Would a basketball national championship be just as satisfying as a football national championship?
Irrespective of how we might feel about the state and direction of our football program, few would disagree that the basketball program has given us more to celebrate in the past few years and is closer to the top of the mountain than its gridiron counterpart. This season is shaping up to be special and it looks like there's no limit to what this team can achieve if it's firing on all cylinders.
And yet, Michigan has always been perceived, internally and externally, as a football-first school. So my question for my fellow MGoBloggers is this: would you find a basketball national championship as satisfying as a football national championship?
I consider the NCAA Tournament to be the most exciting event in all of American sports, and as a lifelong Michigan fan who came of age in the late 80's and early 90's during the Steve Fisher/Fab Five era, I personally would find it every bit as satisfying. Having said that, historically I've followed college football more closely than college basketball. But I'm curious about what the board thinks. What say you?
December 6th, 2018 at 3:26 PM ^
To me personally, no it wouldn't. But I think I would "respect" a national title in basketball more than I would in football. Mostly just because outside of the Stanley Cup, there is probably no title harder to win in American sports than the NCAA tournament. They call it March Madness for a reason.
Not to discredit what a football title would mean, but I think its easier to attain one than a basketball national title.
December 6th, 2018 at 3:29 PM ^
Give me both in 2019-2020 and I'll let you know which one felt better.
December 6th, 2018 at 3:30 PM ^
Both would be great. But I always tell people there are three things in life I care about: My family, my job, and Michigan football.
December 6th, 2018 at 3:41 PM ^
I was at Michigan when we won the 1989 title. I rode the bus from North Campus to the Central Campus celebrations after the FF and Championship wins with my coat pockets full of Lowenbrau bottles. It was one of the sports highlights of my life, along with my first TD catch, the '84 Tigers, '89 Pistons and '97 Red Wings. That being said, Michigan football winning a national championship would trump Michigan basketball winning it all.
Alternatively, the Tigers, Pistons or Red Wings could win titles and all would pale in comparison with a Lions Super Bowl championship.
Football runs the world.
December 7th, 2018 at 10:11 AM ^
Don't hold your breath, but Alex Trebek predicts a Super Bowl title for the Lions by 2030.
December 6th, 2018 at 3:43 PM ^
nope, but it would certainly be awesome
December 6th, 2018 at 3:48 PM ^
No. The NCAA tournament format introduces so much randomness that makes it feel like a lot of luck is involved. Last year's team was good, but man did they get pretty weak resistance on the way to the championship. Not their fault of course, but that's kind of my point.
In football you're basically afforded one loss the whole season, which basically can't be a conference championship loss. This battery of tough games at the end of the season - for most schools a rivalry game, conference championship then playoff games against the best schools in the country (no Loyola Chicago to be found here) is such a test that whoever wins it has truly earned it.
December 6th, 2018 at 3:48 PM ^
Yes, PLEASE!!!
December 6th, 2018 at 3:52 PM ^
A lot of people are saying no, but for me personally, it would be a yes. I love Michigan basketball and football basically equally and I absolutely love and respect John Beilein. I want him to win a championship so badly
December 6th, 2018 at 3:55 PM ^
For me, the answer is yes. I've been both a basketball and football season ticket holder since I graduated undergrad in 1994. Both teams were good during my teenage and college years. A football title would perhaps be more satisfying in the sense of relief it would provide for the Harbaugh and just general Michigan bashers out there (i.e. Finebaum and his ilk), but as far as general satisfaction/euphoria, I think they are equivalent.
Plus, I just love the NCAA Tournament environment. Attending the games, cutting down nets, etc.
December 6th, 2018 at 3:59 PM ^
No... but it's close. :)
The football NC - I'd be at the game. The basketball NC - I'd be watching from afar. As such the feels are a bit stronger.
At least with basketball I'm not bemoaning insufferable repeated losses and I can rise and fall with the team. FB, objectivity flies out the window regularly.
December 6th, 2018 at 3:59 PM ^
For the sake of Belein YES--more than one!
Otherwise--HELL NO.
December 6th, 2018 at 4:02 PM ^
I think I would prefer a basketball title over one for football. I am not sure if any other school has more runner-up finishes than Michigan does in the tournament.
1965
1976
1992
1993
2013
2018
The only one of those that was a surprise was last years team.
December 6th, 2018 at 4:16 PM ^
The flip side of this is that Michigan has never lost in a national semi-final game.
We have never gone to the Final Four without a win.
So while we may have "underachieved" in the title game, we actually overachieved to get there.
We have also been a little unlucky in some sense, our title losses have been to some of the greatest teams in NCAA history.
UCLA in full Wooden mode. Bob Knight's / Indiana's historical undefeated team. Coach K's / Duke's back to back championship team. Villanova's unstoppable juggernaut.
When we played very good but not historically great teams like Seton Hall and Louisville, we won (or should have won).
Michigan playing in seven NCAA National championship games in my lifetime impresses the hell out of me.
That is a far better record than so-called "basketball schools" like Syracuse and Georgetown and Purdue and Arizona and so on.
December 6th, 2018 at 4:30 PM ^
Not quite - we lost in the semis in 1964.
December 7th, 2018 at 11:47 AM ^
Yeah, I forgot about that one. We got 3rd place.
December 6th, 2018 at 4:38 PM ^
We actually did lose the the 1964 semi-finals to Duke. We won the third place game.
December 6th, 2018 at 4:02 PM ^
Not even close
December 6th, 2018 at 4:05 PM ^
For me, having seen both, it's a whole lot closer than it used to be.
In and of itself, winning the entire MBB NCAA tournament is a ton more exciting than wining 2 CFP football games a week apart in late Dec / early January.
The intensity of the MBB NCAA tournament is just on a different level. It's an explosion, not a slow burn.
Because of who we are at Michigan, the football NC is going to mean more however. Let's face it, it's the trophy we'd rather have if we can only pick one.
But the MBB tournament is a much better ride while it's happening.
December 6th, 2018 at 4:09 PM ^
No, but basketball winning it all would be super cool. I was a sophomore in 1989 when basketball did win it all, and I went the elite 8 game in Lexington, KT against VA. That was amazing.
But Michigan football is the only sport I really care about, so winning that again in my lifetime would be the best.
December 6th, 2018 at 4:17 PM ^
Absolutely it would. I like football more but I also understand Michigan is a million miles away from truly competing for a football title. Basketball is more realistic, and I just want championships any way I can get them.
December 6th, 2018 at 4:18 PM ^
Scale out! Heck ya, just as much as any other sport!
December 6th, 2018 at 4:27 PM ^
Nothing against basketball or any other sport but NO
https://tse2.mm.bing.net/th?id=OGC.f322ff1fd73ce2fd6d56da711334a28b&pid=Api&rurl=https%3a%2f%2fmedia.giphy.com%2fmedia%2f26tn8SCj1y4QgATnO%2fgiphy.gif&ehk=LktGZ%2bXmiJglL7F3h18kDQ
December 6th, 2018 at 4:29 PM ^
Gotta say no. I love the BB team and follow along but just don’t find the wins as satisfying as FB wins. Always been a football guy and prob always will be.
December 6th, 2018 at 4:29 PM ^
Simple answer... NO
December 6th, 2018 at 4:29 PM ^
Yes, but in a different way. The tourney is always played far away - on neutral courts and it would be very nice for John Beilein - makes me feel that not everything in the world must end up with corruption and corner cutting.
December 6th, 2018 at 4:33 PM ^
Not always far away. High seeds get preferential locations. We played at the Palace in 2013 and MSU played in Detroit last year. And Duke/UNC seem to be in Greensboro or Charlotte every year.
December 6th, 2018 at 4:30 PM ^
For me and not that anyone cares what I think, nor do I give a shit if you care but as a football guy it wouldn’t be for me. It would be right up there though. I love basketball too. Did I mention how good I am at that too? All I really care about is that Coach B. starts gettin those freshman more playing time. Especially with some of these easier games coming up here in December. Nothing could help this team more now to add that depth off of the bench. Well except for Simpson finding his shot. Honest to god, I never played college ball and I could go to he gym for a month a couple times a week and I’d be shooting like Stauskas. Someone help him. He eyes up his shot for too long. You just gotta pop that sucker. Let it fly. Get that shooting elbow up for arch and flick that wrist. Coach B. probably scoff at my advice but I get fucking buckets from downtown. My form is just like Kobe’s. Hard to find many that had a better jumpshot than him. I trained myself on his form. It works.
December 6th, 2018 at 4:40 PM ^
December 7th, 2018 at 7:45 PM ^
Can't we have both?
* * *
Lobster and cracked crab for everyone! Extra primo good Mr. Coleman, sir!
December 6th, 2018 at 5:00 PM ^
No.
It would be enjoyable, yes. But my heart is in football.
December 6th, 2018 at 5:07 PM ^
I would prefer football but basketball would be very satisfying nonetheless.
December 6th, 2018 at 5:08 PM ^
It would be great for the program, but not as satisfying for me personally as finally trouncing Ohio State in football. I hate to sound like a Sparty, but I care more about beating Ohio State in football than a national championship in any sport, including football.
December 6th, 2018 at 5:12 PM ^
I'd say unequivocally yes. Right now football is still dominated by the opinion of who should be allowed the privilege of the opportunity to participate in the "Playoff". Basketball gives every "good" team a shot through a legit tournament. The decision about who participates isn't made but a bunch of old farts with an agenda in a closed office somewhere. Well maybe it is when it comes to seeding and who the 69th best team is, but it's just better than the CFP process.
Beilein is such a stand up guy doing things clean in the dirtiest of sports. He DESERVES a title. We've been so close a couple times in the last 5 years. If we win it, I feel like I would be reminded of what it felt like when the Wings won their title in 97. Everyone was so happy to finally break through!
It would have been a no from me maybe 10 years ago. But nothing about football in the last decade has been exciting and has frankly put me in permaBPONE for the foreseeable future, unless and until we beat a good OSU squad.
December 6th, 2018 at 5:19 PM ^
Let’s win one and I will be sure to let you know in the moment. Winning is always a big rush of joy.
December 6th, 2018 at 5:20 PM ^
Currently? Yes!
As a reward to the players who have took the BB program so deep into the tourney over the last few years.
December 6th, 2018 at 5:21 PM ^
A football championship would register 100 on my whole number scale of Michigan sports fandom. Basketball championship would rate a 99. Every other sport would be somewhere in the mid-high 90s. I was somehow ecstatic when Michigan won the softball championship a decade+ ago, and I had never even watched college softball before in my life.
December 6th, 2018 at 5:32 PM ^
Would it be extremely satisfying and pleasing? Yes. Would it be as satisfying and pleasing? No, because I think Michigan basketball has firmly established itself as an elite program with or without a title, whereas football still needs a playoff trip or three at least, and honestly a title, to really secure it's perception as an elite program.
December 6th, 2018 at 5:45 PM ^
Satisfying - extremely
AS Satisfying - negative
Only 12 (13, 14, 15 someday?) games in CFB and each one is highly anticipated and life or death for most. Not the same in any other sport MBB, NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB.
December 6th, 2018 at 5:48 PM ^
Yes. Not more than, but just as much as.
I was on campus for the ‘89 hoops title and I was in attendance at the ‘98 Rose Bowl. Both experiences were exhilarating, neither better than the other.
Seeing Coach B cut down the nets with his team would be one of my sweetest and most satisfying moments as a Michigan fan, no less so than seeing Harbaugh lift the CFP trophy. Both are just so, so hard to do.
December 6th, 2018 at 6:48 PM ^
Never in a million years will any significant basketball win be as fulfilling as any humdrum football win.
December 6th, 2018 at 7:09 PM ^
Yes
both are almost as rare as unicorns