U of M thread (in the Lions Forum) :)

[nhwbrooklyn]

20 wins and a couple NCAA tourneys would be great IMO. Trust me as a fan of historically inconsistant MSU football, it's all about stacking solid years back to back to improve what people think about your program. Another solid year on top of what UofM did last year would be extremely valuable to UofM and the perception of the program (to show that consistency.. to send that message that they will compete every year). That perception then feeds the reality with better recruiting and just more excitement about the program in general.

[Kstat]

they stacked 2011 on top of an equally successful 2009. Another like season in 2012 isn't going to raise expectations any more.

[nhwbrooklyn]

they stacked 2010 on top of an equally successful 2008. Another like season in 2011 isn't going to raise expectations any more.

Yes it will. You do not have enough consistency established yet to weather an under performing season without harm to the perception of the program. That comes with consistency and time. Try as you might, you can't skip that part (I wish you could).

[Kstat]

they landed the top HS big man in the country. I don't think they have to raise their profile much higher in order to get noticed.

[nhwbrooklyn]

Do you want to land a guy with pre-existing UofM connections every 10 years or do you want to have your program compete for top guys every year?

OSU gets top 10 guys every year just about.

Another solid year and a couple of NCAA wins would be fantastic for the program.

[Kstat]

Considering we've transitioned from Darius Morris to Trey Burke, and in time we'll transition from Tim Hardaway jr to Glenn Robinson III, I'm very satisfied with our level of recruiting now.

We're not Kentucky or UNC, and we'll never be. I'm happy with pretty good players every year, with an off-chance of a superstar once in a blue moon. Beiliein is a fantastic coach. I'm happy with him developing ok prospects into very good ones.

[*JD*]

Jon Horford is having a career game against UCLA.

12 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block and we've only played 1 half!

Michigan up 38-31 as UCLA hit a buzzer-beater 3 that got a members bounce.

[*JD*]

MICHIGAN beats ucla by a score of 79-63.

While ucla has some talent (at least 2 McDonald's A.A. to our 0), they don't seem to be a cohesive group at this point.

Michigan looked pretty darn solid and withstood every Bruin run.

Zack Novak led the way with a career high 22 points. TH Jr. was right behind with 20 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.

Jon Horford stayed on 12 points (no shots in the 2nd half) & 7 rebounds as he only played about 6 minutes after the break. He did block 2 more shots, though.

Trey Burke has his most "Freshman" game as he struggled in the 2nd half and overdribbled the ball on a few possessions. Still, 5 points, 5 assists is okay for an off night in your 6th game.

Evan Smotrycz did not have a good shooting night but finished strong with 2 buckets when we opened it up. He also hit the glass well for 8 rebounds and had 4 assists.

Stu played fairly well, although he had 5 turnovers and 4 fouls. He did make a couple of key buckets that ended UCLA runs. Stu finished with 9 points and 3 rebounds.

Jordan Morgan and Matt Vogrich were pretty much non-existent. This is a trend for Vogrich. I hope to see more of the flashes he showed last year.

Carlton Brundidge did get a few minutes, had a couple of sloppy turnovers but did nail 2 free-throws at the end so maybe he can build on that.

The schedule softens up a bit over the next month. The only "Name" schools we play are Virginia, Oakland and Iowa State. Those are actually our next 3 games.

I'd guess Virginia is the only "trap" game, because it's on the road. Virginia is 4-1 but they haven't played anyone that strong.

That said, Ralph Sampson ain't walking through that door and neither is Bryant Stith or Corey Alexander.

I think there's a pretty damn good shot that we will be 11-1 when we enter B1G play.

[Kstat]

Good business trip for U-M. Something to build on for the rest of the calender year.

[Niffla]

Even with the Duke loss -- they should still move up, no? Handled a top 10 Memphis squad fairly easily, more than respectable loss to Duke, and then crushed UCLA.

[jaadam4]

I just wish one of these days we'd stick it to Duke. I hate that team.

[Niffla]

I know, right? I know they're always very good, but so often it seems like Mich starts those games in awe of the history and forgets that it's a, you know -- a freaking basketball game. Before they know it they're down 9-0 like the other day and spend the rest of the game fighting back.

UM has had a few nice wins over Duke...but for every one that we get, they get like 5. At least.

[jaadam4]

Getting this sinking feeling that Meyer will sign with OiHO state after we beat them this weekend. They're throwing 6-7 mil a year at him per reports.

I'm not a huge fan since Meyer will open a FL pipeline to OSU like we've never seen.

[Niffla]

Yeah even though he's denying an offer...it just seems like an absolute lock. Thing is, can he actually do better than Tressel? I mean Tressel was tremendous. People will bring up the blowouts in the NC games, but just look at his record. I don't care what anybody says -- that will be tough to top.

[jaadam4]

Couldnt agree more.. Tressel came out of no where and turned that team into a powerhouse.