Michigan Opens as 3.5-Point Favorite Against Texas A&M
Sounds about right:
http://www.vegasinsider.com/college-basketball/odds/las-vegas/
And don't forget - we beat Texas A&M in 1982 for Bo, and we can beat 'em again now.
March 19th, 2018 at 12:52 AM ^
Mo needs to draw Big Thickness away from the basket and make him guard - will be an interesting matchup
Moe needs to stay out of foul trouble in order to do this though. Seems that opponents have been deliberately taking it at him early to get him off the floor, and it’s been working. When we can play five out we get performances like the BTT. When we can’t we get thrown out of rhythm on offense like the last couple games.
March 19th, 2018 at 10:03 AM ^
I hate conspiracy theories.
But refs do not like Moe for some reason. They really put the clamps on him.
This is so consistent across games and locations and referrees that there must be something that we don't see or we don't hear during in-game action that makes them basically want to try to get rid of him.
It's just not normal.
It's going to be a huge challenge on Thursday against a post-oriented team like A&M to be able to get productive minutes out of him.
March 19th, 2018 at 11:24 AM ^
Refs hate us.
I think that's moved well beyond conspiriacy theory.
I've never seen as many bullshit calls in my life.
Over decades.
It's tourney time and Mo still hasn't gone super saiyan. The time is now
March 19th, 2018 at 12:57 AM ^
A&M plays a zone right? At least that’s what it looked like today.
Will be a challenge for us to break it down and get in amongst the trees.
And we’ll absolutely have to hit an average number of 3s. Almost all the higher seeds who have gone down have been ice cold from deep.
I can't wait to see Z run around in the paint putting up insane angled layups that somehow go in like he did against Purdue.
I don't know what A&M was playing, but the result was usually some dude going 11' or 12' up in the air to highpoint a rebound. Dude was jumping so high that he traveled twice bc he fell to the ground, crash landing style, with the ball in his hands after coming down from outer space. It was hard not to admire his Rodman / Ben Wallace type approach to going after every board, and not waiting for the ball to come down.
they can't rebound if we make every shot.
March 19th, 2018 at 12:01 PM ^
I think we'll need to, just about. Our play through the first 2 games - relative to theirs - has me thinking if I were a betting man I'd be all over A&M.
I cannot imagine standing at the wager window willingly handing them any of my hard earned cash to take M and give 3.5!!!
But then, I'm NOT a betting man cuz I suck at it - so we got that goin for us! ;-)
If he was really in outer space wouldn’t he just continue to drift away?
Good question. He'd need a space suit to hold in the gravity, right?
This is a common misconception regarding basketball players in space.
I think this was the moment where I went from -- nice A&M maybe is alright and could win and give us an easier game -- to HOLY crap who are these monsters:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cw2mKSPk6UU&feature=onebox&t=28
If we're as cold from outside as UNC was then we're just as doomed. Nothing will be easy down low. Don't think we'll go 6-31 from long range though so I'm cautiously optimistic. Another slugfest in the making.
That first clip is a goaltend no? Or can you grab the net as long as ball isn't in the cylinder?
Yeah I think you're right if you grab the rim/net to help you with a block it's a goaltend. Still a pretty crazy block though.
He blocked with his other hand so grabbing the net didn't affect the shot. It would've been goaltending if the shot went over the block and him pulling on the net preventing the ball from going in though. But since it never got that far, if you call that you're just being cheap.
The anticipation of a whistle is understandable though. We're too used to being officiated by B1G refs.
I would take B1G officiating over what we have had these first two games.
That was a guard shooting a floater with a terribly low release point, which is kind of like "please mash the ball into my face". If you mentally delete the shooter and just compare the defender's elevation to the rim, he was at conventional dunking height. I will compliment his quickness though; he got in position fast for a big.
Using the common opponent (N. Carolina) analysis, TAMU should be favored by about 35 points. Should be a good game, but they looked really scary last night. We will need some magical Beilein game planning to pull this one out.
They were swept by LSU in the SEC.
March 19th, 2018 at 10:06 AM ^
Hey, we were swept by LSU too.
March 19th, 2018 at 10:48 AM ^
Van Earl is still working, that's good to see.
Some of those UNC misses were more open than anything Michigan shot this past weekend. So the possibility is there. I'd be more confident if we had more sure-thing shooters, though.
March 19th, 2018 at 10:19 AM ^
Almost all the higher seeds who have gone down have been ice cold from deep.
Chris Webber had an insightful comment about this during one of the broadcasts. The common denominator among all the higher seeds that got upset was that they were not hitting their threes.
We certainly saw this with UNC.
It is especially relevant with T&M because those are the open shots you are going to get. Beilein will be able to scheme a lot of open three looks agianst them, but you have to hit them.
We will go into Staples and channel Kobe and Derek Fisher (in their primes).
We will go into Staples and channel Kobe and Derek Fisher (in their primes).
March 19th, 2018 at 12:57 AM ^
Easy money
Go Blue
Cant wait
Hopefully the averages start playing out real quick. If they do, we have a lot going our way -- favorties start trending back to actually winning against underdogs, madness turns to chalk, our shooting for the tournament jumps back to season-long percentages after two subpar shooting games, Texas A&M comes back to Earth after their scorching hot shooting, fouls go back to Michigan's norm and half our team isn't in foul trouble all game, etc etc, etc...
I like our chances. Win or lose, this is now a great team that greatly exceeded expectations. Time to just enjoy the ride.
Last game was so bizarre. I don't know if it was the layoff, the late start, the nerves, or what ... but after seeing Duncan Robinson and MAAR both airball badly, I knew the shooting was going to turn around in Wichita. We were just in a funk that whole trip ... and we won somehow. Hopefully this whole defense thing is another Beilein staple that repeats itself through the years.
They just don't get down on themselves and enjoy playing together. Credit both the coaches and the players. You can feel it and it makes them an easy team to root for. They just seem to have "IT" and do what they have to do to win.
March 19th, 2018 at 12:38 PM ^
I can’t ever remember a Beilein team airballing so many threes. I think I counted at least 3 or 4, and from good shooters, too. That’s when you know something’s off, and you’re just praying to get the hell out of Wichita with a win...
They run the same offense efficiently enough, but there isn't nearly as much of Death From Above. We've won our last four games shooting around 35% from three, if not worse. The 50% nights are more the outlier these days, but the good news is, we don't need it.
This team is a legit defense. Everyone keeps saying "this next game could be a grind" but that's Michigan's style at this point. 7/20 on threes is good enough, get the other team to shoot 40% or worse from everywhere.
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BUST THEY ASS
One of my coworkers is a huge A&M fan (his son went there). We BETTER win!
My boss is an Aggie. We NEED to win!
March 19th, 2018 at 12:36 PM ^
My father in law is an Aggie. I told him I wanted to wish him luck with this game, but he and I both know I wouldn't mean it.
Against NC. Michigan will absolutely have to have a very good shooting game from 3 point range. Go Blue!
Agreed. We'll HAVE to stay out of foul trouble and we need someone to get a hot hand in order to have a shot.
This team is really fun to watch when they are dialed in. Would like to see them play at their full potential.
They looked INSANELY good against North Carolina. By far their best performance of the entire season. I'm just praying they got that insanity out of their system. Because look at the 4 games leading up to that North Carolina game...
73-69 over Providence
71-70 over Alabama
68-66 over Alabama
61-60 over Georgia
One of these things is not like the other.
Better to put that performance up against NC instead of us. Maybe they'll come back to earth?
NC looked really lackadaisical in first half like they just assumed they could catch up at will. I think it was more NC not showing up.
They’re big, but I can guarantee their bigs aren’t used to being pulled out of the lane like they will be against us. Will be interesting to see how much playing time Teske gets and how Moe plays on D. If we can get their bigs in foul trouble early, I like our chances a lot. Zavier is due for a good game.
Watching that clip and during many of the games, the underDOG was really playing with high energy, while the favorite seemed asleep.
If I was betting this as a objective observer, I would be tempted to take the points. However, we are due to play a good game, so who knows? That's why they call it gambling.
During football season vs hoop season?
We ARE a basketball school now - to take nothing away from our football school status/history
March 19th, 2018 at 12:31 PM ^
Harbaugh's got to be somewhat happy about that right now. After a sub-par season like the one he just had, normally the media would be dogging him day and night about it until the Fall. But Beilein has indirectly shielded the football team from view, and that's not a bad thing.
For one, Beilen and Co. deserve the attention. They're playing well and are two games away from another trip to the Final Four. But for two, Harbaugh can stay out of the spotlight and focus just on helping the team progress. I mean, when was the last time we heard anything of real significance out of Schembechler Hall, other than the Warriner promotion/Drevno firing? Harbaugh's kept a pretty low profile so far since the Outback Bowl, which is what he's needed to do. And the basketball team's success has helped ensure that the media stays off his back.
Of course once the tournament is over, they'll probably be right back on his doorstep.