. 2015: Round of 32.
We limp into the tournament as a 5-8 seed and lose to a better team.
April 27th, 2014 at 12:38 AM ^
Depends if Caris becomes the lockdown defender that can stop penetration that everyone says he can be. If yes, Sweet Sixteen is doable. That's probably the upper limit though without any experience or incrredible talent inside.
April 27th, 2014 at 12:46 AM ^
Wins: >22
Losses: <10
4th B1G
6 seed in the NCAA Tournament
Upset the 3 seed and lose to the 2 seed in the Sweet 16
April 27th, 2014 at 11:52 AM ^
1.Northwestern
2. Navy
3. Hard Knocks U
4. Tampa Bay
5, Liverpool
6. Bangledash
7. Folsom Prison Panthers
8. West Michigan Whitecaps
9. Cape Hope
10. Michigan
11. Notre Dame
12. Phildelphia 76ers
13 staee
14. ohio
#7-10 seed...win a close first (now second) round game and lose to a #1 or #2 seed in the Round of 32.
what any sequel, reprisal or remake of Molly Ringwald's character and "Sixteen Candles" (in which the star gives birth to a baby) has anything to do with how well Michigan Basketball fares next season.
Who's the daddy---Michael Schoeffling?
Or Anthony Michael Hall?
John Hughes has to be rolling over in his grave with this new twist being added to the plot of one of his most successful films.
NCAA Bubble Team all season. Finish sixth in Big Ten. No player scores as many as 20 points in a game, but all five starters average in double figures in scoring.
Projected as two seed in NIT before winning Big Ten Tournament to get sent to Dayton for NCAA Opening Round game for 12 seed in East.
Win NCAA Opening Round game and upset five seed in round of 64 and four seed in round of 32 to advance to NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
Buzzer beater win over one seed in Sweet Sixteen to advance to NCAA Elite Eight. Triple OT win over three seed in Elite Eight.
NCAA Final Four features three one seeds and twelfth seeded Michigan which ends the season on 14-game winning streak, with no game in that streak decided by more than five points.
During Michigan’s "One Shining Moment" after the NCAA Championship Game, every member of the team announces that he’ll be returning for the 2015-16 season . . . and every MGoBlogger is Happy!
April 27th, 2014 at 11:24 AM ^
April 27th, 2014 at 12:40 PM ^
Regress in basketball next year and be swept by all our rivals, but our football team beats MSU, ND, and Ohio en route to winning a B1G championship and going to the rose bowl
Or
The football team performs like the past few years but the basketball team wins the B1G and goes to at least the final four.