Can Coach Beilein Survive Another Season Like This?

The Culture of the program is at the point of no return. I'm sure JB will get one more year but if you're being honest with yourself, you realize next year will be more of the same. Like football under Brady Hoke, the only way the culture can change is with a new head coach. JB is who he is. He's made the NCAA tournament only 10 times in 34 years of coaching. He has actually over achieved as a coach at Michigan. He derserves a ton of praise for 2012-2014. With that being said, It's time to move on and I hope JB realizes it and retires after next year.

I will say this. Barring injuries, you return everyone and get a few additional talented players as freshmen (one in X who will certainly play and is regarded as quite good at playing). With that in mind, and again barring injuries, there is no way this team doesn't improve next year. Since only a small improvement would result in a tourney appearance knowing that one is still in sight for this season, I don't see any chance Beilein gets fired unless the team gets worse and again doesn't make the tourney (which I don't see happening at all knowing the natural progression of players). Beilein 100% deserves another season. And I don't really see a way Beilein will get fired unless there's a tire fire of a season next year similar to Hoke's last year. Beilein is a good dude who is well respected at the University who has had very recent major success including B1G titles. That doesn't scream hot seat to me, and I still have faith that regardless of how this season ends that he will lead this team to success next year. Not saying a B1G title, but I expect we will be a lot less grumpy towards the program. The following year will be the real test once Irvin and Walton graduate.

Can Mgoblog survive another thread about Beilein?

You can't have your best player be out for essentially the whole season and still have a great year.

I hope we don't have to find out.

You're right, Beilein is a class act and represents all that is pure and great about the sport. But this is still a business. Beilein is here to win games, and if he can't do that on a consistent basis, he'll need to be shown the door at some point.

I understand that this program will never be able to recruit like Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, UNC, and in most years, MSU. And I do not expect Michigan to be in Final Four contention every year. I'm okay with all of this. But there is ZERO reason for this program to have to sweat out Selection Sunday on a consistent basis. ZERO.

Missing the tournament one year can be excused, depending on the situation. Mass NBA departures, key injuries, etc. It happens. Missing it two years is a potentially disturbing trend, and there might need to be some changes with your assistants or your recruiting approach. Miss it three years in a row? That tells me that it's time to make a change with your head man.

Beilein is great, but the program is bigger than him or any one man. Sometimes you need to make changes that are in the best interest of your program, even if that means letting go a great coach and a great man. If we miss the tournament next year and have another sinker like this season, it might be time for Beilein to retire.

Yes beilein can survive. I think he needs to bring in some defensive help on the staff. He doesn't maximize his staff resources effectively and he is very provincial in his thinking at times. But this team's primary problem is poor wing defense and minimal ability to penetrate. Those are kind of Caris' Levert thing. This team did better than last year with even less time having Caris on the court. I bet this team not only makes the tournament next year but makes real noises. And as usual we all forget we said this stuff in the first place.

We aren't a basketball school and we won't do the dirty things you have to do to win in college. So not sure what else people want. When you won't do those things then you have to have an identity. Either offensive or defensive. This team does not have an offensive efficiency that is off the charts the last two years. They haven't shot as well, the pick and roll game has been sub-optimal, and our best penetrators have been sitting on the bench. We've been spoiled by success so any drop off makes us question leadership. Just silly.

1.  Is the cheating in recruiting and in paying players substantially worse in college basketball than in college football?  Several have suggested as much on this board (other threads). 

2.  If is is worse in basketball, is it really possible to be an elite team without breaking the rules?  Though there is a lot of smoke in football on programs playing players, etc., it also seems possible to be a top program in football and be pretty clean.  Does this hold for college basketball?  Or is cheating so rampant in b-ball that it is near impossible to be elite and totally clean?

3.  Can people give examples of college coaches with strong reputations for being totally clean and also running elite (top 15 most years) programs?

Not arguing one way or another on Belein's future.  I am just trying to get relevant info. 

Belien seems about as clean as a major college b-ball coach can be,  Is it possible that getting to the elite level is not compatible with being a torally clean program?

And yes I do realize that there are lots of other factors that go into analyzing Belien's future.  But an intelligent decision has to consider the realities of today's collge b-ball.

Looking at our roster next year, I do believe that we will be a tournament team.

Players we can rely on: Walton and MAAR. Those two will be the heart and soul of our team next year. Also, I'll throw Donnal in there. He was pretty good in the B1G season, and the thing I liked most was his improved rebounding.

Players that need a better season: IRVIN, Dawkins. I still think Dawkins has a high ceiling and I personally would like to see him eat into more of Duncan's minutes. Irvin needs to take a 2012-13 Hardaway role. He needs to accept he's not the alpha dog, and let the game co,e to him. He just isn't a good enough ball handler/decision maker to be the main guy.

Players I'm hopeful for: Chatman & Wagner. I've actually liked what I've seen from Kam lately, and I love his length. I also wouldn't be opposed to a Donnal Wagner lineup next year.

X Factor: Xavier Simpson (no pun intended). Pray to God we've seen the last meaningful minutes for Andrew Dakich.

Players who will get less minutes next year than this year: Doyle & Robinson.

8-10 loss season next year is my prediction

Coming from someone who pays almost zero attention to basketball: we were in the national championship game a few years ago, and had another final four appearance and I believe elite 8 and sweet sixteen appearances in a few years stretch. 

The basketball team hasn't been great the last couple of years after mass departure of talent and injuries plagueing the team this whole year, and we are talking about firing Beilein?  Are you guys nuts?  Remember where we were before Beilein?