Illinois 64, Michigan 52 (OT)
Those moving pictures are the thousands of words you very much don't want to read about Michigan giving up a 21-2 run to close out yet another overtime loss. Worst of all, perhaps, is I couldn't lead off this post with Aubrey Dawkins taking Nnanna Ewgu for a ride on the BOFA Express.
This is apparently what happens when your only trusted inbounder is 5'10". I don't much like it.
February 12th, 2015 at 11:23 PM ^
that ending really fucking sucked...
can someone please step up and close a game?
i don't even care who it is. i miss hero ball.
February 12th, 2015 at 11:23 PM ^
This shit is getting old. Beilein got completely outclassed this game.
February 13th, 2015 at 12:08 AM ^
Do tell... how would you have played the ENTIRE game without your best players and kept the close? The team was a 7 point dog, had a lead most of the game, and could've (should've) won if the other didn't intentionally bend the rules (step OOB intentionally/illegaly on an in bound).
February 13th, 2015 at 12:47 AM ^
February 13th, 2015 at 12:48 AM ^
The man was praised consistently for the past three years. He's the same man, a great coach. We are lucky to have him. We've had a hard year, we'll be back. In John we Trust.
February 13th, 2015 at 3:05 AM ^
February 12th, 2015 at 11:31 PM ^
No way around it, coaches and players absolutely shit the bed down the stretch. Very disappointing.
February 12th, 2015 at 11:24 PM ^
So i flew in to Champaign tonight for the game - man did the last 6 minutes of that game suck! Totally ran out of gas to close the 2nd half.
I was also surprised how few Michigan fans there were - i only saw 15-20 people...
February 12th, 2015 at 11:25 PM ^
February 12th, 2015 at 11:26 PM ^
All will be better? We're replacing Levert with a D3 transfer who's a complete unknown. Even with improvement from the freshmen, I think we're looking at more of the same next year.
February 12th, 2015 at 11:30 PM ^
February 12th, 2015 at 11:32 PM ^
Well the recruiting was awful last year and isn't looking to get much better. And Beilein isn't exactly young.
February 12th, 2015 at 11:38 PM ^
February 12th, 2015 at 11:43 PM ^
It's never been, which is why it took him 6 years to finally get a team that could contend for conference titles and final fours. And which of the freshmen do you see that you think he could turn into a Trey Burke or Nik Stauskas type?
February 12th, 2015 at 11:49 PM ^
February 13th, 2015 at 12:03 AM ^
It took him 5 years, not 6, and given where the program was at when he took over, I think the timeline was very justifiable.
February 13th, 2015 at 12:07 AM ^
Would you be ok if it took Harbaugh 5 years before he won a Big Ten title? Amaker was very similar to Hoke in that he brought in some very good players but couldn't win. Beilein didn't walk into that bad of a situation.
February 13th, 2015 at 12:18 AM ^
Harbaugh is taking over a program in much better shape and with much worse competition than what Beilein inherited, so no, I would not be okay with that.
It's pretty hard to take you seriously when you claim Beilein didn't walk into that bad of a situation. Michigan basketball had been bad for over a decade, was just recovering from one of the worst scandals in the history of the sport, had absolutely no worthwhile returning players, and had to recruit with the worst facilities in the conference.
February 13th, 2015 at 12:18 AM ^
Lower competition I don't agree with. The Big Ten is clearly on the upswing in football, and it wasn't the great basketball conference of the past few years when Beilein first took over (in fact it was much closer to what it is this year). Yeah sure the football program is in better shape but, like I said, Beilein inherited some good players his first couple of years here.
February 13th, 2015 at 12:47 AM ^
Do you honestly believe that Beilein had the same inherent advantages in building a basketball program that Harbaugh will have in rebuilding the football program? It's not even close. Michigan football has always recruited itself and has historically been the conference's best program with the best facilities. Basketball was awful when Beilein got here, and it had been awful for a long time.
February 13th, 2015 at 12:55 AM ^
Football doesn't really recruit itself, not anymore. You think these high school kids remember the last time Michigan had a great football team? That was almost 10 years ago. Harbaugh is being tasked with resurrecting a once proud but now dead program, and I'm willing to bet he won't take nearly as long to do it as Beilein did.
What I see is a basketball program about to reenter the mediocrity of the Amaker and early Beilein years. The past couple of seasons should have served as a jumping off point for a long and prosperous run, instead we're fighting to make the NIT and our recruiting continues to suffer. I know we'd all like to think that Beilein can wave his magic wand and turn any 2 or 3 star prospect into an NBA lottery pick, but the fact is that he can't. Guys like Burke and Caris are the exception, not the rule, no matter who the coach is, and frankly this disastrous season could've been avoided if he had hit on even one of the top recruits he was pursuing, even with all the injuries.
February 13th, 2015 at 1:02 AM ^
Right. Football doesn't recruit itself, which is why after the RR debacle, an unknown coach from SDSU was hired and pulled in top-ten classes, and after his debacle, Harbaugh came in and grabbed four 4-stars in a month.
I can't believe I'm actually responding to this nonsense. Yes, Beilein's recruiting has been a little frustrating, but we are playing without our top 7 guys from last year and you're complaining about one NIT year after two consecutive elite eights and a trip to the National Title game. Wtf man.
February 13th, 2015 at 1:09 AM ^
February 13th, 2015 at 1:05 AM ^
February 13th, 2015 at 12:15 AM ^
VERY different situations. Amaker's teams were absolutely awful. Stu Douglas and Novak were not only viable, but preferable to Amaker options. Tommy was horrible at UM.
February 13th, 2015 at 12:19 AM ^
And Hoke wasn't horrible? Amaker's teams underperformed significantly, as did Hoke's.
February 13th, 2015 at 12:27 AM ^
85 vs 13... That's a big difference. The amount of turnover makes it moreso. BBall and FBall are inherently different. BBall has a lot more ups and downs due to turnover. There are very rare dynasties vs still rare FB where we've seen USC and Alabama recently. Amaker didn't develop anyone. In football at least you mature physically. Hoke had some decent position coaches. This is tl;dr so Amaker was a really sh*tty coach and FB is different.
February 13th, 2015 at 12:36 AM ^
February 13th, 2015 at 12:39 AM ^
Well in that case I'd argue Hoke didn't develop anyone either. Amaker left Beilein with a core of Manny Harris and Deshawn Sims, who essentially carried us to the tournament in 08-09. So again, Beilein didn't walk into the worst situation. Amaker dealt with the aftermath of the Ed Martin scandal and still was able to bring in some good players that made up the core of Beilein's first few teams.
February 13th, 2015 at 12:49 AM ^
Amaker never made the tourney.... UM hadn't been there since 1998. He absolutely walked into a worse situation and this is laughable. Beilein made the best of it, but did you watch those teams? This is so stupid and youd don't even know it. Here's the wiki.
February 13th, 2015 at 2:02 PM ^
Better check your facts.
February 13th, 2015 at 12:53 AM ^
Wait Beilein inherited a core of Harris and Sims? Harris hadn't played a minute of college basketball when Beilein was hired, and Sims averaged 3.4 ppg during the 2006-2007 season. Yeah, that's a hell of a core.
February 13th, 2015 at 12:55 AM ^
He's dug his hole. Who the hell is still waving the Amaker banner?
February 13th, 2015 at 1:00 AM ^
Sorry that I don't always speak praise of the all great Beilein who can't possibly do any wrong.
February 13th, 2015 at 1:04 AM ^
The problem is that you're complaining about something that might be a problem in the future. If you're correct, then come back in two years and I'll agree with you. Until then, this just sounds whiny and ill-informed.
February 13th, 2015 at 12:58 AM ^
Harris and Sims were top 30 recruits. One was a freshman, one was a sophomore. Yeah, you could walk into worse situations than that.
February 13th, 2015 at 3:32 AM ^
Only posting to make thread narrower.
February 13th, 2015 at 7:52 AM ^
This has been done before...but it's still fun.
Oh yeah Novak and Douglass gave us a B1G title.
February 13th, 2015 at 8:23 AM ^
February 17th, 2015 at 10:57 AM ^
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February 13th, 2015 at 1:37 AM ^
I know you two are discussing it but the team Beilein first inherited from Amaker was NOT good. At all. I don't think he was gifted anything from Tommy.
February 13th, 2015 at 2:27 AM ^
February 12th, 2015 at 11:43 PM ^
Well, in one year we got Mitch, GRIII, Stauskas, LeVert and Albrecht. Mitch and GRIII were 5 stars and Stauskas was a solid 4 star. LeVert was MAC level (late growth spurt so unknown potential) but he was still a solid 3 star. The only "unknown" was Albrecht.
I think this year, our wings have not been as good as they were for the past few years. We really need to get some stud recruits like Langford, Towns, etc.
February 12th, 2015 at 11:52 PM ^
February 13th, 2015 at 12:45 AM ^
February 13th, 2015 at 12:59 AM ^
February 13th, 2015 at 2:38 AM ^
February 13th, 2015 at 9:23 AM ^
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