MBB - Game Against Illinois Open Thread (BTT)
It infuriates me that people don't realize what a job the staff did this year.
And FOR THE LAST FUCKING TIME, Walton was injured for both those games.
How many fucking times do I have to repeat the same fucking thing? Why are people so impossibly fucking thick?
I am absolutely stunned that we straight up mugged a team desperately fighting for their tournament lives.
There should absolutely be a posbang thread. This was an extraordinary win.
That they got this team to keep pushing after the crushing loss to Northwestern - it's amazing.
Some of you are too fucking stupid to deserve this coach and this staff and this team.
And I'm not thrilled with some of the late game failures, but those also are things that happen to teams playing with this many freshmen and sophomore and this short a bench.
I am utterly appalled by your ignorance.
We are not yet a program that can sustain five early entries and the loss of our two best players - that's 7 total - in two years. And there are maybe three programs in the country that are those kind of programs.
These aren't excuses, this is reality.
That you can't tell the difference between Izzo's ridiculous whining when he still has a bench full of four star kids and the legitimate difficulties we faced this year - I'm done insulting you, but I'm sad that we root for the same basketball program.
We had a "few injuries"???
LOL.
We lost our two best players on an already depleted team and they were our two best players by far, one of Irvin's good streaks notwithstanding.
There was "NCAA tournament quality in this team"? You are tripping.
Two of our best players down the stretch were kids no one else was recruiting like 6 or 7 months ago.
I'm glad to hear about what we are entitled to because we're Michigan. Beilein is building a program at a school that was absolutely useless for a full decade before he got there.
And this was a huge win for that program. I have so much admiration for the fight these kids and this staff have shown with all that happened this year. Sad that you don't.
Me, I think this team with Mitch, Caris, and Derrick would have been pretty good. Taken as a whole, I enjoyed the hell out of watching the team compte this year.
Of course I'm not satisfied with just squeaking into the NIT. But I sure as hell am if it's one season wedged between three trips to the Elite 8, which is a very realistic possibility. But such distinctions are lost on a fan like you.
This season has certainly had it's share of struggles, especially after younger players began logging extremely heavy minutes, and many teams that struggle in that fashion splinter, fall apart, and get worse as the season progresses. Coaches can only get their players to improve from their baseline level of execution, they don't set it. Nearly every rotation player has improved as the season has chugged along.
Instead of going down the path of splintering and falling apart, the individual players on this team have gotten better. They have improved in a number of different ways, and that is the epitome of good coaching.
If Beilein had gotten Devin Booker and/or Justin Blackmon Jr to commit, this team would likely have not seen such a drop-off. So yes, we can question JB's recruiting. But when Aubrey Dawkins ends his career after constant improvement under Beilein and staff, I'm not sure we won't look back and think how we wouldn't have traded him for either player. This is a measure of a coach. Criticizing Beilein's recruiting is OK, but he recruits well enough to win like crazy.
This season is as bad as it can get under Beilein, and I personally have had a lot of fun watching this team improve.
So once again, to the regular John Beilein criticism, giggles.
have had - in fact, should have had - this could have been a Final Four team.
I am sick to death of listening to people who don't know the difference between a basketball and a human head.
Coach B had time to prep for Groce's Illinois and absolutely punished them.
should sit in the corner and think about what they've done.
that train is at least 5 years old.
No way Illinois makes the tournament now. The worst-case scenario for them just panned out.
If we will continue to play like this, I'm all for ugly uniforms!
Great showing. Just saw the score. At the risk of taking pot-shots at other posters, it's damn impressive that Beilein was able to get his team to basically obliterate a fringe-bubble team this late in the year. The season will probably end with Wiscy, but right now I'm thinking the Badgers aren't looking forward to UM given how much trouble they've had with the Wolverines thus far.
I thought the BTN commentator made a good point, actually. It's important just for the sake of getting more game minutes for the young guys (okay, that's basically everyone). Every competitive minute on the floor equals more growth for them.
Im in Australia..I set my alarm for 5am to watch the game only to wake up and find out the game was done over and finished....but a Pleasant surprise we WON!!!..im listening to the radio replay right now..Its Friday here..Lets do the same against Wisconsin...GO BLUE
Just saw the score. Seems I missed a helluva game.
An' I know I sound like a lame late comer, but swear to god, after reading Quinn's article on Chatman (linked to in the preview) I was like ok, corner's been turned; I think we got this game.
Still, am stunned -- just floored -- by the score...
Whoo-hoo! Post-season, here we come --
Cuz this is when we light up... maybe, jus' maybe, things'll finally start clickin' into place.
<* crossing fingers * >
Wisky's tomorrow?! Lord God help us...
but yes, it *cAN* be done.
Let's do it!
Go Blue!!!
Man, I hope this game gets put on mgovide or youtube. Still searching for indiana, northwestern, and rutgers games. It's been a bad basketball year for cable-cutters like me, wish every game was on espn.